Nanny and Her Four Alpha Bullies

Archer takes me through the pyramid like he’d rather do anything else. He points at doors and tells me what they are and adds if I have access to them. 

Neil’s room Off limits. 

Gym and combat facilities. Off limits. 

My room. So, so off limits. 

Library. Off limits. 

“Is anything actually on limits?” I say at one point. 

Archer rolls his eyes and pushes one of two kitchen doors open. It brings us into a large kitchen. There’s three people working who pay us absolutely no mind. Archer moves to one of three fridges, in the back corner. It’s smaller than the other two, only one door. He swings it open and I have to hold in a gasp. 

It’s filled to the brim with fruits and vegetables. Nothing looks wilted or rotten. They’re all lush and bright colors. There’s some liquids in fancy pitchers and then little packs of pre–packaged snacks. It’s not like anything I’ve ever seen before. Even the potatoes my mom used to get for soup (if that’s even what you could call it) were brown and bruised. I’d never even seen a cherry in real life and these boys had a whole basket of them. 

“This is our fridge,” Archer says, snapping me out of my daze. “The other two are for the chefs. They’re- 

“Let me guess,” I cut him off. “Off limits.” I say in a gruff tone, trying to mimic him. 

“Off limits,” Archer repeats, sickly sweet. “We don’t even touch them. Yvonne has a particular way of organizing things that I’d rather not fuck up. I’ve seen her nearly beat Beau after he drunkenly rampaged through one.” He snorts. “Not pretty. But this is the fridge they stock for snacks and such. It’s always open and near always full. If something’s missing just tell one of the chef’s and they’ll refill it.” 

I look back at the fridge and it’s gleaming array of fruits and veg. “I can use it?” I say, timidly. 

“As long as you don’t abuse it,” Archer slams the silver door shut. The food disappears. “You’re in charge of Mia. If you’re not fed and nourished, how do we expect the baby to be?” 

“Touché,” I say. 

Archer leads us back into the gold room we walked into. Beau and Neil are there. They wait our arrival with indifferent stares, I swallow thickly. Nothing about this seems easy. Between the brothers and their rules and the actual process of taking care of a baby, I have a feeling my first few days at Moonriver will be tough. 

“Take it you’ve seen the place?” Neil asks. I nod. He looks at Archer. “Good work.” 

“Pleasure,” Archer drawls. He looks down at me. “Also, that will be the only time you enter using the black stairs.” 

“Can’t have someone see you allow the campus skank in, can you?” I jeer. 

“Precisely,” Neil cuts in. “There’s a service tunnel that the employees use. Given that you are an employee, it only 

seems fit. 

“We can’t have people thinking you’re an actual inhabitant of the Pyramid,” Beau says. “It’s hard enough to get in here, let alone live here. Even our biggest allies aren’t afforded that luxury” 

I think of Wyatt and snort. He would be the kind of guy to beg to live in the Pyramid. I lift my chin high before 

18 

addressing Neil. 

“Noted, I say. “Take the service entrance 

Abruptly, the door to the right of us opens. Steven scuffles into the room with Mia. He looks distraught, Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“She won’t stop crying again,” he pants. “I–I’ve tried everything! She doesn’t need a diaper change, won’t eat food and I rocked her for, like, an hour and she wouldn’t go to sleep. I don’t know what to do!” 

Beau smiles at me. None of it feels warm. He motions to Mia. “Come on, nanny,” he says. “Show us what you got.” 

Steven rushes over to me. He gently slips Mia into my arms. She’s so soft and warm, all bundled in a fuzzy blanket. Her cheeks are pink with exertion and her eyes glasses with tears, I shush her gently and rock her as my hand rubs soothing circles over her little tummy. She hiccups once, then twice then the tears stop. 

She looks up at me with her big, blue eyes and coos. Her lips twist into a smile and she squeals in excitement. I coo back at her and marvel at her innocence. In a massive place with four brutal men and she still finds delight. 

“Gods be damned,” Neil breathes. I look up and see him shaking his head, amazed. “I didn’t believe it the first time. But this time, I see it’s true. The idiot from the slums has a way with kids,” 

“With the way the mothers in the slums abandon their kids,” Beau adds with a sigh. “I wouldn’t expect it to be so. But it is 

I feel fire stir deep within the pits of me. The brothers are once again talking about me as though I’m not here. Furthermore, they’re spewing more hieratical bullshit. As if someone outside their class could ever succeed in life. I shake my head in fever. The anger is licking the pits of me and threatening to escape out of my throat. I open my mouth to speak when I feel something touching my cheek. 

I look down at Mia, small perfect Mia. Her hand is against my face, her eyes wide. Her expression has changed from happiness to worry. I press my lips to her check, super quick, and pull back. She smells milky and fresh. Like cottonwood in the summer. I breathe in her scent. Here I am thinking I’m going to a school to be a warrior and I’m trapped as a nanny because of this baby, 

School. 

The thought reminds me why I’m actually here. I look up at Neil and clear my throat. “Um,” I start. “So am I supposed to take Mia to class? Because I’d have to email my professors and such if so.” 

“No,” Steven says with a shake of his head. “The school strictly is anti–distractions in class. We’re not even supposed to have phones out.” 

“So am I supposed to skip class?” I say. 

“You’re allowed to go to class,” Neil says. “We’ll take Mia when you’re there.” 

Beau’s mouth opens. Neil shoots him a look and he immediately slams it shut. Neil turns back to me. His face is stoic again. 

“We all have flexible schedules. We run most of the extracurriculars so we can adjust those to revolve schedule,” he says. “Plus, save for this little blip, Mia is staring to enjoy our company” 

around your 

“Please,” Archer scoffs next to me. “She probably doesn’t know what an extracurricular even is.” 

“We had them at my school!” I say. 

“What?” Beau teases. “How To Turn Dirt Into Food?” 

“Em on the rugby team. Archer says before I can even reply. “Neil’s the president of the student council. Beau has his bale motorcycle club- Beau mutters something under his breath.“–and Steven’s preparing to submit for his Ph.D. so he’s doing a bunch of research” He turns and gives me a sickly sweet, fake–ass smile, “We’re all trying to learn more about things we’re passionate about. Are you passionate about anything other than childcare?” 

Stripping, maybe!” Beau says from behind his hand. Neil and Steven snicker. 

I clench the fist not wrapped around Mia. I scowl at Beau. 

“You wish I’d be a stripper that way you’d have a chance with me,” I snap. Archer lets out a low whistle. I turn and glare at him. “But even then. You couldn’t afford it.” 

Archer’s face twists into something full of malice. He looks like he’s about to lunge at me when he sees Mia in my arms. He retracts in on himself. “Watch yourself, he says, low and angry. 

I look back at Neil, doing my best to try and remain unphased. Mia coos in my arms. Her hand reaches for my nose and I kiss it tenderly. “So?” 

“We’ll watch her when you have class. Neil repeats. 

Stevens scratches at the back of his neck. “Obviously we’re not great at it,” he says. Beau tries to elbow him in the ribs but Steven darts out of the way. He gives Beau a look. “But worse case, we can get some other girls to help us.” 

“Oh like Addie?” Beau says. Steven looks like he’s gonna put Beau’s head through a wall. 

“Addie is a friend,” he grunts out. “Not that you’d know what that is.” 

“Oh I know what a friend is.” Beau says. He wiggles his eyebrows. “In fact, ones on her way over. So with that, I bid you all adieu!” 

He saunters out of the room and leaves me with his three brothers. Archer and Neil are both rolling their eyes as the door slams behind Beau. Neil looks at me. He gently picks Mia out of my arms and starts towards the same door Beau left through. 

“I need to get her to bed,” he says. “It’s like an hour past her bedtime. I’ll see you all tomorrow! 

Archer and Steven wave at their brother. He leaves the room and then there’s two. Steven gives me a small smile. “Goodnight, Chloe,” he says softly. It’s a rare bit of kindness but it still feel good about it. I wave at him and he waves back before he leaves through a different door. I turn to say something bitchy to Archer and find he’s gone. 

Even better. I settle into my bedroom slash utility closet and shut my eyes for the night. They’re ripped open when I start to hear the cries of the baby in the dead of the night