Page 108 of Fire of the Fox

My eyes searched the pink and orange clouds. I grinned through the emotion blurring my vision as I pictured the two of them smiling down on me from where they were now. We couldn’t be together. I wouldn’t get to hear them say it or see their faces as they watched me grow, but it was okay. I knew who they were now, and I knew that, even if they weren’t here beside me, they’d always be with me.

In the sunshine.

In the wind.

In the water.

In my heart.

Everyone rushed around the house, getting ready and doing final checks of their stuff before we set off for the airport. That, paired with texting Dallas to coordinate the details of her secretly joining us, left me frazzled. My current predicament didn’t help, either. Standing by my open suitcase on Rune’s bed, I chewed on my nails. I wanted to look nice when I met Rune’s family for the first time, so I was panicking over which dress to go with. I had no idea what they would like. Based on the photos, they preferred dated clothing, but obviously, I didn’t have any of that.

With a groan, I settled on a black maxi dress. It wasn’t anything like the Regency-era dresses they wore, but it was a dress, at least. Holding it up to double-check it was for sure the one I wanted, I nibbled on my lip. There was a chance they’d hate it, but I decided to go with my gut and stop second-guessing myself.

I tugged off my shirt and stepped out of my leggings. I was about to slip on the dress when two hands grabbed me by my hips. I gasped and went to turn around, but those warm hands pulled me back against his frame.

I looked over my shoulder, already knowing who I would see.

Rune, still in his Fae form after waking up this morning, beamed down at me as he moved his hands from where they were on my hips to wrap them around my waist.

Blushing, I quickly hugged the dress to myself, trying to hide my bra and panties.

“I’m surprised you got undressed with me in the room,” he said. I could practically hear the smile in his voice.

Looking down at my feet, I tried not to get distracted by his strong arms around my bare stomach. “I didn’t know you were in here.”

“I came in while you were still mulling over that dress.”

I glanced at him over my shoulder, my cheeks still flushed. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

He shrugged. “You seemed to be in deep thought, so I didn’t want to disrupt you. I’m glad I chose to keep quiet.”

Grinning, he stepped away from me. I watched him over my shoulder as he walked to his closet. His tail trailed behind him and flicked casually while he dug through his clothes. He pulled out a black button-up shirt and a pair of black trousers.

Glancing over at me, his eyes traveled the length of my body in a slow, tantalizing sweep. With an amused smirk, he said, “If you don’t put some clothes on soon, we’re going to be late for our flight.”

I realized then I was still standing there in my undies, watching him like a dog watches a ball. Flaming bright red, I hurried to throw on the black dress, pulling it all the way down to cover everything.

My eyes were glued to the far wall as I made attempts to calm my racing heart. There was no reason to freak out over this. After all, he’d seen me completely naked the other day. Not like my bra and panties were worse than that.

Trailing my hands down the front of the dress, I glanced at him. He was shirtless, his honeyed skin exposed in a beautiful display. He’d just taken off his sweats and was starting to pull on the black trousers. Heat curling low in my abdomen, I quickly looked away from him again. The sight of him in such a state never ceased to leave me hot and breathless.

“Um,” I started, my eyes looking everywhere except at him. “Is this dress okay, or do you think your mom will hate it?”

“Well, turn toward me, and I’ll tell you.”

I hesitated. Surely he’d have his pants on by now. Slowly, I turned to face him, my hands clasped in front of me. My cheeks warmed when I saw him. He had his pants on, but he was buttoning up his shirt, which meant his beautiful body was still exposed. Despite my efforts, I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

His eyes traced every inch of me, stoking the flame burning at my center. When his gaze finally met my own, he shrugged. “She’ll hate it, but you look beautiful regardless.”

I frowned, my heart stuttering for only a moment over him calling me beautiful. “Why will she hate it? I can change into something else.”

He finished the last of his buttons as his lips lifted, his canines glistening. “It doesn’t matter what you wear. She’ll hate anything you put on because that’s how she is. You aren’t the girl she chose for me, so she’ll judge everything you wear, do, and say.”

My knees grew weak. I clutched my head and sat down on the edge of the bed. Panic was starting to take over all of my nerves. I was already anxious about meeting his mom, but now fear was clawing its way into my mind, too.

“I think I’m going to throw up,” I mumbled.

“Don’t worry about her or anyone for that matter. You’ll have all of us there to protect you. Plus, you’ll get to meet that fox you’ve been dying to see.”

---