Page 42 of Fire of the Fox

Silence fell between us for a few moments.

I wiped at a tear that threatened to slip down my cheek. I figured he would say some snarky comment about me being a crybaby.

Instead, he said, “You’re right.”

It took everything in me to keep my jaw from hitting the floor.

His eyes were turned down to the tabletop as he nodded. “It does bother me. Not the part about his family. We were never all that close. But the fact that he’s gone. He’s never coming back. That part—” He glanced at me, then looked out into the crowd of people once more.

Silence gathered, and I waited, knowing how hard it was to find the right words over something like this.

He finally sighed and whispered, “That part bothers me.”

Understanding the sentiment, I nodded and looked at my lap as I fought against the tightness in my chest.

“I’m sorry about your parents.”

My gaze found his, and I watched as his eyes softened at the corners.

“I didn’t know you were adopted,” Rune continued. “That must be hard sometimes.”

Clearing my throat, I took a deep breath and fought against the tears trying to escape. “It is. Some days it’s harder than others. Like when I found out about the chance to go to Italy. It would’ve been nice to call home and tell them the news, but ….”

Our eyes locked, and the air in my lungs stilled. We were being so open with each other, and the usual façade he put up was slowly slipping away. Him being so vulnerable made me feel raw and exposed, as did my own honesty. This was something I never talked about, and I had a feeling Rune didn’t either. We had laid ourselves bare in such an honest way. It stirred something within me, something I couldn’t give a name to.

Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you dare tell anyone I said anything sentimental like that.”

I sighed. The usual Rune was back. “Sure thing. I won’t tell a soul. Except for maybe Akira. And Bassel. And Marlow.”

He glared at me.

Holding my hands up in surrender, I laughed. “Kidding, kidding.”

His features smoothed with my reassurance. Glancing at his phone, he said, “It’s only six, but I think we’ve covered everything that we needed to in regard to my family. I warned you about the important stuff, and you know their names and faces. I know I don’t need to go over them again since you have that handy-dandy photographic memory.”

“Correct. I have each of them memorized. Speaking of memorizing,” I said as I pulled out my prepared document from my purse. “Here’s the questionnaire you need for me.”

He smirked. “Thanks. Give me a day or two since I can’t remember stuff the way you can. For now, we can end things here today. Tomorrow, after you get done with classes, we were all hoping you could come back over to the house. Our friend, the one who specializes in transformations, will be there. She’s going to do a test run on you to make sure she can make you look like a Fox Fae.”

The thought of being in a house alone with all of his roommates and this new stranger after learning what they truly were still made me kind of nervous. I preferred to meet somewhere completely public like this, but I figured it would be pretty odd if I suddenly sprouted ears and a tail in public. It would be best to do that in a more private setting like their home.

I finally gave a small nod. “Okay. I’ll be there after class gets out.”

Rune gathered up all the photos. I realized I was still holding onto the one of him with his mother and brothers, so I begrudgingly gave it back to him. He studied me as he took the photograph from my hands. I stared after the image, feeling a twinge of sadness. It was odd, but that photo had struck a chord within me. Not so much for Myra, but for Rune and the twins. I loved seeing the way Rune looked at his little brothers and them back at him. It captured what I had always wanted in a family.

He closed the folder once all the pictures were inside, and then stood up. “I’ll see you tomorrow then. What time?”

Now knowing Rune’s nitpicky personality, I said, “Around five. Not exactly five, but somewhere around there.”

Approval glittered in his gaze. “You’re learning. Good girl. I figured we could do some self-defense training tomorrow after the whole transformation thing if you wanted.”

Perking up at the suggestion, I nodded. “That would be great! Thanks.”

“Wear something that’s easy to move around in. Sweats, leggings, whatever.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, pink cylinder. “Until you’re trained, it might be a good idea to carry this around to put yourself at ease.”

Taking the canister, I realized it was pepper spray. “Wow,” I started, looking back at him in surprise. “Thank you. I kept meaning to get some but never found time.”

“Well, now you have some. And in case anything ever does happen again and you can’t get to that, just remember to always aim for the goods.”

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