Page 69 of Fire of the Fox

“Fae have connections with people in those legal fields to get updated documents or updated college transcripts and degrees. That being said, I personally like to go back to university every few decades. I find learning enjoyable, and there’s always something new to learn when I retake classes.”

I soaked that in, impressed and oddly scared of what Fae lurked in the high ranks of our country. “Interesting. So, then what’s your job now?”

“Right now, I’m focused on funding and running my non-profit. We provide financial support for single-income families in need, funding their education, making sure they get school supplies, clothes, things like that.”

My eyes went wide, and I set my glass back on the table. My gaze drank in Rune as he sat casually across from me, and there was no denying the warmth that blossomed in my chest. Smiling, I said, “Wow. That’s absolutely incredible. I bet you help a lot of families.”

His smile was soft and genuine, not at all smug or proud. “I hope so. There are so many people out there who require it, and if I have the money sitting around, why not help them, you know? They need it more than I do.”

My chest swelled at the generosity in this man’s heart. Wanting to know more, I leaned forward. “Out of all the jobs you’ve had, which one was your favorite?”

He looked up, twirling his wine around in his glass as he thought about my question. His eyes found mine again as he answered, “Probably being an architect. I enjoyed planning out and designing something, then seeing it come to life before my eyes.”

Smiling, I pictured that. “I bet that did feel pretty amazing.”

“Is it the same for you?” he asked, taking a bite of his own bread. “You get an idea in your head, and when you paint it into something real, you feel, I don’t know, alive?”

I thought about it, then nodded. “You’re right. I’ve never tried putting it into words like that before, but that’s exactly what it’s like. When I hold a paintbrush, when the air smells like acrylic or oil paint, when I stain a new pair of clothes, it’s like my mind, my heart, even my very skin comes alive with my passion for painting.”

Discussing our passions. Holding each other’s gazes. It was enough to make me want more. More deep conversations. More alone time with him under the stars. More days, more seconds. It was moments like this when my feelings sparked in my core, and picturing us together became easy. I was at my happiest with him, and I didn’t want it to end. Unfortunately, I knew the clock counting our time was ticking down.

Soon, there would be no more of anything. I’d have my money, he’d have his life back, and we’d both go our separate ways.

Looking back at him, I asked, “Will you be glad once we’re back home from the trip?” His gaze was fixed on mine as I finished, “No more having to pretend with all this stuff or trying to get along with each other.”

The corners of his mouth turned down slightly, and his eyes dropped to stare into his glass. Something churned in his gaze, as if he were trying hard to form an answer. If I had asked a few weeks ago, his answer would have been yes without a moment’s hesitation. Did the fact that he had to think about it mean he was starting to feel something, too?

Maybe he didn’t want this to end, either.

He looked at me again, but before he could answer, Charles walked out onto the deck. He carried a tray with two plates of hot food.

I was glad to have our meals, but I was also disappointed.

After Charles set our plates in front of us, he went along his way. Rune didn’t try to answer my question. He changed the subject and told me how Charles was a butler, but that Rune had hired him to take charge on the boat since he didn’t need a butler. While Charles knew that Rune was Fae, he had no ties to Rune’s family back home. He had served other Fae in the past, as had his family before him.

I glanced down at Rune’s plate of food as he spoke. It only had one thing on it, and the sight made my stomach lurch. It was a steak, but it was completely and entirely raw. The blood from the meat swam beneath it, and I felt my appetite dwindling.

It was practically mooing.

Rune looked from his steak back to me. Color barely hinted at his cheeks, and he said, “That’s something I forgot to mention. When we eat steak at my mother’s home, which we definitely will, it’ll be raw like this. A lot of Fae don’t mind raw meat. At least, not the ones who are omnivores and carnivores.”

I swallowed the bile rising up my throat. “What will I do when we eat that? I obviously won’t be able to eat steak like that.”

He gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “Don’t worry about that right now. I’ll handle it when we get to that point.”

I wanted to argue that we needed a game plan now, but I decided to keep quiet. He knew how to handle his own family, so if he said it wouldn’t be a big deal, I believed him. A key to being successful in this ruse was trusting Rune and the others, something that I’d grown far more accustomed to over the past few weeks. I’d be in danger should his family discover I was a fraud once we were in Massachusetts, but I also knew that I had a whole group of people who had my back, including Rune. Plus, worrying about tomorrow’s problems wouldn’t help me in the here and now.

We spent the rest of dinner eating and talking about different aspects of his home or family. I wanted to know as much as I could about them and life as a Fox Fae, since I had to be one for a whole week.

When we finished dinner, we were almost back to the dock where the night began. It had grown chillier on deck, so Rune and I decided to move to the lower floor. I flopped down on the couch that faced the large wall of windows. He sat down next to me, catching my eyes briefly as he did.

“So,” I said, meeting his eyes. “Do you think your mom will figure us out?”

He glanced at the windows to watch the passing water. He shrugged. “She’s definitely the one who would pick up on it the easiest if we aren’t extremely careful. Luckily, you give off the same magical aura as us. Even if we aren’t quite sure why, it’s a good thing that you do. That’ll keep her from figuring it out quickly.

“Just try to avoid her as much as possible when we’re there. Don’t engage in conversation with anyone else unless either me or one of the others is around. If you say something wrong, which I feel is likely to happen since there’s so much to learn, we need to be there to clean up any mess.”

I glared at him. “I’m not a screw up. I’ll be careful with anything I say.”

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