Page 10 of Whispers of the Water

Ardley rolled his eyes as he reached the rest of us. “I think what you mean is, I saved you all. No one wants to hear the two of you bitch at each other first thing. Now, why don’t you and the unwanted guest,” he said while pointing at Aidan, “go back to your study? You guys are irritating and depressing.”

Aidan fumed as she glared at Ardley. She raised her fist as though she were going to swing at him. “I swear, you are such an a—”

“Aidan,” Myra snapped, her voice demanding obedience. Aidan lowered her hand and looked at Myra with innocent eyes. A now expressionless Myra turned and said, “Ardley is right. I’m bored with this already. Let us go back.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Myra’s emotionless eyes found Rune’s, and she added, “I expect to see you in my office once you have your things settled in your room.”

Rune’s jaw worked, and his voice came out with an edge as he said, “Understood.”

Eyes wide, I watched the two women finally retreat. I couldn’t believe Myra had backed down like that. I was under the impression that no one could speak to her that way and get away with it. Perhaps it was because with Rune and Ardley together, she didn’t stand a chance?

Rune had mentioned before that he was extremely close with his cousin, but seeing the bond between the two really made Rune’s brief mention seem like an understatement. They clasped hands before leaning in to wrap their arms around each other in a tight squeeze. They seemed like an invincible duo, standing side by side, which only confirmed my suspicions. Myra had to play things smart with these two.

Ardley greeted Akira, Bassel, and Marlow with pats on the back. He leaned in close to Avana, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. They all shared a warm welcome before Ardley turned his large grin on me. Despite myself, my cheeks colored under the brightness of his smile and warm eyes.

He held out his large hand toward me. “Hi. I’m Ardley.”

I shook it. “I’m Bria.”

A teasing smirk crossed his mouth, and he bit the corner of his lip to hide it. “I know who you are. You may not recognize me from the previous times we met. I was a lot less fleshy and more furry then.”

My heart stuttered as I processed his words. It was him. I was finally meeting my fox.

When I’d first met the Silver Fox in the woods behind my campus dorm, I never would’ve guessed he was actually a man, or rather, Fae. We’d immediately formed a bond, and ever since then, I’d been hoping to meet him. I couldn’t believe the moment was finally here.

My fox.

In the flesh.

And it wasn’t Rune.

Chapter Four

AKIRA SMILED AND slung his arm around Ardley’s shoulder. “See Bria! He’s the fox you’ve been dying to meet in person!”

With crimson heating my cheeks, I ducked my head under the intensity of Akira and Ardley’s large grins. The way Akira had worded that made my interest in the fox sound like far more than what it was. Yes, I’d been dying to meet him, but it was because I wanted to thank him. He’d been there when I’d been struggling with my failed relationship, lending an ear to my pain. It was something I was grateful for, and because of it, I’d hoped to form a friendship with him.

Although, meeting him now, seeing that the fox was Ardley, something deep inside me twisted. It hurt in only the way disappointment would.

In the back of my mind, I’d always secretly hoped that my fox was Rune.

Pushing away the acidic burn of disappointment, I grinned at Ardley. “It’s good to see you again.”

Beaming, he walked over to me. Rune narrowed his eyes at his cousin’s back as Ardley slung his arm around my shoulders. Guiding me toward the steps, he said, “Why don’t I take you to your room? We can get reacquainted while I help you unpack.”

“We’ll help!” Greshim yelled.

Newt followed close to him, trailing beside us as we turned toward the stairs. “M-m-me too. I can help you unpack, too!”

As we worked our way up the stairs, I glanced over my shoulder at Rune. He wore a grim frown as he followed us at a distance. He was quiet, and there was clearly something that had him upset. While I knew he was agitated, I wasn’t sure if it was the confrontation with his mother or something else entirely. He could be feeling the weight of our earlier talk and his decision as he watched me walk away. Whatever the reason for his displeasure, it made me anxious. I wanted to understand his pain.

Newt and Greshim walked beside me, and they chatted the entire walk. Something told me they didn’t get many play dates with friends or opportunities to talk openly, so I welcomed the conversation. They told me about their favorite games and how they couldn’t wait for me to play with them. I laughed and responded at all the right times, even if I wasn’t necessarily giving my one hundred percent authentic reaction. I wanted to, but I was still battling my own inner demons brought out by Aidan’s insults and Myra’s hostility.

We climbed stairs until we reached the third floor. Our group turned right and walked down the length of the intricate red-and-white patterned carpet until we reached a series of closed doors.

“All right,” Ardley said. He dropped his arm from my shoulder as he opened the door. “This should be your room. Akira and Bassel are in the room next to yours.”

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