Page 17 of Havoc's Fox

“Maybe all is not lost.”

Havoc looked at Christian, and Christian could feel the need, the desperation flowing out of him. “She’s proud of you, she admires the way you parent your daughter, the way you love her. And she’s still raw from all that happened. If she’d truly written you off, she wouldn’t be reactive one way or another. She’d just be done.”

Havoc thought about it, then nodded. “Maybe. It’s better than not reacting at all, right?”

“I think so.”

Havoc nodded and smiled again. Then he glanced at the house to make sure they weren’t watched before moving closer. “You’re being watched,” he whispered when he got so close he was almost touching Christian.

“Yeah, by you.”

Havoc shook his head, stared into Christian’s eyes, then looked pointedly off into the woods behind Christian’s house. “It’s a female. Fox, I think. No ill intent.”

Christian didn’t turn to look. He didn't want to let on that he’d been told about the female watching him.

“Keep an eye on ‘Lise if she leaves soon.”

“I’ll walk her back, or drive her back.”

“Thank you, Christian.”

Christian flashed him a quick smile, then went back into his house. He walked in making a big deal of being outside in the cold. “I hate winters, you know why? Because it’s so damn damp down here, even in winter that the cold is a wet kind of cold. It’s freaking painful to your bones.”

“He alright?” Analise asked.

“Who?”

She turned and looked at him over the back of his sofa. “Seriously?”

Christian gave up all pretense of pretending. “Yeah. He’s good. Just wanted to make sure you’re alright. He saw you take off for a run.”

“No, he just wanted to make sure we’re not doing the dirty. Is it too late to ask if we can? Right there in front of the window? It might be kind of entertaining, framed by the Christmas lights and all.”

Christian started laughing.

“So, are you up for it, huh, huh?” she teased.

“No!”

“Fine, then can I have another drink and some more olives?”

“Eating all my damn olives and drinking all my booze.”

“What are friends for?” Analise asked, winking at him.

“Apparently, just that.”

~~~

Outside the house, peering through the large floor to ceiling windows in the kitchen, a small red fox settled in to watch the male that had caught her attention earlier in the night. It was not as pleasurable a task as one would think, simply because of the woman who sat cuddled on the sofa beside the male. She hadn’t quite figured out the dynamic yet. The male who owned the house was a Lion shifter. The female inside was hybrid — partially a Fox like herself, but she also scented of Bear. She thought them a couple, but then a Wolf shifter had shown up and had words with the Lion. It appeared he considered the hybrid female his, but there was some kind of problem.

Addie jumped upon the deck off the back of the house so she could better see through the open floor plan to the living room where the couple was watching television. She lay down to watch, because she just couldn’t make herself do otherwise. She’d only been lying there for a short while before she sensed someone behind her and jumped up to defend herself.

Only the Wolf didn’t make her fight. He made no sudden movements. Instead, he walked around her and lay down next to the spot she’d been lying in before she sensed him. He heaved a great sigh and laid his head on his paws, settling in to watch them just as she’d been doing. It was clear he was watching over the female, just as she was watching over the male.

Okay fine, she wasn’t watching over the male, she was watching to figure out if she had a chance with the male. Because she had to find a way to get a chance with him. He was hers, and she’d accept nothing less than him, and only him.

Addie’s fox lay down beside the Wolf, who didn’t even look her way when she settled, and together, they watched until the sun began to rise, just barely giving a bit of pinking to the edges of the dark sky. Then the Wolf stood, bowed his head to her and trotted away. Addie though, she wasn’t ready to give up. She stayed where she was, waiting to see what happened when the couple sleeping on the sofa awakened.

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