Page 143 of Choose the Bears

“Of course I’ll be safe,” I replied. “It’s just a?—”

“Funding meeting.” She looked me up and down, holding herself back from rifling through my mind to find the truth. “Right. Well, after you’re done at this ‘meeting,’ you’ll come and find me.”

“It’ll be the first thing I’ll do,” I said, walking towards her.

“And you’ll give me a kiss.”

I smiled, my hands going to her jaw as I pressed one to her forehead.

“Of course.”

“And then you’ll tell me all about this ‘meeting.’”

That had me freezing on the spot, and her eyes rolled up as she stared into mine, making clear she could get any and all information she wanted right now, but she didn’t.

“Whatever you want, my mate.”

Those last two words were the most beautiful in human history, I had decided. Every day I treasured the fact that she wore my mark. With a nod, Imogen reached up and tugged my head down, kissing me long and slow, until all thoughts of what I had to do tonight were replaced by a need for her. My body was hard, aching, and protested loudly when I finally pulled away.

But I had to.

No one double-crossed a fox and lived to tell the tale. Mama Lisica had put out the call and I had to answer, so I pressed one last kiss to Imogen’s forehead and then turned to leave.

Across town,I reached the fox colony. Once farmland, they’d bought up a lot and created a massive compound before urban sprawl built up around them. As I drove up to the gate, a couple of fox shifters peered into my windshield, then nodded and waved me in as the electric gate rolled open. I drove up the long, bumpy dirt track that led to the main house, only to be greeted by Rye.

“You got rid of Phil,” I said, not bothering with small talk. Rye merely shrugged his shoulders. “So what do I owe you for that?”

“Nothing.” He gazed over at a huge bonfire, the dark shapes of the rest of the party I would be joining tonight limned by the flames. “You made clear that we are the good guys and that we will have no tolerance for humans who hurt women.” He shook his head. “My fellow fox shifters were merely making thatposition clear to the other prison inmates.” His smile was slow and vulpine. “Also helps establish where they sit in the pecking order now.” His eyes met mine. “At the top. Now, Mama awaits and you know?—”

“She doesn’t like that?” I nodded. “I know.”

Without a word, he led me forward. Surrounding the fire were drunken lads and more sober men, cackling women, some hoisting small red-haired children up on their hips and swaying back and forth, but they were all just background noise compared to her. Once a great beauty, you could still see the vestiges of it in her bone structure, Mama Lisica, the matriarch of this fox colony turned to face me.

“Asher, darling.” Her fingers were covered in chunky silver rings, the semi-precious stones gleaming in the firelight as she offered me one hand. I took it and brushed a kiss across one lot of rings. “You’ve come.”

“To pay my debts, yes.” My hands were clasped behind my back. “I always do. So, did you have a phlebotomist on standby, or?—?”

“So clinical.” She tilted her head to one side, those green eyes still keen. The red henna of her hair glowed brighter in the firelight. “We do not need such modern advances. We will do this the old way.”

Blood magic was bad, but I would give whatever was needed ten times over if that’s what it took to keep my Imogen safe.

“Then let us do things the old way,” I replied in a clipped tone that had several of the closer foxes hissing. “I mean no disrespect, Madame Lisica?—”

“So formal.”

Her gold tooth flashed as she grinned.

“But I have a mate who doesn’t know where I am or why I’m here, and she wants me back where I belong.”

“Then let us proceed.” Mama turned and flung her arms wide, getting the attention of everyone here. “Now, my darlings, bring forth the supplicant.”

I expected some fox that was in trouble, for my blood to be used to curse him or her. Mama was notoriously fickle and capricious in the way she dealt with her colony. Perhaps even a shifter of another kind who hadn’t paid their debts.

What I didn’t expect was to see my sister be led forward by several male fox shifters.

Every muscle locked down, a shout rising in my chest, but Ursula shook her head sharply.

“I’m here of my own free will, Ash. This needs to happen.”

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