Page 15 of Vow Of A Fox

“What do you know about ravens?” I blurted out before I could think about what I was saying.

Ben raised an eyebrow, intrigued but not thrown by my random question. “Ravens? Plenty. They’re smart as hell, love shiny things, and can be surprisingly loyal. Why?”

Of course, he would ask why. Why wouldn’t he?

I hesitated, my fox stirring inside my chest. She liked having his full attention like this.

“Just curious,” I said, feeling how ill my fox suddenly was with me for my inability to let him in more.

We barely knew him, and yet she trusted him completely.

“All right,” he said. “But if you’re planning to adopt one, I need details because you seem more like a dog person.”

I laughed, the sound surprising even me.

My fox loved the connection forming between us, but I knew I was treading on dangerous ground. Letting Ben into this part of my life was risky. However, it also felt like a relief.

I could see both sides.

“Seriously, though. You don’t strike me as the random bird trivia type,” Ben said, tilting his head as he studied me. “There’s got to be a story behind your question.”

My fox urged me to trust him, but my logical side screamed that it was too soon and too dangerous.

“I guess I’ve been seeing them around a lot lately,” I said, hoping I sounded casual. “Curiosity bit me.”

“Okay,” he said, not sounding entirely convinced. “Well, they’re fascinating creatures. Did you know they hold grudges?”

I knew, but I didn’t say as much.

“Really?”

“Oh, yeah. If a raven decides it doesn’t like you, it’ll remember you and it might even teach its friends to avoid or harass you.”

That sounded about right. While Xander didn’t seem to have any friends to rope in, he sure as shit had no issues with harassing us all on his own.

“But they’re also incredible problem solvers and fiercely protective, especially when they’ve bonded with someone or something. They’ll defend their territory, their mates, and even the random shiny objects they claim as treasures. Sometimes, they’ll even guard places that hold special meaning to them. They’re insanely protective and territorial like that.”

“Guard places,” I echoed softly while my mind raced.

Was that why Xander had been lurking at Lucius’s grave? Was his raven protective of the place because of what it was? Could I use that to lure him out and get close enough to snag a feather?

“You okay?” Ben’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts, pulling me back to the present.

I blinked, realizing I’d been quiet too long. “Yeah,” I said quickly, forcing a smile. “Just thinking. I didn’t realize ravens were so complex.”

“They are,” he said with a grin, his tone light but his eyes studying me closely. “Kind of like someone else I know.”

I arched a brow. “Was that supposed to be a compliment?”

His grin faltered briefly before softening into something sincere. “It is. I just mean you have layers. One moment, I feel like I’m starting to figure you out—getting a glimpse of who you really are. And then the next…” He chuckled softly. “You pull the rug out from under me, and I’m back at square one.”

His words hit me harder than I expected, warmth spreading through my chest despite the turmoil swirling in my mind. I smiled, forcing myself to push the chaos aside and be in the moment with him.

If only it were that easy—to let someone in and let go of the storm raging around me.

I shifted my focus back to my sandwich, pretending to people-watch, but my attention kept drifting back to him. There was a warmth to him, steady and reassuring, that drew me in. My fox felt it, too. She trusted him, even craved the safety he offered. It was unsettling how much I wanted to lean into that feeling and let it drown out everything else. But I couldn’t. Not yet. Not when Xander was still out there, possessed by the darkest evil I’d ever known.

Lucius’s grave had to mean something to him.

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