Page 17 of Vow Of A Fox

Sienna stepped out and locked the door behind her with a quick, sharp movement. She glanced around, almost as though she was checking for something—or someone. My chest tightened as I watched her hurry toward her car, her steps quick. She looked nervous. Maybe even scared.

Instinct kicked in, and a protective pull I couldn’t quite explain dug into me.

“What are you doing, Ben?” I muttered while gripping the steering wheel tighter as I eased out of my parking spot to follow her.

I kept a safe distance, rationalizing with myself that what I was doing wasn’t creepy. All I wanted to do was make sure she was okay because the look on her face as she speedwalked to her car—combined with the way she’d acted at lunch—suggested she wasn’t.

Something was going on, and whatever it was, I felt concerned for her safety.

As the familiar streets of downtown gave way to quieter roads, I realized she was headed to the outskirts of town.

Why?

There wasn’t much out here except for dense woods and silence so thick it felt alive. As Sienna’s car slowed, I instinctively pulled off the road, parking a good distance behind her. Her taillights glowed faintly ahead, cutting through the shadowy forest until she finally came to a stop.

I killed the engine of my truck and climbed out, keeping my movements quiet as I crept closer. She hadn’t heard me yet—maybe because the sound of her car masked any noise I made.Or maybe her focus was so fixed on whatever brought her out here that she wasn’t paying attention.

Either way, I wasn’t taking any chances of spooking her, so I remained as quiet as I could.

Staying low, I watched as she stepped out of her car. The interior lights flicked on for a brief moment, illuminating her. When she closed the door and headed toward the woods, my chest tightened.

What are you doing out here, Sienna?

Her gaze was locked on the tree line as she slipped into the forest without hesitation.

Was she planning to hike out here this late at night? Alone? In the pitch black darkness?

I slinked through the woods after her, watching as she moved like a predator with purpose.

It was unnerving and, at the same time, strangely mesmerizing to see.

Logic told me to stop. To go back to my truck, drive home, and forget I’d ever followed her. But instinct screamed at me louder, urging me forward. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something big was happening here, something I wasn’t supposed to see—but now I couldn’t turn around and go home.

Each step I took was painstakingly slow. My whole body was taut as I tried to avoid crunching leaves or snapping twigs beneath my boots while I followed her. We hadn’t walked far when she paused. My chest constricted as she glanced around, searching the shadows.

What was she looking for?

It was clear she was still on edge.

When she shucked off her jacket, my brows furrowed. Then she pulled at the hem of her shirt and peeled out of it. I looked away, shocked to see she was undressing. Maybe I shouldn’t have listened to my gut and followed her out here.

What was she doing?

While it wasn’t freezing out, it was still cold.

What would possess her to drive all the way out here to the middle of nowhere and strip down to her birthday suit?

It didn’t make sense.

My gaze remained on my boots, offering her some sense of privacy even though she didn’t know I was out here with her. However, as a strange energy filled the air, my gaze lifted.

One minute, Sienna stood bare under the moonlight and the next, her form shimmered almost like heat rising off asphalt on a hot summer day. Her body folded in on itself, and fur rippled over her skin, sprouting all over. When it was over, a red fox with a bushy tail stood in her place.

I blinked, my mind scrambling to make sense of what I’d seen. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. Sienna was a fox.

An actual, living, breathing fox.

Her coat was stunning—rich auburn fur tipped with white at her tail and paws. She was small, but I could sense strength in her. And her eyes were the same sharp, intelligent eyes I’d come to recognize, except now they watched the woods with a predatory focus.

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