He was clearly pissed the hell off.
Guess I would be, too, if I'd stayed in this stifling environment and remained chaste for months at a time. Kitsune didn't mate outside their established pairings and although I'd been gone for a while, I still kept up on gossip. The only unmated individuals in this entire Earth were Riot and Finley, and Ry wasn’t even a kitsune. The fact that he’d been somewhat adopted by the foxes was almost unheard of, but a good stroke of luck for him.
So unless they'd been fucking—I honestly didn't know the answer to that—then Fin's bed had been dry for some time. Really, it was his own damn choice. He was handsome enough to have any non-kitsune girl he wanted. Fox Father knew he still made my chest tighten whenever he was careless enough to touch me these days. When Fin was in a good mood, that arrogance of his translated into a playful mischievousness that never failed to make me laugh. In a bad mood, he was toxic and I wanted nothing more than to punch him in his slightly crooked nose.
"So, that's it then? I either find you a new mate by Sunday, or agree to settle down and become your good, little wifey? Pop out a litter of kits? Is that what you want?" I poked Fin in the chest, getting up in his personal space and locking him with my furious glare. "You're a fucking idiot sometimes, Finley Wilde. You know that? If I don't complete my contract for Sunday night, I'll be dead."
"Oh, give it up." Fin rolled his orange-brown eyes, like I was being some sort of drama queen. "You and I both know he wouldn't let the guild off you for missing one little contract. But maybe the pressure will force you to make some life decisions, finally."
"In the name of Inari’s fucking tits, not this shit again." I turned away from Fin's infuriating face before I plowed my knife straight into it. "How many times do I have to tell you, he doesn't like me like that. I am an asset for RADOPA, nothing more, nothing less. And when I stop being an asset, I become a liability. The guild does not allow liabilities."
"Come on, Thea," Riot snorted, casually flopping down on Fin's couch and twitching a velvety black ear at me. "We broke up eight years ago, you can drop the act."
A growl started to bubble up inside me, and I needed to shut my eyes and count to ten before responding. To either of them. It was insanity, that these two former lovers of mine had the ability to make me lose my cool so damn quick, especially when I'd spent years perfecting my control over my temper. Hotheaded assassins generally didn't stay alive long.
The he they were both referring to was Mikhail Ravena, current head of RADOPA. Mikhail had been the one who’d recruited me, effectively ending my relationship with both of these bothersome men. They hadn't liked the interest Mik had shown in me, and accused us of having an affair—which was utterly untrue.
In the end, it had been lack of trust that had broken us up, not my job. But they'd never admit that.
"Okay. I didn't come here to argue ancient history with you two. Nothing I say or do is going to convince you that there is nothing going on between me and Mik. Never was, never will be." As I said the words, my gut clenched and the unmistakable tang of prophecy rolled across my tongue.
What the hell could that mean?
Curious though, that despite those old foxes binding me—effectively cutting me off from the magic—my new skill was exempt?
"This is bullshit," I muttered, starting toward the door when neither of them bothered to reply. Fin's hand shot out before I could get more than a couple of steps, slapping me in the chest and preventing me from passing. "Finley Wilde, trust me when I say you do not want to start a fight right now."
My voice was pitched low, with a growl of anger underscoring the words, and I felt him hesitate a brief moment before his dickish mask slipped back onto his face. Fuck, I wanted to hit him.
"Or what, Thea? Your tails are shackled, cutting you off from the magic. You're little more than human right now," Riot helpfully added, coming to stand at Fin's side with a gloating look in his slate gray eyes.
"If you truly think the guild relies only on magic, the two of you are dumber than you look." I gave them both a disgusted once-over. "Now, get the hell out of my way, Fin."
"Where are you going?" he asked, stubborn as ever. Fucking foxfire, some things never changed.
"I'm going to see my best friend's drag show, and I'm late. Now move." I snarled the command at him and was satisfied to see Fin glance at Riot with uncertainty. Clearly, this was something they'd discussed in advance. Bastards.
"Thea, you need to—" Fin started and I pushed past him, cutting him off.
"Find you a nice little vixen who will be happy to stay home and cook and clean for you? Pop out some kits? Yeah. I got the memo, thanks asshole." I slammed out of the house and felt them start to follow me onto the rope bridge. "I'll be back to get my tails fixed when I've found her. Until then, Finley, Riot …" I turned to face the two devilishly handsome men I'd once thought myself in love with. "Until then, go fuck yourselves."
Flipping them off, I shifted into my glorious white vulpine form and took off into the night, thankful for small mercies that the Ancients couldn’t strip me of my fox, even if they wanted to.
As I ran, I glanced up at the moon nervously. Fae-Bitch was on in less than two hours and I still needed to get back across pack land to reach my car.
It'd be worth it to see Chris though, because if anyone knew where to find an unmated female kitsune, it was him.
Stupid, Thea. Stupid damn move.
I cursed myself out as I darted through the dark undergrowth, trying my damnedest to keep my paws soft and make as little sound as humanly, or inhumanly, possible. The wolves were still out, and it wouldn't be long til one of them caught my scent. When that happened, I needed to be off pack land and back in my car. There was no way in hell I'd survive another run-in with the alpha without my magic.
A howl went up in the distance, but not distant enough for my liking, and I pushed myself faster.
By the time my sensitive nose caught the smell of rubber and exhaust fumes—indicating that both the parking lot and the end of pack land was close—my muscles were burning with exhaustion and starting to turn to jelly.
Thank the Fox Father, I'm safe.
Dashing through the last section of forest, I shifted back into human form on the run, so I didn't notice that sour taste of prophecy rolling through my mouth until it was almost too late.
"Hello, little vixen," the alpha wolf said, his fingers curling around my arm and stopping me right on the border of pack land. I literally had one booted foot over the edge, heel to the pavement. The other was firmly in the grass.
Shit.
I shifted my tails and flicked their fluffy white tips in his face.
His … really, really handsome fucking face.
The Alpha Male of the Vail Valley Pack had a face chiseled from stone, his eyes a glimmering gold that mimicked the stars in the velvet sky above our heads. His mouth was a long, hard line, and his body was … I tried hard not to look at his body.
"Let me go before I blow your cock off with foxfire," I said, letting my lips curl into a wily smirk. The wolf returned my smile, but his was darker, deeper, far more dangerous. Without my magic, I had to rely on strength, training … and fox tricks.
None of which I thought could best an alpha … except for maybe the last one.
"Let you go?" he asked, running his eyes down my human form appreciatively. "Fool me once, shame on you. But fool me twice? Oh, no, I think I like the idea of having a little vixen to play with."