Page 20

Dove

Seven disappeared within the Shadow underneath me, placing me onto the mats and reappearing by our abandoned weapons. Rhys held his scepter tightly, stepping forward.

Seven swooped down to pick his short sword and dagger up again, moving so quickly. He disappeared in and out of the Shadow Vale. “You haven’t been able to beat me for many years, brother. I don’t know why you bother trying.”

But that didn’t stop the Archfox from making an endeavor. Their fight was much faster than mine had been with Seven. While the Life kitsune had more tails than Seven did, and could keep up with the speed, Seven’s element gave him the advantage. Rhys’ specialty was in healing, not fighting. Pulling from nature, not disappearing into invisibility.

Their weapons collided, neither going easy on the other, Rhys’ anger grew as Seven taunted him. “Oh, come on, I practically gave you that shot. Aren’t you trying to impress our Fated?”

That set off the Archfox, and he dove forward again, but Seven’s Shadow began to cloud up around him as he stepped in and out of it freely. But Rhys predicted where he would come out, and the scepter smacked against Seven with a thwap.

“Ow, fuck,”

Seven said, reaching to touch the tender spot and Rhys took it as an opportunity, battering him again.

“Aw, poor little kit can’t take a hit?”

Rhys chided.

Seven dropped his sword, diving forward and crashing into Rhys. They both crashed to the ground, Rhys dodging punches and Seven throwing them.

“Hey! Guys, stop!”

I yelled, but neither seemed to hear me. The weapons fight had turned into a full blown feral fistfight. “If you don’t stop, I’m gonna call Kairos!”

I threatened, searching around my discarded clothing for my phone.

Again, I went ignored.

The power of their punches left them both out of breath. The number of tails they both had made the fight like two boulders crashing into each other.

“Kairos! Enko!”

I screamed up the stairs, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the intense brawl. I could only pray they were home.

Rhys jumped up to his feet, Seven followed, grabbing his arm, twisting it behind his back. The sound made my stomach drop, made my heart jump.

A series of cracks coming from Rhys’ shoulder, and then POP!

“Ahh!”

Rhys yelled, shoving Seven off him with his other arm.

Enko and Kairos appeared at the doorway. “What the fuck is going on in here?”

Enko wrapped his arms around me, his thumb going under my eyes and then I felt the wetness from tears as he swiped it away. He growled, letting me go and turning on Rhys and Seven. “You fucking upset my little fox.”

Then his nostrils flared. “More than that. You mated with her.”

It was his feral voice, one I was quickly coming to understand. “No, Enko, don’t, please.”

My words seemed to calm him slightly and he stopped, gaping back at me, but his chest rose and fell rapidly, his gigantic muscles stretching his shirt.

“Looks like he dislocated your shoulder.”

Kairos stepped forward, examining Rhys, eyes falling on me for a moment, down my half nude body with the ripped panties to prove Enko’s observation.

Rhys spoke through gritted teeth, putting a hand on his chest and shoving Kairos back. “It’s fine.”

“Seven, get your ass out of the Shadow Vale right now!”

Kairos yelled, looking around the room as if he might see the invisible Seven. “I swear to the goddess you’re going to regret this if you don’t!”

But Seven didn’t appear. I could sense him in the corner, but I didn’t give away his position, fearing that would only make things worse. I was careful to hide the thought, shoving it underneath the glorious smell of Seven’s sweat. Goddess, I was becoming such a feral fox. But Seven hadn’t meant to hurt his brother.

“He’s not going to come out. Always running from the issues he causes,”

Rhys growled.

Enko’s arms wrapped around me tightly, and Kairos rushed over to him, holding his arm. Enko swiped him off, easily pushing the Storm fox away. Rhys jumped in to help but let loose a groan of pain as his arm looked like it was dangling in the most odd way.

“Rhys!”

I cried out, ducking and slipping free from Enko’s grasp.

“I’ll get it back in the socket,”

Kairos said, stepping forward, but Rhys raised a hand to stop him.

“I said it’s fine, Kairos. Handle Enko for now.”

“You can’t get it back in on your own—”

Kairos began.

“Dove will do it,”

Rhys said, looking at me.

I rushed forward, careful as I touched him, but I wrapped my arms around him as he sat, which turned into me hugging his head as I kissed the top of his head. “Oh, Rhys, does it hurt?”

I couldn’t stop kissing him, I kissed his cheek, his forehead, his hair, holding his cheek against me, afraid to touch anywhere near his injured arm.

He wrapped a hand around my butt. “It’s really nothing, Dove.”

He said into my chest.

Seven flickered back into view. “Maybe I should have intentionally let you hurt me, then I would be the one getting all the attention with my face in her boobs—”

Kairos charged at my dark mate, but Seven disappeared again.

“Dove, would you mind popping it back into place?”

Rhys asked.

My mouth dropped open. “Me? I can’t do it.”

“Yes, you can,”

Rhys said with a growl that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

“What do I do?”

I asked hesitantly, pulling back from him to examine the injury.

“Grip my shoulder and lift my arm, then press forward with all your weight.”

It seemed like his pain had reduced, so I began to do as he asked. I pushed forward and the sickening POP! Crunch! sounded again. This time I could feel the grotesque movement of his bones.

Rhys let loose a howl of pain worse than when the injury had happened and I panicked. “Did I mess it up? Oh my goddess, Rhys, I’m so sorry!”

He took a moment to catch his breath, shaking his head. “No, Dove, you did it perfectly. It just hurts like a bitch.”

He pulled me onto his lap, using his one good arm to wrap around me. His lips pressed against mine, his tongue sliding across my lower lip and when I kissed him back, dancing my tongue around his, he groaned in excitement.

Kairos cleared his throat, patting Enko’s shoulder. “So...you mated, Dove.”

He stated the obvious fact like it wasn’t so obvious.

My cheeks heated feverishly, nodding in response.

“Did Seven...go feral?”

he continued his interrogation.

I shook my head.

“Did you?”

I shook my head again.

“Did he please you, little fox?”

Enko demanded as he rushed forward, kneeling beside Rhys and wrapping his arm around my back.

“Yes,”

I squeaked. “Very much so.”

Seven appeared above us, leaning over to kiss the top of my head. “She’s such a good fox. She did so good.”

“I thought we were all going to do it together,”

Kairos mused with a hint of anger.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to mess anything up.”

I hid my face in the crook of Rhys’ hurt shoulder. “I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt.”

Rhys shook his head. “You didn’t mess anything up. But now you understand.”

“Understand?”

“A taste of what us going feral might look like, any of us could hurt you. Badly,”

Rhys said, staying completely calm as he reached out and touched my chin, compelling me to peer up at him. “Why are you blushing? Mating is normal for vixens.”

“Vixen?”

I asked with the new word.

“A female kitsune who has the potential to go into heat,”

he explained. “Didn’t you like it? It shouldn’t make you feel embarrassed. Especially not in front of us. Did Seven hurt you on accident?”

My shoulders slumped and I shook my head, pulling away from Rhys’ hold as he rose to his feet. He reached for my hands and helped me to stand. I looked up at my newest and oldest and wisest mate. He stared down at me, awaiting an answer.

“No, he didn’t hurt me.”

My blush burned like fire. “I did like it. A lot.”

Rhys nodded, pushing my messy hair behind my ear and kissing my forehead. “Good.”

“It really was best that I did it,”

Seven said, his chest puffed up with pride. “I have the most control over my feral side.”

Right on cue, Enko growled. “Yeah, it’s definitely best before Enko loses control. She’s a little afraid of how big you are. And she needs some time to heal. She said she was sore.”

Enko’s noise stopped and he gazed down at me.

“Seven!”

“No, it's a good thing. You need to be honest with us. We want to do what’s best for you, vixen,”

Rhys said. And then a purr—a literal fucking purr like I was some kind of housecat getting scratched behind the ears—came out of my throat at his use of the new nickname.

Enko pulled me against his chest. “I’ll make sure I don’t hurt you, little fox,”

he assured me, his feral side gone away completely now at my fear of him hurting me when we finally mated. “I never want to hurt you.”

They circled around me, hands on me, bodies pressed against my own. Wearing only ripped lingerie. Scars completely exposed. Blush at full power. All my vulnerabilities out in the open. Surrounded by the most dangerous kitsune males in existence.

And I’d never felt so safe.