Page 8 of Fight (Kitsune #2)

"I'm not yet certain how we'll deal with that one, but I feel the same way.

I understand why Hank's sister chose not to try to shift.

It may not have been what I would choose, or what their parents would have chosen, but it was her decision to make, and she decided what was right for her.

I intend to do everything I can, to see that any non-shifter we make the offer to shift to, gets to make the decision for themselves. "

"Thank you."

"Any other concerns?"

"One, but it's only tangentially related. I'm not sure if you're aware that Devon and I are potential mates."

"I wasn't aware of this." He looked thoughtful.

"We realized it after I shifted him the first time.

I was drawn to him before, but I'd never heard of mating, so I dismissed it as normal attraction.

After he shifted, and realized what it was, he explained it to me some, and I've gotten more information from Alexis.

We've been seeing each other since. Neither of us is ready to make a big commitment right now, but we're not willing to let it go, either. "

Bill nodded, considering. "That's going to complicate things." He said slowly, thinking. "He's not going to be happy if I send another male with you, and I don't have any female enforcers right now. I'll figure out how to handle that, before it becomes an issue."

"I can't think of anything else that concerns me, at least not off hand."

"If you come up with anything else, let me know. I'm not ready to send you anywhere yet, I don't even know where I'm going to need to send you."

"Oh," Something occurred to me. "if these trips are going to be more than a couple of days, weekend trips basically, I'm going to need a couple of weeks’ notice so I can get the time off work."

"That shouldn't be a problem; I don't foresee this being something that will ever need to be done on an emergency basis, if it ever does, we'll work something out."

"All right."

"Have you heard anything more from Brandon?" Bill asked, shifting subjects.

"Not since I got rid of him the last time."

"How did you do that? If you don't mind my asking."

"I told him that if I saw him again, I'd call the cops." Bills eyebrows shot up in surprise, and I continued. "I meant it too. I've asked him repeatedly to leave me alone, and he won't. He keeps calling and showing up, it's harassment, and borderline stalking."

"I didn't realize it had gotten that bad."

"I haven't called you every time he showed up or called, it felt like tattling. I've only called when I was concerned, or felt you needed to know, or there was a witness who I knew would call you if I didn't." I admitted.

"Who was there the last time?"

"Devon. Brandon never saw him or I'm sure he wouldn't have left so easily.

" I explained how I'd asked Devon to avoid being seen so I could get rid of Brandon, only leaving out that Devon had been on his way over to spend the night, Bill didn't need to know that part anyway.

I also detailed most of the contact I'd had with Brandon, the things I hadn't told him about before.

"This has gone on long enough." Bill was unhappy at learning how much Brandon had been bothering me. "I'm going to have to do something."

"I haven't wanted it to look like I'm running to you to fix my problems, it's part of why I haven't told you all of it before this."

"I understand, except this has gone beyond that. He's not just harassing you, he's also defying me in order to do it. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet, but I have to do something."

"I'm sorry." I didn't know what else to say.

Bill smiled, trying to comfort me. "It's not your fault, Nickie, you have nothing to be sorry for. It's just another of the many responsibilities of being the Anikitos."

"And another reason I have no desire for your job."

Bill changed the subject again. "What are your plans for this evening?"

"I'm not really sure. Devon asked this afternoon if I wanted to do something with him, but I don't know what he's got planned."

Bill nodded. "That's good. If you didn't have plans, I would invite you to dinner."

"I'd love to stay, but honestly, I'd rather go see what Devon's got in mind."

Bill laughed. "I don't blame you. You've answered all my questions, and given me a couple of things to consider as well. Why don't you go see what that young man of yours has planned for you?"

I hugged Bill goodbye and went home.

Devon kissed me gently, keeping his mouth soft and slow against mine. When he broke the kiss he pulled me up against him on the sofa.

"So how did your meeting with the Anikitos go?"

"Good. he wanted to see how I'd feel about going out of town to meet non-shifters and possibly shift them."

He was quiet for a moment, his face pressed into my hair as he held me close to him. "And what did you tell him?" He asked softly.

"I told him I'd be willing, but that I'm not comfortable traveling into another Pack's territory alone. I'm barely comfortable with our pack, I'm not ready to become an emissary for the pack."

"And what did he say to that?"

"He said he would never send me into another pack's territory alone. Any time he asks me to go I'll be assigned an enforcer as an escort, and they're job will be both to protect me and to teach me the etiquette of the Kindred."

"Is that all?"

"I reinforced my insistence that the decision to try to shift be entirely up to the non-shifter. I don't want a pack, or family, pressuring them into something they might regret later."

He nodded, understanding my principal, having been there once himself.

"I also asked for at least two weeks’ notice before any trips, so I can get the time off work, and I made sure he's aware that you and I are involved."

He rubbed his face back and forth in my hair, like a cat marking scent. "What made you do that?"

"I'm not all that familiar with how this mating thing works, but I've already figured out that if I go more than a day or two without seeing you, it starts to affect me.

I have no clue how long these trips might be, and I thought he should know that I'd be effected by long trips.

Plus, I kind of wanted to make him feel guilty for not telling me about mating, before I stumbled into it. " I admitted, my face heating.

"You're one of the few people I know who would try to guilt trip our Anikitos." He chuckled.

"Not guilt trip exactly, I just want him to think about it some. Besides, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about going out of town with some guy, and not seeing you for days."

"Wait a minute. What do you mean, going out of town with some guy?"

"I told you. He said he'd send an enforcer with me."

"Yeah, but he could just as easily send a female with you."

I shook my head. "He said the pack doesn't currently have any female enforcers." I felt his body tense as he held me against him, and I suspected I'd just said the wrong thing.

"And what did he say when you told him how you felt?"

"I didn't, not exactly, after I told him that we're involved and that we're potential mates, he said he'd work it out."

"Then we'll worry about it later. Besides, you can't do it alone. Alexis will have go with you."

"Actually, from what he told me, I'll be going alone, aside from my enforcer, at first. Alexis will only go, if, after I've met the non-shifter, I think we can shift them."

"Hmm." He held me against him quietly for a few minutes before changing the subject. "What do you want to do with the rest of our evening?"

"I thought we might put it to good use," I ran my hands lightly over his chest as I rose to my knees in front of him, my eyes shifting to the bedroom door in blatant invitation, "That is, if the trauma and talk haven't ruined the mood.

"I think I can rise to the occasion." He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me up to meet his kiss.