Page 7 of Foxin’ Around (Mated to the Monster: Season 3)

Chapter

Six

D inner wasn’t so impressive when Krystal was confronted with the reality of the raw goods that Syrix had filling the pantry and cupboards. There wasn’t a single thing canned or boxed, or even enough that was immediately recognizable that she could easily make a meal out of it. What was worse, the old stove had been pulled out and replaced with some kind of wood stove that she didn’t have the first clue as to how to operate. It left her little choice but to graze upon some bits of fruit and vegetables that she found while her stomach grumbled in complaint that she’d been too hasty in acquiring use of the cabin before enjoying the promised meal. It didn’t help that tantalizing smells of roasting meat drifted into the cabin every so often until she wanted to punch something.

She was debating chewing on a chunk of raw meat from the icebox and just suffering the consequences when a small scratch at the door alerted her to the presence of something out there. Frowning, she abandoned the kitchen and headed toward the door, but when she opened it, she found nothing there except a split half of a duck wrapped in a cabbage leaf, and left waiting there for her. She picked it up, her brow puckering slightly at the gift as she carried it inside. Drawing out a chair, she sat down and set the meat on the table in front of her. Had Syrix left this for her? She hated to feel grateful to a strange man when it could potentially make her beholden to him, but tears welled up in her eyes and her stomach gurgled loudly with its demand to be properly fed for the first time in months.

When was the last time she had fresh meat, much less meat cooked to perfection and still sizzling with heat? With her demands, he could have left her to go hungry or figure out how to prepare herself something to eat and yet he had the consideration and forethought to provide for her, even when ousted from the space that he had stocked and made comfortable in her family’s absence.

“Well, damn, I guess I would be both ungrateful and crazy to chase him away now,” she whispered, and her lips hitched in a reluctant smile as she pulled a leg of duck free and lifted it to her lips. Her smile disappeared and she moaned with pleasure at its smell first and then again at its taste when the flavorful juices ran over her tongue with her first bite. “Oh, shit, this is good.”

She ate quickly, ravenously, without any sense of manners or needing to put on a show for anyone. Every bite was a delicious prelude to the next until she was sucking the last remaining bits of meat from the bones and licking her fingers clean. Settling back in the chair, she sighed contently and peered over at the door as she ran her tongue over her lips to capture the last traces of flavor. Fixi and a smaller silver fox peered at her curiously from around the doorframe, their large ears pricked toward her. She smiled at the pair. She was not entirely surprised to find that she had left the door open when she had been distracted with tasty food, but at least the foxes were polite visitors and not an intrusive pair.

“Is that your girlfriend, Fixi?” she called over to the fox and chuckled when the male yipped and raced away with his companion.

“All right, I can take a hint,” she mumbled. A small groan escaped her as she placed her arms above her head and leisurely stretched out her back. “I know I must be poor company for a fox.”

Truthfully, she was exhausted more than anything. She hadn’t slept well since the Ravening and even less while walking north toward the cabin. She wasn’t particularly good company for anyone, not even herself, if she were honest.

“I guess I should see what Syrix did to the bedroom,” she observed aloud, and she grimaced.

She hoped that talking to herself didn’t become a habit. It seemed that the whole bit about humans being social creatures and how isolation wasn’t good for one’s mental health wasn’t wrong. More so was the pity since she couldn’t exactly control her circumstances. Of course, she was sort of forced into close confines with Syrix at the moment, but there was no telling how long that would last, especially since she practically drove him from the cabin. He may have decided to wash his hands of the whole situation and find another place to renovate that didn’t include dealing with a crazy woman who made him sleep out in the woods. It’s not like there weren’t cabins all over the woods.

She knew of one just a few miles down that was actually a much nicer cabin than the one her family had—it belonged to rich folks. She could have just gone to that one after finding him here, but dammit, this was her family’s home, and all of her memories were anchored here. He would probably leave for that cabin or another in a heartbeat and just replicate whatever he had done here over there. It shouldn’t even be hard for him since he did it all in just a matter of months. He didn’t need to stick around and argue with her.

“Fuck, and he cooks such good duck, too,” she complained to herself. “Why did you have to be such a suspicious bitch, Krystal? Especially when you never learned how to cook more than what was absolutely necessary before the world got upended. He might have hung around and fed you more. He’s probably going to ditch your dumb ass now. If he hasn’t already left.”

That was a sobering thought. What if he had already packed up and headed out? Not only would she not have anyone around to feed her, but she would be in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with no one to talk to but the wildlife. What had seemed ideal suddenly wasn’t sounding so great.

She sank her face into her hands with a groan. She really knew how to screw herself over. What did her grandmother used to say—cut off her own nose to spite her face?—yep, that was exactly what she’d done. She was now the noseless wonder. Maybe she wasn’t too late? If she could catch him before he decided to just leave. Scrambling up from the chair, she grabbed her aunt’s shawl that, despite all the improvements to the cabin, still hung from the coat tree, and wrapped it around herself before plunging out the door.

The chilly night air stung the tip of her nose, and she rubbed it absently with her palm. It was warmer than previous nights and certainly better than the misery she’d gone through when winter had set in with no electricity, so it didn’t slow her down any. She swiveled her head left and right as she walked from the porch into the woods, her gaze skimming over the trees. In the short time since she’d eaten, the sun had slipped below the horizon, turning the forest nearly black. Only the light from the cabin provided any sense of direction. So long as she didn’t go so far in that she lost sight of the cabin, she would be fine.

“Syrix?” she shouted. “Are you still here?”

“And where would I have gone, sweetling?” his deep voice whispered, his breath fanning her ear.

Krystal jumped with a squeal and whipped around, even as she stumbled back to put a little distance between them, landing her square on her ass. She stared up at him, her breath catching as her heart pounded so hard that she felt like it was about to burst from her chest. Syrix made no immediate move toward her but stood there, a tiny ball of spinning fire in his hand illuminating the stark planes of his face and the slightly mocking curl of his lips. For a moment, he did not look human, his features were too sharp and predatory, but she blinked, and the moment passed. He looked human again. Her brow furrowed in confusion, and he chuckled as he took a step closer and offered his empty hand.

“I did not mean to frighten you,” he murmured. “I just happened to notice you enter the woods and decided to catch up to you so that you did not accidentally become lost in the dark.”

Her frown deepened, but she took his hand and allowed him to help her to feet. “That wouldn’t have happened. I made sure to keep the cabin within sight.”

“Did you now?” His tone took on a hint of surprise. “Tell me then, sweetheart, where is it?”

“What do you mean? It’s right over th—” She turned in the direction of the cabin and froze in horror. There was nothing but darkness and the deep shadows of those trees that were faintly illuminated by Syrix’s fireball. That bit of magic was something she was still trying to wrap her mind around, but seeing the magic actually in action posed less immediate concern than the situation she found herself in. “I don’t understand, it was just right over there.”

His smile faded and his eyes narrowed as he peered over her shoulder at her forest. He held that look for several minutes, making her increasingly nervous until he tore his gaze away and looked down at her. A small, reassuring smile tipped his lips and this thumb brushed over hand, alerting her to the fact that he still held it.

“It is best not to wander through the woods alone at night. The breach between worlds has released more into this world than can be easily perceived. Come, I will walk with you back to the cabin.”

Krystal nodded but looked around nervously, her skin prickling. “Are you saying that something was hunting me?”

“For some time, would be my guess,” he replied, his voice low and soothing. “It will not approach now. Just keep close to the cabin. It won’t risk lingering in my territory long. Something so insignificant would not dare to challenge me.”

A shiver rushed over her, but she nodded and resisted the urge to cling to him in terror. It seemed that she had underestimated the dangers of her changed world. Nowhere was truly safe. And if there was something that could confuse her senses to such a degree then—she didn’t want to think about it.

“I think, maybe, that I might feel better if you were inside with me tonight.”

“I agree,” he replied.

There was no sound of victory in his voice that might indicate that it was all a setup to get him back into the house. She’d hoped to hear that so that she could be annoyed at him instead of afraid, and verbally rake him over the coals for his trick while ultimately forgiving him for it. But his voice contained such a note of grim determination that it made her skin grow clammy with fear.

Just what was out there?