"I had a dream about my mom last night," I announce. Tank doesn't look up from the stove, but I know he's listening. "Do you think she knew?"
"She did name you Foxfire."
"That could just be her. Trippy hippy. She smoked pot all through her pregnancy."
"That explains a lot," Tank mutters.
"Hey!" I pout in his general direction.
He comes with a fresh round of meat, and spills half of it on my plate before bumping my foot with his in a silent order. We chew for a while.
"Do you remember ever shifting before?"
I put down my fork and think. "I once ate some mushrooms and felt like I had fur. You didn't happen to give me any mushrooms last night…?"
He shakes his head as he goes back to the skillet.
"Didn't think so." Too much to hope for.
~.~
Tank
She's stewing again, frowning at the window. I dreamed of her last night, running and catching her and pulling her into position under me. I shift in my seat, glad the table doesn't have a glass top. I've got to get myself under control.
I clear my throat. "There are benefits to being a shifter."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Being able to eat this much, for one. You'll need to bring extra food with you when you go to shift."
"Where would I go? Wouldn't I just run out here?" She nods to the wash.
"In an pinch, yes. But be careful. People around here like to shoot coyotes, even though it's illegal. In the dark, your fox could be mistaken for a small one."
"All right." Her forehead wrinkles.
"You have to let your fox out once in a while. Once a month at least. Otherwise… well, it might be different than for wolves. But it helps you maintain balance." My voice holds an echo of my father's words, teaching me our way of life at the kitchen table. "It's important to take care of your animal. Feed her meat, let her out to run."
"It's like I'm a dog."
"You are. A wild dog."
"So you… run regularly? Where?"
"The Catalina mountains. But also A Mountain, in a pinch." A Mountain is the small peak near downtown painted with a large letter A for the University of Arizona. It's where Garrett shifted and ran off on his date with Amber the day before yesterday.
I bite back my offer to have her come on a moon run with the pack. "You might be able to get away with some midnight runs out along this wash. But a better choice is a wildlife preserve, somewhere that bans hunters. Even then, you have to be careful." I cut myself off before I scare her. But I'm worried. Poachers, other animals, shifters, anyone who sees a pretty fox and decides they want her. Especially another wolf. My wolf is rabid at the thought of another male sniffing around her.
I stand and clear the breakfast dishes. Foxfire stays zoned out. Maybe she's in a meat coma. She's never sat so still for so long.
My wolf insists we go and comfort her. But it's better she doesn't come to rely on me too much. She needs her own kind. A fox den, maybe a mate.
My fingers curl into the countertop. I release it before I leave an imprint.
Not a mate, my wolf growls. Not anyone but me.
I check my phone. No messages. Something's wrong. But Garrett told me to watch Foxfire, so that's what I'm going to do. Even if I now have my own reasons.
My dad wouldn't approve. But who else is going to take care of her?
I approach the table, and Foxfire startles. Her big eyes snap to mine. Wide, dreamy. Sweet face, Loony Tunes hair. She's so small and, deep down, submissive. No wonder her fox stayed dormant for so many years.
"Come on," I rap the table in front of her. She jumps but doesn't move. "Time to get up. Face the day."
"Are we going somewhere?" She arches an eyebrow.
"You need to act normal. Do whatever you do on a Sunday."
"Normally, I'm not under house arrest."
The bluster, it's an act. She's too smart for her own good. And she's been alone too long, without anyone to watch out for her.
My wolf wants to give her everything she needs.
"I guess I'll take a shower." She scoots out of her chair. "Maybe then I'll feel normal. Human."
She pushes past me, and I ignore her disrespect. She's acting out because she's scared. And I'm not her pack leader.
I grew up knowing I was a shifter. Expecting it. Meeting my wolf was a beautiful thing, a rite of passage. I felt powerful.
Foxfire emerges from the bathroom, clean and glowing. Her hair falls in soft rings around her pixie-like face. She struts out in cut-off shorts and a tight top, cleavage popping.
"Oh no." I stand. "You need to change."
"Why?" she shoots back, pretending to be oblivious to her body's effect on me. "We're staying here all day, right?"
"Just… put on some clothes." I don't need the temptation.
She puts her hands on her hips. "What's your problem with these?"
I grit my teeth. My problem is my dick is hard enough to punch through a door. I'd send her to her room for the day, but I don't trust myself.
"Just change."
"Sure." She shrugs and strips off her shirt. It falls to the floor between us.
"Foxfire," I growl.
"You want me to change, Daddy Pops? I'm changing." She shoots me a lethal smile. Sweet as strychnine.
"Don't push me, baby," I growl. "I warned you what would happen."
"Mmm." She twirls a rainbow curl around one finger. "You've made a lot of threats. I have yet to see you carry through with any of them."
Fates help us both. She has no idea what I want to do with that hot little body of hers. And it starts with showing her who's boss. In more ways than one.
"Okay, baby. Let's do this." I lean down and pick up her shirt and toss it at her. "Bedroom, now."
She smirks and waltzes in that direction.