What the Fox

by Emma Dean

  It was her only request though. Kenzie hadn’t asked him to love her. She had only asked to know him. And despite the promise he’d made to himself – Hunter had to give her what he could or lose her forever.

  Looking up at the sky he studied the pinks and purples of the sunset. The others wouldn’t be home for a few more hours. Would he manage to win before then? Or would she?

  “I haven’t talked about it since I left when I was eighteen,” Hunter said quietly. “I promised myself I wouldn’t ever think about my family or my leash again. Because when I did I became angry and would do things…I normally wouldn’t do without at least thinking it through first.”

  Then Kenzie took his hand in hers and all thoughts went right out of his head.

  She was comforting him. And he didn’t hate it.

  “I appreciate you telling me at all,” she murmured. “Maybe a bit of liquid courage will help?”

  He looked at the glass of whiskey she held up and decided he could do this conversation once. There was minimal risk. Nothing should set off his rage tonight. There would be very little damage. Only one thing worried him and it was small.

  There was always the possibility that Kenzie didn’t like what she heard. Even if she’d practically scoffed at the reason they’d tried to execute him. That wasn’t the hard part of the story.

  Hunter sighed and picked up his own glass of whiskey and tapped it to hers, enjoying the sound of glass clinking. They both downed the alcohol and she coughed, slamming the glass down – all without releasing his hand.

  Hunter smiled slightly and poured more. Kenzie trusted them. All of them.

  She trusted him.

  It was still a mind fuck to know that for a fact. No one ever felt safe around Hunter except for Finnick and Ash. He knew it was that sharp edge he’d never been able to dull.

  “What do you want to know exactly?” Hunter asked. “There’s a lot of shit, and I’m not sure where to start.”

  Kenzie cocked her head to the side. “Where did you grow up?”

  He watched her eat and considered how to answer that question.

  “Not anywhere you would know of,” he finally admitted. “I’m not even supposed to tell anyone. It’s against the rules. But when was the last time I followed the rules?” Hunter grinned.

  Kenzie grinned right back and popped the rest of her egg roll in her mouth.

  “It’s this strange pocket that exists right outside Portland,” Hunter told her. “A fox from my leash made a deal with a demon a long time ago and that demon granted us a home. You can only get there if you know exactly where it is. But it’s just like any other small American town I suppose. One school, one market. That kind of thing.” Hunter focused on his food as memories started to rear their ugly heads.

  Almost fifteen years ago now, and it still bothered him.

  “My mother loved me,” Hunter told Kenzie. “I had brothers and sisters. My father was decent – but he was a lot like me. Neither of us are exactly normal.”

  “They’re all still alive?” she asked warily, food dropping from her chopsticks as she paused mid-bite.

  He shrugged. “All but my mother the last time I saw them. I was labeled a traitor. If it wasn’t for Lavi stepping in and claiming me as part of her pride I would have been hunted to the end of my days.”

  She visibly shuddered at that. “So you grew up rather normal, and then you had to run or die. And your family? They did nothing?”

  Hunter snarled at the reminder. “No. My mother helped me escape. Which she was executed for. The rest would have tried but I’d asked them not to. Only my mother wouldn’t listen.”

  Her mouth popped open in shock and horror. “I don’t even know what to say to that. Hunter, I’m so sorry.”

  He gave her a sharp grin. “Don’t worry, I made them suffer once I’d found my place in the world.”

  She paused at that and Hunter knew this was it. This was where she would decide for or against him and it would affect their entire future. Would she be able to love a murderer?

  “What did you do to them?”

  The food was spicy enough he actually needed some water to wash it down so he took a sip, considering both paths that lay before him right at the very moment. It was a hard pill to swallow to realize how much he didn’t want a future without her as his mate.

  “I killed those who sentenced her to death for helping her son. Then I tortured the ones who executed her themselves. After I’d decided they’d suffered enough I executed them.” Hunter would never forget the fear in their eyes and how sweet it tasted on the air.

  All for a few books – for the desire to share their knowledge and gain a little more respect in the paranormal community.

  Then he narrowed his eyes at Kenzie. “I told you. I’m a monster.”

  And he’d done so much more of the very same throughout the years, finding those who preyed on the weak and innocent and making them suffer for it. Hunter exacted a very precise and brutal justice that all the red tape got in the way of.

  “I never said you weren’t a monster,” Kenzie told him, one eyebrow raised. She took another bite of curry. “But it sounds like they deserved it. Now, would I torture and then kill? Probably not. But I’d definitely find a way for them to no longer exist.”

  “My father helped me,” Hunter admitted.

  She chewed and then took another bite, staring right at him – right through him. “Good. If I had a family like yours? I would have done the same. It sounds like they loved you. And I’m sorry you can’t see them anymore.”

  It wasn’t the response he was expecting. “That’s not a deal breaker?” he asked.

  Kenzie shook her head. “I’ve killed people too.”

  Right. Hunter had nearly forgotten about that. Even he had been shocked at how gruesome some of those deaths were. The bleeding through pores was something he hadn’t seen before – and he never thought he’d get to say that.

  “So, if my deepest darkest secrets aren’t enough to deter you from this terrible choice, does that mean you want to be my mate?” Hunter asked, pouring more whiskey with a little smile.

  Honesty. That’s what would win Kenzie over if it hadn’t already. Not flowers or traditional love.

  Dedication and loyalty. He sensed those would be winners too and Hunter was more than dedicated.

  He was obsessed.

  Kenzie was made for him in ways he hadn’t thought possible. His darkest side didn’t frighten her and he had thought maybe it would a little – that they would have to work through that. But apparently not.

  She grinned at him and took another sip of whiskey. “Does your question imply you want me to be?”

  Crafty witch.

  Hunter’s smile widened. “Perhaps.”

  She ran her finger around the edge of her glass. “Are you attracted to me?”

  Direct. He appreciated that. “Very.”

  It wasn’t just her curves or the red hair. It was so much more than her looks. Kenzie accepted him for exactly who he was and never asked him to change, or to do something that just wasn’t possible for him.

  Hunter could feel it inside though – he was changing.

  Kenzie was changing him, and he didn’t know what that meant for the future or what kind of person he would end up as. He also didn’t care. She was worth the risk.

  But he refused to lose his edge. That was the one thing he absolutely would not do. And Hunter got the feeling she would never ask him to give that up.

  And despite the arousal he could smell on the air, he asked anyway. “Are you attracted to me, Kenzie Kavanagh?” Hunter wanted to hear her say the words.

  He wanted to taste the truth on the air – and then maybe he could get her to say what he’d been hoping she’d say for the last month.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Kenzie

  For some reason this date wasn’t going in the direction she’d thought it would go. Hunter was nothing like Ash or Finnick though so she’d expec
ted some strangeness. All she’d really wanted out of it was to get to know him better.

  His deep dark secret didn’t really explain everything she’d thought it would, but it did tell her why he was on his own with no family and yet still so knowledgeable about the fox world. Kenzie couldn’t believe he actually had a family out there.

  Part of her wondered what had happened after he and his father had slaughtered those who’d murdered his mother.

  All for a few books.

  What would the world be like if the foxes actually came out of hiding? Would there be a witchy fox alliance? Maybe that was something they could work on as the first witch-fox triad ever recorded.

  But…that would mean Kenzie would have to identify as a witch – she’d have to claim that heritage and she’d built her entire life around the acceptance that she would never be a real witch no matter how hard she tried.

  Jessica called herself a witch though. Granted she could do real magic. But it wasn’t the only thing she saw herself as. Jessica was a demon witch and a hunter. And she claimed it all proudly, relishing in what made her different – what made her special.

  She could do that too. First void witch in centuries and definitely the first in her family. It was different and weird and terrifying – but she wasn’t nothing anymore. She was no longer barely more than human.

  Kenzie traced the lip of the glass again. Wondering how to respond to Hunter’s question – wondering the best route to take to get what she wanted out of this.

  What did she want?

  Studying his golden-brown eyes that always seemed to glow a little, she tilted her head. Those lips that were slightly fuller than she expected every time she looked at them. His sharp jaw and cheekbones. The way his deep red hair always seemed kind of messy, but on purpose. Like he spent at least twenty minutes getting it to fall across his eyes in just the perfect way.

  Kenzie then followed the column of his throat down to those shoulders. They weren’t broad like Ash’s, but they had muscles that no one could ignore. He was cut and strong and it went right into his arms, the muscles obvious even through his shirt that was just a bit tighter than normal.

  Hunter was displaying himself for her tonight and Kenzie’s lips twitched. She was more than attracted to him. She’d been fighting the urge to jump his bones at every opportunity. Dragging this out certainly had been fun, but she was ready for the game to be over.

  “I’m very attracted to you, Hunter. To the point that I’ve had to avoid you in the gym the last week. Or when I knew you weren’t wearing a shirt. That tattoo on your shoulder certainly draws the eye doesn’t it?” Kenzie drained her glass of whiskey, hoping it would give her a bit of extra courage.

  Because that look on Hunter’s face was intense. And no matter how this night went, she knew it would make her into a new person.

  “It’s a spell actually,” he told her, gold eyes actually glowing now. “A witch did it for me a few years back.”

  Now that he’d told her she could see the tiny runes in the larger design. “What does it do?”

  “If I tell you, will you keep it a secret?”

  His playful grin had her entire body melting. “Sure.” Kenzie cleared her throat and drank some of the water before her head got too fuzzy.

  “It makes me invisible with a simple word.” He sipped the whiskey and watched her like he was waiting for her to…

  “Holy shit!”

  Hunter’s grin widened.

  “That’s how you guys fucking disappeared in Samuel’s building!” Kenzie slapped the table hard enough all the dishes clinked and rattled. “But all of you did. Where are Finnick and Ash’s tattoos?”

  “They both like to be secretive,” Hunter explained. “As they’re naked with more people than I am. So they shaved their heads at one point, had it done, and then let the hair grow back.”

  Her mouth popped open. “No one told me!”

  Hunter shrugged. “You didn’t ask.”

  No. She guessed she hadn’t. There had been so many other fucking things going on. And now here she was…

  “I want one,” Kenzie demanded. “Where in the seven hells did you find a witch to tattoo you?”

  There weren’t many of them and it was an uncommon skill. The ink alone was a pain in the ass to make.

  “She’s in Canada,” Hunter told her. “I’ll call and ask if she can do another for my chaos.”

  “Why didn’t you hide it under your hair too?” she asked. “It wouldn’t be seen when you shift.”

  “Kenzie, do you really care?” he asked, leaning forward so his golden eyes were all she focused on. “Or do you want to do something about our predicament?”

  Her heart started pounding harder than necessary as she tried to figure out what he meant by that. “What predicament exactly?”

  “That we both are attracted to each other, but neither of us are sure about the mate bond.”

  He was lying. She could see the tick in his jaw. Usually it meant he was trying not to murder someone, but right now he was still smiling. What an interesting tell.

  “You are sure,” she whispered. Kenzie knew she’d wanted it, but she’d always had a prickle of doubt about Hunter. “You do want the mate bond.”

  Hunter actually blinked in surprise, the smile falling from his face. “How do you know that?”

  Interesting. He wasn’t even trying to deny it. That was how shocked he was.

  “I can tell when you lie,” she murmured, reaching out to trace the muscle that had betrayed him. “It’s subtle, but after spending the last month and a half with you I know what to look for.”

  He moved so fast he blurred and suddenly his fingers were wrapped gently around her wrist, but he didn’t yank her hand away from his face. “You can tell when I lie? For how long?”

  “For a while now.” Food forgotten, Kenzie felt oddly mesmerized by Hunter’s inner turmoil. This all mattered so much to him. And now that she’d called him out… “The same way I can tell you’re panicking right now,” she whispered. “But why are you afraid?”

  Then his grip tightened, but not hard enough to hurt. Kenzie was surprised how disappointed she was when he released her. Hunter slumped back in his chair, eyes narrowed at her but no less gold than before.

  “Well, that makes playing this game rather pointless wouldn’t you say?”

  She grinned at that. “It’s still fun. Did you have something else in mind?”

  Hunter stood so quickly his chair fell backward and she gasped when he was suddenly next to her and pulling her out of her chair. “Yes, I do have something else in mind. But only if it’s something you want as well.”

  Meaning it was something he wanted.

  Kenzie’s breathing quickened. “Tell me what it is.”

  His arm went around her waist and his lips brushed her hair as he pulled Kenzie in closer. “I concede to you.”

  Holy fucking shit. Hunter was essentially knocking over his king.

  “Why?”

  Then his other hand was in her hair, running through it like he was just as mesmerized by her as she was him. “Because, you are the first person in my life who can tell I’m lying. Congratulations, Ms. Kavanagh. You’re the only person in the world who truly knows me.”

  And all she’d had to do was prove it for Hunter to concede to her.

  She’d won the game.

  “I want to hear you say it,” she whispered, looking up at his lips and then his gold eyes, wrapping her arms around his neck. “If I win, then I want you to say the words.”

  Hunter smiled down at her and even though he’d told her a million times he was a monster, even though she knew he was no soft-hearted normal…Kenzie saw the tenderness in his eyes. She saw the…love? It may not be love, but it was something close. Dedication maybe.

  A surrendering.

  His soul, his heart – they were hers and Kenzie honestly thought that was better than love.

  Love could be shallow. It could be condition
al. It could even be suffocating.

  But Hunter was hers without boundaries, without any ifs, ands, or buts.

  “Kenzie, I want you as my mate,” Hunter murmured, pressing his hands into her lower back so they were flush against each other. It made her squirm to feel him like that. “I want to accept the mate bond. And I want to claim you. Please.”

  It might be the only time she ever heard him say those words in her life, but it was enough. Hunter was a man of action, not necessarily words, and Kenzie preferred it that way.

  “I’ve wanted you as my mate for a long time,” she confessed, feeling it was only fair to tell him since she’d won the game. “I’ve wanted you in my pants for even longer.”

  And wasn’t that the fucking truth.

  If Kenzie were to be brutally honest with herself, she’d wanted him the moment he’d held her throat in the forest during Samuel’s 4th of July barbecue.

  His grip tightened on her hair and Hunter pulled back just slightly so her neck arched and her lips were presented to him. He considered her for only a moment as the gold seemed to flash with liquid lightning.

  And then he kissed her.

  She gasped, stealing his breath from him.

  The taste of his lips, the feel of his tongue, the feel of him hard against her…Kenzie was fucking lost.

  To some degree she’d known it would be like this. Their kisses up to this point had been rather tame. But now Hunter wasn’t holding back. He was devouring her mind, body, and soul.

  Clutching onto his shoulders, she kissed him, flicking her tongue against his, biting his lip like she had earlier, pressing harder against him and then she heard it – Hunter growled into her mouth. The sound was nearly a groan.

  His hands gripped her waist hard and then he pulled back with a snarl. “I can’t control myself anymore.”

  Kenzie didn’t let him pull any further away. Instead she jumped, wrapping her legs around his waist and forcing him to catch her. Hunter was strong enough he didn’t stumble backward. He didn’t budge at all. Nope, he simply caught her, looking up at her as she smiled down at him.

  “Then don’t hold back. Because that’s the opposite of what I want right now. Claim me already for fuck’s sake.”