“I’m sorry for upsetting you, and if you wish to return to your camp, I’ll make sure you have a guide to get you there safely, even if you do feel compelled to turn back now. As for solid information, I’ve already told you more than I should on this side of the boundary.”
There’s that boundary comment again, and still without an explanation. I’m about to call him on it when a brief wave ofsomethingsweeps through me, making me gasp. Then, not only is the buzzy sensation gone, there are three foxes directly in front of us that weren’t there a blink ago.
Foxes who become people, exactly as Max did, except these aren’t wounded and lying on the ground, they’re standing in front of us. One woman and two men. All completely naked.
“Holy shit,” I whisper.
“You’re inside the boundary now,” Max says, carefully easing from my support, though not completely letting go. “I believed you would be able to cross, especially after you mentioned feeling its power, but I couldn’t say more until I was sure. Now that you’re here, I can answer all questions, starting by telling you the boundary isn’t a property line, it’s a magical shield protecting this area from any who might harm its inhabitants. You mentioned making a fresh start. If you’re looking for a life of peace and safety, you’ll find it here, in Fate’s Falls.”
I don’t have an opportunity to unpack the information, let alone voice a question, before the naked woman rushes toward us.
“Max!” Tears roll down her face as she wraps her arms around him, burying her face against his chest.
I extract myself from supporting him, stepping far enough aside to give them space for their reunion, but remaining close enough to assist should he need it. Though, given their tight embrace and the whispering between them, I think he has all the support he’ll need in this woman.
“Hello,” one of the men says, stepping toward me with his hand outstretched, clearly unbothered—in every way—by being naked. “I’m Tyler. Thank you for helping our pack mate home to safety.”
“She didn’t just help him get home,” the woman says, turning her head in my direction. “She saved his life. Max was shot while in fox form. He lost a lot of blood, couldn’t run, and wasn’t able to shift until she removed the bullet.”
“And she has only just learned that sentient beings other than humans exist, when I shifted in front of her,” Max adds, looking over at us.
Nodding, Tyler steps back and lowers his hand to cover his cock. “Forgive me for what I’m sure seems like unusual behavior.”
“It’s fine.” Somehow, oddly, it is. I should be freaking out. Yet there’s not a trace of that to be found. My stomach isn’t doing flips, my pulse feels normal, and my hands aren’t shaky or sweaty. I’m way the hell up a mountainside, talking to a group of naked people who were foxes a few minutes ago. And my nervous system is like, yup, all good here. Yet, my brain can’t seem to push anything other thanit’s finethrough my lips.
“I think she’s in shock.” The woman’s comment snaps me out of my introspection. “Tyler, take over with Max. I’ll make sure our new friend safely gets wherever she wants to go.”
Again, Tyler nods, then walks over to take the woman’s place. The other man joins them, supporting Max from the opposite side.
“Thank you, Lilah,” Max says as the three men take their first collective step. “Holly is my best friend and my mate. She’ll be your guide if you want to return to your camp, but I hope you’ll consider staying here, in Fate’s Falls. At least for the rest of your trip, though you’ll be welcomed by all if you choose to stay longer. My pack and everyone else in town will take good care of you.”
Now it’s my turn to nod because I’m not sure what to say. About any of it. All I seem able to do is stand there gaping as three naked men walk away. Lean, muscular, naked men. It’s not until they’ve disappeared from sight that I remember one of those taut bare asses belongs to themateof the woman next to me.
“Sorry,” I say, turning toward her. “I didn’t mean to stare at their—at them—I wasn’t looking at Max’s.” Heat races to my cheeks as I stumble over my words.
A light laugh leaves her pretty, smiling face, and she gently squeezes my arm. “Think nothing of it. They’re quite nice to look at, even for me, and I’ve been shifting alongside them for years. Tyler has a mate, but Ewan, the one who didn’t speak to you, isn’t attached, and he has lots of good qualities—in addition to his firm butt,” she says with a wink.
“Oh, no. I’m sure he’s great, but I just got out of a crappy marriage, and I’ve been officially divorced less than a week. Definitely not interested in getting back into the dating game. Not until I get myself sorted out, anyway.”
Nodding, she offers her hand. “I’m Holly, by the way.”
“Lilah, but you already knew that, I guess,” I say, my eyes opening wide when she uses the handshake to pull me into a hug. Unsure what to do with my hands, I soften my posture, but let her do the actual hugging.
Nakedness really is no big deal for fox shifters, apparently.
Fox shifters. My brain doesn’t even pause at the phrase.
“Thank you for bringing Max back to me.” A sniffle follows Holly’s softly spoken words, then she releases me, wiping each cheek briefly. “I’m in your debt.”
“You don’t owe me anything. I’m a veterinary technician, and I was in the right place at the right time. A fortunate coincidence, that’s all.”
Holly’s russet-and-blond hair swishes around her shoulders when she shakes her head. “You were in the right place at the right time, yes, but it wasn’t a coincidence. It was fate.”
Another claim that fate is responsible for me being here, wherever exactlyhereis. “Well, if that’s true—” I look skyward, though I have no idea if that’s where someone should focus to address a mystical force. “Then, job well done, fate. Max is alive and back where he belongs. What now?”
In front of me, Holly smiles. Not a generic smile. Not a grateful smile. The kind of smile someone gives when they know something but aren’t letting you in on the secret yet. “Come with me and find out.”
“Find out what fate has planned for me next?” I say on a light laugh.
