“What?” He reached up and pushed his glasses up on his nose with a gloved hand. “It’s the third time she’s scared you, and we’ve been out here for an hour now. You’d think you’d stop getting startled every time she ran past.”
“Shut up,” I grumbled as I yanked my hat further over my head. “I think it’s because Damien’s threat has me on edge.”
Kian shrugged, stepping over a snow-covered log. “He just wants to make sure she’s safe, and Wren got after him for missing so much class to stalk her.”
I snorted. “Doesn’t mean he has to threaten to rip my cock off. For Kalista’s sake, he’s going to give me nightmares. Everyone knows he actually castrated that one dude for talking shit about Wren. Thorn told me about it.”
“Doesn’t Damien give everyone nightmares?” Kian asked, brows furrowed like it was a normal thing.
“Fuck, Kian, have you had nightmares about him?”
“Uh, yeah.” His eyes widened as he exhaled a long breath that fogged up his glasses. “I’ve had dreams of him draining my blood and then using my magical essence to reanimate me and then continue torturing me with all kinds of weird methods. He’s said he’d do it, and I believe him. But I don’t think he’d ever do it unless we hurt her.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “And I don’t think any of us will ever hurt her. She means the world to all of us.”
The corners of my lips tugged up. “Yeah, she really does.”
“How’s Thorn?” Kian asked as Wren darted in front of us in her small white fox form and whined.
“He’s good, but he’s busy,” I told him, bending down and pushing my fingers through her soft fur. “He’s been going to the Ice Kingdom almost every day. His parents really don’t know how to run a kingdom, according to him.”
Wren turned and licked my hand before trotting over to Kian.
“Having fun?” Kian asked her before he dropped to his knees in the snow and held his arms out.
She let out the cutest yip before jumping into his arms and nuzzling under his neck. He continued to stroke her fur and hold her close.
“She’s so fucking cute.” I dropped next to them, and Wren growled in my direction before wiggling out of Kian’s arms.
She dashed toward a pile of snow and launched herself into it, rolling around in the billowy snow and making the cutest noises.
We climbed to our feet, and Kian’s glasses were all fogged up from his watering eyes.
“You okay?”
He swallowed hard, nodding. “She just reminds me of the fox I’d had as a kid.”
Anger pulsed through me, and I gritted my teeth. Those idiots from his village were sick. They were animal killers and were proud of it. They only ever got meat from trading with another village since they were unable to slaughter and leave it dead. It was like they couldn’t help but to reanimate.
Wren jumped up and nipped at my hand, and I hissed at the pain as she broke the skin.
“We’ve been trying to get your attention,” Kian supplied.
Wren shifted back into her regular form. “Are you okay, Lachlan?”
Kian’s face turned red, and he spun around so quickly he slipped and fell onto his back.
“I’m fine.” I barked a laugh as I reached into her bag and passed the uniform to her, but I kept staring at her blissful smile and pink nose. As she lifted the shirt over her head, my gaze dipped to her exposed body. My cock stirred in my pants, and I sucked in a sharp breath. Her breasts were fuller than I’d realized, and her nipples were little pink peaks of perfection.
Before I could look any further, Kian’s magic slammed into the back of my knees, and I was laid flat on my back too.
“Don’t stare at her,” he muttered. “Be respectful.”
I gasped, turning my head to look at him. It was an effort not to glance up at our mate. “I was staring with the maximum amount of respect!”
“No, you weren’t.”
Wren’s laugh tinkered through the forest. “You can both get up. I’m dressed.”
Kian used his magic to push himself off the ground, and I cursed him as I pushed up off the snow and steadied myself on my feet.
