The sight of the wolves turning to men made fear squirm through Sage’s body on some primal level she had no control of, but she was still fascinated by the beautiful painting. She’d never known art like this existed and she wondered who the artist was. Avod—had to be, but she’d never thought thevodcould be artists.
Sage stretched and rolled to look at the other pillow, and for the first time since they’d gotten together, Canyon wasn’t in bed with her when she woke. Instead, a shirt sat on his pillow, along with a small gift in gold wrapping, and a note:
‘Work called, I’m dealing with some shit. I hope you like your gift.’
Sage picked up the shirt to inspect it, finding an exact replica of the one he’d torn. She smiled, then put it aside. She sat up cross-legged and picked up the gift, shaking it. It was light, and almost certainly jewelry. She tore the wrapping off, then opened the dark box, revealing a choker-style necklace.
It was stunning! “Oh,” she murmured, running her fingers over it. The necklace had a double-strand band of black leather to encircle the neck, and a shimmering, raw-cut, crystalline stone the size of a quarter as the centerpiece. The stone appeared to be quartz, with flecks of gold trapped within. At the center was a natural fissure that looked somewhat like the profile of a wolf’s head, and she thought that was why Canyon had chosen it. She put it on, touched, because she hadn’t expected a gift.
She left the bed and went into the bathroom, and cleaned up, staring at the painting in there while she brushed her teeth. It was of a teardrop carved out of wood, which was split open in the center to reveal a dazzling forest meadow. It made her feel transported, like she could dive through the painting and live in the meadow forever among the flowers and butterflies.
Instead, she had to deal with reality. She donned a robe and went to check her phone, knowing her aunts were already blowing it up. She’d met Canyon at the grocery store late Sunday afternoon and hadn’t gone home to her cabin at The Morning Wood Inn that night. Her aunts had started messaging her on Monday morning, and she knew better thanto ignore them. If they thought she was missing they’d start a foxhunt for her and no place in Serenity would be safe, not even Carnivore Cuts or WyldeWoode Waystation Hotel. She’d told them she was at a friend’s place, but they’d started demanding the friend’s name and address, and so she’d gotten belligerent, and occasionally snuck into the bathroom to fire off scathing replies to hold them at bay.
She picked up her phone and saw one new message in the group chat from her Aunt Bristol: ‘Vixie, you’d better not be doing the nasty with some MAN.’
Sage sent a message back: ‘I’m an adult and I can do what I want.’ It was perfect if her aunts thought she was off with some human. She’d dated human males. Her aunts had hated each and every one of them. They wanted her with a Van Crimson or a Van Boeson, or anyone with somefoxenblood.
Sage set her phone down quickly before she could see a reply, and left the bedroom, going out into the suite to find Canyon. He was sitting on the couch, wearing a white robe, his phone pressed to his ear, saying, “Yank that wire out and put it where the purple wire was.”
Canyon looked up as Sage entered. She struck a pose and dropped the robe, wearing nothing but the choker he’d bought her.
“If that doesn’t work, I’ll be in at noon,” Canyon said quickly, then he hung up, his eyes on her.
“Sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.” He moved slowly toward her, his posture lupine and predatory. He crossed the room and took her in his arms, pulling the tie on his robe first so it hung open and their naked bodies pressed together, then leaned close and whispered, “I’ve gotta work today. My brother’s been covering for me and he says I better show up today or my Sergeant’ll blow a gasket. Shit’s falling apart without me.”
“Okay.” She looked up at him, feeling shy, wanting to see him again, and knowing that she should never, ever see him again.
“Do it again this weekend?” he asked.
“Absolutely,” she said, not trying to hide her smile. She was totally smitten and three-quarters of the way to in love, and her affair with thevodvodwould have to be entirely secret, but she couldn’t say no.
He handed her his phone. “Your number…”
Sage smiled at him and took his phone, putting her number in his contacts while he held her around the waist with both hands. At the third digit, her mind panicked. She couldn’t give him her number! He was avodvod! She didn’t stop but instead tried to think of ways that she could hide what she was doing from her family. Finished, she sent herself a text of a smiley-face emoji.
She handed his phone back to him. He traded it for a slip of paper. “Your car is in stall 2F at Renway Parking Garage.”
“You moved my car?!”
“They would’ve towed it if you left it at Carnivore Cuts overnight so I had my brother move it.”
“Oh, ah, thanks,” she mumbled, thinking she should have thought of that herself, and not wanting to know how his brother had gotten it started. “Thank you for my gift.”
“Welcome.” He tipped her chin up and kissed her softly on the lips. “We’ve got an hour till we have to be out of the room. What do you want to do?”
“Fuck, of course.”
He grinned wickedly. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, slapped her on the ass, then took her into the bedroom and put her on the bed. She scrambled right to the edge of the mattress,needing to say goodbye to the beast. It stood hard and ready for her attention. She grasped it with both hands and kissed it.
“Bye-bye, Beasty,” she whispered to it, giggling when she looked up at Canyon, and he had his arms crossed, watching her indulgently. She kissed the head innocently with only a light grasp on it, hoping to bait Canyon into manhandling her, and it worked. He wound his right hand through her hair, then took his cock in his left hand and fed it to her a bit at a time, pushing it past her lips, all the way to the back of her throat. She choked on it, and he let her up for some air, then he pressed her down the length of it again, choking the shit out of her each time. She grabbed him in both hands and took charge, wanting to get him off this way. He let her stroke him, watching her like a predator, occasionally whispering, “Suck it, baby,” then he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her away. He folded her onto the bed and entered her from behind, thrusting gently while he kissed her shoulders, then he pulled out and repositioned her, getting her on her back, nudging her legs wide, entering her while staring into her eyes, thrusting and withdrawing, until she got the feeling he was trying to speakruhito her.
She would have given anything to know what he was saying.
His thrust built up speed and rhythm and still he didn’t look away. Sage stared into his eyes, thinking, ‘I might love you,’ and wishing she could tell him inruhi.
Sweet heat built inside her and she squeezed him with her legs, encouraging it. He rolled to the side and pulled her on top of him. He squeezed her nipples and thrust into her, growling, “Come for me.”
