She cupped his face and broke the kiss to search his eyes. “You—"
A yip-yip-yip sound split the night. They both looked up sharply. A translucent, winged fox galloped in through the tent’s skylight, aiming for Sage, almost too fast for Canyon to track. He grabbed it out of the air and caught only its tail, which scattered like embers of a flame. It pounced, muzzle first, onto the back of Sage’s head, disappearing as it met her skull.
Sage’s body jerked and her head flopped over.
“Sage!” Canyon shouted, turning her over, supporting her neck. He caressed her cheek, staring into her eyes, his heart hammering, feeling like something amazing was about to happen.
Sage’s spine arched and emerald-green wings shot out of her back, encircling the two of them, lifting them in the air, high in the sky, the tent rising with them. Light shot up, through Sage, through Canyon, blinding him, filling him with living energy, while the wings drew the two of them tightly together, then jerked them upright, so their heads were pointing to the sky.
Canyon hugged Sage, laughing, his eyes squinted shut against the blinding light.
“Iama One True Mate!” Sage yelled, chest to chest with him, her head thrown back against her wings.
They seemed to be spinning, centrifugal force pressing his head back as well. Canyon squeezed her. “I’ve never been so glad to be wrong in my life!” he shouted up into the stream of light.
The spinning slowed and the light dimmed, then shimmered out. Canyon opened his eyes to see Sage grinning looking so beautiful. He kissed her on while they floated back tothe concrete slab, then were deposited gently, tent and all, laying down on their sides facing each other. Sage’s wings retreated and dissolved, like they’d never been.
“I’m blind!” Timber shouted from somewhere outside the tent. Something clattered to the ground. “What the fuck was that? Aliens? Oh shit, I can’t see!”
Canyon moved off of Sage and threw the sleeping bag flap wide. Sage sat up and wiped her eyes. She touched her upper back. “Wings!” she whispered. “I saw them—they wrapped around us and lifted us up.”
“I saw,” Canyon said. “Rhen’s blessing, too.” He cupped her cheek, taking a strong sniff of her deliciously deepened scent, then kissed her on the tip of her pretty nose. “My beautifulfoxenmate and I were blessed by the goddess.”
“I wonder if my family saw,” she whispered.
***
Sage lifted her head and closed her eyes, waiting for a kiss from her mate.Shewas the mate of avodand a One True Mate.Shewas the vixie of sign 742, and her claiming had been blessed by Rhen. She had taken her rightful place with thisvod. Her sweet and handsomevodstroked her cheek and smiled sweetly, and love flooded her chest, making her feel everything was right and good.
You’re hot,he said in her mind.
You ain’t hurtin’ my eyes,she said in his mind.
His mouth dropped open. You speakruhi.
I DO!
Sage shot to her feet heading for the tent flap and Canyon caught her hand, a grin on his face, saying,Don’t run off naked, vixie.
Sage kissed her mate, but more realizations were assaulting her. She could speakruhiand she couldshift, too, butsomeonehad been holding her prisoner every month.Someonehad stolen her pendant from her.Someonehad knocked her upside the head with magic and knocked her right the fuck out.
Abigail White, her own magical, hateful, hurtful, controlling, flesh and blood.
Sage’s body furled in on itself, and she shifted in freedom, arms and legs shortening, body compacting, tail growing, nose lengthening into muzzle, orange fur growing, great excitement surging inside her. She temporarily set thoughts of Abigail aside.
I can shift!she shouted, racing around the inside of the tent like a cartoon coyote.
Canyon grinned and shifted into his beautiful wolf, his back bending, his legs angling, his face extending to muzzle. She sniffed him, all up and down his torso and legs, then pounced on his back. He rolled over, grinning. She gnawed on his muzzle gently, yipping and gekkering her absolute delight, and then she jumped on his back and took a sniff of hisrenqua, confirming a deep, desperate desire she’d never had the courage to give voice too.The orange fur that marked his comet scented clearly of fox.Hope flew wild inside her.
Rhen,she said.You’re one wily vixen, you know that?
Sage didn’t hear a reply, if there was one, because her mate’s voice cut through her head, deep and strong.
You’re beautiful.
That stopped her cold. She stared into his amber-colored, almond-shaped eyes. She yipped and chewed gently on one of his ears, then could hold still no longer. She ran so fastshe tore a hole right through the side of the tent with her claws. She poked her nose through and ran out, across the concrete bunker at top speed. Timber stood near the firepit, his hands covering his eyes. Sage bounded off the bunker and ran around the campsite, taking a giant leap right onto Timber’s shoulder.
He ducked and leapt to the side. “What the hell is that?” he shouted. “Help me, Canyon! I don’t wanna be probed!”
