Sage jumped at the nearest tree and grabbed onto the lowest branch, steadying herself. She yip-yip-yipped.
It’s me,she told themin ruhi. Abigail White stole my animal essence to hide me from the demon and she kept it in the fox pelt she wears, but it escaped! It’s back! I’m whole!
Canyon loped close to the base of the tree. Sage yipped and jumped off the branch landing on Canyon’s back. She leapt off just and spun in a circle, her thoughts going tothe demon.
He’d taken Paisley. Howdarehe.
Thick rage swirled her.Khain!She shouted in privateruhi, forgetting where she was and who she was with, and even forgetting her destiny. At that moment, all she knew was that Khain had taken her child and…he would pay.
She was a One True Mate. She had power she could use to hurt the demon, even if she didn’t know how yet. She crept close to the ground, scenting the air, knowing the only thing she would ever be happy with wasKhain’s death.
Khain!she shouted inruhiagain, dimly aware of Canyon and Timber staring at her.Come and get me, demon,”she snarled, losing control of her privateruhiin her anger, projecting wildly.I'm just a little girl!I’m barely five feet two inches—little and weak and easy to enslave! Come on, I’m right HERE!
Sage listened for a response and heard nothing. She nurtured her anger, recalling how it had felt to hear that Paisley had been stolen by the demon. She pulled forth all thosememories and steeped herself in the despair of that night, then she twisted the despair into cold, hardrage.
She stalked close to the edge of the bluff and looked over, her whiskers twitching, calling power to her from all over, feeling it come, hearing it expand and increase her mental voice.
Come on, you baby-stealer! Come on, you monster! Come on, you gross disgusting excuse for flesh! You want to stealfoxen?! Here I am, demon! Come stealme—I'm ready for your nASTY ass!
Mentally, she honed in on him, feeling where he hid—up Morning Bluff; under it somehow. He was listening to her, hearing her, but not coming for her.She would go to him!She scrambled over the edge of the bluff and used her claws to keep her footing, hopping from rock to rock, sometimes sliding in a spray of rocks, heading for the bottom.
Vixie,Canyon called.
She stopped and looked up to see his black-furred face staring at her over the bluff’s edge.
I’m with you,he said.
I know you are,she told him, her love for him strong, but secondary in that moment.
Come on, you big scary demon!Sage turned her focus back to her scramble down the bluff face, anger an anchor inside her.I’m just a little foxen, just a little FEMALE, defenseless against your evil ass! Let's go baby killeR! How many babies have you killed? I’ll make you suffer for each one!
Sage listened, expecting to hear the demon responding to her, maybe ripping his way into the Ula, but she heard… nothing.
Have you lost your nerve?! Are you just a big coward? A big waste of DEMON MEAT?!
Sage drew close to the bottom of the bluff face, moving faster now. Two of her claws caught on a rock and ripped. She partially shifted only that foreleg, driven by instinct, sliding all the while. The leg healed with the shift. She reached the bottom and ran across grass, eyeballing the river, measuring whether she should swim across. She decided against it and ran alongside instead, heading for the closest bridge.
90—Challenge Ignored
Canyon threw himself over the edge of the bluff face, following his mate, yelling for his brother inruhi. Bring my truck! I’m not sure where we’re going!
Sage’s amplified ruhi broke in, sounding like a megaphone over the riverbed.BABY KILLER! GROSS DEMON! EVERYONE HATES YOU!
What's going on?Timber asked.
Canyon slid paws first down the bluff face, saying,She's challenging Khain.
Fucking finally, someone's got some balls in this outfit.Timber said, his voice hard.I am fucking IN.
Canyon slid and ran and tumbled and slid until he reached the bottom, and then he turned on the speed. He met up with Sage a mile down the river, falling easily into step beside her.
He looked at her and she looked back at him, just a red fox and black wolf taking an early morning stroll. He stared at herrenqua,white fur in red fur, and wondered if she knew what it was. Their lives were about to change a lot, and he was cool with that.
Across the river, a fisherman saw them. He backed away, then tripped and fell back on his butt in the river. He scrambled to his feet and ran to shore, pointing and yelling.
Where’re we going?Canyon asked, ignoring the guy.
Up Morning Bluff.
