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“I want to see what they can do now.”

Rauk looks at me, and I let him for a bit before I turn back to the shelf.

I set the fox back on its square of leather, on all four feet, and Rauk moves the lamp out of my way.

With the lamp moved, I can see farther down the shelf.

My fish head sits beside the fox.

It’s propped on its folded cloth so it sits upright, and he’s left a gap so it isn’t touching the fox.

Oh.

I look at the short ear, then at the fish’s open mouth.

“Why is that here?”

Rauk takes his hand off the shelf.

“I wanted to keep it.”

I can still see him sitting on the log with my fish in his lap. There was a scale caught in the fur by his hand. He looked so offended I couldn’t stop laughing, and then I shoved him into the grass and he laughed too.

He’s just standing there watching me, and that’s all I’m getting.

Does every touch come with a request? He was right. I’m not asking for anything today.

I step close enough that my shirt brushes his trousers. When I put my good hand on his chest, he looks down at it. “Rauk.”

He looks up, and I go up on my toes.

I can barely reach, but I get my mouth on his. He doesn’t move under my hand, so I stay right there for another breath. I’m not pulling away first.

Then he bends toward me.

He kisses me back so gently, and I close my eyes. There’s a fang right next to my lip, and I don’t care. I grab a handful of the fur at his shoulder, and he cups my cheek with every claw held off my skin.

His palm is warm. I lean into it and kiss him once more.

When I come down off my toes, he lets me go. His hand stays on my face, with the two blunt fingertips by my ear, and I leave mine on his shoulder.

The lamp hisses behind him. He runs the side of his thumb down my cheek, then takes his hand back, and I let go of his fur.

Neither of us says anything. I look at the fox with its bad ear and the fish next to it, and Rauk doesn’t pick up the lamp until I turn to go.

He walks beside me where there’s room, dropping behind at the narrow part. I wait on the other side until he comes through, his shoulder fur brushing the rock.

I can hear the water beyond the next bend.

Keer’s somewhere outside the mountain, looking for me.

I stop before the bend and turn around to Rauk. He lowers the lamp between us.

“Take me out with something that smells of me. We can lay a trail away from the den and give Keer and Axan somewhere else to look.”

Chapter 24

She’s offering to lead her own brother away from my door. I don’t know—