Wolf’s Fox by Juniper Hart

5

His hand was warm and comfortable in hers. Ruthie suddenly felt all her worries about who he was and what he wanted evaporating against the smoothness of his skin.

She had sought him out first, she reminded herself, but now, in his grasp, she could instinctively tell that he meant her no harm. She reasoned that if he truly did work for Luthor, he could have very easily taken her by now, cornering her in the cave where there was no escape. He wouldn’t be smiling and trying to put her at ease…would he?

“Why don’t you tell me what happened to you?” Nicholas asked, settling back beside her, making no effort to surround her. Their bodies were close, but he was giving her the space she required. If this were one of Luthor’s men, he wouldn’t have been so respectful, of that Ruthie was sure.

“I-I’m not entirely sure how to explain it,” she confessed in another rush of breath. “I only know what I was told.”

“Why don’t you start there then,” he prodded gently. “You were taken as a baby?”

Ruthie nodded, a slight embarrassment clouding her as she realized how worldly this man was in comparison to her. She could barely read, and he was well-spoken, genial, a true gentleman.

He won’t want a thing to do with me when he finds out about my curse.

It was a chance she would have to take. Sooner or later, Nicholas Konrad was apt to discover the truth about her.

“As you have no doubt seen, I am a white fox,” she began. “My bloodline is rare and dying.”

“I don’t know much about your kind,” Nicholas replied. “But I gathered as much.”

“I was told by my governess that my parents bequeathed me to a powerful dragon lord named Luthor so that he could bind with me when I came of age.”

A shadow of anger crossed over Nicholas’ face. “That is such an archaic practice,” he snapped. Ruthie sat back slightly, and he seemed to realize that his small burst of anger concerned her. “I’m irked that some places still honor that tradition.”

He offered her a smile to take the harshness from his words. “Obviously, that is beyond your control,” he added quickly.

Emboldened, Ruthie swallowed. “I didn’t know any other way of life,” she admitted. “But Luthor was not a kind being. He communicated with rage and sometimes his fists.”

More fury crossed over Nicholas’ face, but this time, he remained silent as he waited for her to continue.

“Fortunately, he was not permitted much time alone with me. Legalities stated he must wait for me to come of age before we spent time alone. I always had a chaperone, and that often improved his behavior, but I knew once we were bound, it would not fare well for me.”

She paused to take a breath, and she could see that Nicholas was listening, another strange concept for Ruthie. It was not just that she had been alone for so long—she had never truly been heard, even by Reyna, who couldn’t risk long conversations.

“Reyna was a witch employed by Luthor. He was a very vain dragon. He couldn’t pass a mirror without staring at himself, and he kept Reyna around to keep him updated with new youth serums and potions.”

“Did he not stop aging?” Nicholas asked, sounding baffled.

“He did—but that wasn’t good enough for him. He wanted to look twenty, not thirty. He thought thirty was far too old. He was obsessed with youth.”

“Yeah, sounds like it,” Nicholas muttered bitterly. “How did you ever get away from him?”

Ruthie inhaled and pressed her lips together. She was taking a big risk by speaking the truth aloud. If she was wrong about Nicholas, if he really was working for Luthor, she was giving him all the ammunition he needed. On the other hand, it felt so good to tell the whole story to hearing ears, even if it meant outing all of her secrets. It had been far too long since she’d been granted human contact. Stealing from the dairy farmers didn’t count.

“Reyna took pity on me. I don’t think she much cared for Luthor in the first place, and the more he pushed her, the more she rebelled. But Miss Whitaker was right about one thing.”

“What was that?”

“Luthor was a very powerful dragon. He was not one to be crossed, and Reyna valued her life more than her pride.”

“He can’t be that powerful. I’ve never heard of him,” Nicholas insisted. The words gave Ruthie some hope.

Is he not around anymore? Maybe he’s moved onto other parts?

She didn’t permit herself faith in the thought.

“You’re likely too young,” she sighed, eying him. She was not a good gauge of age, not when all shifters stopped growing old, but he seemed too young in her own mind.

“I’m a hundred and twenty-two,” Nicholas replied, shaking his head. “And I’ve been in this area for more than a hundred years. I don’t know of any dragon named Luthor.”

A twist of uncertainty flipped Ruthie’s gut. Nicholas probably doesn’t run in the same social circles.

Subtly, her eyes took in his attire, but it told her nothing. She didn’t understand current fashions. It wasn’t like it had been when she was younger and those of different social classes wore very different outfits. Being out of touch with society didn’t help matters either.

“Well, maybe I’m wrong,” she offered weakly, not believing for a moment that she was. “But I thought so, and Reyna did, too. I was afraid of him, but Reyna found covert ways to make him suffer. She was a witch, after all.”

Understanding colored Nicholas’ face.

“She helped you escape.”

“She did…but it wasn’t that simple.” Ruthie again swallowed, staring at him. “I was a prisoner in his estate, under lock and key most of the time.”

Nicholas looked aghast.

“I was treated quite well,” she corrected herself. “I was fed, and my suite was lovely.”

“You lived in a gilded cage. How lucky,” he muttered sarcastically. “It was still a cage. Don’t justify what that bastard did to you.”

A surge of affection rushed through her body, and for a fleeting moment, Ruthie allowed herself to feel it. He really does understand me. I don’t need to worry about him judging what we did.

“How did you get out of there?” Nicholas pressed, leaning in closer. She could feel his breath wisping past her, and it instantly put her at ease.

“Reyna put a spell on me,” she confessed. “And helped me escape one night.”

She opened her mouth to add more to the story but thought better of it.

“You make it sound so simple,” Nicholas said astutely. “Surely it had to be harder than that.”

“There have been some challenges.”

She tried to smile, but the expression faltered. Nicholas’ eyes narrowed. “Have you been living out here by yourself all this time?” he asked slowly. “Worried that Luthor would come after you?”

Ruthie exhaled and nodded slowly.

“Yes,” she replied quietly. “He can still find me, even after all this time.”

Nicholas’ frown deepened.

“How long has it been since you escaped?”

“Over fifty years.”

Nicholas laughed in mirthless disbelief.

“You think he’s still looking for you?” There was a dubiousness in his voice. “If he was looking that hard, Ruthie, I’m sure he would have found you by now.”

“He can’t. I mean…he can, but he can’t.” She paused and tried to collect her thoughts. “Most of the time, he can’t.”

Nicholas waited, a curious expression on his face.

“Most of the time?”

“Yes… The spell that Reyna put on me was absolute. There is a six-hour window every month when he can find me.”

“That’s awfully specific,” Nicholas chuckled, but she could read the concern in his face. “What’s the deal with that?”

“On full moons, for six hours, the spell falters, and he is able to find me. It’s the most dangerous time for me.”

Nicholas frowned. “Has he ever come close?”

“Twice,” she admitted. “I was lucky I was still able to pick up the scent before I was captured, but he sent out half his army.”

“Half his army?! Who is this guy?” Nicholas sounded dazed and slightly worried now. “I’m going to have to look into him.”

“It’s best if you don’t,” Ruthie mumbled, turning away. She knew she’d said too much, but it had been worth it, if only to free her own mind. Nobody could do anything about her predicament, not Nicholas Konrad or anyone else.

“My family is pretty powerful too, Ruthie,” he said grimly. “If this Luthor is still around and in the area, I’ll find him.”

“And do what?” Ruthie sighed. “There’s nothing you can do.”

“You’d be surprised,” Nicholas replied curtly. He sounded offended that she doubted him. “I can negotiate for your freedom. I can find out whatever deal your family made for you and better it.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ruthie said sadly. She had been wrong about Nicholas. He really didn’t understand.

“Of course it matters!” Nicholas barked back. “You’ve spent fifty years running in fear of this guy. He probably isn’t even a threat anymore.”

“Even if he’s not, it doesn’t change anything.”

Nicholas stared at her as if she’d sprouted a second head.

“Of course it does! It means you don’t have to live in hiding anymore. You don’t have to scrounge around the woods to live.”

“It’s not so bad,” Ruthie said softly, unable to meet his eyes.

I don’t have a choice now. I have to tell him everything.

“Okay, I get that you got used to this way of life, Ruthie. Come home with me tonight. Let me run you a bath and get you a hot meal. How long has it been since you’ve had either one of those?”

The thought was more tempting than anything she had ever been offered in her life.

“No strings attached, no weirdness. Just come home and get warm. We’ll figure out this shit with Luthor together.”

She took a deep breath and shook her tangled platinum mane.

“No,” she told him quietly. “I can’t go with you, Nicholas. Thank you.”

He looked taken aback by her refusal.

“Why not?” he demanded. “Are you worried about me? I don’t even need to come inside. I’ll just take you there and go for a drive or something. You can’t live in a cave like this.”

“I don’t—not usually.”

Nicholas grunted in frustration. Ruthie reached out to still him with a soft hand on his arm.

“I don’t understand you,” he grumbled. “I’m trying to get you to safety. Isn’t that what you want?”

She nodded and visibly swallowed before meeting his eyes. “More than anything,” she replied. “But in a few hours, it won’t matter, Nicholas.”

He blinked once.

“What’s in a few hours?” he asked slowly, not understanding.

I don’t want him to know. I just want to enjoy him while he’s here.

But she had held off long enough. Ruthie closed her eyes and told him before she lost her nerve.

“At one minute before dawn, I’ll shift back into my fox body and stay that way until the next full moon.”

More confusion swept over Nicholas’ face.

“What?”

She nodded slowly. “It’s true.”

“Why? Can you not shift on command?” Nicholas asked, dumbfounded by her confession.

She shook her head and blinked away the tears burning at her eyes. “It was the only way Reyna could protect me—or at least, that was what she said. I don’t know what’s true and what’s not, but I know I am the way I am, and there’s no changing that.”

She heard Nicholas inhale sharply, and the tears spilled. She waited for him to excuse himself hastily, to leave her alone in that cold, lifeless cave and never look back again.

“Well, we better get moving then,” he said softly, causing her eyes to open again.

“Pardon?”

“We only have a few hours to be together as humans for several weeks. We better make the most of it.”

He extended his hand, and Ruthie stared at him.

“You aren’t leaving me?” she breathed in awe.

He frowned and shook his head. “Why would I leave you? I just spent an entire month trying to find you.”

“Because…because I’m cursed.”

“You’re not cursed, Ruthie.” The tenderness in his voice warmed her again. “You are a rarity, and I’m so glad I found you.”

“You know what I mean. You should just go, Nicholas. Nothing can be done for me. It will only make it worse to prolong it.”

He scoffed and reached down to secure her hand firmly.

“Hell no,” he replied, pulling her to her feet without giving her the opportunity to pull away. “We’re going to set you right. Now let’s get to civilization before dawn ruins all my plans for us.”