I might look about twenty-something but in actual fact, I’m fifty-one-years-old. For a Kitsune, I’m still considered an infant, having lived less than five percent of my life. If a human complained that their father abandoned them in their forties, they’d be laughed at but for a Kitsune, it’s like being abandoned as a new-born.
I look over my shoulder to where Klaus and Avery are still skating and my eyes meet Klaus’s. My breath catches and I imagine that this is exactly how it feels to find a mate.
No Secrets in the Family
Klaus’s POV
T here are no secrets when Avery is involved in your business. I hadn’t really planned on telling my brothers about Ember. But I hadn’t accounted for the fact that Avery couldn’t talk of anything else all the way home.
The first thing she does when we enter the house behind our family’s brewery is rush into the kitchen and straight into her father’s arms and tell him everything. All the while, I’m silently praying that she might be more angel than witch and that she didn’t spot the mating bond that suddenly appeared out of nowhere between Ember and me.
“Ember is the coolest!”
“Is she?” Dominick gives her an indulgent look.
“The best. She skates like a princess.” She’s practically squealing in delight. “She’s a fox! Did you know she’s a fox?”
“She’s not a fox,” I begin.
“She is! I saw her tail!” Turning on me, her hands on her hips, Avery has more attitude than most teenagers.
“Ember is a Kitsune.”
“A Kissume?”
“No. A Kitsune. She’s a fox spirit.”
“So… She’s a fox?”
Groaning, I shake my head before sitting down at the circular table in the center of the room opposite my big brother. “Where’s Holden?”
“Out somewhere,” Dominick answers. “Vee’s maybe?”
“Nope. He was there last night apparently so tonight he’ll be somewhere else.” My twin likes to make a circuit of the clubs, bars and even strip clubs in town, changing locations every night. I can’t remember the last time he slept at home. And I can’t remember when that started to seem like the normal way of things.
“Daddy?”
“Yes, Avery?”
“Do you think Ember is pretty?”
“Pretty?” He hesitates, probably trying to work out what his daughter will do if he admits the truth. There’s no way my brother doesn’t think my mate is beautiful. But he won’t want to tell his daughter that. Not if he doesn’t want the little imp to play matchmaker.
“Yeah. I think she’s really pretty.”
“I think you’re pretty,” Dominick quips.
“Did you hear that, Uncle Klaus? Daddy says I’m the prettiest!”
I consider correcting her but the wide smile on her face is too cute and I don’t want to be the one to burst her bubble. Dominick’s eyes have turned glassy and I’m pretty sure he’s thinking about Ember.
“Daddy?”
“Mhmm?”
“Can I have some chocolate?”
“N-yes.” Dominick’s answer surprises me. He’s usually so particular about not letting Avery have sweets after dinner.
“YAY!” Avery claps her hands.
“I mean… N-n-you can’t!”
“But Daddy!” Her face falls, her bottom lip pushed out in a pout.
“I said n-yes. Bloody hell.”
Dominick never swears in front of his daughter. “Hey Dom. No need to…”
“I said n-yes!”
“You hear that Avery? Daddy says you can have some chocolate,” I say soothingly to the now crying child.
“N-n-ye-n-yes. She can’t.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I ask. What the hell has gotten into him?
“Daddy can’t say no.”
Blinking, I turn my attention to my niece. How is that possible?
“A fact you know full well,” Dominick says coolly to his daughter. “Don’t you dare try and use it against me, Avery.”
Avery bows her head, no longer meeting her father’s eye.
“Since when has this been going on?”
“The break in at the brewery.”
“So long?” I ask disbelievingly. “How did you manage to hide it?”
“With great difficulty…” He gives me a wry grin. “Thank god it’s you and not Holden.”
Grateful that we’re no longer talking about Ember, I smirk at him, channelling Holden. “You just know he’d ask you all the most inappropriate questions.”
“What does inappot mean?”
Laughing, Dominick and I exchange a look before my brother explains to his daughter what ‘inappropriate’ means. Although based on the look on Avery’s face, he’s doing a shit job of it.
Ember’s POV
Over the next few days, I split my time between practicing on the rink and working with Leith to get everything ready for our brand new skating school. Zoe wasn’t kidding when she said Leith had had a lot of interest and yet the idiot that I am I still insist on putting up posters around the town.
My feet are sore, with blisters on my heel, from wearing the rented skates. And I keep wincing every few seconds when my shoes rub on them. I really can’t wait until I get my own skates back. I keep asking Garrick how much longer I need to wait but that just pisses him off even more.
It’s cold out and people keep giving me weird looks because I’m wearing a skirt and t-shirt. Anyone would think it was my fault I don’t need to bundle up in a scarf and gloves like the rest of them. Humans and their prejudices… Although in fairness, even some of the supes are giving me funny looks.
I ignore them all, focusing on the task at hand as I tape a poster to a lamp post.
“Can I have one of those?” A voice stops me. For a second, my temperature begins to rise as I panic that maybe it’s someone from town hall about to tell me off for putting the posters up. I’m not completely sure I’m actually allowed to do this.
One look at the woman tells me she doesn’t work for town hall though and my temperature settles once more. She’s beautiful with long, golden blonde hair and dark blue eyes. She has the body of a beauty queen but doesn’t carry herself in an arrogant way. Her smile is kind as she extends one hand toward me to accompany her request.
“Er… Sure,” I reply, offering her one of the posters that I’m holding, careful not to loosen my grip on the large pile of posters even a little bit. All I need is for the posters to get caught in the wind and for me to get in trouble for littering. That would be just my luck.
She looks down at the poster before giving me a wide smile. “Hi. I’m Iclyn.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Ember.”
“Ember, the figure skater on the posters at the rink? I thought you looked familiar.”
“Yeah,” I reply awkwardly. “I’m Silver Springs best shot at the world championship.”
“I heard we’re hosting it this year. You must be so excited!”
I’m not sure I’d describe how I feel as excitement. “More like I’m in a perpetual doom spiral.”