by Cara Wylde
“Neither of them goes out often,” said Seth.
“What is he suffering from? Roman, I mean…”
The Yako shrugged. “Exhaustion, old age… Our Inari has never been the same after the war.”
“It’s strange to hear about a shape-shifter being ill, suffering… dying…” whispered Amelia. She stole a quick glance at Seth, hoping her words hadn’t hurt of offended him. It was his Inari she was talking about, after all. “I always thought your healing abilities make things easier even in old age.”
“There are wounds which can’t be healed. Ever.”
Seth climbed down the stairs and Amelia followed him. He pointed towards the kitchen and the servants’ quarters, then they stepped out on the porch. Amelia breathed in the fresh, warm air and let the cool breeze play in her hair.
“Come on, you should get familiar with Ekviknuna.”
They went out the front gate and started down the street, towards the docks. Amelia looked around her at all the pretty houses and nice cars. The town looked like a bigger neighborhood where everything was the same, everyone knew everyone, and no one ever locked their front door.
“So, Ekviknuna belongs to Clan Sylfur.”
“Yes, but only four of our earths live here. The fifth one moved to Canada.”
They passed by a young woman with a toddler, and Seth greeted her. Amelia smiled and nodded. The woman studied her curiously.
“Any specific reason?” Amelia knew shape-shifters belonging to the same clan preferred to stick together.
“It’s a long story. Roman has four brothers, and things between them have always been tense. It’s hard to be the main Inari of such a big clan when you have four other Inaris who would love to take your place.”
“Wow! And here I was thinking you have a very tight and warm community.”
“It is. Since Roman’s youngest brother decided to take his earth to Canada, things have been better. He was usually the one who was trying to convince the other three they should challenge Roman.”
“Why would they do something like that?”
“Power. Influence. I can only speculate. I never knew what their exact plans were. They never challenged him because he is the only five-tailed fox-shifter in the world, and that makes him superior to all of them.” Seth stopped and turned to Amelia, fixing her with his intense gaze. His brows were furrowed and his eyes were hard. “Now, more than ever, we need to stay alert.”
Amelia looked around her, but there was no one in sight. She felt like Seth was finally about to tell her something important. He was finally treating her like the Vulpes bride she was.
“Starting tomorrow, they will all want to meet you. They will study you, ask you questions, try to gain your trust. They’re very careful not to show it, but they can’t be happier that Roman is so close to giving the lead to his son.”
“So, they don’t want Blake as their main Inari. Once Roman is gone, they will challenge his position.”
“Yes, I think they will.” For the first time, Seth’s lips curled up into a smile. It was a mischievous one. “They’ve no idea what they’ll be getting themselves into. They don’t know Blake. They don’t know who he really is and what he’s capable of.”
“Who is he?” They were standing in the middle of the street, facing each other, and Amelia was lost in Seth’s purple eyes. However, it was the first time she was more interested in what he had to say about her husband, than in his handsome face and smooth voice. A chill ran up her spine when she realized how devoted Seth was to Roman’s son. His posture, his smile, the spark in his eyes, everything showed… Amelia couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
“He’s the man who will restore the order and reunite the clan. He is the Inari who will bring back the good name to the entire fox faction.”
Passion. That was the word. Passion. Only by listening to Seth’s words, Amelia almost felt the same thing for the husband she had yet to meet.
“How… how many tails does he have?” She wasn’t sure it was appropriate to ask something like this. Surely, Blake Sylfur had to have more tails than his father if Seth was so convinced none of the other Alphas could stand up to him.
Seth huffed. “You’ll have to ask him yourself.” He resumed walking, and Amelia had to catch up with him. They were nearing the docks and the smell of fish was stronger here.
“There’s something I don’t understand,” Amelia said. “The fox-shifters are known for buying the greatest number of brides, so how come Roman Sylfur ended up having a single heir?”
“Yeah, it’s ironic, isn’t it?”
Amelia waited for him to continue. Her attention was distracted by two big, white foxes that came running out of the forest which was stretching behind the houses on the left side of the street, up to the mountain. “Oh wow…” she thought. Of course the foxes of Clan Sylfur would be white. They lived near the North Pole, she just hadn’t put two and two together. She stared at Seth’s wide back and wondered what he looked like in his fox form.
“Roman loved one woman only and never took another bride after she died. She was Blake’s mother. His refusal to take other brides was one of the things which made his brothers respect him less. They saw it as a sign of weakness and as a sort of betrayal when they themselves took bride after bride and had many sons and daughters. I guess you could say Clan Sylfur is so numerous thanks to them. They feel any of them or their sons has more rights than Blake to become main Inari.”
Amelia was starting to make sense of the story. She still didn’t understand why it was so important for Blake to get married before taking his position as the Alpha. Maybe it wasn’t as important to him as it was to his father. Now she didn’t know whom she was dying to meet first: Roman or Blake? They sounded so mysterious and fascinating. She would probably meet them both today, however. They reached the shore and stopped to admire the beautiful view. It was the busiest part of town. Men were busy with nets and fishing rods, and children were running along the shore and playing in the water while their mothers kept an eye on them. The two werefoxes Amelia had seen a few minutes ago were tumbling and rolling on the ground, playfully growling and biting each other. She smiled thinking they were probably mates. Yes, she would like it here. The atmosphere was relaxed, and everyone around her chatted lightheartedly. A couple of people approached them, and Seth introduced her as Blake’s bride, which made their eyes grow wide like saucers and their lips form surprised “oh”s. They all seemed very happy to meet her, but Amelia couldn’t help thinking about what Seth had just told her about the silent tension between the earths of Clan Sylfur. Were they really that excited about her presence here, or were they just pretending? She couldn’t tell if they were friends or foes.
Seth watched Amelia shake hands and accept compliments with a pleasant smile on her pretty face. She was doing great. Blake had asked him to walk her through town and observe her behavior, the way she talked and interacted with the members of his clan. He wanted to know if she was cut out to be the Alpha bride he needed, and Seth couldn’t wait to tell him for the second time that she was.
“I’m kind of hungry.”
Her words snapped him out of his thoughts. Amelia had managed to make her way out of the small crowd of people who had gathered to welcome her to Ekviknuna and was now looking at him hopefully.
“Right,” he said. “Right. There’s one more thing I want to show you, and then we can go back to the mansion.”
“What?” She followed him along the shore, past the two werefoxes that were now lying lazily in the sun, then up towards the forest.
“Only Roman, Blake, and their servants live at the mansion. And now you, of course. I’m going to show you where you can find me in case you need me.”
“Oh… And Aaron?”
“His house is right across the street from yours. He lives with the second Ninko and his mate, Elena.”
“His mate is a vixen?”
“Yeah… not all fox-shifters want human brides.�
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“But I thought…”
“Most of them, but not all.” Seth gave her an indulgent smile. It sucked how the fox-shifters’ habit of taking human brides for all the members of their earths had ruined the reputation of the entire faction in the humans’ eyes. This was one of the things he hoped Blake would take care of. “Anyway, this is it.” He stopped in front of a small cabin strategically placed in the middle of a clearing. The narrow courtyard was surrounded by a hedge, and there was also a shed where Amelia thought Seth kept his tools and fire wood. “It’s not much…”
Amelia heard the reluctance in his voice. “Oh, what are you talking about? It’s so cute and cozy. I love it!” And she did, but she couldn’t understand how or why the Beta of such a powerful fox clan would choose to live in a wooden cabin in the forest when shifters who held lower rankings lived in much bigger and luxurious houses. “Isn’t it… a bit far from your Inari?” Also, the Beta should always stay close to his Alpha.
“It is, and Roman never liked that.” His gaze wandered around the forest and he took a deep breath. He held the air in his lungs, his strong chest swelling up with the pressure and drawing Amelia’s attention. He let it out slowly, then turned to look at her. His handsome features were more relaxed and his eyes were almost warm. “I lived in Ekviknuna for many years and hated it. With so many people around, you rarely get any peace and privacy. But here…” he made a wide gesture towards the cabin. “I have the forest, the river within ten minutes walking distance, no one disturbs me unless it’s really important… what more could I ask for? We’ve got mobile phones and pretty good signal, so Roman and Blake can easily reach me anytime they need me.”
“I guess…”
“By the way, I left your phone on the desk. You have my number, Roman’s and Blake’s.”
Amelia smiled. She doubted she would need it anytime soon. “So, when am I going to meet them?”
“You said you’re hungry.”
Amelia looked up at the sun. “It’s past lunch time.”
“We’ll have a late lunch with Roman. He’s been eating very little lately, but he might let you convince him to take better care of himself.”
Amelia’s eyebrows rose in confusion. “What about Blake?” She was getting tired of all this mystery. Why was it taking so long to meet the man she had been bought for? He hadn’t waited for her on the runway, he hadn’t come down to welcome her when she reached the mansion, apparently they didn’t share a room, and now he wouldn’t even have lunch with her?
“You’ll have to be patient.”
Seth didn’t say anything else and Amelia was too shocked by his answer to react. He turned around and headed back to the docks, and all she could do was follow him. “Unbelievable!” she thought.
***
Amelia felt sorry when she saw Roman Sylfur enter the dining room, Aaron supporting almost his entire weight. The old Inari hadn’t left his room in weeks, and now he was making an exception for her. It hadn’t seemed appropriate to invite her to lunch in his own room, even though it was as big as an apartment. He smiled at her, but he seemed in pain. Amelia stood up, unsure of what she should do. Should she wait for Aaron to bring him to the table, or should she run to greet him and help the Ninko support him? Seth was faster than her, however. In two wide steps, he was by his Inari’s side.
“Thank you, son,” said Roman in a low, weak voice.
The two men helped him sit down right across from Amelia. She sat down as well, hands clutched nervously in her lap. She tried to keep the smile on her face, she really tried, but the sight of this old, wrinkled, and sickly thin man was too sad to handle. He had been a tall, strong, and bulky man in his youth, she could tell. Now, the skin was hanging off his atrophied muscles and the shape of his skull was so visible under his pale, almost translucent skin that Amelia felt a cold chill sneak into her bones. The little gray hair he still had left was plastered to his head, and the lack of eyebrows and eyelashes made his purple eyes seem even bigger. She was glad she had decided against helping Aaron to bring him to the table. She wasn’t sure she could have handled touching him. The Ninko excused himself and exited the dining room.
“Amelia, child, welcome to Ekviknuna.” He spoke slowly, making considerably long pauses between words.
“Thank you, sir.”
He waved her off. “Oh, drop the ‘sir’. We’re family now. Everyone calls me Roman, and you will do the same.”
She looked at his bony hands as he rested them on the edge of the table to better support himself. She couldn’t imagine addressing this old, respectable man by his first name. She swallowed heavily. “All right. Thank you… Roman. I’m so glad to be here.”
“Good. Good.” He studied her for long minutes, his back straight and his lips pursed.
Amelia averted her gaze, pretending she was interested in the food the servants had started bringing. She could smell the chicken soup, but she didn’t feel that hungry anymore. “When will this end?” she thought. “I feel like an exhibit in a museum.”
“You are very beautiful, my darling.” He finally broke the silence. “But you probably don’t want to hear that from an old, decrepit man like me.” He let out a hollow chuckle. “I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”
“Oh no, you could never do that.” She raised her eyes back to his face and managed a smile.
He smiled back, then thanked the girl who had placed a bowl of steaming soup before him and motioned for Amelia and Seth to start eating. He, however, didn’t touch his food for long minutes. Amelia almost moaned at the delightful burn of the hot, delicious liquid down her throat. Focusing on the nice meal, she could almost ignore Seth’s presence by her side. Why did he have to sit next to her? Yes, she had hated having him across from her the entire flight, but this was even worse. She kept her arms as close as possible to her body, least she touched him by accident.
“You should eat.” Seth’s voice was low, but determinate.
Amelia stole a quick glance at Roman to see his reaction. The old man’s warm eyes were trained on his Yako.
“I’m waiting for it to cool off a bit. Too hot.”
Seth didn’t say anything, although Amelia could swear he wanted to. They ate in silence for a couple more minutes. Amelia finished her soup and reached for the glass of water. She bit the inside of her lip when she saw Roman hadn’t touched his food yet and remember what Seth had said earlier. She cleared her throat before speaking.
“This is delicious! You should really try it, Roman. If it cools off to much, it might not be as good.” The moment she spoke she wished she could take her words back. Who was she to babysit an Alpha fox? Just a stranger in this man’s house.
Roman smiled at her, his entire face brightening up. “The truth is, my darling, I’m not very hungry. But yes, we have a great cook here.” He took the spoon between his thin, trembling fingers. “All right, I’ll eat some. I don’t want you to worry about me.” He fished out a piece of potato and took his time chewing on it before he struggled to swallow. It was as if his stomach had gotten bored of food. Eating had become such a chore in the past few weeks. “Everyone worries about me,” he continued. “Seth, Aaron, Elena, Blake…” His purple eyes found Amelia’s. “You’re too young and full of energy to worry about anything and anyone, so promise me you won’t.”
Amelia wasn’t sure what he was talking about. Seth had just asked for more soup and one of the servants had left with his bowl.
“This is what I always tell my son. He never listens.” The old man shook his head and raised another spoonful of soup to his lips. “Maybe you’ll convince him to get out of his room more often. I wanted him to have lunch with us today, but he said he was too busy.”
“Too busy to meet his bride?” She couldn’t help the sarcasm in her voice.
“That’s exactly what I told him!” Roman nodded his head vigorously. “He spends too much time with those books. But it’s my fault, I know it is. I’ve always insisted h
e needed to learn, he needed to study and practice, and then study some more… Fox tails don’t grow on trees,” he laughed loudly at his own joke. “Ruling over such a large clan is not easy, and I am so happy and proud he takes it so seriously, but sometimes I do wish he’d go out more often. I wish he’d show interest in something other than the ancient texts.” He looked at Amelia hopefully. “You’re and intelligent young lady. You’ve been raised in one of the best boarding schools in the world, and you’ve learned so many things. You see, my son’s problem is that he rarely finds anyone who can keep up with him. He spends most of his time with me or Seth, but he really needs to see some new faces, otherwise he’ll end up socially incapable. And what good is a wise Alpha if he can’t socialize normally and make the members of his clan like him?”
“I’ll do my best…” Amelia was even more intrigued now. She heard Seth finally set his spoon down. He had told her Blake rarely got out because of his father, and now his father was telling her something different. Maybe it was a combination of the two: Blake wanting to be by his father’s side, and at the same time wanting to study the ancient texts as much as possible before his father left him to rule over the clan. Wisdom was what made fox-shifters grow more tails. Maybe Blake had even greater plans and he wanted to learn how to use them to create jolts of electricity. It was the fox-shifters’ special gift, but it had been long lost. It was still believed that only the wisest Alpha foxes could learn how to use their tails to create lightning if they dedicated their life to studying the ancient texts. If this was what her mysterious husband was trying to do, then yes, Amelia could understand why he’d be so absorbed in his work. “When will I meet him?” She hoped Roman would have a better answer than Seth.
Unfortunately, the old Inari turned to his Yako. “Have you talked to him about Amelia, Seth? Does he even know she’s here?”
“He knows. I was with him when Aaron came to tell you. I don’t know when he’ll see her, though.”
