Page 30 of Foxin' Around

Krystal murmured her thanks and pushed to her feet, gathering her clothes awkwardly around her in the process. She didn’t look at him as she pulled her things on. She couldn’t when her foolish heart was demanding that she throw caution to the wind and keep him with her forever. She needed time to figure out what all this was going to mean for her life going forward first.

“Thank you for understanding,” she whispered, and she walked away.

Chapter

Twenty-Two

Syrix was surely facing punishment from the gods for his deceit. Although every word he’d spoken to his mate was true, he still understood that he had acted less than honorably when it came to being truthful with her. She was right—he had plenty of opportunities where he could have explained the situation, where he would have been in a position to be able to help her work through her sense of fear and betrayal. And now, in consequence, he barely saw her.

She never ate with him or read with him anymore. He only caught glimpses of her when she passed through the kitchen to get her food or something from the living room before going back to her room again. She did not reproach him and was pleasant in those brief interludes, but she never lingered long, and he desperately missed the closeness they had shared. It was difficult to find any pleasure without her. There was no distraction great enough. Even the book they were reading together remained untouched on the table beside the couch, waiting for her return, because he could not bear to continue it without her.

Some males might have given up or fallen into despair. He could vainly scoff and call them lesser males, but he did not delude himself. He would mourn the absence of his mate as one who was widowed if it was not for one very important thing: he had not lost her yet. He had given her the space she asked for, but it was the quiet look of regret that he occasionally caught sight of, and the confusing mix of emotions that drifted from her—none of which bore any resemblance to hatred or even lingering traces of deep anger—that gave him hope. So long as she was not indifferent or avoiding him altogether, he could patiently wait.

He stared down at the book melancholily, a frown settling on his lips. He trailed his thumb down the cover, recalling the way she had held the book in her hand as she gave it to him with a pleased smile. It was a pity that they had not finished it yet.

Shaking off his maudlin thinking, Syrix rose from the couch and walked to her room. He paused at the door, his ears pricking in his hesitation.

“Krystal, are you awake?” he called through the door.

There was a rustle of fabric, and the bed creaked before being followed by the quiet sounds of her footsteps as she approached the door. Opening it partially, she peered up at him, her eyebrows raised.

“Syrix? Is something wrong? I thought you already left to go hunting for the evening,” she asked as she opened the door a little farther with a look of concern. “You mentioned that you were going hunting to fill the ice box a bit more while the lamia was to ground.”

“I am preparing to leave now,” he quietly replied, his ears twitching.

His heart softened with adoration when her eyes immediately went to them with a look of fascination since he was no longer glamouring his appearance. She was slowly becomingaccustomed to his true appearance, and it was gratifying to see curiosity and interest in her eyes now, rather than the apprehension that she felt upon discovering what he was. He waited patiently, however, until she refocused on him and met his eyes, a blush climbing into her cheeks.

“Sorry. That was rude.”

“No, do not apologize,” he countered in reply and smiled. “I like that you find interest in my true appearance.”

Her blush deepened. “I’m gawking like a child who hasn’t learned the good manners not to stare at someone who is different than them.”

“The difference is that I like it.”

Her eyebrows climbed once more, and the ghost of a smile teased the corners of her mouth. “You do, huh?”

He nodded in the affirmative. “I do.”

Her mouth hitched in a teasing smile that made his heart clench. How he missed being looked at that way! “I will remember that, then. You may regret saying that when you cannot complain about being stared at.”

“On the contrary, I look forward to it.”

His mate chuckled, the sound sinking into his heart like a balm. “You are such a ridiculous fox.”

Inclining his head, Syrix sketched a small bow before straightening with a quiet laugh. “A fox is good at finding amusement in everything, but most especially themselves. What you call ridiculous, I call finding enjoyment in life.”

Her expression sobered as she regarded him. “And can you find enjoyment in this situation despite everything?”

His smile gentled, his heart going to his poor female who struggled not only with her feelings and thoughts over what he did, but also her own guilt for hurting him. He could practically taste it in the air between them, and he wanted nothing more than to comfort her.

“Any moment I am with you—however brief it may be—is a moment where I can find enjoyment in this life of mine,” he softly replied.

The blue of her eyes deepened with warmth and she smiled as she leaned her cheek against the door. “So, is that why you are here? Trying to steal another moment of enjoyment?” she teased.

He flashed a wicked smile at her. “I have been caught, it seems.”

A soft chuckle rose from her, and she shook her head, but her smile quieted as she continued to regard him warmly. “I’m sorry that I’ve been so distant. I’ve just had a lot on my mind with everything. You know—coming to terms with it all and my feelings about it.”

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