Page 33 of The Purrfect Rival

The Foxworthy dining room reflected the family’s eclectic personality—antique furniture alongside modern comforts. Candles floated in glass bowls of water, a subtle fox illusion keeping them hovering just above the surface.

Echo lounged in his usual chair, deliberately not looking up when they entered. Marisol cleared her throat pointedly until he reluctantly stood.

“Echo Foxworthy,” he introduced himself with exaggerated formality. “Kalyna’s brother and illusion specialist.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Rust replied.

“Really? I’ve heard surprisingly little about you,” Echo countered. “Except when our artifact disappeared.”

“Echo!” Kalyna snapped, her eyes flashing crimson.

To her surprise, Rust didn’t take the bait. “Valid concerns. I hope to address them tonight.”

“Good,” Echo responded, a hint of respect entering his tone. “Because my sister deserves answers.”

Winston cleared his throat. “Let’s eat before the stew gets cold.”

Kalyna watched with amusement as Rust stood formally behind his chair, clearly waiting for seating assignments while her family had already begun passing dishes in their typical chaotic fashion.

“Fox households don’t stand on ceremony,” she explained. “Everyone dives in simultaneously. It’s basically controlled chaos.”

“Ah.” Rust looked momentarily bemused before taking his seat beside her. “In lion gatherings, the host indicates when to sit and serve in order of precedence.”

“Sounds stuffy,” Echo remarked, ladling stew into his bowl.

“It can be,” Rust agreed, surprising them all. “But tradition has its purposes.”

“Speaking of tradition.” Marisol passed a basket of warm bread. “We have a small fox custom for first-time dinner guests.”

Kalyna groaned. “Mother, surely we can skip?—”

“The riddle game,” Winston explained, ignoring his daughter’s protest. “Each family member offers a riddle. If you answer correctly, it’s considered good fortune.”

“And if I don’t?” Rust asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Then you owe a story,” Marisol replied. “Either way, we learn something about you.”

Echo leaned forward, eyes gleaming. “I’ll start. ‘I have no voice, yet I speak to you. I tell of all things in the world that people do. I have leaves, but I am not a tree. I have hinges, but I am not a door.’”

Rust considered for a moment. “A book.”

Echo’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Correct.”

“I’m a lion with financial interests,” Rust reminded them with a small smile. “Books hold value beyond their content.”

Throughout dinner, Kalyna observed Rust handling the cultural differences with unexpected grace—embracing the chaotic fox dining style, attempting riddles, engaging her parents with genuine interest. Even Echo gradually relaxed, his initial hostility softening when Rust described childhood pranks played with Hezron.

What impressed her most was how Rust listened. Unlike most lion-shifters she’d encountered who tended to dominate conversations, Rust paid attention to the subtle cues of fox communication.

After dinner, Winston surprised everyone by inviting Rust to his study. “I have some historical records that might interest you.”

As the men disappeared down the hallway, Marisol enlisted Echo’s help clearing the table, leaving Kalyna alone to load the dishwasher. She worked methodically, using the mundane task to sort through her conflicting emotions.

“Need help?”

Kalyna startled at Rust’s voice. “You scared me.”

“Sorry.” He moved beside her at the sink, rolling up his sleeves to reveal corded forearms. “Your father needed to take a call.” He handed her a pan that needed scrubbing. “Your father showed me fascinating texts on early Enchanted Falls history.”

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