Page 17 of Let's Talk One True Mate

A slow grin crossed Canyon’s face.By name?

“Yeah.”

“When?” Timber asked.

Burton shook his head and lapsed into silence for several long moments, then said, “I don't remember.” He lifted his chin at Timber. “What happened next?”

“What?” Timber said, feeling dazed.

Canyon barked a laugh.Tell him about Soren and Rex and the bomb, and Boe being protected at Rogue’s place.

“Yeah, okay, I got it. Like I’ve said, Boe was already living at Rogue’s house. She’d let him live in her house here in Serenity while she was stealing shit in Chicago. Wade thinks Rogue’s One True Mate powers protect Boe from being detected by Khain.”

“Her power is protection?”

“Her power is opening locks, but Wade thinks she’s protecting her house and Boe with a power she’s not aware of yet.”

“You’re telling me the criminal’s power is lock-picking? That’s convenient.”

Timber shrugged. “She went with what she was good at—she was always good at picking locks but now she's like a 'safe savant' and can open any lock by touch or even sight."

Burton got out his notebook and wrote something down, then put it away and looked expectantly at Timber.

“Rogue was raised a petty criminal. She’d been working for Soren Brenwyn, thefoxen criminal, when his brother, Rex, resurfaced—did we tell you that Khain had snatched Rex from jail?”

“Nope.”

“He did, just disappeared Rex right outta jail and out of the Ula for a while. But unfortunately, not forever. Rex went to Soren, trying to get him marked so the two of them could work together for Khain. Soren wanted nothing to do with it, so when Rex realized Soren had a thing for Rogue he decided to use that to his advantage. He gave Rogue a job, then framed her for murder, which is how she ended up at the rut, running from Rex. She held Mac at knife-point to get away from all the cops, then ran off, and dude was seriously butt-hurt after, probably already in love with her. He eventually found her but she kept slicing him up with her knives, flirting then fighting, then wanting nothing to do with him, giving him the slip. In fact, her plans were to leave the country.”

Burton grinned a little and Timber grinned back—Canyon, too. Mac was an asshole to everybody sometimes, so most of them had enjoyed seeing him miserable during that whole ordeal.

“Mac tracked her down in Chicago and brought her back here. He had to board up the windows to keep her in his house.”

Burton laughed right out loud. “That’s funny,” he said.

“She came around though, little by little. Bruin used his crystal ball powers again and said Mac had to claim her or she’d die, so Mac claimed her, and that very night, Rex grabbed her and took her back to Chicago. We aren’t sure of the mechanics, but it’s possible he pulled her through the Pravus, similar to how Graeme can pull people through worlds.”

Timber sat on the edge of his desk and leaned forward toward Burton. “Mac couldn't speakruhihis whole life, you know that right?”

Burton nodded.

“He can now. He learned that night—something about his connection to Rogue made him get it instantly—like it just downloaded into his noggin. He’s not strong in it, but he did manage to track Rogue to Chicago with his mind.”

Burton crossed his arms over his chest, his expression studious. “Fascinating,” he said. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

Timber nodded. “Good thing, too. Rogue was hurt bad, Soren was marked. Rex shifted into the oversized slobbery fox—”

“—thearctophox.” Burton said. “A-r-c-t-o-p-h-o-x.”

“What’s that?”

“That’s what thefoxencall their shifted form once they are marked and it gets all big and slobbery.”

“Who said?”

Burton shook his head.

“Where’d you hear the word?”

---