Page 18 of Let's Talk One True Mate

Burton waved a hand. “I’m old, I know things.”

Timber shot Canyon a look. Canyon made a pushing motion, nodding. Now was the time to press Burton—the lasttime they’d asked him aboutfoxen, he’d changed the subject and that was that.

“Seriously, Chief, we’re hip deep in this investigation, and where you learned that word might be important.”

“Okay, okay,” Burton said. “Give me a second to think.”

Timber went for a long pass in the far corner of the room and Canyon threw him the football. They tossed it back and forth a few times, until Burton spoke, then Timber returned to his desk.

“I remember now. Back when I was a buck sergeant, I had a lieutenant who killed a markedfoxen. He was the one who called it anarctophox.”

Canyon's fingers flew over his keyboard and Timber lightly tossed and caught the ball in the air a few times, saying, “Killed it why?”

Burton shook his head. “In a fight. That’s all I know.”

“When was that, Chief?”

Burton paused, closing his eyes for a moment. “Let’s say 1964.”

“Ok, ok. Rex shifted into thearctophox, aka Slobber Kitten, and fought with Bruin while Mac tried to help Rogue. She had pendants with her and Mac tried to heal her using them but nothing happened. He ended up swiping her blood on one, then talking into it like a walkie-talkie, because who knew the pendants would have, like, their own cellphone plan or some shit? Anyway, his voice came out of all the other pendants, alerting Graeme, who got to him quickly and healed Rogue withdragenblood, so that was a win, but Rex and Soren got away, so that was a loss. There was a bomb at the station—two actually, but the first one had been a decoy. Rogue tipped us off to thesecond bomb, saving a lot of lives. Rex got the bombs in by travel directly from the Pravus into the station—”

"Wait, what?" Burton's eyes went almost comically wide.

“—but Canyon invented something real quick that detected travel from the Pravus, so we’ve got the whole place wired up now.”

Burton took a deep breath and shook himself, eyes on the ceiling. “Good,” he said.

“Rogue’s a twin,” Timber said, not giving Burton a second to think.

“Seriously?”

“Name’s Amaranth. She disappeared at 5 years old, possibly sold. Rogue hasn’t seen her since.”

Burton growled. “What the fuck is wrong with people?”

“Bruin said prophecy about it.” Timber pointed to Canyon.

Canyon read it off his monitor.Caught between her future and her past, Amaranth calls for her sister, but denies it even to herself. Find her along the river walk, behind the purple door.

“One thing I want to know,” Burton said, arms crossed, voice hostile. “What the hell is thefire chiefdoing reciting prophecy about the mates?”

6-Bruin and Willow♦♦

“Why do you keep saying ‘fire chief’ like that, Chief?”

“Like what?” Burton growled.

Canyon and Timber exchanged a look.

“You know, all full of hate.”

Burton looked shocked that he would even ask. “Are you kidding me? Every fire chief I’ve ever worked with has been a big fat pain in the ass. You saw what happened to the last chief—he got thebearendisordered, theirrenquataken away, he summoned Khain, and now he’s rotting in jail like the criminal he is, and you want me to respect his son?”

Canyon nodded.He's got several sons, and we want you to respect them all.

Timber spread his hands and said, “B3 fucked up, Chief. He fucked up bad, but he was working alone. Thebearenhave renounced him and supported Bruin as chief and Conri, his twin, as assistant chief. Both Conri and Bruin have helped us again and again. Both are honest and straightforward and on our side. Hell, Bruin’s practically a saint, ‘cept he drinks beer and eats pussy.”

Canyon burst out laughing.Just not in that order.

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