Page 67 of Fox of Fox Hall

Nonetheless, Fox could not leave the roomswithout turning to seek out Conall by the dais, and trembled allover again to find Conall’s gaze on him. Conall looked bereft, asif Fox was already out of his sight, but he stood there, sayingnothing.

Fox was cradled in gentle heat. His heart roaredin his ears. If he walked forward, Conall would be in his arms andall would be well. But Fox didn’t think hecouldwalkforward. Not back the way he had just come. It had taken too muchto get this far.

“Conall,” he couldn’t raise his voice but no oneelse spoke so he was heard, “come here.”

Conall moved immediately, the sway of his tailand his smile louder than any of his footsteps. When he reachedFox, Fox realized there was no hiding his blushes so he put them onConall instead. He smoothed his palm over the surcoat and the hardarmor beneath that. He traced the standing fox, mesmerized by thepretty red and black lines.

“Foxlike Conall,” Fox whispered desperately.“This wasn’t only to protect me or to show me passion-songs cometrue. This was to convince me of this mating.”

Conall didn’t deny it. “Did it? The purse isstill yours regardless of your answer.”

His tail was velvet against Fox’s, a brush justunder the tip, then warmth for Fox’s tail to wrap loosely around.“Conall,” Fox whined breathlessly.

“Lovely,” Conall answered, voice rougher than hemight even realize, “let’s go.”

ChapterTwenty-Six

The walk from Saravar to Kaladas gave Fox timeto fret over what he had done until his insides were tangled andhis hands were clasped tightly around the prize purse. It didn’thelp that whenever his thoughts began to race, he would feel histail slide against Conall’s quite shamelessly and then Conall wouldglance toward him with an insufferably smug look on his face.

Or rather, itdidhelp Fox feel better,and the fact that it did set him to worrying again. Fox was beingridiculous, or using Conall, pinning his future to him to get awayfrom the court and Domvoda, or… whatever Fox was doing. Agreeing,however tentatively, to a mating with Conall because Fox likedConall very much and Conall was passion-struck for him.

Surely that wasn’t fair to Conall. Fox wasn’tpassion-struck for him or in love with him in return. Fox toldhimself that several times, stressing it forcefully when theyentered Kaladas and found it empty except for a servant busycleaning ashes from the fireplace. Anyway, Conall’s feelings wouldfade the moment Fox of a tiny village sullied the ancestral home ofthe Vulpets.

Yet Fox continued to walk alongside a silent,smiling Conall, and move as they walked so their tails might brushtogether or wrap loosely around each other no matter the shockedstare of the servant by the fireplace.

He went with Conall to Conall’s room and stoodinside the area of clear space between Fox’s many trunks and thebed. If Fox left on his own, he would have to arrange storage forall his trunks. Perhaps he could rent a room in the capital. Or hecould buy a small house there, he realized belatedly and with somedistraction as Conall turned from him to remove his belt and theknife in it.

If Fox went with Conall, the trunks would gowith him and Conall might be annoyed at the number of them.Although, as Fox thought that, Conall put the knife down on top ofone with a glance toward Fox for permission, and, after Fox nodded,carried on without any visible annoyance at the reminder of howmuch space Fox took up. Fox had no idea how to plan aroundthat, much less anything else. He had never anticipated apassion-struck Dragonslayer offering to marry him.

Conall slipped his surcoat over his head andtossed it toward his own trunk with a pleased sigh.

“Those freckles when you blush,” he remarkedadmiringly, facing Fox again to look him over. “If we travelslowly, maybe I can convince you to ride a few hours in the sunwith no shirt. I’ll bet your shoulders freckle adorably.”

Fox huffed. “I’ll just turn red and stay thatcolor.” Never mind how pleasant it would feel to have the sun’swarmth on him, however briefly. Or to think of what Conall might doupon discovering the new freckles. “No.” Fox ended his own thoughtswith the tiniest scowl. “We should discuss things other than myeasily burned skin. You’re the one who should be without clothingin the sun, anyway. Your skin probably shines like gold.”

“Like gold?” Conall raised his eyebrows, clearlysurprised. Then, slowly, a lighter version of his smug smilereturned. “Do you think of me as beautiful, Fox?”

“I do not think of you,” Fox lied to Conall’sbeautiful face. “It’s troublesome to think of you. Dangerous.” Thatwas less of a lie.

“Even now?” Conall was surprised again. “Or isthat a habit from before when you wouldn’t look at me because youwanted to look at me?”

Hewouldremember everything. It mighthave beenhishabit from before; gathering and memorizingevery scrap of information about the object of his passion that hecould without being allowed near him.

Fox dropped his gaze to the floor. “I have spentthe past two days worrying over you nearly every single moment.Don’t tease me.”

The faintest jingle from the chain mail warnedFox this time that Conall moved.

“I didn’t know that.” Conall sighed it. “Isuspected it, but I didn’t know it.” He leaned down to press a kissto Fox’s crown. “I am sorry for your tender heart and what it’sgone through, but I won’t take my victories back. And they did yousome good, in the end.” He nudged Fox’s arm beneath the prize pursebut didn’t touch the purse itself.

“What if something had happened to you?” Of themany questions on Fox’s mind, that was not the one he’d meant tovoice. “You can’t do and say these things to me and then abandonme.” He had not meant to say that either.

Conall’s tail wrapped around Fox’s hips to keephim still before Fox could dart away. “I shouldn’t make youconsider a future and then take it from you?” He questioned Foxsoftly but didn’t seem to expect an answer. “I didn’t know you hadconsidered it and I am sorry for that too. But I have no intentionof taking the future you dreamed of from you.” He gave Fox anothersmall kiss. “Though I admit, I feel pleasure knowing that you dreamof me.”

“You just like victory,” Fox grumbled with hishead down.

“I do.” Conall was still Conall, no matter howgentle his kisses could be. “But I also like that you were happyenough with me to want to stay that way. If you allow it, I will domy best to continue making you happy, Fox.”

Fox took a deep breath. “I thought what was saidin the receiving rooms told you what I felt.” He raised his head.“But you’re asking?”

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