The Vixen's Bark by Laura Greenwood

Author:Laura Greenwood [Greenwood, Laura]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Drowlgon Press

Eleven

ARI

* * *

Ari pushed her food around her plate, not feeling particularly hungry. While Bjorn had kissed her goodbye, and promised to be waiting for her when she got home, she couldn’t ignore the hurt she’d seen in his eyes when she hadn’t immediately said he could come with her. Everyone thought that Bjorn was all tough exterior, but she knew better. He actually had one of the kindest hearts she’d ever encountered, and she’d hated leaving him the way she had that morning.

“Ari, are you listening?” Her Mum broke through her brooding and she had to think back quickly to try to remember what they were talking about, but unfortunately, she kept coming up blank.

“Sorry Mum, what did you say?” she asked with a smile, hoping her Mum would forgive her lapse in attention.

“Ari’s too busy thinking about a man,” Christine teased, causing her Mum’s expression to change from one of frustration, to one of shocked excitement.

“Really?”

“I was just teasing,” Christine amended quickly, after noticing how uncomfortable Ari looked.

“Is it Kumo? He’s got a bit of a reputation, but he’s a handsome one, and from a good family,” her Mum prattled on, making Ari pull a face of disgust that only Christine saw. She was probably lucky that her Dad and brothers were too interested in their food to be paying any attention to any discussion about Ari’s love life.

“No, Mum…” she started, meaning to tell her about Bjorn.

“Craven then? He’s a little on the grey side, but with your colouring, the pups will be a beautiful colour.”

“Mum…” Ari tried again, but she could see from the light in her eyes that she wasn’t going to stop.

“Oh, and I think one of his sisters might be perfect for Brandon.” Her brother looked up at the sound of his name, but looked away quickly when he noticed both of his sisters shaking their heads and giving him warning looks.

“Diana, that’s enough,” her Dad interrupted and Ari shot him a grateful look.

“I only want to know what fox we’ll be inviting into our family, George.” Ari’s heart sank. Even though her Mum was listing the fox shifters she’d grown up living around, she’d still been secretly hoping that she’d moved past her insistence on Ari mating with another fox. After all, Christine had already done just that. While Ari had never asked her twin if it was a true mating or not, she seemed happy and she’d been blessed with children, so it seemed likely that it was.

“And she’ll tell us in her own time.” Her Dad spoke calmly, knowing how best to approach these situations. Her parents looked at each other with genuine smiles, though Ari knew that it hadn’t always been that way. It had taken her Dad years to convince her Mum that she didn’t have to wait on him hand and foot, but as that had been what she’d been brought up to believe, and it had been hard work to make her see that she didn’t have to act that way.

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