The Minx
Chapter 23

The next morning, by the time I was awake, Kieran was already gone. I made myself something to eat before preparing myself and risking calling Aspen. I couldn't mind-link him anymore, and surprisingly, Kieran never took my phone. It did go dead, but after replaceing a charger laying around and charging it for about an hour, it had enough juice to do what I needed to do. I was still confused and unsure, but I knew that I needed to at least call Aspen so he wouldn't set out on a manhunt. He picked up after the first ring.

"Thank God. I thought I lost you. Our bond broke and I thought you were dead," he said immediately.

"I'm not dead. I'm fine," I said as I sung my feet lazily as I sat on my bed.

"What happened? How are you calling me?" He asked in a rush.

"Kieran never took my phone, but... I had to become a human again. I can't shift into a wolf anymore, and I can't try either. Actually, Kieran has known me since I was a baby," I tried to figure out where to start.

"What is that supposed to mean? What exactly is going on, Cami?" Aspen asked even more confused. I took a breath and prepared to just rip off the bandaid.

"I'm a hybrid, Aspen. I'm only half wolf. The other half is fox. I know I came here to fix my fertility, but right now Kieran is doing everything he can to save my life," I explained.

"He's... trying to save you?" Aspen repeated.

"Apparently, everything he did was to catch my attention so he could save me. The fox and wolf in me were fighting and I was the one losing out. I have to stay with him until my body stabilizes," I finished. Aspen was quiet for a long time.

"You're staying?" He asked.

"He hasn't hurt me at all. He's actually been very nice to me," I tried to assure him.

"You're comfortable with him? Did you forget what he did to you?" Aspen asked. I could tell he was getting upset by the second.

"I was wrong. My brain misremembered the events after trying to ignore it for so long and he explained it. The injections was serum to keep me alive. He tested the silver on me to figure out where the balance was. His poison kept the wolf side form taking over completely and killing me, but he never touched me," I tried to defend Kieran. It surprised me. Why was I defending Kieran to Aspen? Aspen realized it too, but he didn't say anything.

"When are you coming back?" He asked softly.

"I don't know," I answered honestly.

"Well, whenever you stabilize, or whatever, come home, okay?" He said quietly. I hummed a response before hanging up and staring at my phone deep in thought. I still didn't know what I was going to do.

It was evening by the time Kieran got home. I was still awkward around him. I watched from the bottom of the stairs in my pajama shorts and oversized tee shirt as he came through the front door in his black suit. He sighed as he loosened his tie before his eyes locked on me. He paused before smiling lightly.

"Have you been bored?" He asked as he took his tie off and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. I shook my head. He shed his suit jacket and walked past me and tossed his jacket and tie on the couch. He stood up straight before motioning me over. I hesitated before inching closer.

"I called Aspen today. I haven't been able to mind-link since the shot of serum, and I wanted to made sure he didn't try anything while I was still trying to figure everything out," I admitted.

"You told him that you're staying?" Kieran asked. I nodded as I glanced at my bare feet. I only looked up when I felt Kieran take my hand in his.

"I have no idea what your thinking these days. Help me out here," he asked. I scoffed gently before taking a little bit of comfort in the energy that was being passed to me. Every touch of Kieran's was calming to me. Maybe it was his fox energy or maybe it was something else, but either way, it calmed me.

"I'm thinking... I haven't figured any of this out yet. I am part wolf, but I'm also part fox. Whatever is happening to me, you're my best chance at figuring it out. I don't want Aspen doing anything stupid before I figure that out," I tried to explain. He pulled gently on my hand to bring me a bit closer to him.

"You're not as scared of me anymore," he noted. I sighed before looking at my hand in his.

"I think it's your fox magic," I muttered. He took his hand away and held them out in front of me.

"I'm not using anything," he countered. I glanced at him, trying to read him. He seemed to be telling the truth.

"Are you planning on walking around town in your pajamas?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Where even are we? I still don't quite understand how your teleporting works," I asked.

"We're still in America, if that's what you're asking. Go change, and we can go look around," he said. I went up to my room and thumbed through all of the many clothes Kieran bought for me. I settled for a simple babydoll dress in blue that hinged my chest before flowing in pleats to my knees. It was easy to put on and I didn't have to worry about matching it with anything. I left my hair down to hide the small punctures on my neck. I paired it with some white Keds. I walked down the stairs and met Kieran in the living room. He had unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled his sleeves up slightly.

"Ready?" He asked. I nodded. I followed Kieran out to his car and thanked him as he held the passenger door open for me. Kieran drove us out before parking with valet at a restaurant. Kieran held my hand and led me down the sidewalk. Looking around I was a bit shocked.

"This is..." I trailed off as I looked around.

"We're in New York," he finished for me. I looked around the bustling city that was slowly sinking into the evening. The sunset looked beautiful over the buildings.

"But how?" I asked as I let go of his hand to look around.

"I live in New York. It's easier to feed off of human's energy when there's so many of them around," he explained easily. I froze before looking back to him.

"Feed?" I caught.