“It’s been a while since we last did something on our own, it feels like,” Alys said happily, tightening her hold on my hand.

  We strolled at a leisurely pace towards the town, savoring the early morning light and the chance to be alone. The latter was a true rarity. Though we had woken up a little earlier than normal, since we wanted to visit the Hoffmanns and get some work done later in the day, we had still failed to wake up earlier than Alys’ parents. At this point, I was no longer surprised to find them waiting in our kitchen every morning, even before dawn. I was simply impressed by their consistency.

  I was also a tad concerned for Soren. Despite his obvious good health, it just felt like the human was not getting enough sleep.

  At the moment, though, I dismissed those concerns and focused on my dragoness.

  “It has been a while,” I replied, squeezing her hand in turn. “Maybe we should make a day of it, after all? Finally visit that seamstress, for one thing. We can even go visit the Hall, just to see Arandel… and Ritsu.”

  She squinted at me, not upset or suspicious, but definitely contemplative.

  “I know how much you dislike him.”

  “I do.” I blew out a breath of frustration. “I really do.”

  “But I still don’t understand why,” she mused. “You seemed to be getting along just fine at first. Then we had that meeting with the elders, asking them to let Pen stay with the town, and things took a turn.”

  I hesitated, because it wasn’t like my aversion towards the kitsune was wholly logical. Far from it, in fact.

  All he had done was serve me a traditional Summer Court dish. The memories awakened by that meal had sent me spiraling into dark thoughts, which in turn had triggered a sudden onset of possessiveness and desire. The episode had scared me enough that I had briefly pulled away from my dragoness.

  We’d gotten through it, of course, but reflecting on the incident still made me shudder. If I had overreacted a little more, or if she’d been a little less understanding, that one meal could have cost me my relationship with Alys.

  It was ridiculous to blame any of that turmoil on Ritsu. I knew for a fact that the fox hadn’t meant to do any of those things. The meal had likely been meant as a subtle, perhaps even friendly dig to show he ‘knew’ what I was and enjoyed the ‘secret’ we shared. Kitsune had a reputation for trickiness and playfulness for a reason.

  He couldn’t have known how I would react to the dish, or all the memories I had tied up into it. And while I had tried to moderate my reaction, I knew he had sensed my hostility, both on the occasion and ever since.

  I was also very aware of the fact that I could hold grudges just as well as any other fae. I had no desire to let go of my animosity towards the fox and move on with my life.

  Alas, needs must. So long as he continued to mean anything at all to Kiri, I would have to endure him.

  “The dish he made for me that day,” I began slowly. “It was a traditional Summer Court meal, meant as a celebration of… never mind. That doesn’t matter. The point is, it reminded me of my mother, and a whole host of memories I would rather keep dead and buried.”

  Alys’ eyes narrowed.

  “I didn’t know that,” she growled. “I can —”

  “No, please. Don’t blame him for anything.” The words physically hurt me. Just the act of forcing them out made my head ache, but I pressed on. “He couldn’t have known. It’s an extremely common Summer dish, and I was the one who encouraged him to think I came from that particular Court. Besides… Kiri seems to like him, so it’s not like we can do anything to him.”

  Alys stared at me for a few moments, gauging my sincerity, before she smirked. “I think that last point is what’s really concerning you.”

  “Yes. Kiri is a friend. No matter how horrid I find her taste in romantic partners, I can’t chase off the first person she’s taken an interest in. Not only would she feel worse than she does now, but I think Mother would actually kill us if she found out.”

  “Right.” Alys’ dramatic shudder drew a smile out of me. “Let’s not take that chance. The fox is safe as long as he keeps Kiri happy, then.”

  I nodded solemnly. “Indeed. I wonder how he’d feel if he knew how much is riding on his relationship with Kiri?”

  We looked at each other, then broke into a fit of laughter for some unfathomable reason. It just felt good to laugh with her, and her alone. As much as I adored spending time with our family, there was something special about the time we spent only in each other’s company.

  —

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  The Hoffmann home, just like the homes of Hagmar and Nelaeryn, was on the very edge of town. It was actually close to the area where new homes were being constructed, which meant the wolfkin family would likely be moving soon. On the frontier, people with livestock tended to stick to the outskirts of civilization, in order to avoid spreading any unpleasant smells to their neighbors.

  This concept was more than justified by the faint stench coming from a pile of excrement located right in the middle of Hoffmans’ backyard, where a small herd of cows strolled about.

  The snow covering was entirely churned up in most of the yard, revealing bare dirt that had been stripped clear of any sign of greenery. The cows were munching on hay bales that had been ripped open and strewn in a vague line. The animals were not filthy, by any means, but the sheer amount of waste they produced was certainly impressive. Alys had assured me that the waste was being used as fertilizer, both in town and to shore up nutrients for the forest patches where most of Swiftband’s foraging occurred.

  As we strolled into the yard, Dreven emerged from the cowshed attached to the house. He was apparently in the midst of shoveling out all the waste the animals had left inside the night before. I was quite impressed by the toss he made with that shovel from the cowshed’s entrance. The waste landed precisely on the growing pile instead of spraying over the yard or onto one of the cows.

  “Good morning!” my dragoness called, amused by the fact that the wolfkin had entirely missed us in his concentration.

  “Hm? Alys!” The man brightened in a way that made my jaw tighten as I fought down a brief burst of utterly irrational jealousy. “And Thorn, too! Go on in, please. Don’t stand around in this cold. I’ll be along in a minute.” He glanced around self-consciously. “Just need to wrap things up here.”

  “Take your time!” Alys assured him. “We’d gladly wait, when the result of all your hard work is that wonderful cheese you make.”

  This made him grin as he waved us off and went back into the cowshed.

  Either the exchange was overheard, or he had some way to signal those inside the house from the cowshed. The front door was thrown open before we could reach it, and a beaming younger wolfkin came running out.

  “Alys! You never come to visit anymore!” she whined as she threw herself at my mate.

  She was dressed so lightly that I shivered. A simple shirt with short sleeves and a flowing skirt that reached her ankles were not proper Winter attire.

  My mate seemed to share my opinion. She used the hug as an opportunity to sweep the wolfkin off her feet, much to the young creature’s laughter.

  “Alright, alright, I apologize. You know how busy I can be, though. If you start missing me too much, you can always come visit.”

  “Really? You won’t mind?” The wolfkin, who could only be Holly or Adelina, sounded wistful. “Drev always says I should take my duties more seriously and stop dragging everyone along.”

  “As long as you keep things in moderation, of course I won’t mind,” Alys answered, amusement shining through in her voice.

  She finally put down the wolfkin as we reached the door, only to find two more watching us from inside the house.

  “Cellica. Holly.” Alys’ sincerity was plain to see. “It is very good to see you again.”

  My dragoness could be a mystery. I still couldn’t quite comprehend how she could be so friendly and open, and simultaneously content to separate herself from the town most of the time.

  I knew my mate rather well, I believed, but I did adore the fact that I still had plenty to learn.

  “Alys.” Cellica spoke with such warmth, I was briefly taken aback. My confusion increased when she turned in my direction and stepped outside to draw me into a tight hug. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

  “Ah… you are welcome?” I floundered, awkwardly patted her back. I felt like I should sit the wolfkin down and explain to her, in detail, what a horrible plan it was to express such sincere thanks to a fae.

  Before I could say another word, though, she went on.

  “Holly got better almost immediately after we made her take the medicine you gave us.” Cellica pulled back just enough to glare at the final member of the trio, who now looked rather sheepish. “Within ten minutes, even the wound was gone.”

  “Thank you,” Holly, because it could not be anyone else, whispered.

  “Truly, there is no reason to thank me. If anything, I feel like I got the better end of that deal.” I laughed, perhaps only a little stiffly. “My family certainly enjoyed the additions to our dinner.”

  “Hrrrmm,” Alys rumbled, nodding happily. “I agree. Though, I think we should get inside now. You are all starting to shiver.”

  Cellica certainly was. Adelina was still sticking close to my mate, and thereby doing much better. Thankfully, though, the comment made Cellica realize she had never stopped hugging me. Letting go at last, she hurriedly swept us all into her home.

  I never got tired of visiting the houses Alys had built. This one, which I noted was a bit larger than usual for Swiftband, appeared to be themed around canine creatures. I spotted various depictions carved into every surface and piece of furniture that could bear such engravings.

  It was a beautiful space. Yet as we proceeded into the designated living room segment of the open bottom floor, I spotted the brief frown that crossed Alys’ features.

  I nudged her elbow with mine, prompting her to look at me. She sighed when she caught the question in my eyes.

  “I just… This is one of the older homes, so it was built before you came along,” she explained, in a tone hushed enough for our hosts not to overhear.

  Not that there was much risk of that. All three wolfkin had raced ahead of us. I could see them coordinating inordinately well as they pulled plates, mugs, and treats out of various cupboards, setting the lot down on a sizable coffee table.

  I understood what Alys was saying. Before I arrived, the only building that was ‘properly’ constructed was the Town Hall. Without access to the wood treatments and sealants she needed, Alys had been forced to use raw wood on all the other buildings, even if she did process it as best she could using her flames.

  I knew she was frustrated by that. When I first brought her the appropriate supplies, she had declared she would be rebuilding everything from the ground up, but that had fallen by the wayside in all the excitement of the monster invasion and then our romance.

  I was glad, honestly. Alys had more than enough work without assigning additional burdens to herself. The sight of her struggling with indignation over a job she didn’t think she had done properly would have been funny, if I didn’t know how much it really bothered her.

  Still, that just meant I would need to… distract her later. For the time being, the cookies and milk the wolfkin were laying out would do the trick just fine, if the way Alys’ eyes were drawn to them was any indication.

  A smile overtook me, and I made no effort to resist it.

  I really did love the silly draconian so much.

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