Where Foxes Hunt with Wolves (Folk Lore 2)

He’d lapped up all the blood caused by the piercing, but seeing it in place still made him salivate, as if Radek were prey. And in some sense he was—prey willing to roll over for him and let him bite off as many chunks of meat as he wanted.

He took care to lick the bite marks so they healed well, but this cuff marked Radek for good, and Yev had to stop obsessing over it because it was there for Radek’s safety, not to tell the world the freckled boy belonged to Yev. Not at all.

Just like the mating bite shouldn’t have been about it, but it oh-so had been.

Yev’s chest constricted with unexpected pain when he inhaled and once again smelled the confirmation that Radek’s scent had not changed since last night. He still wasn’t Yev’s true mate, and maybe it was high time to stop with the useless fantasies. Before last night, Yev could have dismissed what he’d been told—that only women could undergo the physical changes that altered their pheromones and made the couple two halves of a whole—but he’d tried the mating bite with Radek, and nothing had happened.

Yev hadn’t planned it, even though no man before Radek had ever felt so perfectly aligned with Yev’s needs. In that moment of absolute pleasure, it had felt right to follow his instincts, but it turned out that just like the two of them couldn’t have a baby together, they couldn’t become a mated pair. Whether it was the will of the Moon-Eyed God, or pure biology wasn’t important.

That was that. End of story.

He’d have to lock up his pain and loneliness deep inside and live on, pretending they weren’t there.

Radek blinked and smiled at Yev, pulled out of his thoughts. “Should we tag Coal? It’s not like he goes out, though.”

“He could run off if one of us forgot to close the door,” Yev said, sliding his hand to Radek’s nape, which was hot under the scarf. He shouldn’t have been getting used to Radek’s presence or the comfort it gave him, but it was hard to deny himself those moments of weakness when the boy was so close.

“Watch the road.” Radek laughed and pointed at the windshield. “I can see their house. Is it weird that I got attached so fast?”

Yev’s heart picked up pace, but seconds later, he realized Radek was talking about Coal, not him.

“No. I think it’s normal. He’s very cute,” he said with a small smile as they took a turn down a very narrow road covered with deep snow, toward the newly-built house on the edge of the forest. Made of wooden bales and covered with fresh thatch, it fit its idyllic surroundings perfectly, even though the trim of pale wood added around the windows looked a little bit Alpine.

Radek's grin widened. "Cuter than Ember?"

Something pulled at Yev’s heart. “No fox could ever be cuter than Ember.”

Radek’s laugh reminded him of Ember’s high-pitched cackle. “I love that I can talk to Coal. It’s very basic, but makes me feel like Dr. Dolittle.”

“Maybe that should be your new job? World-renowned fox trainer,” Yev said as he drove into the yard sandwiched between the house and a barn, before stopping by a well.

Radek stilled with his mouth open, which was his usual reaction whenever future jobs were mentioned. “What if I was a fox training… fox? That would be a novelty.”

A dog emerged from its kennel, which had been built in the same style as the cabin of its owners, its eyes narrowed as it analyzed who the intruders in his yard were. Yev stilled with his mouth open.

No. It wasn’t a dog. A wolf. What the hell was it doing here, guarding the property like some German shepherd? He didn’t get to voice that question to Radek, because the door of the house was opening already, and Emil waved at them from inside. The village head was barely into his thirties and handsome, with strong features and long dark hair he often tied into a braid. Yev had taken notice of him when he first moved to Dybukowo valley due to the fact that he was an openly gay man, but now that he knew Emil had been Radek’s first, confused feelings sprung up out of nowhere.

Like the need to make Radek stay in the car and pick up the fox himself. Which was dumb, and not something he’d do, but the itch was there when Radek jumped out into the snow.

He’d worried the wolf might go after Radek, but it yawned and lay down in the snow, as if its master’s presence explained it all.

Maybe he was some kind of crossbreed?

The sense of discomfort only grew when Radek ran up the steps and gave Emil a firm hug. Emil patted him on the back while he looked at Yev. “You guys want to pop in for tea? Adam’s in a baking frenzy.”