“That’s just silly. You can have whatever opinions you like about the other factions. However, we must know that in case of… well, anything… your loyalty is with us.”
“What about wolf-shifters?” Amelia smiled to herself when Seth hesitated. Werewolves and werefoxes had a long history, and it wasn’t a pleasant one.
“Same thing.”
She did feel the tension in his voice. Going back to the papers in front of her, she contemplated blowing this last test intentionally. Insist on the wolf-shifters and Seth would be done with her in seconds. But, did she really want that? She sighed and decided she could be nothing but honest. It wasn’t about her personal opinion about the other shifter factions or the fox faction. It was about who was fair and treated humans with the respect they deserved. In the end, it was about her faction. In case of… anything, as Seth had put it, Amelia would side with those who were ready to protect the humans and the peace treaty that kept them all equal.
***
Seth didn’t tell her she could leave the office. There was no point in that. He had already made up his mind. Perched up on the windowsill, he was reading her answers on the last test and stealing glances at her from the corner of his eye. Yes, she was perfect. He had known from the moment he had found her profile in the House Vulpes catalog. Amelia. Cute, heart-shaped face, warm brown eyes, and a body to die for, with nicely sized breasts, lovely waist, and full, voluptuous hips. He had known she was perfect for him and that was why he didn’t even want to attempt to interview her for Blake. His plan had been to find a good bride for his Inari, take her to Alaska, make sure everything was fine, then come back here and buy Amelia for himself. He would have bought her right now, but he was here on a mission. He couldn’t possibly leave Alma Venus with a bride for himself, and not even the promise of a good bride for Blake. His Inari came first.
Unfortunately, none of the other Vulpes girls had proved to be what Blake needed. They had either lied in their tests, or they truly were so naïve as to think they could impress him by pledging their undying love and endless loyalty to the fox-shifter faction. Amelia was the only one who had given the right answers on the last test. Yes, she was so sexy that the beast inside him stirred every time his purple gaze fell on her long legs, but she was also intelligent and sincere. He could tell she had studied a lot, and not only the history and ancient texts of the fox-shifters, but also the other four shifter factions. This was a woman who was perfectly capable of making up her own mind after consulting the information out there. She couldn’t be easily influenced, and she was ready to stand up for what she believed was true and fair. At the same time, she understood the system imposed by the peace treaty and its importance to the world. Yes, this was a woman Blake could count on. And… this is where things got complicated. The second reason for which he hadn’t wanted to interview Amelia was that his intuition had told him she wouldn’t only be perfect for him, but also for his Inari.
Seth read her last answer then closed the folder which contained all he had on her. He sighed and looked out the window at the cobblestone alley that stretched lazily to the main gate. July was such a lovely month in this place, where summer was summer, and not some hybrid between spring and fall. When he left Ekviknuna three days ago, it was raining heavily. He didn’t look forward to going back there, to the small town on the shore of the Kuskokwim River, where most of Clan Sylfur lived. However, he had to. And he was going to take Amelia with him. There was nothing he could do about it. She was simply perfect for Blake and what he had in mind. He and Roman’s son had been the best of friends since childhood and, honestly, he couldn’t wait for the moment when Blake would claim his rightful place and take over the clan. With a beautiful and wise woman like Amelia by his side, Blake could take over the world, not only rule Clan Sylfur with an iron fist and make the changes the fox-shifter faction needed so badly. If that meant he, Seth, had to give up the only woman who could be his soul mate, then so be it.
“You’ve got the job.” He couldn’t look at her, so he kept his eyes trained on the iron gate.
“Excuse me?” Amelia understood what he wanted to say, but she couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that he had
actually chosen to say it that way. The job. She’d gotten the job. She almost burst out in laughter at how ridiculous it sounded.
“After careful consideration, I’ve decided it would be insane to think I could find someone better for Blake Sylfur. You’re it.” He finally turned to face her, praying she wouldn’t see the hurt in his eyes. “I’ll have to ask you to please pack your bags while I talk to Miss Delacroix and take care of the financial part.”
Amelia’s eyes grew wide with surprise and slight confusion. Why was he in such a hurry? She could barely process the idea that she had just been chosen by a fox-shifter and was finally getting out of Alma Venus. Now that it was happening, she didn’t know how to react. Should she show enthusiasm? But, was she enthusiastic? Did she really want to move to Alaska?
“The financial part…” she muttered. “What if… what if Miss Delacroix asks for too much?” What was she even saying? Why was she stalling?
Seth smiled for the first time since she had entered the office. “Don’t worry about it. I won’t negotiate. Whatever price she asks for you, I am ready to pay it.”
“I… I don’t think I’m that expensive, actually… I don’t know why I just said that.” She shook her head and forced down the lump in her throat. “You must think I’m rude. Please ignore me. I guess I’m a bit shocked. I didn’t expect this… Not after you deliberately avoided me until you ran out of… letters…” Her eyes went to the House Vulpes catalog. She couldn’t believe her profile would be taken out of it once the transaction was made. Four years of stress, interviews, and fox-shifters she had tried to impress. It was over. It was finally over.
“There’s no time to waste. Meet me here when you’re done packing. A private plane is waiting for us at the Myrtle Valley airport.”
Amelia just realized she hadn’t had lunch, and it was almost dinner time. She felt weak, hungry, and exhausted, but she knew she had to hang in there just a while longer. Surely, that private plane he was talking about must have had some snacks lying around. Come to think of it, it didn’t sound that bad. Blake Sylfur was wealthy, powerful, and ready to provide everything she needed. She wouldn’t have to work a day in her life or worry about a thing. The only downfall would be Seth. Seth and his hot, leather-clad ass.
CHAPTER TWO
Clan Sylfur
Never in her life had Amelia felt so tired. The flight from Myrtle Valley to Alaska was supposed to last a little over 25 hours, and not even half of that time had passed. They had boarded the plane at around 7 PM London time, and they had a light dinner during which Amelia could barely focus on her food. Every time she took a bite, she chewed slowly, silently, trying to draw as little attention to herself as possible. Sitting across from Seth had proved to be the hardest challenge Amelia had ever had to face. At first, she had tried to make conversation, but Seth's monosyllabic answers had completely discouraged her. Frankly, she couldn't understand why he was so cold and silent towards her, and his attitude even hurt her a little, although she wasn't ready to admit it. So, she had given up her attempts at being friendly and decided to leave him alone. The problem was that the lack of conversation and friendly interaction made things even worse. It would have been so much better if they had managed to bond as some sort of friends, had become more relaxed around each other and talked about various things, and maybe discovered they didn't have much in common… Maybe, if Amelia could start seeing him as a friend or, later, as an elder brother, this tension that was hanging in the air and pressing down on their shoulders would have eventually dissipated. But, as things were, Amelia was left with her own thoughts, most of which dancing around the gorgeous man sitting right in front of her. Their knees could have touched if she leaned back in her comfy seat.
At some point, she fell asleep. She didn’t want to, but she couldn’t help it. Seth wasn’t giving any signs of exhaustion. He was reading his book, not even once lifting his beautiful purple eyes from the pages to look at her. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought back to Alma Venus, to Delyse and Claudia. A sharp pain stabbed at her heart. She hadn’t had enough time to say goodbye, to thank them for having been so nice to her even when she didn’t deserve it, for being… the only friends she had ever had. Seth had rushed her, saying the trip was going to be long and tiring, so Amelia had only had time to answer her roommates’ most pressing questions and ask them to help her pack her things. She had left many clothes behind, but she figured she wouldn’t need them anyway. Her new home was going to be so cold that she would probably refuse to wear anything but thick, warm blankets wrapped tightly around her body. Blankets… Amelia stirred and moaned softly in her sleep. Oh, how she would have loved to be in a big, warm bed right now.
Seth raised his eyes from his book and stole a glance at the woman sitting across from him. When he saw that she was, indeed, asleep, he let his gaze linger on her beautiful features and amazing body. “What have I done?” he asked himself. He bit the inside of his lip so hard that he almost drew blood. He had tried to ignore her, to let her know he wasn’t interested in her. No, he didn’t want to make small talk, he didn’t want to hear her soft, melodious voice, or see the mesmerizing curl of her full lips when she smiled. He would have sat far away from her if he could have, but this stupid plane was ridiculously small. He envied her for being able to sleep. He, on the other hand, was too excited and agitated to even manage to keep his eyes closed for more than five minutes, so he would have to endure the whole 25-hour flight wide awake, perfectly aware of Amelia’s every little move which sent the faintest wave of sweet perfume towards his sensitive nose. He could smell her skin, her hair, and catch the smallest whiff of her slightly damp panties; a scent that drove him crazy with desire and made his mind go in circles wondering if he was the cause of her arousal or if she was dreaming of someone else as her eyes chased the images under her closed lids. Seth changed his position and discreetly adjusted his hard cock. He sighed, rubbed his eyes, then forced himself to go back to the book. He was half way thought Murakami’s “IQ84” and had no idea what he was reading. He was either too distracted by Amelia’s presence, or magical realism really wasn’t for him.
The position she was sleeping in was very uncomfortable, and Amelia woke up after an hour and a half with a terrible pain in her left shoulder. She groaned, shifted in her seat, then reached for the book she had abandoned beside her. Seth was still reading. She studied him from the corner of her eye and immediately cursed herself when her pussy clenched and released more sticky juices. She crossed her legs, hoping the fox-shifter was too concentrated or indifferent to catch the smell. If she wanted to survive this long flight without giving herself away, then she had to stop looking at his wide shoulders, strong chest, and, most importantly, at his crotch. The tight leather would certainly let some of his package show if only he changed his position. Was he sitting like that on purpose? So frustrating…
Amelia managed to focus on her book for a good couple of hours. She was glad she had chosen a detective novel, as the suspense kept her glued to the pages. “In the Woods” by Tana French… yes, a very good choice. She just hoped both mysteries would be solved by the end of the story, otherwise she was determined not to touch any of this author’s books again. Between trying to guess who the murderer was before the main character, having some snacks, asking the flight attendant for cup of tea after cup of tea, and dozing off every hour or so, Amelia finally realized they were nearing their destination.
“The time zone difference is going to mess with my head,” she said more to herself than to Seth while she was fastening her seatbelt.
“Yeah, it’s gonna suck for at least a week.”
It was the first time he had said anything in a few hours and his voice was hoarse. It went straight to Amelia’s core. She tried to relax and forget about the landing. It was the first time she was flying, but she had a feeling this was the part she’d hate most. And then it struck her: this was so pathetic. Yes, she had studied language, philosophy, physics and whatnot at Alma Venus, she could speak three languages fluently, yet she had no life experience. She looked at Seth’s relaxed, almost bored face, and felt so small and insignificant. The first time she was on a plane, the first time she was leaving the UK… She knew nothing. Just like all shifter-brides. Not only those who were still at Alma Venus, but the brides all over the world, living in their fancy, glass cages called boarding schools… They never traveled, saw the world, met new people. Amelia was holding her breath and looking at Seth as the plane landed. “I’m so stupid… he’d never want me anyway. Look at him, so cocky and confident, so indifferent. How old is he? 50? 70? He’s probably at least 100 since he’s the Beta of such a powerful Alpha fox. He’s seen so many things, been so many places… loved so many women…” She released the breath she had been holding and swallowed hard. “No, he’d never want silly me who learned everything she knows from old, dusty books.”
***
Ekviknuna was a small town in the west, on the shore of the Kuskokwim river. At least that was how Seth described it to Amelia as soon as they got off the plane. Amelia would have described it otherwise: a small community that very much resembled a village, a place in the middle of nowhere where the only humans were the Vulpes brides who had been bought by the werefoxes. Said werefoxes clearly loved fishing. At least a dozen boats were gently swaying along the shore, on the silent surface of the water. She couldn't complain about the houses, though. Seth parked the car in the large courtyard of a lovely mansion whose wooden porch and wide windows with green painted shutters promised a cozy inside. While wolf-shifters loved to brag with their medieval castles and dragons lo