Incarnadine

Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

I found myself completely naked and tangled in sheets when I woke up, with the Big Ben pounding inside my head.

I squinted at the bright light from the window and made out a shape.

"Duane?"

He didn't come over to the bed when he spoke. He was looking outside the window. "Good morning."

I meant for it to come out as an incredulous laugh, but what I heard was a scratchy, sand-papered, strangled voice. "Why am I naked?"

He looked at me then, and the heat I saw in his gray eyes when they grazed my skin almost made me wish I hadn't pulled the sheets up so high. "Your fox took the charge of your consciousness. Chose to take on your human skin."

"Uh..."

I couldn't form coherent words, because what had happened suddenly came back to me in a rush. Mr. Harrington. Thomas. The injection. Red Fox. The men I killed in the bloodlust.

The other kind of lust I'd felt that made me take on my human form.

My breath hitched. "I killed those men."

"It's an instinct to draw blood when your predator is in control."

His voice was flat, almost deadpanned. I noticed that he hadn't touched me since I woke up, not even moving closer to offer me comfort. I felt like he was miles away from me, even though we were in the same room.

"They—they drugged me with something," I blurted. "It was supposed to speed up the process of the whole kitsune thing. They tried it on Nick, too."

"I know."

"How?"

He told me then what had happened when he fought Thomas. It was only legal to kill another werewolf if you challenge him in a duel, he said. Years ago he had challenged Thomas when he'd first taken an interest in me. It had come to a draw. Thomas and his Pack had tried to kill me. Someone had scared them off and saved me.

While Duane fought Thomas, they had sent people to save Nick and me from our captivity. They had found the cells ruined. I must have been immune not only to fire, but also to electrocution, he said. And there were bodies on the floor. Duane left out the details about that, but I remembered everything about those men I killed.

"Armand tried to coach you into charge, but your fox was so stubborn. He had to immobilize you by force."

"That was Armand?" I thought about the familiar voice. The pair of wings. The same pair I had seen when Thomas hurt my Red Fox spirit in the woods years ago.

Duane nodded. "He's an Enfield, which makes him a very powerful Keeper. His true form can be too overwhelming."

"The bright white light?"

"He actually had a fox head. Lion body. Eagle wings. Horse legs. His king is the strongest of the shifters kind. Enfields are rare. They also had a half-spirit form, like kitsune. But the true extent of their power is still a secret."

Wow. I cleared my throat. "I bet he has an ugly tail."

Duane didn't even laugh at my weak joke. He turned away from me. "He killed Thomas."

I blinked. Thomas is dead. The thought gave a jolt to my bones. It was strange, how relief could scare you almost as much as fear itself could. "Really?"

"Yes. Thomas is—was one of the riot leaders in the supernatural community. As the Keeper, Armand has the right to execute him."

I watched his jaw work. His hard set of shoulders. "You're not happy about that," I said, as it dawned on me.