Fox Run (6 page)

She grinned. "Perhaps."

The hostess returned from seating her latest guests. "Hello, Alpha," she said quietly. "Your table is ready."

"Thank you, Mara," she said. Lara took my arm, and we followed Mara to a table in the corner. She stood aside, waiting for us to sit.

I expected Lara to take the corner where she could most easily watch the entire room. Instead, she gestured to the table, allowing me first choice. I took the corner, and I think she expected it. Lara sat down opposite me.

I looked around the restaurant once more before looking back at Lara. She was studying me. "Are you all right now?"

"You look like you're thinking about eating me," I told her.

"I am." Her voice was suddenly low and husky.

I knew it!
said my fox. I shoved back in the chair, trying to put distance between us. Then her look and her voice registered in me, and I ran the words through my head again.

"Oh god," I said, burying my face in my hands. I could feel the blush all the way to the roots of my hair. "I walked into that."

She chuckled. "Yes, you did."

I looked at her through my fingers. "Were you really?"

"I wasn't until you mentioned it. But I am now."

I lowered my hands and considered her. She was beautiful, of course she was. I could definitely do worse. If, you know, it wasn't for the whole wolves eat foxes thing. And not the good kind of eating. I smiled reluctantly.

Someone, a wolf, rushed up to our table, and I almost flew against the window to my right trying to get away. He stopped, holding his hands out in a warding off gesture, stopping short of the table.

"You are safe, Michaela," Lara said gently. "This is Hiraku, my cousin."

I looked at the man. For a wolf, he was small. Compact perhaps is a better word. And he was Japanese. I looked between him and Lara and said, "I can see the family resemblance."

Hiraku bowed briefly. "Most miss it. Lara has my sense of humor."

I smiled. This may be the gentlest wolf I'd ever met. I settled back properly in my chair. "I apologize for my response."

He bowed briefly. "I am the one to apologize. I should perhaps have approached at a more decorous pace."

"Well," I said. "If you can approach somewhat more decorously in the future, I shall endeavor to avoid making another scene."

He smiled, and it was one of warmth, then he turned to Lara. "Your usual sake, Alpha-san?"

Lara turned to me. "I am not plying you with spirits that will dull your mind."

"Tea for me," I said. "Please."

"Tea tonight, Hiraku-san. And tonight, perhaps sampler sizes of nigiri, whatever you think we might like." Lara turned to me. "Do you have any other favorites?"

"A roll?" I suggested.

"A California roll," Lara suggested. "And spicy tuna as well." She glanced at me.

"I will make them myself," he said, "sized for a delicate fox."

Hiraku bowed once more before leaving. Lara and I looked at each other and exchanged meaningless small talk. A teenage girl stopped by with our tea. She approached slowly and later bowed before stepping away.

"I'm sorry," I told Lara. "Dates should be easy events, but I am making everyone walk on eggshells."

"It is easy for wolves to become too comfortable around each other, and it is good for them to remember there are other weres."

After that, we retreated to more meaningless small talk for a time. The same teenage girl stopped by with the first wave of food, a selection of nigiri sized in very delicate proportions. This was very thoughtful. I would be able to sample several of them rather than filling up on only one or two. I looked at Lara gratefully.

The girl told us what each one was before bowing herself away.

Lara gestured, and I used my chopsticks to gracefully transfer three of the pieces to my plate. Lara did the same. After that, I used my fingers to eat, dipping the fish lightly into the soy sauce. My first piece was salmon, my second favorite, and I slipped the fish and rice into my mouth, closing my eyes and moaning with joy at the flavor.

When I opened my eyes again, Lara was looking at me while wearing an amused expression.

"I have never figured out why sushi causes that reaction in me, Alpha, but I won't apologize for it."

"You have no reason to apologize. That one expression brought me great joy, and I believe Hiraku was also witness. You offer honor to his food."

I ate my next piece, which was octopus. Not my favorite, and normally I would have skipped it, but I didn't want the alpha to think I lacked daring. She never took her eyes from me while eating her own pieces, although clearly she enjoyed them nearly as much as I did.

"The octopus is not as much to your liking? You didn't have to take it."

I looked down at my plate. Waiting for me was a single piece of maguro nigiri. Tuna. I tapped the plate. "This is my guilty pleasure."

"Why guilty?"

"Because of severe over fishing. If I were true to my calling as a conservationist, I would eat no meat at all, and tuna would definitely be forbidden."

And then I picked up the fish and slid it into my mouth, closing my eyes and moaning in pleasure. I knew Lara would be watching me, but I refused to be embarrassed.

And of course, when I opened my eyes, there she was, watching me with an amused smile. "You are such a delight," she said. "To get a reaction like that from my wolves, it would be due to the amounts of food, not from one sliver of fish on a tiny sampling of rice."

After that, I watched Lara eat, although I did help myself to one more piece of tuna. The teenage girl stopped by with the California and spicy tuna rolls. "Papa-san asks if the fox would care for more maguro nigiri."

"Yes," Lara said. "She would."

"No," the fox said. "But thank him for me."

The girl suddenly didn't know what to do. She looked back and forth between us.

"Please, Alpha," I said. "The tuna fisheries are all collapsing."

She nodded and said to the girl. "The maguro has been lovely but should be savored, not devoured."

She nodded and bowed, backing away.

Both rolls were made smaller than normally done, with more pieces than normal. I appreciated the sensitivity towards fox appetites. I took one piece each of the California and spicy tuna rolls, enjoying them immensely.

After that I was full. Lara continued to eat, although she left the last piece of tuna and half of the remaining spicy tuna roll on their platters. My eyes kept dipping to the tuna.

Finally Lara said, "One of us is going to eat them, Michaela, and you will enjoy them far more than I will."

I ate the final piece of nigiri but left everything else to the alpha. It was more food than I wanted, but I enjoyed the final piece of tuna just as much as I had the first.

"You will think I am a pig," she said.

"Not at all," I replied. "What does your wolf weigh, Lara?"

She laughed. "You just asked me what I weigh?"

"My fox is only a third of my human form," I replied. "So I was curious."

She looked away, not answering.

"All right," I said. "Don't answer. But I am feeding a thirty-pound fox. You are feeding a wolf four times that size. Please eat whatever you require."

Lara smiled and finished everything on the plate. When the girl stopped back at our table, Lara asked for "more of whatever is plentiful, sized for a wolf." She looked at me. "You truly are done?" I nodded.

"I know nothing about you," she said. "Will you enlighten me?"

"What would you like to know, Alpha?"

"Not Alpha," she said. "Lara. Please."

"All right, Lara," I replied. "What would you like to know?"

"To start? Where did you grow up?"

"New England," I replied. "There was a small community of foxes deep in the mountains in New Hampshire."

"I didn't know that," Lara said.

"They aren't there anymore." I looked away, not wanting to think about the reason why.

Lara reached across the table and cupped my hand. She was more sensitive than I would have expected. "Why Bayfield?"

"You already know that. It fits my job, of course, but it is also the furthest I could get from the wolves. Five hours from Madison. The Duluth pack mostly stays in Minnesota. There are wolves in the Michigan upper peninsula, but they mostly keep to themselves. The Green Bay pack is inconsequential and seems to be happy with Door County."

"You really have made your life choices around avoiding us?" Lara asked.

"Yes."

"Michaela, I have said, you are safe in Madison."

I smiled, but it was not a smile of warmth. "Alpha-"

"Lara," she said, interrupting.

"Not for this conversation. Alpha, how much of your pack knows about our date?"

"Almost no one."

"All right. I think perhaps a demonstration of my safety is in order."

She cocked her head. "You are perfectly safe."

"There is a were nightclub in town, yes?"

"Yes. The Iron Dog."

"After dinner, we will go there."

"All right," she said.

"Separately. You will arrive first and say nothing to anyone about me. I will arrive in a cab. And tell the ones who know about me to remain silent. We shall see how safe a fox is in your territory."

Her expression clouded, but she nodded. I changed the subject, asking about her house.

Making a Dangerous Point

Later, our dinner finished, I told Lara, "If the wolves at the club know we are together, it will spoil my demonstration."

She frowned. "You seem to think you know my wolves better than I do."

"Will you allow my demonstration without any, shall we say, impurities?"

She nodded and made a gesture. Immediately David was at the table.

"Alpha?"

Lara outlined our plan. David tightened his lips but said nothing. "I will see to it." He backed away from the table, then moved around the restaurant, speaking in a few ears.

"Rumor will arrive anyway," I said. "But perhaps we will arrive in front of rumor. You should get there first. My demonstration will not take long. You wouldn't want to miss it."

"David will drive you," she said.

"No. Being seen with David will sully the experiment. I will call a cab."

She nodded. "I will see you shortly." I walked outside with her, watching her as she walked to her car. I had to admit, she had a great figure. I stared, and I didn't stop staring when she turned around to look at me. She grinned and blew me a kiss.

I used my cell phone to call for a cab, waiting a scant ten minutes for my ride. When the cab arrived, driven by a human. I slipped into the back and told the driver, "The Iron Dog. Do you know where it is?"

He turned around and looked at me. "A little woman like you should not go there. Perhaps I can recommend somewhere more appropriate."

I smiled. "I am meeting friends. The Iron Dog, please."

He frowned, but he engaged the meter and pulled away from the curb.

During the drive, I texted Lara. "I admit, I do not know if your presence will vary the experiment, but I won't go if you aren't there."

"I thought about that," came the reply. "I used the back entrance. People know I am here, but I am being subtle."

"As subtle as an alpha wolf?" I wrote back.

"LOL," was the reply.

I thought about it for a minute before sending back, "You have a great ass, Alpha."

There wasn't a reply.

The Iron Dog was a converted warehouse from the days long before just in time delivery. It was surrounded by other warehouses, some dilapidated, some clearly converted into condominiums or offices.

"Are you sure, lady?" the drier asked, turning to face me.

I nodded and paid his bill before climbing out. He had pulled up directly to the entrance. I took a breath and tried to dampen down my fear.

This had been a bad idea, but I couldn't back out now.

I stepped for the door, then stepped aside as the door burst open and a pair of wolves came stumbling out, one male, one female, their arms around each other. I got out of their way, and they were past me before they turned around as a unit. The male growled.

"You're in the wrong place," the female said.

"I thought this bar was open to all weres," I told her.

She shrugged. "It's your fur. Come on, Dean." She pulled on her partner, tugging him away from me.

"Maybe we should stay a while," the male said.

"No," said the female. "We're going home."

I turned my back on them and stepped through the door, recoiling at the overwhelming scent of wolf. I steeled my resolve and stepped into the club, looking around furtively.

I caught David's eye immediately. He looked at me and nodded casually, then looked pointedly deeper into the club, lifting his eyes. I followed his gaze and saw Lara at a second floor table overlooking the dance floor. She was watching me.

It only took two more steps before the other wolves began to notice me.

The club was basic. The entrance was in the middle of one long wall with the bar to the right, a dance floor in the middle, and tables everywhere. There was a second floor around three of the walls, the rest of the club open to the warehouse ceiling. The club was about half full with a selection of wolves and humans. Those humans present looked pretty rough. I wondered if the humans knew they were surrounded by the wolves.

I was noticed right away. At first it was just a couple of double takes. I made my way to the bar, doing everything I could to avoid getting in anyone's way, stepping aside from even the most submissive of wolf. Still, I was rudely bumped several times just making it to the edge of the bar.

There were two bartenders, one male, one female, both wolves. I was near the end closest to the door, finding an open seat. David was further to my right with several seats between us, two filled, the rest empty. The stools on either side of me were clear when I sat down.

I tried to get the attention of one of the bartenders. Both of them walked past me several times, handling orders for everyone else. I became increasingly insistent, but they stepped past me. I watched as the male began washing glasses, his back turned towards me. I glanced over at David. He called out, "Wanda." I shook my head, and he nodded just once. Wanda got David another beer, then ignored me as she walked back to the other end of the bar.