The Minx

When we got back to the house, I was starting to feel weak. I sighed as I sat on the couch in a slump. I'd only had a little alcohol, but I had a suspicion it wasn't the reason I felt this way. I grabbed Kieran's hand before he could go upstairs. He froze and looked to me curiously.

"What is it?" He asked. I honestly didn't know what to say. I knew what I needed but I didn't know how to ask for it.

"I feel a bit weak. And you haven't... given me any venom yet today," I said sheepishly. Kieran smirked before coming to hover over me. I leaned back on impulse as my hand released his.

"Ah, so you need something from me. I'll give it to you, but you have to do something first," he bargained.

"What?" I asked curiously.

"Kiss me," he finished. My eyes widened as I stared at him.

"What?" I squeaked out. I didn't understand what game Kieran was suddenly playing at. Kieran smirked before sitting beside me.

"Humans kiss to profess their love. Wolves kiss to personify the mate bond. Foxes kiss for one of three reasons: pleasure, energy, and memory. When foxes kiss, it can be a form of submission. The stronger fox is allowing the weaker fox into their memories and thoughts. I was thinking about clearing my name, and showing you your past in the process. What do you think?" He explained. I hesitated.

I was already was more attracted to Kieran than I wanted to admit. Kissing him seemed like it would only put me in a more difficult position. I was trying to be platonic about letting Kieran save me. I still owed Aspen, and I was already having a hard time convincing myself to go back. Curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to see. I wanted to see my past. I wanted to know what really happened when Kieran took me when I was eight years old. I hesitantly reached a hand up to his cheek before just going for it. I connected my lips with his and let my eyes close tightly. Kieran relaxed slightly as he kissed me back. I reveled in the energy I was getting from him, hungry for more, until something like a cool breeze swarmed inside of me. I slowed as images began to appear.

It was Kieran, only he was inside of a building that was on fire. A woman was laying on a bed. She looked beautiful but sick all at the same time.

"Gemma, we have to go. This building isn't going to hold up much longer," Kieran said to the woman. When she looked up at him, her eyes were silver. The pupils were in vertical slits. She was a fox too. She smiled sadly at him.

"I'm too weak. Take the girls. Caitlyn only has wolf genes, I'm not worried about her, but Camilla... they were successful with her. Protect her for me. Keep her safe," the woman begged. Kieran huffed out a breath before taking two babies out of the burning building and then going back for the woman. He managed to save all three in time. This must've been the facility Kieran saved me from. Did that make this woman my mother?

Kieran took Gemma and the children to recuperate at his house. Once Gemma finally woke up, she came straight to Kieran to discuss what to do with the children.

"Put them both with wolf families. There's bound to be at least one survivor from that fire. Their going to start looking for them again. They'll expect the children to live with foxes, so put them with wolves," Gemma rationalized.

"You would be okay giving your daughters to those mutts?" Kieran asked, offended. Gemma only gave a halfhearted smile as she looked at the two of us.

"Caitlyn is one of them. Camilla is half. Caitlyn can live a normal life with wolves, but I worry about Camilla. I don't know what the consequences of a hybrid will be. It's not natural," Gemma said, worried. Kieran was worried about me too. Kieran pulled out a bag and showed it to her.

"I stole these from one of the labs before I set fire to everything. Based on the research near it, it's supposed to be some sort of stabilizer. I can reverse engineer it and keep an eye on her in case anything happens," Kieran offered. Gemma glanced at him curiously.

"We're old friends, so I get why you saved me, but you seem particularly invested in my hybrid daughter. Even though they're twin, you can always tell which one she is from a mile away easily. Is there something you want to tell me, Kieran?" Gemma asked knowingly. Kieran blushed as he glanced at infant me briefly.

"She's my mate, so of course I'm invested. I'm not going to let her die," Kieran admitted. Gemma simply nodded with a sigh before letting the matter go.

"We've been friends for a millennium, Kieran, so I know how you are. I won't press the matter because I know you'll be respectful and take care of her," Gemma said simply.

Kieran placed Caitlyn with a random family before carefully choosing mine. He chose a couple who desperately wanted a child but couldn't get pregnant, just like he said. As they raised me, he watched over me. When I turned eight, he sensed a change in me. That's why he dressed down and approached me after my parents left me alone. Through his mind, I could see everything he was thinking at the time. He was telling the truth, he never touched me inappropriately as a child. He hated hearing my screams. He hated that there was no way to explain what was happening to me. He didn't like testing me, and he hated even more that I was afraid of him. But like he promised my mother, he would do anything to keep me alive. After sending me back to my parents at that young age, he still watched over me, he just stayed in the shadows because he felt guilty for making me afraid of him. Then, right before my wolf mother died, Gemma disappeared. Kieran was temporarily distracted looking for her and that's when everything went to shit in my life.

Had he been there at that time, he probably would've made his presence known sooner. I wouldn't have even had a chance to be rejected by Jack. Actually, even being rejected by Jack was starting to make sense. Before shifting, Jack was probably naturally repulsed by the fox he sensed in me. What didn't make sense was Aspen's response to me. Actually, even that was starting to make sense.

Kieran pulled away slowly and watched me carefully. I felt like a bomb had just been dropped in my lap. I knew Kieran showed me all of that to clear his name and show me my past, but I took away something way more important.

"I was a replacement mate for my twin sister," I said out loud.