Chapter Thirty-Four
Kassie
Iwas going to get my ass beat by the time this was all over.
Back at the cabin, running away had felt like a stroke of genius.
From Atlas' windows, where I'd gazed out each morning with my coffee, the forest hadn't seemed so threatening.
Just trees and shadows, nothing like the menacing tangle of darkness I'd imagined before moving in with him.
Funny how different things look from the safety of the walls.
I hadn’t wanted to venture into it before, but once you were inside with your match, it didn’t matter anymore. I knew what waited in the forest. The monsters without their disguises.
The delivery poltergeist was quite a shock.
They were nothing like what I had expected, and seeing them knock on the door with bags in their hands was far more than I could handle.
I got used to it after a couple of days, though.
They were just trying to get by, make a living, and have some peace in their regular form.
But I needed to get out and get some air, and Atlas wasn’t going to give me that without some drastic measures.
The game had been a trick in the beginning, but I’d thought we could play it more often. He was going to hunt me down and catch me, and I knew he would enjoy it when he did. I was certain his monster instincts would take over, and that it would be fun for both of us.
I read him a couple of my monster romance stories, and I could tell it helped. He seemed more at ease with his urges, reassured by how completely on board I was with all of it. Especially, the chase scenes because, phew, those were damn hot.
I will finally have my dreams come true of being chased through the woods, pinned down and put into the dirt.
The air was cool against my skin, carrying the scent of damp earth and sharp pine.
Shadows stretched like fingers across the ground beneath trees that towered overhead, their bark black as coal and studded with thorns.
Even at midday, only scattered beams of light penetrate the dense canopy.
The branches ended in violent, splintered points as if snapped by something massive.
This forest was feral, untamed—and I shouldn't love it, but God help me, I did.
It felt more and more like home.
Alone in the forest, I felt a strange comfort despite knowing that fox shifter was hunting me…
all because I'd beaten him at some stupid game.
I rolled my eyes. If TeaBagTitan thought his charm would work on me, he was delusional.
Not even those perfectly defined abs, gleaming under the ring lights during his matches, had ever done anything for me.
If Atlas thought that I would fall for his charm, he was mistaken. The poor thing didn’t have a lot of confidence in himself. He had already claimed me. If any of my romance books were correct, a bond would keep me from falling for the fox’s charm indefinitely.
That tingling in my teeth was back again.
I clicked my fangs together nervously. These weren't supposed to be real, just permanent cosmetic additions—but lately they felt less like accessories and more like they'd grown from my own gums. I needed to tell Atlas, but how?
The poor guy was such a worrier. If he found out my fake fangs were somehow becoming part of me, he'd probably molt from stress alone.
My fangs throbbed with a maddening itch, like something crawling beneath the enamel. Every night, I'd wake up with another shredded pillow, the stuffing scattered across the sheets—evidence of how desperately I'd fought the urge to sink my teeth into Atlas instead.
In all those paranormal romance books I'd devoured, it was always the other way around, the supernatural male sinking his teeth into his human lover. Never had I considered I might be the one with the urge to bite. What did that even mean?
I scratched my right fang.
Unless… I did need to bite him?
Was it really that simple for the urge to fade away? Would he like it if I bit him? I had never bitten through the surface of his exoskeleton because, let’s face it, it was kind of hard. Instead, I only playfully gnawed at it, and the fur around his neck would stand up on end every time.
It was the cutest thing ever.
I rubbed my forehead as I continued through the forest. I had stopped running, already far enough away that the light of the cabin was too far gone.
Atlas was going to be so pissed, but I was really hoping for that spanking I told him about. He seemed pleased with the idea of punishment, but also worried he would hurt me.
Baby, you can’t hurt me. Have you seen the meat on my ass?
I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw the look on his face. He was innocent, and I supposed I should have been, too, considering how inexperienced I was. Still, I’d had ideas for a long, long time.
I turned around to see if Atlas was coming; he should have been, I thought, but still, there was no Atlas.
Should I go back?
Yeah, really classy to go back. I shouldn’t have left in the first place. I did a total FMC thing and left thinking I was so smart and that I could handle things on my own.
Which, honestly, I thought I could.
Again, wrong type of attitude, but I’ve got a pocket knife, pepper spray and a butt load of confidence.
I took a deep breath, the scent of pine and damp earth filling my nostrils.
Okay, so maybe I had acted a bit rashly, but isn't that what they say about hindsight?
It's always 20/20. I couldn't just stand there, wondering if I should go back.
I had to keep moving, if only to prove to myself that I wasn't completely idiotic for venturing out here alone.
It was nice to get some fresh air.
Also, a chance to see if I could lure TeaBagTitan out and Atlas find us both. Get this stupid thing over with.
The crunch of leaves under my feet sounded obscenely loud. Every snap of a twig echoed like a gunshot in my ears. The forest, once seemingly welcoming, felt like it was closing in on me. The trees leaned in, their spiky branches intertwining overhead, blocking out more of the already waning light.
I kept my hand wrapped tightly around the pepper spray in my pocket.
The cool metal was a comfort, a reminder that I wasn't completely defenseless.
Though against a fox shifter, I wasn't sure how much good it would do.
Could you even pepper spray a shifter? Or would they just sneeze and laugh at you?
A rustle in the bushes to my left froze me in my tracks. My heart pounded in my chest, and I held my breath, listening. Another rustle, then a small, furry creature darted out from the underbrush. Just a squirrel. I let out a shaky laugh, my tense shoulders relaxing slightly.
But the relief was short-lived. A faint scent caught my attention, something different from the usual forest smells. It was an overpowering smell of cologne?
I immediately turned around to where I came from, but as many stories go, I had no idea where I was. Everything looked the same. I was too eager to put more distance between me and the overpowering scent. But with each step, the scent grew stronger.
Shit, shit, shit!
Then, I heard it—a low growl rumbling through the bushes.
It was distant but growing louder, closer.
Every instinct in my body screamed at me to run, but I froze on the spot.
The growl continued; it was circling me, and knowing my cardio wasn’t the best, it was better to just meet the intruder head-on.
"TeaBagTitan?" I whispered. It had to be him. Had he finally come for me? But why would he growl like that?
Foxes don’t usually growl, do they?
What does the fox say?
The growling stopped, and the forest fell silent. Too silent. Like every creature was holding its breath, waiting. I strained my ears, listening for any sign of movement. Nothing.
Then, without warning, a tiny fox figure crashed through the bushes and stood in front of me. A beautiful, black fox with silver highlights stared right at me.
I yelped, stumbling backward, my hand fumbling for the pepper spray. Once the initial shock wore off, I squinted to see the tiny fox, and my fear instantly vanished.
Instead, my mouth widened into a smile until I fell into a full fit of laughter.
“This is the fox shifter?” I wiped away a tear that formed at the top of my cheek. “TeaBagTitan, the one that everyone has hunted for?”
The fox growled and stomped his foot.
“You’re so tiny!” I snickered, holding up my index finger and thumb together. “Like this big!”
My laugh died as the fox's fur receded into his skin, like ink into paper.
His limbs cracked and contorted, lengthening at impossible angles while his muzzle collapsed with a wet squelch.
I froze, watching vertebrae shift beneath stretching skin.
Romance novels had glossed over this horror with convenient phrases like "he shifted forms”, never mentioning the nasty sounds of popping joints and reforming flesh.
They only describe: they shifted, boom, done.
No, this was gross.
Especially when the transformation left TeaBagTitan standing before me in his birthday suit, glistening with sweat, his most private anatomy on full display like some kind of unwanted nature documentary.
I thought I might hurl.
“Nice to see you, Kassie,” he panted and stepped forward.
I took a step back and put a hand on my chest. “Nah, ah, step back, Titan. I do not need any of that near me. State your business and end the craziness that you have put on this town.”
He smirked and crossed his arms. Obviously, he had no shame in his nakedness, which most shifters wouldn’t, since they shift naked all the time anyway.
“The name isn’t TeaBagTitan, that is just my user name, obviously.” He rolled his eyes. “My name is Fenwick, and it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person.” He bowed, looking up in the process.