Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Small hands grasped the steering wheel as blocks were used to push down the gas pedal.

“Hold on, Dad!” Shane yelled.

Shane fought back the tears that were welling in his eyes as he steered around abandoned and destroyed vehicles. The road was clogged and several times he had to go off-road to make progress.

The town they had just gone through was razed to the ground, towering elemental animals tearing people apart. His father had been caught defending Shane from a giant bird that tried to take him away.

Long, bleeding slash marks seeped across his father’s chest, and his left arm was mangled beyond belief.

Shane had done everything he could to press blankets onto the wounds. Nothing seemed to be helping, so he drove. He drove as if hell itself was chasing him.

“Just a little further,” Shane whispered to himself. “Please hold on…”

***

Rai watched as Shane tossed and turned in his sleep. His tattoo was glowing, lighting up the room as flames flickered over his body.

Resting her hand on his chest, she sent him calming energy every time he flickered. He was having some sort of nightmare.

Tell me how to help, she whispered in her head. I don’t know what to do, Shane. I can’t help you.

Sniffling, she used her essence to calm her human. It would be taxing, but what else was she supposed to do?

Slowly, Shane started to calm, and his tattoo dimmed. The flames left his body, leaving him shivering.

Lying her head on his chest, she let out a tired sigh. Closing her eyes, she felt a hand rest between her ears. Wanting to moan at the feeling, she kept her eyes closed as they started to rub.

“Thank you.” The whisper was soft and hardly spoken.

She barely nodded.

A moment later, Shane’s breathing deepened, and his hand fell away from her head.

Getting up, she leaned over Shane’s peaceful face. Lowering herself, she kissed the edge of his mouth, making Shane smile in his sleep.

“Sweet dreams,” she whispered.

***

Shane woke a few hours later feeling a tingle on his mouth. He smiled as he glanced down at the sleeping fox that was drooling on his chest. Her ears twitched as his gentle breath tickled them.

He almost didn’t want to get up. This was the first time he had shared a bed with someone, overnight at least.

Do I get to do this every night? he asked himself.

Rai stirred against him. First, she wiped the drool away before running a hand over her ears in a very cat-like motion, using the back of her hand with her fingers curled in.

Stifling his laughter, he waited for her to finish.

“Hey, beautiful,” he whispered.

He could feel Rai smile against his chest, and it was especially apparent she was happy as her tail started to sway.

“You’re not asleep,” he said with a chuckle.

“I am too,” she whispered.

“I guess I’ll have to keep whispering sweet nothings to you until you wake up.”

Glancing up, Rai met his gaze. “I thought you were supposed to fall in love with me, not the other way around?”

“I don’t know what love feels like anymore,” Shane whispered.

“I’ll help you.” She smiled. “But after today, you’ll likely hate me.”

Returning her smile, he shifted on the bed until they were both on their sides. “Let’s start with something simple. I need clothes.”

“I prefer you naked,” Rai said. “But I know humans have modesty to worry about.”

Rolling his eyes, he said, “You’ll get me naked at night. How about some clothes during the day? I can’t have you distracting me while I’m supposed to be training.”

Giggling, she met his gaze lovingly. Reaching out, she touched his tattoo. “It’s all in here. My essence is yours now, and with it you can make your clothes. But first, we have to break the dam that is holding back my power.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

Tracing the lines, she said, “All of my essence is too much for your body to handle right now. We have to open the dam slowly and let a trickle of my power into your system. As you acclimate, we’ll open it more and more until we can take it down.”

“I thought I already had your powers.” Frowning, he added, “I’m immune to fire.”

“No,” she said softly. “That’s an inherent part of the tattoo, not my essence. Right now you are blocking yourself from utilizing anything that I gave you. It’s also why I said we need to train for you to grow stronger. As we train, you’ll release more and more essence into your body until you can handle it all.”

Shane nodded in understanding. “Do other Marked have to do this?”

“No. The bastardized versions that they bond with don’t have the levels of essence that I do. I would tear your body apart if we released it all at once.”

“How do we do this?” he asked.

Rai sat up and kept her hand on his tattoo. “You need to focus on this. All of my essence is held within these lines.” Tapping his arm, she added, “It’ll be hard at first, but I’m going to trickle my essence into your body to help you focus.”

Shane frowned. “How does that work? I thought I had all of your essence?”

Rai pressed a finger to his lips. “Shh. Let me have my secrets.”

Kissing her finger, he chuckled. “We should get started.”

Rai didn’t say anything as he felt a jolt throughout his tattoo. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it was a pressure that was slowly building.

“Close your eyes,” Rai whispered. “Focus on feeling my essence and the blockage.”

Shane closed his eyes. The power spoke to him, and it only took a few seconds to find it. His mind’s eye traveled through his body until he came to the very edge of his tattoo.

He didn’t know if it was because Rai had described the essence being held blocked by a dam or not, but that was what he found. The bricks were glowing red, and the sluice gates were closed.

Walking around it, he touched the bricks and felt immense heat coming off them. Then he found stairs leading to the top. Step by step, he climbed. A wispy fragment of Rai’s essence floated over a pressure valve with a wheel at the top of his dam.

Knowing what to do felt instinctual to him. He simply walked over and grasped the wheel.

It turned surprisingly easy, but Rai’s essence stopped him after the sluice gate opened a fraction of the way. The barest trickle of essence rushed into his body, and he was thrown from his meditation.

Burning pain coursed through his body, starting with his arm and shoulder. It spread to his chest and from there his heart. When it was pumped through the rest of his body, he screamed.

Rai held his head while running her fingers through his hair. “Almost done,” she whispered.

Shane kept his eyes open, and his teeth clamped tight as he rode out the pain. He wouldn’t let himself scream again as he acclimated to the essence.

It ended almost as quickly as it came. Although it felt like minutes, only seconds had passed.

Rai kept whispering to him, soothing him as he gasped for air.

Gradually, he recovered and lifted his arm. With the pain gone, he found that power had replaced it. The weakness from yesterday had faded, and in its place was strength. His muscles hadn’t changed, but Rai’s essence was empowering him to do more.

“My first step,” he muttered.

“Yes,” Rai whispered. Getting up, she towered over him, giving him a view that was perfect in the early morning.

Smiling, he kept staring.

Rai rolled her eyes before turning to leave. “All you have to do now is focus on your tattoo and use a portion of that essence to make your clothes. It’s all about the will and intent you put behind it. This will be a good steppingstone to using my essence.”

Reaching up, he touched her tail, only for her to smack his hand away.

“You’ll earn that later,” she said. “For now, I’m going to make your breakfast.”

Shane pouted as she left the room. When she didn’t look back, he settled in to get started. “It’s all about the will and intent huh?” Focusing on his tattoo, he could feel the power calling to him. “Oh, I’m going to love making clothes. It’s time to embarrass Rai as much as possible.”

***

Rai picked up several steaks and apples from the pantry. Moving to the firepit, she decided to show Shane just a little of what her powers could do.

Instead of using wood, she created a fire through pure essence manipulation. It burned in shades of blues and oranges as it flickered in the pit.

Setting out the steaks, she let them begin cooking on the edge of the firepit. They would take time, but she could also speed up their cooking with her essence if needed.

Soft footsteps behind her signaled that Shane had already figured out the clothes. She was impressed. She assumed it would take longer.

“Congratulations,” Rai said as she started to turn. “That didn’t—”

Her eyes widened, and her mouth fell open as she looked him up and down. “You are not wearing that!” she nearly screamed.

Shane was dressed from head to toe in a pink body suit that had spikes on the shoulders, knees, and toes. His hands were running over the sleek material, and a moment later, he covered his head, leaving him as a pink figure, looming over her.

“Take that off!” she growled.

“Take what off?” Shane asked. “It’s impossible to remove my handsome face.”

Getting up, she marched over to him. “You are not training in that!”

Shane rested one hand on his hip and raised the other. “I feel like the Mighty Morphin—”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence!”

Huffing, Shane lowered his fist. “Then I’ll start another sentence.” Pausing, he grabbed her shoulder. “I left a zipper in the back, so when you’re ready to tear this off me and throw me down on that bed—”

Rai grabbed his hand and squeezed painfully, pulling him off her shoulder. “Shane. If you don’t change this instance, I’m going to kick you between the legs and end your chance at having kids.”

Crossing his legs, he stumbled as he backed away. “Fine,” he grumbled. “I’ll change.”

Closing her eyes, Rai nodded. “Good. Your steaks will be done soon.”

She watched Shane enter their bedroom again, and she turned back to the steaks. Sitting back down, she poked the meat and confirmed that it was getting tender. Juices were running into the fire, and the wonderful aroma of sizzling venison filled the air.

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“Do you think he’d notice if I ate one?” she asked herself.

“I’m ready!” Shane called out.

“Finally!” Rai said before turning. “No!”

Shane ran his fingers down his pinstriped tuxedo and matching pants. The alternating colors of blue and red clashed, hurting her eyes. “Is it the pants? I can change the pants.”

Rai pinched the bridge of her nose and got back up. “Hold still, Shane.”

Shane crossed his legs. “It’s definitely the pants. If you’d like, I can make you some pants like this.”

Rai looked at his ensemble. “It’s not just the pants! Change into something athletic!”

Shane smiled and tipped his hat to her. “Very well, my dear.”

Rai watched him walk away again before she growled. I swear if he comes out with another ridiculous outfit, I’m going to kill him!

She was disappointed a moment later when he came out in a bright pink tank top, booty shorts, and flip-flops.

“Does this work?” he asked.

Closing her eyes, Rai felt her annoyance boil over. When she opened her eyes again, she found Shane with his legs crossed and his back against the wall.

“Is it the shoes?” he asked.

Rai charged forward, and the man turned and ran, his flip-flops smacking the ground as he dived back into the bedroom.

She followed him and tackled him to the ground, knocking the wind out of him.

“I’m going to forcibly change you,” she growled. Grabbing his ear, she pressed his face into the ground before taking control of her essence.

“Not the face!” he yelled into a mumble.

Gripping his ear tighter as he tried to pull, she twisted, making him scream.

His clothes changed with her on top of him. First, she made him wear socks and running shoes, and after that, proper shorts and a tank top. When she was finished, he was dressed in reds and oranges.

Grousing, Shane went still in her hands.

Letting him go, she got up. “If you change your clothes again, I’m going to be very upset.”

Shane rolled over. “This wasn’t you upset?”

“No,” she said with a wicked smile. “You’ll know when I’m upset.”

“Are you sure?” Shane asked. “You know, that was the first time you pinned me down. Next time you’ll have to do it when I’m not my stomach.”

Closing her eyes, she sighed. “So, this is what headaches feel like.”

“Come here,” Shane said, his voice lacking the humor of earlier.

Opening her eyes, she found him patting the ground in front of him. With nothing to lose, she sat down.

“Give me your back,” he ordered.

Turning, she reluctantly presented him with her back and tail. To her surprise, he ignored the latter and grabbed her shoulders. When his thumbs pressed into her tight muscles, she moaned.

She felt Shane change the pressure several times as he worked her shoulders and neck. Her head stopped hurting, and she relaxed.

Once he was done with her shoulders, he worked her upper back but didn’t go lower.

“I’ll give you a proper massage later,” he whispered. “For now, that will have to do.”

Rai fell back, letting him catch her. Glancing up, she found his face hovering over hers, a loving smile on his lips. The crinkles around his eyes were welcoming and warm, and she felt her heart race.

She didn’t know why she did it, but she pursed her lips and offered up their first proper kiss. Shane obliged.

When they pulled away, she was completely at peace in his arms. But the scent of burning steak drew her attention and broke the mood.

She gasped before jumping up “Your breakfast!”.

Unintentionally, she smacked him in the face with her tail as she ran back to the firepit. As he sputtered out hairs, she left him.

Grabbing the steaks, she pulled them off the firepit and blew on them. They were no longer leaking juices, and she frowned.

“Dammit…” she muttered.

Shane came out a moment later and took one of the steaks from her. Biting into it, he shrugged. “Meat is meat,” he said around a mouthful. “You won’t see me complaining.”

Still frowning, she leaned in and rested her head on his chest. “I’m sorry.”

“Nah. You didn’t mess up the face, so you have nothing to be sorry about. My handsomeness level is still intact.”

Laughing, she shook her head. “You’re full of yourself.”

“I’d rather you be full of me,” he said without missing a beat.

Opening her mouth, she gawked. She didn’t have a comeback for that, and he was so brazen, she’d only make it worse.

When he kissed the top of her head, she froze. Warmth spread through her body, and she felt herself press firmly against him. What is this feeling we share? Why are we so close already?

“Cramp!” he whined. Staggering, he nearly fell down. If she didn’t grab him, he would have collapsed.

“The meat?” she asked.

Nodding, he could only groan.

“Eat slower,” she grumbled. “I’m not going to tell you again. Chew your food completely.”

Nodding, he whimpered, and she helped him sit. She sat with him patiently as he went through one steak and then the second. An hour passed by the time he finished, and she smiled.

It was time to start their training.

***

Shane gasped for air as he sprinted through the woods. Rai casually kept up with him, berating him every time he slowed down.

“Move your feet!” she screamed. “Your life is on the line, Shane! Act like it!”

He didn’t have the breath to protest, so he dug his feet in harder and kept pushing. The essence running through his body helped him run faster, longer, and with more dexterity. He leaped over logs, dodged branches and rocks, and kicked off trees to change direction. All the while, Rai stayed by his side with a switch in hand.

More than once, she struck his butt, making him wince.

“If you don’t want me to hit you, do something about it!” she shouted as she smacked him again.

Shane gritted his teeth as he forced himself not to limp. He could practically feel his muscles tearing as he continued to run. All of his energy was beyond spent, and his heart thundered so hard that he thought it was going to burst.

After another minute, he collapsed to the ground, sliding through the leaves and dirt to stop face-down.

“Do you think you’re done?” Rai yelled.

Shane didn’t respond. He could hardly open his eyes as he prayed that he would die quickly.

Sweat poured off him in bucket loads, as his body reeked once again. They never did find that deodorant plant before starting. Now he was regretting it.

Rai sat down next to him. “You lasted longer than I expected.”

Shane glared at her. “Hours! We’ve been at this for hours!”

“And you lasted,” she said. “A life of running has really worked out for you today. But don’t get too comfortable. We still have to jog back. We won’t rush, but we do need to get back for lunch. You’re going to need the protein.”

Forcing himself up on his elbow, he scowled. “I can’t eat only meat.”

“You had apples this morning,” she reasoned.

Sighing, he looked around. “We need a pot and cooking utensils. I need vegetables, at least, and a stew would be nice.”

Rai shook her head. “I might be able to ransack a convoy, but I don’t think you’d like me doing that.”

“I would not,” Shane groused. “Aren’t there any old towns nearby we can pillage?”

Rai tapped her chin. “Maybe…but it would be dangerous. You would need to thoroughly smell like me.”

“Another Descendant?” Shane asked.

“Yeah. There’s a town a few miles away that we can run out to, but if the bear wakes up, we’re going to be in trouble. You’re still too weak to fight.”

“Yup,” Shane agreed. “But we have to try. We need human supplies if I’m going to be staying with you.”

Grumbling, she nodded. “You have a point.”

Smiling, he caught his breath. “You’re not going to beat me on the way back, are you?”

“No, and we’re going to forage as we go. There are wild vegetables out here that should help you. I’ll teach you what they look like so you can go on your own eventually.”

“Is that safe?” he asked, worry tempering his voice.

“It’ll be fine after you smell like me.” Spinning, she brushed her tail across his face. The soft scent of smoke and embers were left behind. “You’ll be marked as my property, and no one will mess with you.”

“Except the Marked,” Shane pointed out.

“Yeah… Although they won’t journey out this far. Not unless they’re trying to eliminate me, which only happens once every few years.”

Shane rubbed his cheek, pulling off a brown leaf. “Let’s get back. I’m going to need another bath.”

Rai wrinkled her nose before giggling. “You do tend to stink.”

“You’ll grow to love it.” Shane chuckled. “If you help me wash up, I’ll massage you tonight.”

“Deal!” Rai said before jumping up. “What are we waiting for? Let’s get back!”

Laughing, Shane fought his way to his feet. His legs were still sore, but he was recovering surprisingly fast.

“Does your essence heal me?” he asked.

“Yes!” Rai smiled. “It’ll be better once you can handle more of it, but for now, you’ll recover quite quickly. Each day you’ll put on more muscle and feel better.”

“I still think you’re trying to plump me up,” Shane grumbled. “Before long, I’m going to be a juicy snack for you.”

“Nah,” Rai said with a wave of her hand. “There’s only one part of you that I’ll put in my mouth.”

Shane gawked.

Rai turned to him and laughed. “I didn’t know I could throw you off.”

Shaking his head, he started jogging. “Vixen.”

“I am a fox, you know,” Rai said as she caught up to him. “We like to make trouble.”

Glancing over, he noticed her adding a little more sway to her jog as she passed him.

“That’s cheating,” he grumbled.

“I’m just motivating you,” Rai called back. Giggling, she moved to be in front of him, guiding him back to their den.

***

Rai listened to Shane breathe hard as they returned to the den. She had to stop him from going inside and made him sit on a log at the edge of her clearing.

“Stay there,” she commanded. “I’ll start your lunch, and then we’ll stretch.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he panted out.

Smiling, she entered their den and hurried to cook his steaks. They had found a number of vegetable spots, but neither of them wanted to carry them back to the den while running.

With his steaks cooking, she returned to Shane and found him collapsed on the ground. His eyes were closed.

Rushing over, she knelt by his side. “Are you okay?”

“I’m dead. You don’t see me,” he mumbled.

Laughing, she touched his chest lightly. “I can breathe some life back into you.”

“Mmm… That might be the most romantic thing anyone has said to me.”

Frowning, she leaned down and pecked his lips. “I thought you had plenty of lady friends.”

Opening his eyes, his expression softened. “Plenty of fun partners, nothing serious. There’s no time for serious when you never know if you’re going to have to flee or if you’ll live through the day.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I can’t imagine.”

Waving his hand, he said, “It doesn’t matter.”

It does, she thought to herself. It all matters to me, Shane. I want you to have a better life.

Sitting up, Shane stretched out his legs. “How about you show me what to do.”

Nodding, she let her thoughts slip away. Sitting next to him, she copied him and stretched out her legs. “We’ll start with touching your toes…”

***

Rai directed him through a number of stretches that took nearly an hour to complete. By the time they finished, she helped him walk down into the den to eat.

“This is amazing!” he cheerfully said while biting into his steak.

“I’m glad you like it,” she said with a hint of melancholy.

It saddens me that you get so excited over meat, she thought to herself. What is he going to be like when he tries other meats? Maybe even a seasoned stew.

Closing her eyes, she sat by the fire. A moment later, Shane was resting his back against hers.

“This place is starting to feel like home,” Shane said softly.

“It’s only been one day,” Rai pointed out.

“I think it’s the company.”

Blushing, she leaned her head back and rested it against his. “I’m not that great, you know.”

“Greatness is in the eye of the beholder,” Shane said between bites.

“And you hold me that highly?” Rai asked.

“I’d hold you all day if you let me.”

Rolling her eyes, she felt the truth in his words. “We’ve barely known each other for a full day. Where does your confidence about us come from?”

“I know what I want,” Shane said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I’ve never had the luxury of stopping and debating what I wanted in life, so I judge quickly and take risks. If you want me to back—”

“No,” she nearly shouted, cutting him off. Calming herself, she said, “I know what I want as well. I also know that you’re going to be too tired for the next few weeks to do anything. But when you’re ready, I want to hear those words from you.”

“Those words,” he whispered. “I haven’t said them since my dad passed. Those were my last words to him.”

Reaching back, she took his free hand. “I’m here if you want to talk about it.”

She could feel him shake his head. “No. Not yet. I want to enjoy my happiness and peace for a while longer.”

“Okay.”

Shane chuckled.

“Something wrong?” Rai asked.

“I was just thinking. Is your fox form softer than your humanoid? I know your tail is bigger and that would be luxurious.”

“I’m not lying next to you in my fox form.”

“Why not?” Shane pouted.

Sighing, she ignored him.

“Did you know that I always wanted a pet fox growing up? I imagined myself feeding it strips of meat and cuddling it at night. Most kids wanted cats or dogs, but not me.” Pausing, Shane ate a little more meat. “I gave up on most of my dreams early on. They weren’t feasible in the new world.”

“I thought you wanted to be a Marked?” Rai asked.

“That was more out of vengeance than a dream. But I’m learning there is more to this world than I realized. It took me fifteen years to venture beyond the walls of that city. I’m enjoying nature again, and a Descendant saved my life. There’s a truth out there that has been hidden from the common folk. I want to uncover it and see what I can do.”

Rai nodded. “We have time to go over all of that later. Right now, I need you to eat and regain your energy. This afternoon, we have strength training.”

“I want you to be proud of me, Rai.” The sound of meat tearing filled the air as Rai caught the scent of the juices. After chewing, he added, “I’ll push myself as much as possible.”

Rai closed her eyes. How does he have so much trust and faith in me? Is it because I showed care and concern for him? Is it because I showed him hints of love?

Opening her eyes, she squeezed his hand. “I’ll push you until you hate me.”

She felt him turn and rest his hand between her ears. His voice was closer this time, giving off the succulent scent of his steaks. “As long as you kiss everything better afterwards.”

Sniffing the air, she said, “I have so much I want to tell you, Shane. Now isn’t the time, however. I’m worried if I told you the truth, you would march into that city and burn it down.”

“Probably,” he admitted.

Frowning, she added, “When you get stronger and I’m sure you won’t die, we’ll talk.”

“A woman once told me they wanted to talk before. If I was smarter, I would have realized the danger in those words,” Shane mumbled. “Looking back, it was my first real conversation with a woman that wasn’t centered around sex.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah… Most of the time, I have the foresight of a pigeon.”

“Foxes eat birds, you know,” Rai joked.

“I knew you were trying to fatten me up!”

Giggling, she squeezed his hand again before grabbing the next steak off the firepit. “I have some yummy meat for you,” she cooed.

“Din-din?” he asked excitedly. “You shouldn’t have!”

Handing over the steak, she fell silent. With their backs to one another again, she felt herself relax far more than she thought possible with a human. That is until he opened his mouth.

“Vroom! Here comes the airplane!”

Glancing over her shoulder, she found Shane flying his steak around the air before biting into it.

“What is wrong with you?” she asked.

With the steak hanging from his mouth, he shrugged.

Huffing, she looked away. I’m pretty sure he is partially insane.

“Choo, choo!” he stared.

Getting up, she nearly made him topple over. “We are done!” she growled. “If you have time to play with your food, you can train.”

“I have a train.” He smiled. Chugging his steak along invisible rails, he bit into it.

Throwing up her arms, she walked away. “This conversation has passed my idiot threshold.”

“You didn’t set a very high limit!” he called after her.

***

Shane relaxed in the shallow water, leaning back until he was up to his neck. The day’s worth of grime was coming off him, and he moaned as the water cooled his aching muscles.

“You look comfortable,” Rai said as she stepped into the water with another fistful of herbs.

Shane unabashedly raked his eyes over her form. “I’m a lucky man.”

Blushing, Rai wrapped her tail around her waist, hiding herself.

She’s too easy to pick on. Shane smiled. Although, I really am a lucky man. I just don’t know how to convince her of that.

“Get up,” Rai ordered.

Shane smirked. “I’m already up.”

Crossing her arms, she glared at him. “You know what I mean!”

Laughing, Shane got to his feet. “Put the claws away. We aren’t training any longer.”

Her expression softened before she moved over to him and started scrubbing down his body. “I haven’t killed you yet, so I think you’re safe.”

“I must not be trying hard enough.” Smiling, he thought, I must have done something right today to have her wash me again. What can I do for her? Oh yeah, the massage!

Rai didn’t stop at just his upper body. Shane tensed as she went lower, but he stood strong and tried not to react.

When she was finished, she had him sit down. “Rinse off,” she said gently. “We are going to stay in the water until your muscles feel better.”

Following her orders, he sat down. I wonder why I’m so comfortable with her. It’s not like we’ve know each other long, and yet it feels like we have. Is it the bond we share? Is it driving me towards connecting with her?

His legs were forced apart, stopping his thoughts. When a soaked tail rested on his chest and Rai sat between his legs, he tensed.

What is she doing? Is she trying to break my resolve?

Coming up for air, he found Rai with her back to him and her tail waving gently over his body.

“I thought you’d like to wash it,” she said.

Still lying back, Shane got started. “It would be my pleasure.”

She shivered against him as he took his time.

“Do you hate me for pushing you so hard?” she asked after a moment.

“No,” Shane admitted. “I almost wish you would push me harder.”

“I’ll only push you to your limits,” Rai said. “I know how much your body can handle, but your mind is something else.”

I’ll be fine, my love, he thought to himself. I can handle this and more.

“I’ll put my trust in you,” Shane said.

“Thank you.”

Running his fingers through her tail, he savored the moment. He only hoped that tomorrow would be another day of them bonding.