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“How did you know that?” I asked, leading him down the hall to the altar room.

“Hid out in a fox burrow for a bit. They’re gossips. It was great. I think you’ll be happy to know that not a single fox got eaten and from what we know about the zombie stuff, the only one here who could be turned is Arken. So, we just don’t let him touch anything outside for a while. Though, it sounds like a bite or scratch from a living one is what causes that.”

I made quick work of taking apart the magic. Then I grabbed Night and Day off the altar and Liam’s spirit board. I was ready to go home whenever we could leave. I wanted to go home and take Arken and Spinach with us. I’d hide them from zombies forever if that’s what I needed to do.

It turned out that it took the four of them four hours to clear out the dead zombies from the village. I waited upstairs in the attic with Arken while they did the hard work. I offered to go out with Canton but he shooed me back upstairs like I was a kit. I was grateful. I didn’t want to mess with zombies anyway. They were gross and scary and Arken was shaking like a leaf upstairs.

We shifted down into our fox forms and cuddled up together. After a while Pox and Spinach joined us in a big cuddle pile. Eventually, I dozed off knowing I was safe because Philip and Canton had always been friends and protectors of my family. The village had been invaded and saved in a single night.

“I bet Liam didn’t see that one coming,” my fox let out a sleepy chuckle from inside his inner sanctum.

Chapter 12

Leopold

Heartville

Modern Day

“Do you still have the statues?” my carrier asked when we finished telling the story. He cut in before Liam or anyone else could comment.

“I gave them to Ox when we got back,” I said. “I did what they wanted. I really wanted to tell you about Night and Day but they asked me to wait and it’s been a busy few months. We went from zombies to the midwife almost overnight. At least, that’s what it felt like.”

“I understand why you didn’t tell us about them,” my carrier said.

“Don’t you think maybe they opened the door?” Liam cut in. “According to you even they admitted to being tricksters.”

“I don’t think they did,” I shook my head. “They were statues already. I think Canton’s theory is probably right. I cast the circle and called upon my ancestors and my magic to open up a way for me to meet Arken and I never shut it. So, it just kept working in the way magic can sometimes.”

“It wasn’t our ancestors,” my carrier said, his words sharp and his eyes narrowed on Liam.

“Let’s not fight over that little detail,” my sire cut in.

“Let’s not fight. Period,” Philip said. “Seriously, if you all can’t handle this like adults, I’m kicking you all out. I’ve been busy over the last few months too. I’ve had samples in a lot of big labs. Whatever gene the curse or virus or whatever altered cannot affect Earthside DNA. Hell, it can’t even affect Canton’s DNA and he wasn’t born on Earthside. So, we’re okay. Plus, it was always by bite or scratch. They’re all dead or locked up on Obizad. They’re not coming here to bite you. I understand it’s scary, but Liam, you weren’t raised to go around pointing fingers. You did a lot crazier stuff than use a spirit board to find your true-mate while you were still a kid.”

Everyone was quiet for a long moment, and I breathed in the silence. My back was starting to ache from sitting still too long, but my house was too full to move around. I sort of wished Philip would start kicking people out. Only they were all family.

“I think it’s sweet that Uncle Liam doesn’t want to blame Pollie or his magic,” Ox chimed in. “It’s easier for his brain to think that it had to be mischievous ancestors or someone else rather than Pollie’s magic that he didn’t close out.”

“I…” Liam started. “I just want to make sure if anyone goes there that the fox spirits weren’t at fault. I don’t want to see anyone get eaten by zombies. It’s Yule in a few weeks! Seriously!”

“No one’s getting eaten by zombies,” Philip said. “Me and Canton made sure of that. No one else had to get out of bed in the middle of the night to take care of it. Everyone’s okay.”

I shifted in my chair. My back was really hurting now. I drew in a sharp breath and glanced up at Arken. He’d been seeing a therapist since we got back. He’d made some real strides with Marcus and mostly slept through the night now. He was still overprotective and locked the house down every night like the zombies might come to Heartville. I let him get on with doing whatever he needed to do to feel safe. I wasn’t sure how that would play out with our kit, but he’d been okay at all my prenatal appointments. Sure, having Philip as our midwife probably helped, but I liked Philip as a midwife. He was too fluffy about things, but he wasn’t mean about anything either and he knew why some seemingly random things set off Arken’s fox. Plus, Spinach liked him. That orange boy didn’t like many people in Heartville and only tolerated most other people if Pox liked them.

Arken glanced over at Philip. Before either of the alphas could say anything, Spinach jumped up in the chair with me. He put a gentle paw on my big pregnant belly and hissed at the room.

“You heard the little orange dude,” Ox said, looking around. “It’s time to clear out. He’s had all he’s going to take.”

Spinach hissed again as if concurring with what my brother said. Bobby and Liam left and so did a few others who were just there to try to get more zombie information out of me. With a little less than a month to Yule, I was a little early by Earthside gestation timelines, but apparently back on Obizad vulpines had a thirty-nine to forty-two day gestation period. I wasn’t complaining. My little girl had gotten heavy over the last week or so as if she was putting on fluff for the winter.

Slowly but surely my family left too when it was clear I wasn’t about to go into labor right then and there. Philip retired to the guestroom that he’d called his whenever he stayed over for baby related reasons. I moved to the sofa to cuddle with Arken. Spinach and Pox cuddled together between our legs. I dozed on and off, dreaming of zombies and yulelogs. When I woke up around dinner time it felt as if a dragon was bear hugging me around my middle. It was time. It was definitely time. I tried to sit up a few times on my own before Spinach bit Arken to wake him up. He startled awake and glanced at me, yawning. Then he helped me up. As soon as my feet hit the floor my water broke.

“Well then,” I said, standing akimbo and looking down at my wet legs and feet.

“Don’t you worry ‘bout that mess,” Philip said, walking out of the guestroom barefooted and without his hat. He disappeared and came back a second later with his hat. I laughed despite the dull ache in the core of my body. That bear couldn’t go anywhere without his hat. “I’ll clean this up,” he said. “You get changed into something comfortable. You’re probably in for a long night, Pollie.”

I knew this already. We talked it in circles over the last month. While everyone tossed advice at me that included to only consider what I wanted most, Philip understood that I wanted Arken there and that meant he had to be considered too. Sure, it was my labor, but wasn’t that the give and take of mateship? My birth plan was pretty straight forward. I’d proceed as naturally as possible. When it got to be too much, Philip would bring out the laughing gas. I was okay with my parents and Ox being there. I was even okay with Uncle Starry and Liam being there but the moment someone annoyed Arken, Philip would show them the door. Sure, in therapy he was working on socializing with more people again but my birth wasn’t the time to practice.