3

Suddenly, Reynard broke away from Daisy and came toward me.

“Hey, where are you going?”

Daisy reached for him, and he shoved her away hard.

“Don’t touch me!”

I knew the look he gave her.

Disgust. Revulsion.

He was sure she couldn’t live without him, so he treated her however he pleased.

I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth, feeling irritable.

Silas frowned and moved to step in, but I stopped him with a look.

Reynard stumbled up to me. Those few steps seemed to take everything he had.

His legs gave way, and he went down on one knee, barely holding himself up.

“Ivy…”

He struggled to lift his head, his eyes so sincere.

“I’m sorry. I know I was wrong.”

He reached out his hand, very carefully. “Can you forgive me?”

So he’d guessed I’d been reborn too.

I didn’t move. A spark of joy crossed his face, and his fingers were just about to close around mine.

I looked at Daisy behind him. “Let me show you how to make a beastkin behave.”

The next second, I kicked Reynard square in the chest with everything I had.

He flew backward and crashed into the stone chess table in the courtyard.

“Ugh—!”

He went white, clutched his chest, and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Daisy ran to him at once and screamed at me. “What are you doing? He’s my beastkin! Even if he misbehaves, he’s mine—who said you get to touch him?”

I tilted my head. “But you can’t control him. And I don’t like foxes getting too close. They stink.”

Reynard coughed up more blood at that, staring at me in disbelief.

Daisy’s face went pink. “He—he doesn’t stink, you’re making that up! That’s anti-beastkin bigotry!”

“Tch. Talk like that and my beastkin’s going to get upset.”

Silas, stone-faced, glanced at the barely breathing Reynard, then said to Daisy, “You should be grateful my master was the one who did it. Otherwise I’d have killed him.”

His voice was calm, but the intent to kill was right out in the open.

“You—!” Daisy glared at him.

“You two…” She turned to glare at me.

In the end, she gave a loud huff, hauled Reynard up with an effort, and marched straight for the house.

“Move! Can’t you see he’s dying?”

Everyone there was waiting to see the healer, and they’d been in line a long time. Nobody was going to let her cut.

So Daisy and Reynard got stuck at the door.

She shouted, frantic, “Ms. Moore! Ms. Moore, please save him, he’s really dying!”

A soft, warm woman’s voice came from inside. “He won’t die. Wait your turn.”

I raised an eyebrow. I liked this Marina.

Daisy had no choice but to stand in line, beside herself.

Reynard couldn’t hold his human form together anymore. His fox tail and ears were all the way out.

Daisy glared at me with pure hatred. “This isn’t over!”

I looked at her. “Does your father know how much you paid for that beastkin?”

The Tanners weren’t like the Cranes. The Cranes still had some respect for beastkin. The Tanners treated them like livestock.

If Daisy’s father found out she’d spent millions of dollars on a useless beastkin, he’d be furious.

Daisy froze. “You know my dad?”

Then her eyes went wide. “Are you threatening me?”

I just smiled.

Daisy’s lip trembled, and she started to cry, sniffling and hiccuping.

I hadn’t expected her to cry. Suddenly I had a headache.

“Don’t cry. That beastkin of yours isn’t worth it.”

“Don’t you dare talk about him like that! So he’s a little weak—he’s perfect to me!”

Fine. I’d keep my mouth shut.

After hours of waiting, it was finally… Reynard’s turn.

Silas and I had gotten there later, so we were behind them.

When Daisy helped Reynard back out of the house an hour later, he looked much better.

When he looked at me now, the hurt was gone. In its place was resentment.

“Ivy, you’re so cruel.”

I clicked my tongue. “Not as cruel as you.”

“Don’t waste your breath on her. Let’s go.”

Daisy huffed at me and helped Reynard away.

Behind me, Silas suddenly spoke. “You two know each other?”