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As they traveled, Sin didn’t always follow. Sometimes, he lagged behind to cover their tracks. Sometimes, he simply lagged behind.
Debating whether he should follow at all.
He had nothing against the human boy called Ben, but he didn’t like the fact that Zai gave him so much attention. The Hunter seemed almost fond of the human. He listened attentively to what the boy said even though his responses were terse and often nonexistent.
Sin wondered sourly whether Zai preferred the boy to him. The human was certainly pretty enough, like a shiny new gem. While Sin was scarred and rugged (though definitely not flea-bitten).
Verily, he didn’t know what or whom Zai preferred at all. He didn’t know the man.
But he wanted to.
In just a couple of nights, they’d shared more between them than Sin had ever shared with another being. He’d never allowed himself to be fully unleashed, like a force of nature, wreaking havoc upon the Dark One, and inviting Zai to wreck him right back.
He’d never gone through the whole gamut of emotions—hate, vengeance, bloodlust, lust, obsession, addiction—and many more, so intensely and singularly, in such a short burst of time.
Surely, it wasn’t healthy to feel this way. If nothing else because of the heart palpitations he got whenever the big male was near, whenever Zai glanced his way.
All he could do was follow his instincts and stay with the Dark One until he figured things out.
The fox, he still reserved judgement on.
It was more than an animal, that was clear. Something between an animal and an animal spirit.
But, whereas animal spirits bound with the soul of the Immortal so that they were one and the same, it seemed as if someone’s soul was trapped inside a fox’s body in this instance. There was a dissonance that made the fox’s scent unnatural, made Sin’s nose wrinkle with distaste to smell it.
That the fox was no threat to anyone was the only reason he hadn’t devoured it by now for a light snack. For its part, it always stayed out of Sin’s way, either bounding off when Sin came near, or hiding behind the human if they stopped for a brief respite.
When they arrived at the Tiger King’s enclave, Sin would let Goya deal with the aberration of the strange white fox.
This was another reason he couldn’t convince himself to stop following the group. Or just the one male in particular.
He happened to be going in the same direction.
Perhaps Goya would know what to do with Sin as well. Perhaps it was time to rejoin a clan.
Sin was ready for it.
After decades on the brink of madness, seething with violence and hatred, he’d finally come through to the other side. He’d let go of his vengeance and pain.
He washumanagain.
He did not fool himself as to why. Or towhomhe owed this reawakening.
Along the way, unable to help himself, he began to do strange things to show his gratitude.
A bystander might view his actions as those of a besotted male in the middle of courtship, but Sin merely scoffed at that in his own mind.
So what if he hunted big, exotic game for their meals every day, and dumped them ceremoniously at Zaidu’s feet like a humble servant laying an offering before a king?
The Hunter was never impressed anyway. No matter how handsome the buck, or how juicy the meat. He simply skinned and gutted the animal without a word or gesture of praise for Sin’s magnificent hunt, then threw a leg at Sin, a strip of flank at the fox, and roasted the rest.
Even the human verbalized his appreciation of Sin’s hunting prowess and his unparalleled ability to provide for the group. In fact, it almost seemed as if Ben exaggerated his exclamations for Zai’s benefit, not that the Hunter paid any attention.
The boy was growing on Sin. Perhaps he could be an ally in winning over the stubborn, taciturn Dark One.
Sin grimaced at that errant thought. These were words he never thought he’d think, much less act on.
When they stopped for the day, Sin always herded Zai to a cozy spot away from the human boy, his fox and the horses. He would push Zai along with his head or drag him by his tunic with his teeth.
