What a stubborn woman.

And as unpredictable as she could be, her nasty habits sure never seemed to change.

How irritating.

Ren wearily watched Sakura as she haggled loudly with a merchant. Haggling was the nice way to put it, it really was more like the demon pointlessly arguing with someone who was just as bullheaded as she was, neither willing to budge on the price of lentils and salted meat.

They would be here all day.

All because she could feel her control slipping, and she had to regain some of it back somehow.

In the stupidest, most pointless way possible.

The man dropped the coin requested on the table and grabbed the bags to the woman’s dismay.

“Put them back!” she demanded, attempting to snatch back the goods to no avail. “We’re not paying that. It’s too much!”

“Don’t care.” The angel shrugged as he turned and walked off, stuffing the food into his bag. “I’m not standing here any longer while you nitpick every little thing. I don’t have time for this shit.”

The demon quickly caught up with him, her irritation palpable. “What the fuck, Ren? That guy was a total scam! Why would you pay that?”

“It wasn’t a scam,” he argued blandly. “There was nothing wrong with his prices. You just can’t handle losing control over anything in your life, and this is your sad, little attempt to gain the upper hand in any way you can. You just want to fight for the sake of fighting, and you want to fight over lentils. Fucking lentils, Sakura. How pathetic is that?”

Sakura glanced away, chewing her cheek in shame. He wasn’t wrong, and they both knew it. She had done the same thing with every merchant she purchased from that day, browbeating them into selling their goods for bronzes on the silver. And the demon had been successful in every dispute besides the last one. She was convinced she still could have talked the man down if Ren hadn’t stepped in and ruined everything. “You’re just a pushover,” the woman accused, trying to turn it around on the man.

“That may be true, but I’ve got better things to do, like not listen to you argue with every single merchant in the square.”

“It’s not arguing!” She glowered at the man. “It’s negotiating!”

He returned the look. “It’s annoying as fuck is what it is, and I’m tired of listening to it. No more, you’re done. You’ve had your fun. It’s time to move on.”

The woman huffed and faced forward, not enjoying the position she was in. Though Ren may have had enough of her antics, she was still wound up and ready to go. Of course, she could do as she pleased, she didn’t need his permission. However, the man was currently the sole keeper of all the coin as she had already spent all in her possession, and he was obviously in no mood to enable her further.

This really was all her fault. She had become so comfortable with the angel’s generous nature that she had allowed herself to become reliant on the illusion that his hand would always be there to give and never take away.

How foolish.

She would just have to sneak into his bag later and nab a few gold coins to stash away so that he wouldn’t have the ability to do this to her again.

Ren peered down at the woman, her racing thoughts painted clearly on her face. “You can just ask for coin later, you know. You don’t have to steal it.”

Her ears and tail bristled in panic as the words spilled from her tongue much too quickly. “I’m not stealing anything!”

The angel sighed.

She was always so damn stubborn.

But so easy to please.

“Of course you’re not, you little thief.” Ren stuck his hand in his pocket, pulling it back out and opening it to the vixen, a gold wrapped candy placed in his palm.

Her eyes went wide as she took the sweet prize, her earlier plans completely forgotten. “What is it?”

“Butterscotch.”

“Where did you find this?” She popped the hard candy into her mouth and wiggled with pleasure.

He smirked, her reaction exactly how he’d imagined. “At a merchant you weren’t fighting with. Amazing the things you find when you slow down, pay attention, and don’t just go full blast at everything.”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“Sounds like a hassle.” Sakura shrugged while her body drew closer to his, the treat putting her in a better mood. “Let’s get a room and go back to the book shop before Ivy buys the whole place up. You and Zero might have the patience to haul her shit around, but I sure don’t.”

The pair found an inn and paid for the night’s stay before going to the room and dropping off some of their belongings.

Ren watched the woman as she pulled the food to be divvied up later from her bag. The candy had helped her attitude temporarily, but it was apparent that she was still struggling with her conflicting emotions in regard to Ivy and returning to Hollis. He knew how much she hated to lose, how it made her feel like a failure. Worthless.

The woman was her own worst enemy.

And no one could tear her up more than she did herself.

There was always the option of talking to her, attempting to help her through the feelings that she battled to come to terms with, the ones that were so difficult for her to acknowledge and accept. It would be challenging at first, as it often was. However, with a little patience and willingness to constantly point out the obvious while commiserating with her reservations, the woman was certain to come around peacefully.

But where was the fun in that?

They finished their task and entered the hallway as the man held back, closing and locking the door, his eyes following the woman as she strutted away.

Watching.

Waiting.

He caught her before she could wander too far ahead, his arms wrapping around her shoulders as he pulled her back against him and his face nuzzled into her neck.

“Seriously?” Sakura groaned, not particularly surprised by the man’s sudden affection. “Didn’t you have some grand plan of making me defile your virtue as a maiden or some shit? Aren’t I supposed to chase you and beg for your attention? You’re doing a terrible job of making me do that.”

“Oh, no. You misunderstand. I don’t want you to chase me,” he spoke softly, a cunning grin spreading across his lips. “I want you to carry me.”

“What?” The word had barely fallen from her mouth before the towering man was clamped onto her back, his legs gripping her tightly at her sides.

“Go faster,” the angel commanded as the woman stumbled before regaining her balance. “I want to fly.”

“Fuck you,” she gasped under the sudden weight. “Get off, Ren! You’re so heavy!”

“Well, that’s rude.” He feigned offense. “I would never complain about your weight. But I guess I, your alpha mate, am just stronger and better than you. It’s no surprise really. I did beat your ass and embarrass you in front of the entire den in order to gain that title. Alpha. That’s me. Remember? I won, and you lost.”

That got her.

Sakura’s arms locked under his legs as she unsteadily trudged forward. “Fuck you! You’re weak!” she shot back. “You’re a cheater, and I’m the rightful Alpha!”

“Sounds like something a loser would say.” The angel poked the demon’s cheek, infuriating her into stepping up her wobbly pace.

She was actually doing much better than he had expected.

Time to take her down.

Ren breathed in deeply before pushing it back out, the air slowly blowing past his lips and entering the fox demon’s ear, tickling the fine hairs within. A sharp squeak escaped from the woman as her knees buckled and she crumbled to the floor, an uncontrollable shiver coursing through her entire being, as the man released her and stepped over her fallen form before hurrying past the front desk and out the door onto the street.

However, Sakura had recouped quicker than he had anticipated and was on his back, putting him in a head lock only mere steps outside off the inn. The man whipped forward, flinging her body in the same direction over his head as he pulled her to the ground and, once again, stepped over her before sprinting off.

“Damn it, Ren!” the woman screeched as she scrambled to her feet and took off after him. “You fucking child! Get your ass back here!”

The angel laughed as he ran down the road, calculating his steps so as to stay just far enough ahead of the angry fox without getting caught, ensuring that her rage would only continue to grow. He weaved past the people, wagons, and carts towards the book shop, slowing his pace to allow the woman to catch up. He came to a sudden stop and spun around, circling his arms around Sakura tightly as she barreled into him without a chance at slowing down.

“There you are!” He beamed down at the furious woman trapped in his grip. “I’ve been waiting for you. Where have you been my whole life?”

“Fuck you!” she screamed as she tried to break free from the man’s hold.

“Come on, don’t be like that. It’s not how good, little fox girls behave. I even got you a gift.” Ren reached into his pocket and held two blue wrappers above his captive’s head.

Her eyes went wide, and she gasped, her fury replaced with wonder. “Where did you get those?”

“I hid them.”

Her thrill quickly turned to suspicion. “You’re going to eat that chocolate in front of me, aren’t you?”

The man shook his head. “No, they’re yours. But you have to be an extra good, little fox girl and stop picking fights with all the innocent people of the town. At least for the rest of the day.”

A scowl spread across Sakura’s face. The man sure was asking a lot. “I can’t promise anything.”

Ren released her, dropping the chocolates into her hand. “That’s good enough for me.”

The woman stared at the delicacies. She had been certain that there were none left, and yet, she was wrong, pleasantly so. She wanted to know how many more he had, but knew he’d never tell.

She’d have to search his bag later for those as well.

Sakura unwrapped one and popped it into her mouth, pleased with the deliciousness.

Ren nodded towards the book shop. “Well, let’s go see how much damage has been done, and how many books I’ll be stuck carrying back to Hollis.” He turned away but was stopped by the woman as she blocked his body with her own, her fingers reaching up and pushing the second chocolate into his mouth, the soft skin lingering against his lips.

“You know, the more I think about it, the more I think it won’t be so terrible going back home. It won’t be as exciting as the road.” She smiled sweetly, emeralds bright and welcoming before turning away from the man and going to the shop. “But I’m sure we can find other things there to occupy our time.”

The man stood there, barely able to taste the sweetness on his tongue, watching the door close behind her swaying hips.

He may be able to handle to woman, exploit her emotions, and even overpower her.

But in the end, she held all the control over him.

And they both knew it.