Fox's Glade Impulse

val was surprised to learn merrick had not been interested.

or perhaps surprised was not the right word - for he knew the bearking's devotion was to a ghost that had long since hounded his every step.

a chill ran down his spine, not just from ash's touch.

but there was no reciprocating urge in val. even if he had wanted ash (and there was nothing visually repulsive about her - she was, by his estimation, a perfectly appealing creature) he would have struggled to perform.

it's not right. val insisted, utterly thrown by the insistence in which ash desired his body. it made him more cagey, more flighty -- and he was already walking away despite the screaming in his mind.