“She started it!” Christine shouted.
“Don’t look at me,” Iris said at the same time. Christine cast her most hated enemy another glare while Iris just smiled condescendingly.
“Ha…” Lindsay released a large gust of breath. “Whatever, let’s just start. Lilian!”
“Hai?”
A pause.
“… Hai?”
“Ah, um, uh, I mean, yes?”
Lindsay looked at her friend strangely but shrugged and got on with it. “Truth or dare?”
“… Truth.”
Her feet kicking in the air, Lindsay held her face in her hands and asked, “How far have you and Kevin really gone?”
“Is it too late to say dare?”
“Yes.”
“Hawa.” Lindsay couldn’t have asked a worse question. “I… can’t tell you.”
An eyebrow rose in response to her words. “Can’t? Or won’t?”
“Can’t.” Seeing the many looks directed her way, Lilian looked down at her hands, which she twiddled in her lap. “I promised Kevin that I wouldn’t tell anybody about our private life, which includes our sex life.”
“So, you two have had sex?”
“No, the most we’ve done is…” Lilian trailed off when she realized what she’d just been about to say. Her eyes narrowed at Lindsay, and her cheeks swelled like balloons. “That wasn’t very nice, trying to trick me like that.”
Lindsay’s smile was not apologetic in the least. “Sorry, sorry, but you can’t blame a girl for trying. In any event, you can’t not tell us now. You’ve got no choice in the matter now that you’ve selected truth.”
“I could tell you all about what Lilian and her mate get up to,” Iris said and was subsequently shot down by Lilian’s tail. “… Ow.”
“Be quiet you!” Lilian glared at Iris, who lay face-first on the floor, a large lump parting her hair, then she looked back at Lindsay and dithered. “I-I don’t know…”
“Oh, come on,” Lindsay urged her friend, “If you won’t tell us, then I’m going to ask Iris.”
Iris lifted her head, eyes lighting up like sadistic beacons. “I could definitely do that—”
“Not another word out of you!” Lilian growled, then sighed, her shoulders slumping. “All right, I’ll tell you. Just… promise me you won’t tell Kevin I told you this?”
“I really don’t think Kevin will be upset, but if that’s what it takes, then we promise not to tell him.”
While Lindsay was the only one who vocalized it, Christine nodded as well. When Iris didn’t say anything, Lilian glared at her. “Iris, your word. I want you to promise that you won’t tell Kevin or anyone else.”
Iris rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine. I swear on my life as a kitsune that I won’t tell another living soul what you tell us here.”
“Okay, well then, I guess I could tell you about the time we, uh…”
“Lilian.”
“I know, I know, just… just let me think for a second, okay? I need to figure out which time I should tell you about.”
Lindsay raised an eyebrow. “Do you really have to think about it? How many erotic moments can there be?”
“A lot,” Iris butted in, her salacious grin growing. “Those two go at each other almost every night. I’m surprised they haven’t—ouch!” Iris looked over at her sister with a mild glare. Another lump was added to her head. “Did you have to hit me again?”
“Yes,” answered Lilian, her tail once again resting on her lap. “Okay, I suppose I could tell you about what we did for Christmas.”
“Oh ho, going straight into the—gah!”
“Quiet you.”
Lindsay leaned in, clearly eager to hear about Lilian’s passionate tale of what she and Kevin had gotten up to on Christmas. Even Christine leaned forward, having long since given up on pretending that she wasn’t interested in knowing how good Kevin was at pleasing women.
I’m only listening because I’m curious, Christine told herself.
We both knyow that’s a lie. Nyou love him.
Be quiet! I do not!
Nya ha ha! Deny it all you want, but you can’t fight your nature.
Christine growled and tried to block out the voice in her head. She was only mildly successful.
Licking her lips, Lilian began her tale. “It all started that morning, when Kevin decided to make me breakfast in bed…”
***
Lilian couldn’t sleep. She tried. She really did. She’d kept her eyes closed and tried to empty her mind in order to let slumber take her. It didn’t work. The covers were too thick, the pillows were too soft, the mattress made her feel like she was being swallowed by a marshmallow, and Kevin wasn’t with her.
Unable to sleep, Lilian quietly snuck out of the room. After closing the door behind her, she sought the door on the opposite end of the hall. Kevin’s room. The temptation to sneak in and snuggle up to her mate hit her worse than a psycho wielding a spear and shouting, “GAE BOLG!”
With a shake of her head, she dispelled the notion. Kevin wasn’t alone in that room. Much as she didn’t care about the others, she also knew that Kevin enjoyed keeping their love life private. Hugs and kisses and finding random spots to make out was fine, but sleeping together while a bunch of his friends slept in the same room? That was probably not a good idea.
Unsure of what to do, Lilian wandered the halls. Her bare feet padded along soft carpet, and warm light from the lamps placed at even intervals illuminated her path.
She eventually took her wanderlust outside and found herself standing near a fountain. Small lights centered around the artfully crafted structure caused the water shooting from the many cupids near the top to sparkle in the starless night. Ripples in the surface at the bottom amalgamated together until miniature waves were formed. With a soft sigh, she sat down on the cool stone lip.
Lilian didn’t know how long she sat there, staring up at the velvet sky, but it must have been a while. Footsteps eventually reached her, her ears twitching at the sound. She tilted her head to see lustrous raven hair wavering in a breeze and eyes of a most enchanting crimson gazing at her.
“Iris, what are you doing here?”
“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice you slinking off in the middle of the night?”
Lilian had the decency to look embarrassed. Iris smiled, not her usual “I’m a sexy bitch and I know it” smile. This one appeared soft and tender, gentle almost—although the wicked gleam in her eyes did not instill any confidence in its sincerity. She sat down next to Lilian.
“I woke up when you got out of bed and left.” She shrugged. “I was curious to know where you were going, so I decided to follow you.”
“Oh…”
“Can’t sleep?” Lilian shook her head. “I guess I can’t blame you.” Placing her hands on the fountain’s lip behind her, Iris leaned back and looked at the sky. Lilian struggled not to stare at the way Iris’s bosoms popped out of her somewhat translucent shirt. “Your mate’s pretty warm. I imagine it’s hard getting to sleep without that warmth, or his strong, hard body pressing against yours.”
“Yeah, it is.” Lilian nodded in agreement… and then she paused, her mind screeching to a halt. “Wait. How do you know my mate’s warm? And how would you know what it feels like to have his body pressing against yours?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’ve been sneaking into your bed in the middle of the night.” A devious grin pulled at the carmine-eyed vixen’s lips. “I have to admit, I can see why you like him so much. He’s got a nice body.”
“Iris!” Lilian hissed, furious. “You… you… how could you? You know Beloved’s not going to like that!”
“Oh, relax.” Iris rolled her eyes. “I always left before either of you wake up.” She paused, her expression thoughtful. “Well, there was that one time Kevin woke up before I could get out.” The grin returned. “But I shoved Mom’s panties in his mouth before he could scream.”
That’s not somethin
g to be proud of.
“Shut up. You obviously don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Stop talking to the author!” Lilian was still angry. “I can’t believe you would do something like that. I thought I told you that we couldn’t be anything. Kevin’s not going to accept a relationship with you in it.”
“Oh, relax. I was just sampling the goods. I needed to make sure he was worth your time and attention.”
Iris tried to ruffle her hair, but Lilian stood up and began marching back to the resort’s main building.
“Aw, come on!” Iris stood up as well. “I was just kidding! I—” her eyes widened. “Lilian, look out!”
Upon hearing her sister’s urgent shout, Lilian looked up.
She was just in time to see a shadowy figure descend upon her like an avenging angel.
***
Kevin woke up sometime around midnight, his troubled sleep interrupted by the need to use the restroom. Even after taking care of business and laying back down in bed, sleep remained elusive. He just couldn’t bring himself to fall back into that restless slumber.
Unsure of what to do and unable to lie in bed any longer, he left the room and took to wandering the halls. His bare feet padded along the carpet. Black pajama pants with frolicking foxes (a Christmas gift from Kotohime) rustled and creased as he moved. He wore no shirt, so his chest was exposed to the cool night air.
He eventually made his way onto a veranda. This one meandered off for several yards before turning a corner. Columns lined the edge leading further outside, while evenly spaced windows situated in beige walls were on the opposite side.
The gray pavement felt cool against his feet as he walked to one of the columns. A soft breeze rustled his blond hair, bangs flowing over his face, strands swaying in front his eyes. He couldn’t see many stars out, but that didn’t surprise him. With its many city lights and the ridiculous amounts of pollution, it was a wonder any stars were visible in Los Angeles’ night sky.
It took Kevin a few minutes to realize that he wasn’t alone. Sitting down on a cushioned chair, eyes lost in the distance, Lindsay also stared at the surrounding scenery.
“Hey,” he greeted, walking up to her. “Couldn’t sleep either?”
“Oh, hey, Kevin.” She offered him a slight smile. “I guess you could say that. Actually, I was looking for Lilian. She wandered off somewhere, and I haven’t seen her. Iris is gone too.”
“Knowing them, Lilian probably couldn’t sleep and decided to wander the resort. She has trouble sleeping at night unless she’s snuggling with something.” Like him. “Iris probably followed her.” When an almost unnoticeable smirk appeared on Lindsay’s face, Kevin gave her a look. “What?”
“Nothing.” The blond bangs of her pixie cut swayed as Lindsay shook her head, grinning. “I just can’t help but marvel at how well you know Lilian.”
“Ha…?” Kevin didn’t get it.
“I mean that, from the way you talk about her, it’s almost like you two are married.”
“Marriage doesn’t mean much to kitsune,” Kevin informed his friend. “That’s a human concept. And besides, if you really think about it, she and I kind of are married. I’m her mate.”
“Yes, I know that. I was just…” she slowly trailed off when he continued giving her a confused look, her own face deadpanning. “Never mind.”
“Okay.”
Dismissing his friend’s odd words easily enough, Kevin sat in the chair next to her.
Silence reigned for a time. It wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable, but Lindsay didn’t seem easy with it either. She glanced at him every so often, then looked away when he looked back. He frowned, but didn’t say anything.
“You know, before you met Lilian, I sorta had a crush on you.” Kevin nearly choked on his own spit. Gaping, he spun towards Lindsay, who refused to meet his eyes and instead looked at the moon. “I had always hoped that one day you would gather up enough courage to tell me that you liked me.”
Kevin regained himself and closed his eyes. “Why are you telling me this?”
“I… I don’t know,” she said, shrugging. “Sort of like how you needed to confess to me in order to move on with your life, I guess I felt like I needed to be upfront with you for the same reason.”
“I see.” Kevin exhaled a slow, deep breath. When he looked at Lindsay again, his eyes were firm. “You know that nothing can happen between us, right? I made my choice. I belong to Lilian now, just as she belongs to me.”
“Yeah, I know.” Her smile, reassuring and friendly, put Kevin at ease. “Don’t worry. I’m not trying to steal you from her or anything. I just wanted to tell you this.”
“Fair enough.”
“Still,” her eyes danced, twinkling with enough luster that the moon was outshone, “I’m surprised to hear you speak with so much conviction. Don’t you think you’re a little young to make a claim like that?”
“Maybe if I was dating anyone else,” Kevin admitted, “but I’m not dating just anyone. I’m dating Lilian. No.” He shook his head. “I’m her mate. That’s a lifelong commitment for a human. Lilian’s not like human girls. When a kitsune chooses their first mate, it’s more than just a passing interest. Take you, for example.”
Lindsay raised an eyebrow. “Me?”
“Yes, you. When I confessed to you, you let me go.”
Lindsay pouted. “You make it sound like I’m some kind of villainous fiend who used your feelings and let you go once I lost interest.”
“Sorry, that wasn’t my intention. I just wanted to point out that you let me go. Even though you liked me, you still let me go.”
“I just wanted what’s best for you.” Lindsay blushed, just a bit. “You’re my friend. I wanted you to be happy, and I knew that you were beginning to have feelings for Lilian, so…”
“Thank you. That means a lot to me.” Kevin gave her a grateful smile. “Anyway, when you let me go, it hurt, right?” She nodded, her expression confused. “However, you eventually got over it. In fact, I’d say it probably took maybe a week at most before you were completely over our…” His nose scrunched up as he realized something. “We can’t really call it a break-up, can we?”
Lindsay snickered. “Probably not.”
“Well, whatever. My point is that you got over it quickly.” He paused, reviewing all the information Kotohime had given him on kitsune. “Kitsune are different. They’re not as willing to let their first mate go.”
“Yeah, I kinda noticed that.” Lindsay snickered. “What with the way Lilian is always clinging to you.”
“Right.” Kevin nodded. “A human girl will probably date several guys during high school and even more when she’s in college. Kitsune don’t. They stick with a single mate for many, many years. Even after they’ve parted ways, a kitsune will cross oceans if their mate is in trouble.”
Kevin paused, and then released a sardonic chuckle.
“Of course, even though I say this, I am aware that kitsune are flighty creatures. Even if their loyalty is rock-steady, the only mate who really matters is their first one. Most mates after their first are usually just a passing interest, a way to satiate their desire to reproduce when they go into heat. It’s the first mate that matters.”
“You know an awful lot about kitsune, don’t you?”
“Kotohime’s been teaching me.”
“I should have figured.”
Lindsay shook her head, seemingly amused, but also impressed. No doubt, she still remembered a time when Kevin hadn’t been as sure of himself, when he hadn’t been able to speak like this. But that was then and this was now. He was different.
It is said that our experiences define who we are as people. If that was true, then Kevin could proudly say that he wasn’t the same boy he’d been before meeting Lilian. The accumulation of events he’d experienced within the last eight months had changed him, turning him into a better person, a stronger person—or so he liked to think. Maybe he was just being arrogant,
though he certainly hoped not.
Just then, several screams filled the night air.
“That voice…” Lindsay murmured.
Kevin jumped to his feet. “It’s Lilian!”
“H-hold up, Kevin! W-wait!”
Lindsay watched as Kevin bolted off, traveling toward the screams at speeds that she could never match. Her outstretched arm fell to her side when he disappeared from sight. She stared for a few more seconds… and then rubbed her face.
“And there he goes. It’s like he’s got a one-track mind when it comes to Lilian.”
Knowing that her friends needed help, Lindsay rushed back into the resort. She couldn’t help them, but their chaperones could.
***
Blood pumped through her veins and youki surged through her body. With adrenaline raging through her, Lilian jumped back, avoiding the figure that tried to descend upon her like a fallen angel. A glint appeared within the blackness of their cloak. The figure, wreathed in darkness, raked their left hand out and slashed at the ground. Four long, deep gashes appeared in the grass. Lilian gulped.
If that attack had hit me…
“Lilian!” Iris rushed to her side. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” Lilian assured her sister, her eyes never leaving her attacker.
The cloaked individual climbed to their feet, their cloak swirling about them, covering their body and hiding much of it from view. However, while it was just a glimpse, Lilian could see the feminine curves, the swell of a prominent bust, and the flared-out hips of a woman.
“Who are you? Why are you attacking me?” she demanded.
Her attacker did not answer. She only hissed. Lilian barely had time to make a face at the odd sound before the woman bent her knees and shot forward quicker than a cannonball.
So fast!
Lilian and Iris moved in opposite directions, separating from each other to present two different targets. Unfortunately, no dilemma came to this woman’s mind. She turned on a dime and continued her relentless pursuit of Lilian.
Her red hair whipped around her as she backpedaled. Lilian pumped as much youki through her body as she dared, reinforcing her legs to the maximum. It wasn’t much—she lacked the capacity to truly make use of the reinforcement technique—but it was enough to keep her from being immediately overtaken.
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