“I shall devote my entire self to him, allowing him to use me as he pleases, in any way he desires.”
“Urk!”
“Any hole that he wishes to fill with his hot, sticky spunk, I shall allow him to fill.”
“Gurk!”
Several arrows appeared out of nowhere to violently spear him in the back. He felt them piercing his metaphorical flesh, penetrating the thick skin that he had developed from overexposure to unusual situations like it was made of melted chocolate.
“Whoa.” Violet blushed. “I had no idea you were such a kinky freak, Sis.” She shook her head. “It’s always the quiet ones.”
“Huh.” Aster—or was it Azalea? Kevin couldn’t tell because they looked the same—studied him with a strangely approving glance. “You’ve only been here for three days and have already begun working on your harem dynamics. Good job.”
“There is no harem!” Kevin snapped. “I don’t want a harem! I don’t need a harem! And you!” He pointed at the ever-impassive Jasmine. “Stop calling yourself my slave! I don’t have slaves! I don’t want slaves!”
The other lesbo twin gave him a thumbs up. “Nice tsukkomi act.”
Kevin slammed his face against the table. After ensuring that the table properly cracked underneath his face, he glared at the various vixens sitting across from him.
“… All my hate.”
“There, there, Beloved.” Lilian rubbed his back in a soothing manner. “I know that you have no desire for a harem. Don’t worry, I will make sure to keep everyone but Iris and Christine from getting into your pants.”
“What?”
“I said I’ll keep all of these vixens away from you.”
“Thank you, Lilian.” Kevin sniffled as he looked at her. “You’re the only person I can count on these days.”
Lilian’s eyes glistened with unshed, happy tears. “Of course you can count on me, Beloved. I’m your mate. You know that I would do anything for you.”
“And I would do anything for you.”
“Oh, Kevin.”
“Lilian.”
“Kevin!”
“Lilian!”
The two suddenly embraced, and everyone present witnessed something unusual—even for a group of kitsune. The dining hall that they were eating in vanished. The walls disappeared to be replaced by an alpine prairie, greenery as far as the eye could see, a true paradise of grass. The ceiling disappeared to reveal a clear blue sky and several mountains in the distance. In the center of this strange world that couldn’t possibly have been real, Kevin and Lilian continued hugging each other.
“Huh.” Violet stared at the scene, her face an amalgam of “What the fuck?” and “I don’t care. I’m eating.” “Now I’ve seen everything.”
“What the hell is this?” asked Daphne, who gawked as several leaves blew past her face.
“Mother,” Ivy said, gathering her mother’s attention. “This grass is real.”
“Really?” Holly bent down in her seat and plucked several blades of grass from underneath the table. She held each blade to her eyes and studied them. “Hmm, it seems you are correct. This grass is, indeed, real grass. This bears further investigation. For science.”
“For science,” Ivy agreed. As one, mother and daughter adjusted their glasses, which flashed in a dastardly sort of way.
Aster and Azalea also pulled out some grass and proceeded to make facial hair with them. Aster went with a handlebar mustache, while Azalea decided to create a fu manchu.
“You have now learned everything that you need to know, young grasshopper,” Azalea said in a faux Chinese accent, while Aster twirled her handlebar with a thoughtful mien.
“I wonder… is it odd that I suddenly feel like riding a bicycle while singing Bohemian Rhapsody?”
“Hmm, yeah, probably, especially because neither of us have ever heard Bohemian Rhapsody.”
“What a lovely scene,” Marigold murmured to herself. She seemed to adore the alpine greenery surrounding her.
Standing behind her mistress like the ever-faithful maid that she was, Kirihime watched as Camellia grabbed several strands of grass, set them on the table, and began twisting them with surprisingly dexterous fingers.
“My Lady, what are you doing?”
“Um.” Camellia gave Kirihime a bright smile. “I’m making a get well soon band for Iris.”
“My Lady, that’s so sweet.” Kirihime’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.
At the mention of Iris, Kevin and Lilian stopped hugging, causing the world to revert back to its normal paradigm as the tapestry of reality was restored. Oddly enough, to Kevin at least, the grass that Camellia had didn’t disappear like it did for everyone else.
As breakfast resumed, Kevin’s eyes strayed toward the head of the table. Delphine Pnév̱ma sat there, quietly eating her meal as she watched her family. Her placid smile seeped with amusement, and the way her eyes shone bothered him for reasons he still didn’t understand.
Kevin couldn’t place what it was about this woman that bothered him so much. Delphine had mentioned how his human mind inherently registered her power as a threat and dubbed it unsafe, but he didn’t think that was the real reason he felt so uncomfortable around her. No, there had to be something else, something more than just her power, that bothered him so much.
“Oh, my.” And she had noticed him looking at her. Just great. “If you keep staring at me like that, I might get pregnant.”
“You can’t get pregnant from someone staring at you,” he grumbled irritably. He picked up a melitini from his plate and took a bite, savoring the sweet flavor. It wasn’t exactly healthy for him, and Coach Deretaine would throw a fit if the man found out he’d eaten something like this. Kevin took another bite.
Just then, the dining hall doors opened and one of Delphine’s sons strode into the room, his four fox tails swaying behind him.
“Ah! You’re that bishy who treated Lilian like crap the other day!” Kevin pointed at the bishy in question, who glared at him in return.
“Shut up, brat! My name isn’t bishy! It’s Palladius!”
“Ugh, what an awful name.” Kevin grimaced. “Your mother must hate you.”
Delphine placed her hands on her cheeks. “Do you really think it’s that awful of a name?”
“Yes.” Kevin nodded. “Yes, it is. It’s terrible. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“Oh, dear me, and I thought it was such a good name, too,” she said, and then paused. “Then again, I was really drunk when I came up with that name…”
“… I hate you so much right now,” Palladius growled.
“Is there something you needed to speak with me about, Palladius?” Delphine got back on track.
Palladius walked up to the matriarch and whispered in her ear. Kevin didn’t know what was said, but whatever the bishy said to her, it must have been important, for the woman suddenly stood up, directing all attention to her.
She peered at her family, her nine silvery fox tails covering her body like a second toga. She glanced at Kevin, who clenched his fist—until Lilian’s hand sought out his.
“Do forgive me, but it appears I must cut our breakfast short. It seems one of our clan’s allies has become embroiled in some trouble, and they have requested my personal assistance. Daphne,” she turned to her daughter, “until I return, you are in charge.”
“Of course, Mother.” Daphne seemed honestly astonished, but she accepted her mother’s order with grace.
As the woman with nine tails left, a smattering of conversation broke out.
“That was weird,” Aster mumbled before eating the grilled sausage in her sister’s hand. Kevin wondered if the way she moaned around the long, cylindrical object was just how she naturally ate sausages—or if she was doing it to annoy Violet.
Probably the latter. Doesn’t she go for tacos?
“Hm, hm.” Marigold nodded at her younger sister’s words. “It does seem odd that someone would request personal
assistance from the matriarch, mukyu.”
“What’s so odd about that?” asked Kevin. When everyone turned to give him blank stares, he felt both embarrassed and annoyed. “What? I’m a human, remember? I don’t know how your clan works.”
“If you would allow me, I would be honored to explain, Kevin-sama,” Kotohime said.
“Ah, go ahead, Kotohime.”
“One thing that you must understand about kitsune is that our entire society has its own hierarchy. The lowest within this hierarchy are independent kitsune, those who do not belong to any clan. Following this are the members of smaller clans, then the heads of those small clans. Next in line are members of larger clans that are not one of the Thirteen Great Clans and their leaders. Then there are the Thirteen Great Clans themselves, followed by their heads. And at the top of this hierarchy are the Kyūbi, the three nine-tailed kitsune who rule over all.”
“Granny’s really important,” Lilian added helpfully. Violet snorted into her drink.
“Pnév̱ma-denka is a Kyūbi,” Kotohime continued. “As one of only three Kyūbi in the entire world, she stands at the top. They listen to no one’s counsel but their own, and they do not take kindly to people who try to make personal requests of them. For someone to actually have the gall to personally request a Kyūbi’s presence is not only unheard of, but downright foolish.”
Kevin slowly nodded. “I guess that makes sense.”
“Whoever asked for Mom must have balls of steel,” Violet commented, causing everyone else to nod.
***
Delphine followed Palladius through marble hallways and down a flight of stone steps. A massive room spread out before her. It appeared similar to a dome. The walls of the circular interior curved upwards into a spherical ceiling. Several gas-powered lamps lit her surroundings. In the center of this room stood a gate.
It was not an ordinary gate, like the kind found in front of a house, made from iron or steel or even wood. This gate was simply a large stone archway of intricate design. The columns holding up the triangular roof were not the standard Corinthian columns seen in other places of her estate, but were instead composed of Kyūbi statues. Each Kyūbi sat on its haunches, their nine tails arrayed behind them, twisting and curving in convoluted designs. Their eyes, two rubies, glimmered as light refracted off them.
Delphine stepped up to the Shrine Gate, her nine tails activating it. The eyes became alight with a vibrant glow. Arcs of arcane energy, youki both ancient and powerful, lanced out. The energy coalesced in the center, gathering into a ball, which soon expanded to encompass the entire space within the gate. Like a reflection on the water’s surface, an image appeared within of a small garden overlooking a hamlet.
She didn’t spare her son a second glance as she stepped through the portal, which rippled as she passed…
… and then she was standing on the other side, on the edge of a small cliff, the tiny hamlet she’d seen in the gate’s surface expanding before her.
There was no one there.
Delphine frowned as no one greeted her, not a single living soul.
“How odd,” she murmured to herself. She turned toward the path that led to the village. Deciding to continue on, she followed the path as it meandered down the cliff and soon entered the village proper.
The village before her was small, tiny, even when compared to Psyxḗ. She passed by small huts made of stone and wood. A few kitsune wandered the dirt road. They stopped when they saw her, and she frowned upon noticing the shocked looks etched upon their faces. She had to give them credit, though. Despite their surprise, they still stumbled into the semblance of a bow when she passed them, their bodies trembling.
She ignored the kitsune of the village and strode toward the small castle where the leader of this clan resided.
They appeared before her like fingers jutting up from the earth, a series of tall spires connected by a stone wall. Their design was stereotypical of castles found on the British Isles built during the Medieval Period. They were large, but she’d seen larger.
A guard stood by the portcullis. Upon seeing her stride toward him, his tails stiffened, his eyes bulged, and his mouth dropped. The expression amused her.
“L-Lady Kyūbi?!” he squeaked, then hurried to bow. “I-i-it is an honor to be in your presence, Your Grace!”
“Indeed,” Delphine said. “I am here to speak with your leader. Would you please raise the gate for me?”
“O-of course!”
One of the lad’s two tails extended and latched onto a lever, which it pulled. Crank! Delphine listened to the cranking and turning of an ancient pulley. The gate lifted slowly, a ponderous movement, like the turning of a clock whose gears had rusted over from centuries of disuse. Soon, however, the large gateway that blocked her from entering fully opened, revealing the courtyard within, and beyond that, the small castle where this clan’s matriarch resided.
“Thank you. Now, if you’d please take me to your leader, I would be most appreciative.” She smiled at the lad, whose face turned a bright red. Oh, my. How adorable.
“A-at once, Your Grace.”
As the young kitsune lead her into the castle, Delphine hoped that this clan’s leader had a good explanation for the discourteous treatment. It was an insult to not be greeted when first arriving. If she didn’t find the excuse satisfactory, then family or no, there would be punishment.
No one insulted a Kyūbi.
***
Kevin sat on one of the many benches interspersed throughout the garden. He was bored. It was odd. Here he was, experiencing a world beyond anything he’d imagined, living among a group of kitsune, surrounded by more than half a dozen beautiful women, and he was bored.
Eric would be most disappointed in me.
Lilian was busy running from Daphne, who was attempting to teach her something. Again. He didn’t know where Kotohime was, though he imagined she was sparring with Ayane. He’d discovered this morning that those two had some kind of rivalry, which he guessed made sense. Ninja and Samurai never really got along in anime and manga. Their philosophies were too different. Something like that.
What should I do now?
He supposed he could clean his guns, but he’d already done that this morning after his and Lilian’s spar with Kotohime. He could also do some exercise, but considering Kotohime had kicked the crap out of him for at least an hour before lunch, exercise wasn’t something he felt keen on doing. Really, there wasn’t much he could do.
Man, Lilian was right. Once the novelty of this place wears off, it’s actually really boring.
His thoughts were knocked out of focus when footsteps sounded out behind him. He turned his head just in time to see four bushy fox tails rushing toward him.
He saw nothing after that.
***
Calenthia Vættir was the head of the Vættir Clan, a minor spirit clan that lived in Britain. She was actually the younger sister of Camellia, who’d originally been next in line to become clan head.
She looked almost exactly like her older sister. Long black hair reminiscent of a wave flowed down a face that looked nearly identical to Camellia’s but younger. Adorning her body was a simple dress made of black satin. Despite its simplicity, it fit her well, emphasizing her womanly curves while maintaining a sense of modesty. The slit that ran up the side revealed a good amount of leg, showing off milky white thighs and calves. Further covering her body were four tails, which gently caressed her figure like velvety serpents.
“Matriarch Pnév̱ma,” the woman greeted with a pleasant smile. Delphine withheld her frown. “It’s a pleasure to see you again. I hope my sister is doing well.”
“Camellia is doing fine,” Delphine answered with her own composed smile. “She is happy as always.”
“I am pleased to hear that.” Calenthia shifted. “You know, it’s very rare for you to visit another clan. May I inquire as to what brought you here?”
Now that made Delphine frown. “Did you not ask for my
presence?”
Calenthia blinked. “No, of course not. I know better than to personally ask the Silver Queen of the Netherworld for assistance when I have nothing to offer her.”
Delphine closed her eyes. “I see.” A mirthful smile crossed her face. “It seems I have been hoodwinked into coming here.”
“Matriarch Pnév̱ma?”
“It is nothing,” Delphine said, turning her smile on Calenthia. “Since it seems you did not call me here, and if my assumption is correct, I will not be able to return home for a while, why don’t you and I have a cup of tea?”
“Ah, um, very well.” Calenthia appeared confused, but fortunately for her, she decided not to argue and merely had her servants bring them a cup of tea.
***
Lilian was worried.
Kevin had gone missing. She wasn’t sure how long it had been since he disappeared—mainly because she’d been getting chased by Daphne, who seemed intent on teaching her what it took to be a proper Pnév̱ma female. However, after knocking the vixen out with a stink bomb to the face, she’d managed to escape her evil aunt’s clutches and went in search of her mate.
Only he wasn’t anywhere to be found. She had searched the entire Pnév̱ma grounds, including Holly’s and Ivy’s dwelling, to see if they were experimenting on him, and Jasmine’s abode, to make sure she wasn’t trying to convince her beloved to commit acts of eroticism on her.
He hadn’t been in either of those places. No one knew where he was, it seemed. Not Violet, not Kotohime or her sister, not her mother. It was like he’d disappeared. That was when she’d begun to panic.
After informing Kotohime that Kevin was missing, she and her maid convinced the other members of her family to help her search. They’d scoured the entire Pnév̱ma grounds, but no one could find hide nor hair of him. It truly was as if he had vanished into thin air.
Which was why Lilian had decided to search Psyxḗ.
The sun had begun to set. She looked up at the sky, which held the appearance of having been lit on fire. She must have been searching for at least six hours now. Her gaze came back down, and she walked up to the first person she saw. Perhaps it was fate that this person just happened to be Berenise.
A Fox's Revenge (American Kitsune Book 7) Page 32
