"Sometimes. When you are not getting me in trouble."
"What? I never get you in trouble. It's your own poor decision-making abilities that put you in jeopardy."
"I shall remember that next time you ask me to do something."
"What were we talking about?"
"Your tawdry makeup."
"Fine. Let me borrow one of your makeup wipes."
"You are hilarious."
"I know."
I ran into the bathroom and pulled out my pack, ripping one out and rubbing my face until it was red but clean. Hiroki was standing behind me and staring at me in the mirror. "Much better."
"Yeah, yeah. Sure it is."
"It is. You do not need makeup. You are only covering that which is perfect."
"You trying to get into my pants?"
"You are wearing a skirt."
"Oh. Did you want to wear my skirt?"
"No. It would clash with my shoes," he said and turned away.
"Roki?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you for telling me I'm beautiful."
"I simply share the truth. Be careful tonight but have fun. Not your usual levels, though. We don't want you getting expelled."
"Good advice. No sake."
"I do not think they serve alcohol…"
"That was a joke."
"It is hard to tell with you."
There was a soft, subtle knock on our door. "Bye, Roki. Be unobtrusive."
"Hai."
I opened the door and was rewarded with one of David's warm, sultry smiles. "Hi, Kaede."
"Hi yourself. You remember Hiroki?"
David's eyes widened in surprise. "You are roommates?"
"Yes."
"That is…unexpected."
And not something I want the whole school to know. I quickly exited the room and pulled the door shut behind me. "It's okay. He's my manservant and probably finds you more attractive than me."
"You don't think I'm attractive?"
"No! I mean, yes! You're very attractive. I meant he finds you more attractive than me."
"Oh. He likes guys."
"Yes."
"Cool. Hungry?"
"Always."
He pulled back and gave me a once over. "I find that a little hard to believe," he said, referring to my appearance.
"Nope. I do. Trust me. I drink a lot, too. Just burn energy like bridges."
"That I can believe."
"Whatcha mean by that?" We stepped from the bottom of the stairwell and he pulled the door open to the common area.
"Just that you look like if somebody pissed you off, you would have no problem making their life a living nightmare."
"Oh."
"Vindictive?"
"Yep." He had no idea.
"So… Where are you from?"
"California," I answered, grateful for the small talk. Small talk I could do. Big talk, not so much. It wasn't that I was stupid, although Hiroki might beg to differ, I just had the attention span of a gnat drinking Red Bull. I was pretty sure there was some squirrel mixed in with my fox ancestry. You should see me freak out when I run out in front of a moving car.
"Northern?"
"Yeah. How could you tell?"
"Spent some time there. You fit in."
"Is that a compliment?'
"Definitely. One of my favorite places."
"What about you?" We exited the dorm and stepped into the cold night air. I shivered, even through my jacket. I felt my fur bristling to be let free and keep me warm. I wasn't sure how David felt about unshaved girls, so I kept it under wraps.
"All over. My family became close with Rome and Remy's. It's how we ended up at school together. Got in a bit of trouble…"
"Oh, I know that feeling."
"I can imagine," he answered with a little smile. "You've got trouble written all over you."
"It was permanent marker. I tried to get it off, I swear."
He chuckled at my joke and suddenly the night didn't seem as cold as it had just a few minutes before. "So. Three years, huh?"
"Sadly."
"What did you do to earn such a shitty sentence?"
"Saved a human from jumping off a building. Got recorded on TV. That was the last straw. It's been a long time coming. Even my own parents were sick of my shit."
"Let me guess, endless nights of partying, drinking, and debauchery?"
"Not so much on the debauchery, but the other two… Oh, yeah."
"Same with us. We were on our way home when Rome fell asleep at the wheel. Ended up getting into a horrific car accident."
"Glad you guys are okay."
"The other car, not so much," he said guiltily. I could hear the pain in his voice.
"Did you guys get caught?"
"Not by the human authorities, but our clans…"
"They flip shit?"
"To put it mildly. Eat a human and you're just succumbing to your natural urges. Get drunk and crash into them with a stolen vehicle…"
"That sucks. I'm sorry."
He nodded and opened the door to the dining hall. Warmth and the smell of food washed over us, and I blinked in surprise. The food smelled amazeballs and I almost started drooling.
He reached over and wiped the corner of my mouth. "Somebody's hungry."
"Just a tad."
"Come on. Let's eat."
Chapter 8
We were one of the first ones to get to dinner and I was amazed to see that instead of long, cafeteria tables, the dining hall had been set up like a restaurant. Hundreds of tables varying in size filled the enormous room and the food was served buffet style. And it was all you could eat, and I was planning on it. My plate looked like someone had flipped a stuffed wok over on it into a perfect dome shape. It was mostly stable, but the removal of even the smallest piece of food would have threatened the structural integrity. So, I resisted the urge to pick at it while we walked to our table.
"You can make more than one trip, you know," David said as I shifted the plate in my hand as we walked, maintaining the center of gravity.
"I know. I plan on it."
"You're going to get more?"
"Oh, David. Sweet, sweet David. Never judge a woman by how much she eats, sweetie. Bigger men have died for less."
"Good point. I was going to offer to carry that for you, but I wasn't sure I could lift that much."
"And here I was just thinking how quickly I could fall for you…" I set my plate down on a little two-person table tucked away in the corner.
"You were?"
"Was."
"Damn. I was so close. Maybe I can make it up to you and regain your favor."
He set his food down and pulled out my chair for me. "Not by pulling out my chair. I'm pretty independent, though it was a sweet gesture."
"May I procure you a beverage, my lady?"
"Saving me a trip. That's worth at least two favor points."
"Sweet! What would you like?"
"Whatever. I'm not picky if it's not alcohol."
"I shall return." He gave me a smile and surprised me when he caressed my cheek. While I would have normally found the gesture to be completely weird and kind of creepy, with him it wasn't. It was sweet and oh so warm. His fingers heated my still cold flesh from the walk to the dining hall. I wasn't sure if it was from his over-active body heat or just the gentleness of his touch. Either way, I shifted in my seat, wanting nothing more than for him to touch me, again
I sat down and got a head start on my trough of food. Plate of food. Troughs would have been convenient though. Hiroki came in through the main door, briefly glanced in my direction, and headed toward the buffet while I munched on a chicken wing.
"Here you go," David said from behind me, almost causing me to choke on the bone when I jumped. "Skittery little thing, aren't you?" He set a glass of iced tea down in front of me and another by his plate of food.
"Comes with the breed," I mumbled.
"Pardon?"
I sighed. "This wouldn't be
so bad if it weren't for the whole 'keep what you are hidden at all costs' thing. That's just fucking stupid."
"I agree. But they are trying to get us to blend in with the human world. Hard to do that when you're running around with fur, ears, tails, and claws."
I blinked in surprise. "Do you?"
"Do I what?"
"Run around with all that?" I wasn't sure if he was telling me about himself or fishing for what I was. He did seem a little excited when I got…excited. His nostrils were flaring, and he was looking at me like a cheeseburger.
"No. Do you?"
"When I cosplay. Sometimes."
He gave me a grin and scooped a forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth. "You trying to figure out what I am, Kaede?"
"No. As I said. I couldn't care less."
"Tell you what. Go out with me and I'll tell you what I am."
"I am going out with you. To dinner. Right now."
"I mean all the time. Be my girlfriend and I won't keep any secrets about me from you."
I stared at him in confusion. "Girlfriend? Um… I don't know if you know this, but we just sort of met and I'm kind of annoying."
"I find you charming."
"We still just met."
"True. I guess we could give it some time. We'll just have to date a whole lot. Quickly, so you can get to know me faster."
I grinned at him, open mouth full of chicken wing and not caring in the slightest. If he wanted to be my boyfriend, he had better get used to seeing me gnawing on meat. At mealtimes. "Too bad there isn't anything to do. Like go to the movies. Clubs. Restaurants. Anything."
"There is the village."
"Excuse me?"
"The village?"
"What village?"
"The village at the base of the valley. We're allowed to go there on the weekends…"
"Why wasn't I made aware of this?"
"The headmistress mentioned it in orientation. Rome and Remy told me since I was outside with you. Your manservant didn't tell you?"
I sighed. "He's more like a babysitter and probably didn't tell me to keep me out of trouble."
"Are you that much trouble?"
"Hi. I'm Kaede Trouble Tanaka. Nice to meet you." I stuck out my hand.
I'd meant it as a joke, but he took it and I gasped as his hand slid into mine. Heat slid over me like a warm, wet blanket and my lungs threatened to explode as suddenly I was running through the forest, chasing the full moon overhead. I looked down at my paws, my giant paws covered in gray fur. I threw my head back and howled at the moon, my snout blocking the view of the ground beneath me. I wasn't a fox…I was a wolf.
"Kaede?"
Reality snapped back into focus as David gave me a worried glance. "Did you feel that?"
"Feel what?"
"Nothing." I sadly let go of his hand.
"Sparks? You felt the magic between us?" He was joking, but if he only knew…
"Something like that." I cut a piece of roast beef off, careful not to spill food across the table, and set it on my tongue. I frowned, grabbed the salt shaker and covered everything. The food was tasty…just kind of bland. I tried another bite and smiled in satisfaction.
"You're going to get hypertension."
"I'm already high-strung. Might as well be salty, too."
"You're a strange creature."
I gave him another smile. He wasn't even eating, simply staring. "What?"
"Strange but beautiful."
"And fun at parties. Your food is going to get cold," I said and pointed at his plate with my fork.
He nodded and cut a large piece of meat off his slab and wasn't as gentle with it as he was with his mashed potatoes. Can't always hide the carnivore. I was surprised he was eating veggies. Foxes were omnivorous. I tried to maintain a healthy balance between my protein intake and my love of fucking carbs. Especially the chocolate variety.
"What are your plans after dinner?"
"Go back to my room. Have a nice long hot shower. Lie in bed and moan at being stuck going to school for the next three years."
"Come on. We're both likely immortal. It will go just like that," he said and snapped his fingers. "How old are you?"
"Twenty-three."
He grinned at me.
"What?"
"You're twenty-three?"
"Yes? How old are you?"
"Twenty-two."
"Oh. Wow. I thought you were younger. Is that young for a wer…your race?"
He narrowed his eyes and I mentally kicked myself. I'd almost given up that I knew what he was. I wasn't ready to do that. Yet. "We age until we hit our thirties, then stop. Few of us live forever, though."
"Occupational hazards?"
"No. Other lands to hunt. We move on from this world."
"Oh. That sounds…metaphysical."
"It is."
"What about the twins. Are they the same as you?"
"No. We share many characteristics…but they are extraordinary and rare."
"You seem pretty rare to me."
"How so?"
"You're sweet and hot. The usual combination is dick and hot. Or sweet and ugly. You're a rarity."
"What about you? Friggin' beautiful and adorable."
"Those mean the same thing."
"No. The beautiful was referring to your outside. The adorable was in reference to your personality."
I blushed with a mouthful of beef. "Fanks?"
"You're welcome." He gave me one of his signature smiles and I melted a little inside. In fact, I was starting to leak… I shifted uncomfortably and tried to think of unsexy things. Like Professor Welheim in a two-piece and Lateran doing body shots of tequila off her. I gagged on my roast beef and stopped the leakage.
The damage was already done, though. My excitement had excited David. His eyes were glowing a soft amber color as he stared at me, nostrils flaring and his tongue tasting the air around him. "What are you?"
"Oh, boy." I set my fork and knife down on the edge of my plate I had actually managed to clear a bit of food away from. "You okay, Big Guy?"
"Yes. Your scent…"
I didn't really want to think about it. Damn my leaky lady bits. Kitsune were very sexual creatures by nature. I probably shouldn't have gotten turned on around a fucking werewolf. Judging from the look on his face he didn't want to fuck me as much as put me between two pieces of bread.
"Both predator and prey in nature. You need to leave?"
He growled softly, I felt it more than heard it.
"David… Can you control yourself?"
He shook his head, not in denial, but to clear it. "Yes."
I sighed in relief as his eyes stopped glowing and he continued eating his food, trying very hard not to look directly at me. "You want me to go?"
"Hell no." This time he did look up, a worried expression clouding his very masculine features. His brown eyes looking like so much chocolate.
"Okay. I won't. You're not going to eat me, are you? Little Kaede cake after dinner?"
He grinned. "Not unless you ask me nicely…"
He turned the damn faucet back on and I wasn't sure if he was going for sexual innuendo or cannibalistic kink. "Um…"
"Sorry. Too sexy for first date?'
"So, you meant it as sexy and not food?"
He shot me a worried glance. "That's what you thought?'
I nodded.
"You know. Don't you." He wasn't asking.
"What you are?"
He nodded.
"Yep. Kind of saw it when I shook your hand."
He sighed. "You gonna put my name in the box?"
"Nope." I meant it. I wasn't a dick like that.
"Thank you."
"So…just to clarify. When you went all," I paused and leaned a little closer and whispered, "wolfy, you didn't want to eat me?"
He chuckled and shook his head. "Not like that."
It was my turn to blush.
"I don't think I've ever wanted anyone more in my li
fe… In fact, if you asked me to stand up right now, I'd be forced to politely decline."
"You're hard?"
"Got any six-inch iron spikes you need nailed through a tree trunk?"
My eyes widened in surprise. I really kind of wanted to look under the table, but that might be considered a little rude in some circles. "Glad I'm not the only one."
His eyes widened. "You have a dick?"
I stuck my tongue out at him. "I meant aroused, smart ass."
"You find me attractive?"
I gave him a sultry smile and sipped my iced tea.
"You are going to be very dangerous to hang around with, Kaede Tanaka."
"Danger is fun, David…" I realized I didn't know his last name.
"Lupescu." He filled in the blank.
"That's not Japanese."
He chuckled. "Romanian."
"David is Romanian?"
"David isn't. Dah-veed is how it's really pronounced."
"Oooh. I likey. Can I call you that?"
"You can call me whatever you want."
"Slumming tonight, David? Or are you helping the slow kids with their homework." Sabine's voice broke our conversation. I rolled my eyes. She really needed to get a life.
"Oh, it's you. Here I thought they were serving sushi." I sniffed the air. It was childish, I admit, but so am I.
"What do you need, Sabine?" David covered his mouth with his hand, trying very hard not to laugh at my childish joke.
"I was going to invite you to come eat with me."
"I'm already eating with Kaede."
"I can see that. Why?"
"Because I invited her to dinner?"
"Why?"
"Isn't it weird like that with little kids? It's always why, why, why," I interjected.
"What is your problem?" She put her hands on her hips and turned toward me.
"Oh, gee. I don't know, Miss Rocketscientist. What could my problem possibly be? Maybe you?"
I half expected her to take a swing at me. Or dump my tea. Maybe stomp her foot and go buy a Gucci purse off eBay or something. Instead, she just snarled and walked away. Her two cronies behind her giving me snide looks and following behind her. At least they left.
David just started laughing.
"How in the world of fuck did you ever date that nasty bitch?"
"Because she is the sister of my two best friends…"
I blinked in confusion. Then it dawned on me. "You're fucking kidding me. Rome and Remy, Sabine and Headmistress Lateran are all related? And they all hate me?"
A Tail of Woah: A Reverse Harem Academy Tail (The Fox and the Hounds Book 1) Page 7
