A Fox's Tail (American Kitsune Book 2)

by Brandon Varnell

  Lilian relaxed, but only slightly. This woman could be lying to make her drop her guard. She couldn't detect a lie, but that didn't mean much. Lilian would not allow herself to be duped. Constant vigilance and all that.

  “So what are you doing here?” asked Kevin.

  “I've got to pick up some things for my brother,” Kiara scowled. “The idiot hurt himself playing sports, and now he's stuck at home. I'm grabbing his homework for him. Just because he's bedridden doesn't mean he can slack off.”

  “Ah.” Kevin nodded his head and smiled. “You're a pretty nice sister to do that for him.”

  “Ha!” Kiara barked a laugh. “You might think that, but I doubt he will. He'll hate the fact that I'm not letting him slack off.”

  The femme in the business suit then turned to Lilian, who was still staring at her hard. It wasn't quite a glare, but it would certainly be disconcerting to the average human.

  Good thing she wasn't average. Or human.

  “Something wrong?”

  “You look really familiar.” Lilian's frown deepened, brows knitting in mild frustration. “Do I know you from somewhere?”

  The fanged grin Kiara sent Lilian's way caused a strange shiver to run down Kevin's spine, for reasons he couldn't understand.

  “Who knows,” she said, dropping the grin after several seconds and giving a shrug. “We very well could have. I do so much traveling for my business that I've met a lot of people, and faces tend to blur together after a while.”

  “Business?” This question came from Kevin.

  “Yep.” Kiara nodded and puffed up her chest in pride. “I'm the owner of the largest chain of fitness centers in the United States.”

  “You mean Mad Dawg Fitness?” Kevin perked up. Then his eyes widened. “You're Kiara F. Kuyo!”

  Lilian glanced curiously at Kevin, while Kiara gave him a fanged smirk. “The very same.”

  “Do you know this person, Beloved?”

  “Only by name,” Kevin replied, still looking at Kiara in surprise. “Kiara F. Kuyo is the owner of Mad Dawg Fitness; the largest and most popular chain fitness centers in the United States. I think they have something like twenty-thousand gyms located throughout the country. They're known for not only having top-quality equipment, but also being much more affordable than other gyms. My mom has a membership.”

  “We also have a lot of the amenities the more expensive gyms offer, like a spa, massage parlor, café, basketball and volleyball courts, two Olympic-sized swimming pools and an outdoor swimming pool with three water slides,” Kiara added.

  “You had me at massage.” Lilian turned to her mate, her large eyes imploring. “Can we go there, Beloved?”

  “Maybe some time this weekend,” Kevin told her. He glanced back at Kiara. “I didn't know your brother went here.”

  “Oh, he does.” Kiara smiled knowingly. “You might even know him.”

  “Really?”

  “Well, maybe.” Kiara shrugged. “It's a pretty big school, and he's a year older than you, so maybe not.”

  “Oh,” Kevin absentmindedly wondered who among the student body could be related to Kiara. They would have to be athletic, especially with a sister like her; but he couldn't think of who that might be. There was no one at Desert Cactus High that he knew with the last name Kuyo.

  “Right.” Lilian smiled as she increased her grip on Kevin's arm, startling him out of his thoughts. Addressing Kiara, she said, “It was very nice meeting you, but my Beloved and I really must be going.”

  “That's fine.” Kiara waved them off. “I have to meet with my brother's teachers anyway.”

  The three parted ways, Kevin and Lilian going one direction while Kiara went another.

  As they were leaving, Lilian looked back to see the wild-haired woman walking toward the main school building.

  “Something wrong, Lilian?” asked Kevin.

  “No.” Lilian shook her head. “Come on, Beloved. Let's go home.”

  The two began to walk again, when they were stopped by a low, pain-filled groan.

  “Owwwcchhh…”

  Looking down, they found the source of the agonized moaning. There, lying beneath them as they stood on his back, was Eric. He was still unconscious.

  Kevin and Lilian looked back up at each other, one looking sheepish, the other wearing an amused smile.

  “Um, oops,” Lilian rapped her knuckles against her noggin and winked at him, “Tee-hee.”

  ***

  Almost an hour after arriving, Kiara finally finished meeting with all of Chris' teachers.

  She was exhausted.

  The meetings had been very trying. It was almost as bad as meetings with the board of directors for her fitness centers. She had been forced to explain why her brother wasn't attending classes, without giving away that they weren't human, or that he had gotten his ass kicked by another non-human entity. She'd used the excuse that Chris had been bullying someone smaller than him, and ran into that person's much bigger friend. Having to give the story over and over again eerily reminded her of how board meetings often went.

  Her board of directors were a bunch of idiots.

  Thankfully, unlike her board of directors, she hadn't been forced to repeat herself more than once per teacher. Everyone knew that Chris was the closest thing to a tyrant without actually being a ruler; they had readily believed her, swallowing her words like they were the sweetest ambrosia. She got the feeling that her brother's teachers were simply too happy knowing that he wouldn't be attending school to wonder about the how's or why's.

  She didn't blame them. Her brother was one of the worst kinds of people. If they weren't related, there was no way she would have been so accommodating to the boy.

  On a side note, the coach in charge of wrestling had been pretty disappointed.

  As she walked back to her car, Chris's homework stacked in her hands, her mind went to the kitsune and her human mate. They were such an interesting couple, particularly Lilian. The girl was sharp; for a second, Kiara thought the redhead had actually been able to sense what she was.

  She hadn't. As a two-tails, Lilian probably didn't have very good sensing abilities, and Kiara had trained herself to suppress her yōkai. A four-tails might be able to sense her, but not a two-tails.

  The girl had recognized her, though, at least enough to realize they had met some time before. Kiara would have to be more careful in the future. It wouldn't do for the girl to recognize her before she was truly ready to reveal herself.

  At least Kiara knew why the girl looked so familiar; they had met somewhere before. She still couldn't recall where yet, but figured it would come to her in time.

  “I think I might actually have some fun with these two.” Kiara grinned to herself as she opened the car door and sat inside. She started the car and listened as it roared to life, reveling in the sound of her vehicle's powerful engine.

  Putting the car in reverse, she efficiently navigated out of the school grounds. It was time to make sure her idiot of a brother didn't lose any more of his brain cells by lazing around in bed all day.

  Chapter 6

  Track Meet Troubles

  Wednesday heralded Kevin's first track and field event of the year. It felt a little strange to have an event so early in the year; it being only fall. Track was supposed to be a spring sport; it had been last year.

  Well, whatever. Kevin didn’t care about which season he ran in. This just meant that he would be dealing with slightly cooler weather, which was fine by him.

  After Kevin's last class of the day, Computer Programming, he and Lilian proceeded to the locker rooms—although it would probably be more accurate to say that Kevin proceeded while Lilian just followed him around, as per the usual.

  “Are you nervous, Beloved?” Lilian asked, peering at her mate as they walked through the hallway. Their feet tapped against the blue tiles of the hall, echoing in the empty corridor. The other track members were probably already getting changed.

  L
ilian held his hand, her delicate and feminine fingers laced through his slightly calloused ones. The fox-girl marveled at how warm his hand was. It felt nice.

  “Not really.” Kevin shook his head, barely even registering their conjoined appendages anymore. He’d grown so used to this happening―and finally realized the futility of trying to make her stop―that it simply no longer bothered him, even though he felt like it should. What would Lindsay think if she saw them like this?

  At least she no longer clung to his side like glue; that was something to be grateful for.

  You had to be thankful for the little things.

  “I'm actually pretty excited. I've been doing really well during practice. Even Coach Deretaine was surprised by the times I've been getting. I'm sure I'll ace my races no problem. There's no way I'll lose to anyone this time!”

  Kevin held his free hand up near his face, clenching it into a fist. His normally blue irises burst into twin balls of fire, orange and yellow flames that burned and flickered, a raging inferno being fed gasoline by several large canisters at the same time. He was emotive like that.

  “Last year I got third place in the one-hundred meter dash,” Kevin continued. “Chase ended up getting second, and we were both beaten by this one guy from Mountain Shadows High School.”

  “Mountain Shadows High School?” Lilian questioned, her head tilting slightly to the left.

  “They're a school up near Peoria,” Kevin told her, “Our school and Mountain Shadow have been competing against each other for years now, long before I even started going here. Our schools have always hated each other for some reason―don't really know why. I guess you could say they're like our rivals or something.”

  “Huh.”

  His school and Mountain Shadow were always trying to outdo the other in everything; from sports to academics to fine arts. There had even been rumors of a debate between the two schools’ debate teams getting violent. The rivalry they had was legendary.

  Not that Kevin really cared about whatever rivalry the schools had. He’d never put much stalk in school rivalries, and the only person he considered rival-worthy was Kasey Chase. It had all started before his time anyway.

  “I know you'll be amazing, Beloved.” Lilian smiled at her mate’s obvious excitement. It was so rare to see him fired up like this. She couldn't help but become infected by his enthusiasm. “I'll be rooting for you.”

  Kevin grinned and swiped his thumb across his tip of his nose, appearing both mildly embarrassed and genuinely pleased. “Heh, thanks.”

  They soon arrived at the locker room. Kevin turned to Lilian. Overcome by excitement, body burning with anticipation, he beamed at the redhead, his smile brighter than a thousand watt bulb.

  He really couldn't wait to hit the track field.

  “So, wish me luck?”

  That was the wrong thing to say. Or maybe it was the right thing to say. Kevin didn't know, though it would be a question he continued asking himself for some time to come.

  “With pleasure.”

  Kevin had just enough time to spot the lustful gleam within Lilian's emerald orbs before she kissed him, hard.

  As her lips hampered his own, Kevin's eyes became so wide they practically bulged out of his sockets, and his pupils shrunk into tiny dots. He opened his mouth, though whether this was to speak or scream would never be known.

  If Kevin wanted her to stop kissing him, then opening his mouth was quite possibly the worst response possible. It was like a rabbit hopping up to a wolf and saying, “please don't eat me.” He might as well have told her that it was perfectly acceptable to orally ravish him with her tongue.

  Her tongue slipped into his mouth, moving between his teeth with every intention of claiming the space beyond. Kevin could do nothing more than groan as the small, pink appendage caressed and rubbed his own tongue, stirring up saliva and creating a ceaseless friction that sent his mind spiraling into a delirious state.

  Everything he'd been thinking of before then vanished; the track meet, Kasey, his school's rivalry. The only thing that mattered was Lilian's soft lips on his and her tongue in his mouth.

  “Hn!!”

  The kiss deepened. Were Kevin in his right mind, he would have thought such a thing impossible. His back pressed against the wall, Lilian's hands placed firmly on his chest, pinning him as her lips and tongue consumed him, devouring him in ways he’d not felt since their first kiss.

  Shocked at being on the receiving end of a kiss of this magnitude, especially after having gone so long without, his mind and body were unable to cope with the sensations. It didn't help that she knew what she was doing. Her lips felt incredible, and her tongue was doing some really pleasant things inside of his mouth.

  She and that Iris chick must have practiced a lot.

  When Lilian finally decided she'd had enough―for now―she released Kevin's mouth with a loud smacking of lips and took a step back. A small string of saliva connected them until she broke it by sensually running her tongue over her lips.

  Unable to stand upright without Lilian holding him up, Kevin needed to lean against the wall for support. His face was flushed a deep scarlet, and his lungs heaved as his breath came out in ragged gasps, like a man who’d been held under water for too long and was just now breaking the surface.

  While his oxygen-deprived brain attempted to reboot, his eyes stared into Lilian's, wide and round. His irises had shrunk to tiny pinpricks of bright blue, as if someone was shining a bright spotlight directly into his eyes.

  It was only after a full sixty seconds of staring that Kevin finally found his voice, though it came out as nothing more than a breathy whisper.

  “Lilian…”

  A finger to his lips caused Kevin’s response to die. The smile she gave him did not help much either. He could practically feel his heart leap into his throat at the sight of her lips curving in a manner that he could only call loving.

  “That was for good luck,” she told him. While most people would have already realized that—what else could a kiss like that be mistaken for?—it was probably a wise decision to state the obvious for Kevin's sake. His mind simply wasn't working properly at the moment, so being as blunt as possible could only be a good thing. “I'll be rooting for you in the stands.”

  With those parting words, Lilian walked off with an extra sway in her hips. In spite of himself, Kevin found his eyes unable to leave that small, heart-shaped butt as it swayed back and forth enticingly, until she was well out of sight.

  The moment Lilian disappeared, a low groan escaped Kevin's lips. His legs wobbled, but he valiantly fought against the jelly-legs brought on by Lilian’s exceedingly intense moment of passion. As he tried to keep from sinking to the floor, his mind attempted to move past what had just happened as well.

  It was more difficult than it looked.

  That kiss had been intense. It was like one of those kisses you see in a romance movie… or a chick flick.

  Or a hentai, but Kevin didn't watch hentai.

  Lilian had not been that forward with him for a long while; she had really caught him flat-footed. Perhaps that's why he’d been so unprepared for an assault of that caliber?

  And was it just him, or had she gotten better at that seductress act of hers?

  Maybe she’d been practicing?

  “Ke-vin Swift!”

  Like a live wire that had been stuck in an outlet, a jolt of something similar to electricity raced through his nervous system. It wasn't actual electricity though, just fear.

  His mind screamed at him not to turn around, but his body disobeyed. Slowly, oh so slowly, as if he were about to face some kind of abhorrent abomination, an eldritch horror both ancient and unfathomable, Kevin Swift turned around.

  Standing before him were five people he knew very well. All of them appeared incredibly jealous, their eyes narrowed into ferocious glares of DOOM. If looks could kill, Kevin was sure he’d be a pile of ashes by now. Even Kasey Chase looked like he wanted to str
angle Kevin, and he had a girlfriend!

  “Uh,” Quick, Kevin! Think of something to say! “You didn't see that.”

  The five before him… twitched. Kevin shuddered.

  “Swift…”

  Standing in the center of the group was Eric, and Kevin nearly gulped when he caught sight of just how pissed the perv was. The lanky sophomore looked almost ready to start frothing at the mouth. It would have actually been kind of funny, were he not about ready to piss himself.

  “Urk!” Kevin almost swallowed his tongue. Somehow, he managed to find his voice. “L-look, I know what you think you saw, but I’m going to tell you right now that it wasn’t what it looked like.”

  “Oh?” Twitch. Shudder. “Not what it looked like, eh?” Twitch. Eric’s hands made random muscle spasms. “So you’re telling me that you did not just receive the hottest kiss that I have ever seen with the sexiest piece of ass I have ever met?”

  “Um,” Kevin would have tried backing away, but his back was pressed against the wall. “Is there anything I can say that won’t end in my violent and gory death?”

  Eric’s gritted teeth were reminiscent of a rabid pit bull. “You are so lucky we have track right now, or I would strip you to your underwear, and stuff you in a locker filled with the wrestling team’s sweaty jockstraps.”

  Kevin shuddered. There weren't many things in this world that he feared; his track coach when he was angry, Chris Fleischer (especially when he was angry), his mother, and rubber chickens (a story for another time). Kevin could now add something else to his list of fears.

  Seriously, few things could be more terrifying than being stuffed into a locker filled with sweaty, smelly, disgusting jockstraps… except maybe being locked into a locker filled with mawashi (the loin cloth worn by Sumo wrestlers) that had not been washed for several months. It amounted to almost the same thing, except mawashi acted more like a thong, where jockstraps just cupped the manly bits.

  Talk about gross.

  “But you're not going to do that… right?” Kevin asked tentatively, doing his best to hide his trepidation. He failed.