A Fox's Family (American Kitsune Book 4)

by Brandon Varnell

  With her red hair in complete disarray, Maddison had never looked so defeated. Her eyes were blank, dead to the world, despite the tears leaking from them. Likewise, her arms were tied together with special fibers made from jorogumo silk, and a chain was attached to a metal collar around her neck. The chain went quite well with her maid outfit. He really did have to compliment himself on her wardrobe.

  They’d gotten a number of looks from the humans they’d been forced to deal with while traveling. One of the humans who saw them even had the audacity to call the police and try to report him for abuse.

  What right did those lousy humans have to reprimand him for what he did with his toys? They were just a bunch of lowly apes.

  Jiāoào was a firm believer in yōkai superiority. They were the stronger race, the more intelligent species. Yōkai, and kitsune in particular, had it all; power, intelligence, abilities beyond mortal comprehension, and the longevity needed to truly master those abilities. What did humans have? Nothing. They only had their technology, which they thought was enough to protect them from beings like himself.

  Truly, humans were a pathetic race.

  With an air of disdain, Jiāoào observed his new, temporary home. It was disgustingly bare and much too small. The house, if it could even be called such, couldn’t have more than fifteen rooms, and some of those rooms were even connected. Who’d ever heard of the sitting room being connected to the kitchen like that? Not only was it tiny and lacking any sort of decorations befitting a kitsune of his status, but the bed was miniscule. How could he be expected to enjoy his playthings properly in such a small bed?

  “You see, Maddison?” Jiāoào finally turned his head to look down at the woman by his feet. She really did look quite miserable. “This is what you get for not finding me proper accommodations.” With a tsk of disappointment, he smashed his heel into her back, eliciting a wail. “And you wonder why I am always comparing you to my Lilian. Not only do you lack her beauty, but you clearly lack her brilliance as well.”

  He looked back out the window, ignoring the muted sobs of pain. It was no less than she deserved. Everything wrong that had happened during this trip was her fault.

  “I hope my other servants prove to be more useful than you. They are, after all, the ones that I have tasked with finding everything out they can about my Lilian and her living situation, as well as her… human toy.”

  Jiāoào grimaced. He refused to call that human her mate. His Lilian clearly did not know what she was doing. That, or she’d been brainwashed. Why else would a kitsune of her stature and ability be with a lowly waste of ape-flesh?

  “I really do hope they return soon. Still…” His lips curled as he looked down at the girl. His two tails wrapped around Maddison, who tried to struggle but no longer possessed the strength to fight him. “… I suppose I shall just have to find some way to kill time while I wait.”

  As wails of pain turned into cries of agony, Jiāoào thought about his Lilian. Soon, she would be his, and then she would be properly broken.

  ***

  Iris was not a morning person. She had never enjoyed waking up early, preferring instead to sleep in until around noon.

  Too bad Kevin did not believe in doing the same. It was bad enough that he’d gone and stolen her sister from her. Couldn’t he have the decency to at least stay in bed until she wanted to get up―or at least be a little quieter?

  Her sleep-deprived eyes glared balefully at the ignorant Kevin as he put on his sneakers and exited the apartment, the click of the door being locked following his departure. It was only after Kevin left to do Inari-knows-what that Iris realized something. If Kevin was no longer sleeping, then it meant he wasn’t in bed. And if he wasn’t in bed, it meant Lilian was currently alone.

  Several seconds later, an excited Iris wandered into Kevin’s bedroom. She sat down on the bed, her added weight causing Lilian to shift and tighten her grip on the pillow she held. Lying on her side, the redhead’s sensual curves were visible yet hidden beneath the covers.

  As Iris watched her beautiful sister’s sleeping face, a sense of longing swept through her. How long had it been since she and Lilian had slept together? Five years? Six? The matriarch had not approved of how close they were, claiming it would ruin their chances of finding a good mate. Iris snorted. That woman had just wanted to set her sister up with some douchewad from the Shénshèng Clan in order to gather more power to herself.

  Reaching out with her left hand, Iris ran her fingers through Lilian’s hair. Her fraternal twin mumbled something incoherent and shifted in her sleep again.

  “I… I love you,” Iris whispered. The words hurt for some reason. A tight pain entered her chest, constricting her like a snake coiled around its next meal. She held back tears she could not explain. “So much…”

  “Kill…”

  A cold chill swept through her arm, coalescing at her fingertips. Her eyes went wide in terror when she noticed that her fingernails had become tinged with a distinct ebony color.

  NO! Iris pulled her hand back hastily. She gritted her teeth, struggling against a force that could not be seen, heard or distinguished; an intangible urge to destroy that which she cherished most. I won’t you let you take her!

  Unable to stand in her sister’s presence without feeling the disgusting, implacable urge to stain the bed in Lilian’s blood, Iris bid a hasty retreat from the bedroom.

  The apartment was not silent, Iris realized. While she had not noticed, Kotohime was already up and preparing breakfast. Kirihime had also woken up and could be seen on the balcony hanging up clothes.

  Iris went into the washroom, where all of the extra towels were kept. Maybe a shower to rinse off the accumulated sweat would help her regain her bearings.

  As she neared the restroom, the sound of the shower running caught her attention.

  ***

  Kevin rode his bike and tossed newspapers onto the driveways of the homes he passed. He shivered and took his hands off the handles of his bike long enough to zip his jacket closed, keeping October’s chill from seeping into his bones.

  Riding around and delivering newspapers was getting easier, Kevin had noticed. He wondered if this meant he was getting stronger. He hoped so. All that exercising and all those sparring sessions had to be doing something.

  After he had finished delivering newspapers, Kevin arrived back at the distribution center where his boss, Davin Monstrang, presented him with the money he’d made.

  “Here,” the monstrously-sized man grunted, pressing a wad of bills into Kevin’s hand. It wasn’t much, about $50 all told, but that would give him enough money for what he had planned today. “Try not to spend it all in one place, brat.”

  Kevin rolled his eyes. His boss never changed. How many times had he heard Davin Monstrang say those exact same words? It had to be a couple hundred at least.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Kevin was about to leave, his hand was even on the handle, when Monstrang’s voice called out to him.

  “I hear you’ve been keeping some unusual company.” Kevin froze. “It’s not my place to tell you not to get involved with people like them, but I do recommend remaining wary, especially around that mate of yours.”

  Kevin worked his mouth silently, his mind trying to grasp the immensity of that statement. Finally…

  “Did you just…” He paused, then shook his head. “No, you know what? I don’t want to know.”

  Kevin left the distribution center and rode home, his mind awhirl. He arrived at his apartment to find Kotohime cooking breakfast. Her kimono was different that day; a dark velvet made to look like the night sky. Starting from the hem and traveling up in an artistic display was what Kevin recognized as a depiction of the Milky Way Galaxy. He did not know if the presentation was astrologically correct, but he found it stunning nonetheless.

  “Morning, Kotohime.”

  “Good morning, Kevin-sama.”

  “You’re not making a traditional Japanese breakf
ast today.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Indeed I am not. Iris has been complaining about the lack of variety in my cuisine. Again. I have decided to try my hand at making something new.” Her lips twitched and, for just an instant, Kevin thought she was smiling at him. “I do hope that you, Lilian-sama and everyone else will enjoy it.”

  “Hm!” Kevin nodded. “I’m sure we will. You’re an excellent chef.” There it was again; that strange twitch. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Thank you. I noticed Kirihime is hanging our laundry out to dry.”

  “Indeed she is. Is that a problem?”

  “Not really, no. It’s just… well, she does know that we have a dryer for that, doesn’t she?”

  Kotohime’s conciliating smile put him at ease, oddly enough. Wasn’t this the same woman who had threatened to clean his entrails with her katana if he didn’t make a decision about his relationship with Lilian?

  “I am afraid that you’ll have to forgive my sister. She is not used to living in the human world. Most of the technology we have is very outdated. She doesn’t even know how to use a washing machine, so you can’t expect her to know how to use the dryer.”

  Kevin didn’t really know what to say to that, so he changed the subject. “I see. Well, I think I’m just going to take a quick shower.” He prepared to move off before a thought made him pause. “No one else is using the shower, are they?”

  “Not to the best of my knowledge.”

  “Good.”

  It turned out the restroom was indeed empty—thank the gods for small miracles. After turning the water onto its hottest setting, Kevin stripped out of his clothes and entered the shower. Pressing his palms flat against the tiled wall, he allowed the warm spray to ease the tension and soreness in his muscles.

  Kevin never heard the door click open and close. He did feel the pair of naked breasts pressing into his back, however.

  Emitting a squeak akin to that of a frightened mouse caught by a tiger, Kevin scrambled away from the breasts. Unfortunately, the tub was small and slippery, and thus the inevitable happened.

  He tumbled out of the bathtub when his legs hit the lip, landing on his back and cracking his head against the floor. Stars swam in his vision as an intense pain caused his head to explode in agony. He lay there, blinking and trying to stop the incessant rattling of his brain, and eventually succeeded.

  A part of him wished he hadn’t.

  Kevin had seen many a sexy thing in recent times; Lilian wearing his clothes as nightwear, Lilian in skimpy lingerie, Lilian naked, Lilian in the shower naked. Yes. He’d seen enough sexy things that he could honestly say that Justin Timberlake didn’t know the true meaning of bringing sexy back. Kevin had seen so much sexy that he’d been practically desensitized.

  None of his past experiences could have prepared him for what he saw now.

  She stood above him, bereft of clothing, her long raven hair sticking erotically to her skin. Droplets of water trailed down her body; over her breasts, her stomach, her hips and legs before dipping into the crevice between her glorious thighs. While Kevin had seen Lilian naked plenty of times, there was something intrinsically different between Lilian and her fraternal twin, something that he couldn’t comprehend but understood instinctively.

  Lilian, for all her otherworldly, inhuman beauty, was surprisingly innocent. Even when trying to seduce him, the girl retained an unusual sense of purity. Because of that, while everything she did had undeniable charm and sexiness, it didn’t really hold a candle to the vision of otherworldly seduction standing before him.

  Everything Iris did, from the way she cocked her hips, to how she crossed her arms under her bust with the obvious intention of bringing attention to her breasts, and even her facial expressions were designed to draw people’s eyes to her. There was a strange sort of animalistic attraction to her that Lilian simply couldn’t compete with.

  “Now there’s a reaction I wasn’t expecting.” Iris’ sinfully sensual lips curved with wicked cunning. “How cute.”

  “I-I―what are you doing in here?!”

  “The door wasn’t locked, so I thought I’d invite myself in.” Kevin knew that he had locked the door upon entering, which meant she had purposefully picked the lock and was lying to him. “You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”

  Kevin wanted to tell her that he did have a problem with her actions, a very big one. But he couldn’t. His mouth wasn’t working. It wouldn’t even move. In fact, the moment they made eye contact, all thoughts tried to vanish from his mind like a cosplayer dressed as Miku Hatsune running from a horde of fanboys at an anime convention. All that remained was this woman, this creature of carnal desire.

  One thought managed to penetrate the haze clouding his mind; a call for action. Kevin closed his eyes, a vain attempt to keep himself from responding to her. He’d been enraptured the moment their eyes met.

  “Open your eyes.” Responding to the command without a second’s thought, Kevin snapped his eyes back open. Iris smiled. “That’s better; we can’t hold a proper conversation if you’re not even willing to look at me.”

  With an unusual amount of grace for such a simple action, Iris stepped out of the tub and knelt beside him. Kevin struggled to think, to do something, anything. But he couldn’t. Thoughts slipped through his grasp like water in his hands, and taking action was impossible when his muscles refused to work.

  “W-what is…”

  “Uh, uh, uh.” She placed a delicate finger on his lips. “There’s no need to think. All you need to do is feel. And see.”

  Kevin’s pupils dilated as the blood rushed to his eyes… and he saw. He saw himself and this vixen in the heat of passion. He saw her riding him, her sharp nails raking against his chest and drawing blood. He saw himself, shoving her against the wall and brutally pounding into her. He saw and saw and saw, and there were so many scenes that he was seeing; of sex and violence and things that not even Eric in his freakiest state could imagine. It was too much. It was way too much. He couldn’t… couldn’t…

  “Just let go…” a voice whispered in his ear. Warm breath hit his skin. Kevin shuddered, which intensified when a set of teeth gently nibbled on his earlobe.

  “Nggg… gu…”

  “Struggling is pointless,” the voice whispered seductively, “just give in.”

  Kevin thought about doing just that. Why was he even struggling in the first place? It felt so good, this lust; it was incredible.

  The moment his mind began slipping away to embrace the dark feelings, animalistic attraction and carnal desires, an image speared through the haze clouding his mind; of red hair and green eyes, of a beautiful girl who looked like she’d come straight out of a fairytale.

  “My name is Lilian Pnevma, but you may call me Lilly, or anything else you would prefer.”

  Lilian. That name. He remembered that name, and those words. It was back when he and Lilian had first met.

  “However, I would be particularly pleased if you called me You Sexy Thing, You.”

  Ugh. He wished he could forget that. It was so embarrassing!

  “My three sizes are ninety-nine, fifty-eight, ninety. Oh! Wait. You Americans don't use the metric system, do you? In which case, my three sizes would be thirty-nine, twenty-three, thirty-five.”

  And he really wished he could forget that. Seriously, who reveals their hip to bust ratio to people?

  “And my seiyuu is Yukari Fukui.”

  Kevin frowned. He didn’t remember Lilian saying that.

  “I don't really have much experience with this kind of thing, but then, given your age, I don't really think you have too much either. I'm really looking forward to learning more about you as we deepen and explore our relationship together.”

  Yes. That was what she had said.

  “I love you! I love you so much, Kevin! I know you don't love me back. I realize that, but I… I don't care! I don't want to leave you! I
want to stay with you forever!”

  “But you're not just anyone. You're my mate. I love you.”

  More and more images bombarded him. Images of Lilian, of the times they shared, of the hardships they’d gone through, of the sexy and zany situations that had become a staple of his everyday life.

  Kevin found the strength to move.

  “St… stop… it… stop this…” He ground his teeth hard enough to draw blood. Hands scraped against the ground until the skin on his fingertips was rubbed raw. “Stop it…!”

  “W-what…?” He glared at Iris, whose eyes had grown inhumanly wide. “How are you…?”

  “I said… stop it… right… NOW!”

  With one final push, Kevin shoved everything he had against the compulsion. All of his strength, all of his will was brought to bear. He pushed it into these carnal feelings with every ounce of willpower he possessed.

  Pain exploded in his head. It was agony like nothing he’d ever felt before. It felt worse than if someone had shoved his brain onto a bed of hot coals. He would rather have his head dunked in a vat of acid. Nothing he could have thought up could’ve prepared him for the unimaginable pain he felt in that moment.

  He felt liquid pouring out of every orifice. Thick and potent, it held a coppery scent. He felt himself falling, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. He heard his head cracking against the ground, but he could not feel it.

  Everything was spinning. Darkness crept along the edge of his vision. Why was everything so blurry?

  “Beloved!”

  Was that shouting? It sounded so familiar, yet he couldn’t… couldn’t…

  Darkness.

  ***

  Lilian had never felt so exhausted before.

  After waking up that morning, she had left the bedroom and headed for the kitchen, only to stop when she saw the restroom door ajar. Curious, she had glanced inside, and found Kevin undergoing seizures on the floor while Iris stood over him. It hadn’t take long to realize what had happened.

  She looked down at her mate. Kevin was lying on the bed, his breathing even and steady. He looked peaceful now, but there had been several close calls where she thought he might have gone into shock.