A Fox's Family (12 page)

“Of
course,”
Kevin
paused, his face scrunching in an amalgamation of amusement and
abashment, “though I would have liked to know they were coming
beforehand. A little warning would have been nice.”

“Muu.
Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t know they would be
coming.”

“Right.
Right. Kotohime’s the one who called them over. I know that.”
He
raised his right hand and waved it about in odd, circular gestures.
“I’m not saying it’s your fault or anything, just
that I wish I’d known they were coming.”
Another
pause. Kevin switched topics. “So…
that
girl in the living room is your sister?”

“Yes.
Iris is my fraternal twin.”

“Is
this the same Iris that you shared your first kiss with?”

“Gurk!”

“Oh,
we shared a lot more than that, uhuhu.”

“Quiet,
Iris!”

“Lilian…”

“D-don’t
look at me like that, Beloved. A-anyway, I was really hoping you’d
forgotten about that,”
she
mumbled.

“I
don’t think there’s any way I would ever be able to
forget about something like that,”
he
replied, lips curling in amusement.

“Ugh,
mou, you’re becoming mean.”
Lilian
pouted at him, her lower lip jutting out and trembling. “Meanie.”

Kevin
chuckled. “Yes, yes, I’m a big meanie. But seriously,
your sister, she’s kind of odd, don’t you think?”

Lilian’s
bright green irises took on a curious quality. “You think so?
She’s never seemed odd to me.”

“Well,
yeah, but you grew up with her. You’re probably used to her
personality. I only just met her and I already think she’s kind
of weird.”
Actually,
Lilian’s entire family was weird, including Lilian herself.

“Now
that’s not very nice.”
Despite
her words, Lilian didn’t seem upset by what could have been
perceived as him insulting her sister.

“We
should probably try to get some sleep,”
Kevin
changed the subject again. “It’s getting late, erm,
early, and we have school tomorrow—I mean today.”
Thinking
about school reminded him of another issue that needed to be solved,
but they would have to fix that problem later.

“Right.”

After
one last lingering kiss, Lilian slid off him and found refuge
snuggling into Kevin’s side. Her eyes closed and the
twin-tailed kitsune nodded off seconds later.

Kevin
wondered how Lilian could fall asleep so easily. He looked at the
clock, which told him it was two in the morning, and sighed. This
night had been really long. He didn’t really know what to think
about everything that had happened, so he tried not to and just
closed his eyes to get some sleep.

Yet,
even as the sandman came to claim him, one last thought pervaded his
mind.

With
the inclusion of Lilian’s family into his life, things were
definitely going to get hectic again.

And
to think, all this had started because he’d gone to use the
restroom.

***

Iris
sat up in her makeshift bed about an hour after Kevin and her sister
left.

She
glanced around the dark room, taking note of the silhouettes of
various objects. Kirihime sat in one corner of the room, soundly
sleeping.

Slowly
slipping off the couch, Iris made her way down the hall and stopped
in front of Kevin and Lilian’s bedroom. She paused with her
hand on the doorknob, ears twitching as she channeled youki into
them, enhancing her already prodigious hearing. When she received no
indication that her sister or her sister’s mate were awake, she
slowly entered the room.

Iris’
heart
clenched when she saw them lying on the bed. Kevin was on his back
and Lilian was snuggled securely into his side, with one of his arms
wrapped around her, pulling the girl close.

Whispers
filled her head as she stopped in front of the bed. They were soft,
however, barely audible and thus easily ignored.

She
stared at Kevin, watching as he breathed in and out, her frown
growing more prominent by the second. One second turned into a
minute, which soon became two minutes. Finally, after nearly five
minutes had passed, Iris left, closing the door behind her and
climbing back onto the couch.

She
laid down, her eyelids fluttering closed, her mind slowly sinking
into the murky depths of her soul where the whispers were at their
strongest.

Kevin
Swift,
she
thought to herself,
you
are an obstacle in the path to my sister’s love.

Chapter
3

A
Family of Foxes

The
sun had just risen above the event horizon when Kotohime returned
home.

She
had been out gathering information on the current happenings in the
yōkai world—an important task, considering she was charged
with protecting Lilian.

It
hadn’t been easy, especially because she didn’t like
dealing with Valsiener. While he might have been the greatest source
of information this side of Phoenix, she didn’t trust him. That
boy bartered information with impunity. He would give his intel to
anyone who was willing to pay his price. It was better to gather
intelligence from other sources.

As
she entered the Swifts’ apartment, her eyes caught sight of
someone she hadn’t been expecting to see for at least another
few days.

“Kirihime?”

Sitting
in the corner of the living room, her legs crossed and her back
leaning against the wall, Kirihime appeared both similar and
diametrically opposed to Kotohime herself. Even the way she sat
showed that, while they bore a family resemblance, their demeanors
were quite different.

“Oh,
sister.” Kirihime’s smile was truly wondrous, full of
energy and compassion. Kotohime didn’t let that fool her,
though she did return the smile with her own. “It’s so
good to see you.”

“And
you,” Kotohime said. Her sister stood up, stretching out some
of the kinks in her back and neck. Sitting like that wasn’t
very comfortable, something Kotohime knew from experience. “I
have missed you. I gather from your presence and the mess on the
couch that Camellia-sama and Iris-sama are here as well?”

“Of
course. My Lady Camellia is still sleeping, but Lady Iris woke up a
while ago and is taking a bath.” Kirihime looked up, her mien
thoughtful yet cute. “I’m somewhat surprised that she’s
up so early. We went to bed very late last night—ah, but then,
I am told that traveling via human transportation can mess up a
person’s sleeping patterns, and Lady Iris already has issues
sleeping.”

“Indeed.”

“So
where were you last night? I expected to see you here with Lady
Lilian and her, uh, mate.”

Kotohime
waved her hand, dismissing her sister’s question. “I was
simply taking care of a few errands. In either event, I believe I
shall begin preparing breakfast.”

“Very
well. In that case, I think I’m going to go hunting.”

With
that, Kirihime pulled an eight inch long serrated knife out of her
Extra Dimensional Storage Space and left, closing the front door
behind her and leaving the room in stillness once more.

Kotohime
shook her head and went into the kitchen. She really hoped Kirihime
would be cautious during her hunt, but Lilian’s attendant knew
better than to expect a miracle.

***

Kevin
wondered if he was destined to be caught in every awkward situation
imaginable. Really, how else could he explain the embarrassing
predicament he currently found himself in?

It
all started that morning. His morning had gone the same way it always
did when his body was recovering from being brutalized by Kiara. He
woke up, extricated himself from the sleeping Lilian, and then made
his way into the bathroom to take a shower.

That
was when he ran into his current problem.

Someone
was already in the bath.

Why
don’t any of these fox-girls lock the stupid door? It’s
not that hard.

Kevin
swore he could feel his brain frying as he gazed at Lilian’s
sister. He knew it was wrong. He was dating Lilian, so he shouldn’t
be looking at another woman, but if anyone else saw what he was
seeing, they would have understood why he found it impossible to look
away.

Unlike
her sister, who seemed to prefer showers, Iris lounged in the tub.
Warm water lapped at her breasts, the steaming surface and bubbles
preserving her modesty while somehow enhancing her aesthetic appeal
by adding an aura of erotic mysticism. One of her shapely legs rose
up from the water and rested against the lip, bent at the knee, her
calf rocking gently back and forth with a hypnotic sway. Water clung
to her body, a combination of coalescing steam and sweat. He watched
one particularly adventurous droplet slowly leave a glistening trail
down her neck and clavicle bone before disappearing into the valley
of her breasts.

Kevin
tried to ignore the sight. He told himself that he needed to leave,
that this was wrong, but something kept him pinned to the spot. It
could have been shock, it could have been fear, it could have been
something so incomprehensibly simple that it was staring him in the
face. Whatever that something was, it kept him rooted where he stood,
unable to tear his gaze off the alluring beauty lounging in the tub.

While
he stood there and gaped like an idiot, a pair of eyelids slowly
opened, revealing dark crimson irises. Those deep red eyes met his,
and Kevin felt as if all the air had been sucked from his lungs. His
legs threatened to topple as something primal and powerful threatened
to consume him. Desire. Need. Want. Hunger. His body betrayed him,
even as his rebelling mind shouted at him. He wanted to scream. He
wanted to run. He couldn’t, however, because those eyes,
beautiful in the same way a King Cobra is beautiful, froze him solid
in a block of ice.

The
moment passed.

Kevin
sucked in a deep breath.

And
then realization set in. He was in a bathroom. With a girl. He was in
a bathroom with a naked girl and
oh-my-god-what-the-heck-was-he-doing?!

“S-sorry!”

Squeaking
like a frightened rat ensnared by the claws of a cat, Kevin rushed
out of the room and slammed the door shut. He pressed a hand to his
sweaty face, gasping for breath, his mind making every attempt to
figure out what had just happened and failing. For reasons he
couldn’t quite grasp, his mind appeared incapable of coming to
terms with what he’d just done. He had been gawking at Lilian’s
sister!

I
think I’m going to be sick.

The
door opened. Kevin “eeped!” as Iris stepped out. Her
narrowed, feline gaze oozed with a sexuality no girl her apparent age
should have been able to exude. Kevin’s spine snapped as his
back tried to straighten, and his heart leapt into his throat when
those succubus eyes locked onto him.

“Uh…
hi?”

Iris’
smirk made him want to shudder. He would have done so, too, but her
gaze still had him immobilized.

“Hmmm…”
Kevin felt a tremor run through his body when Iris hummed. Dear God!
How could such a simple noise from this girl sound like a siren’s
call? “So, you’re Lilian’s mate,” she
murmured, her lips curving into a delightfully devilish smile.
Kevin’s mouth went dry. “I suppose she could have done
worse for her first mate. Still…” her eyes surveyed him
from top to bottom, studying him, dissecting him. Devouring him. “…I
don’t know what she sees in you exactly. You’re handsome
enough, sure, but you’re not anything special.”

And
just like that, with those words and that condescending look in her
eyes, the allure of her gaze and erotic beauty vanished like heat in
the Arctic Circle.

Kevin’s
face went flat. “So I’ve been told, but really, I don’t
think my and Lilian’s relationship is any of your business,
sister or not.”

Iris’
eyes flashed. Something dangerous flickered in those irises. A smirk
twisted her lips into a veneer that looked off somehow. He couldn’t
explain why, precisely, but her smile unnerved him.

Kevin
did his best to hold her gaze, to show this vixen that he wouldn’t
be intimidated by her. He didn’t know if he succeeded but,
after a moment, Lilian’s fraternal twin sister nodded.

“It
seems you’ve got some bite to you, kiddo.” With a
supercilious chuckle, Iris patted him on the cheek as if he was a
child. Kevin scowled and batted the hand away, causing her smile to
grow. “Not bad. Not bad at all. I still don’t know what
she sees in you, but I guess that’s because I’m not
Lilian.”

Holding
his gaze a moment longer, she airily waved a hand at the door.

“Anyway,
you can use the restroom now. I’m done with my bath, in case
you couldn’t tell.” As she said this, her hands slid down
her towel-clad figure, delicately roaming over the swell of her
breasts, the dip of her slim waist and the curve of her shapely hips.

Kevin
clenched his hands so hard his knuckles turned white. Iris noticed
this, for she gave him one last wink before walking off, her hips
swaying with exaggerated motions.