A Fox's Family (43 page)

Iris
felt her world turn upside down. Because she wasn’t wearing a
seat belt, her head hit the roof. Her mind exploded with pain. Her
vision went white. Everything was tumbling, rolling, including her
body, which was battered around with bone-jarring force. Iris thought
she heard screaming, but couldn’t be sure, as the noise sounded
like it was coming from across a vast distance.

It
took Iris several seconds to regain her bearings. She looked around
and noticed that she was lying on her back, on the roof of the car.

“Lilian?”
she groaned. “Lilian, are you okay?”

…
No
answer.

Iris
turned her head and her eyes widened in shock.

“Lilian!”

Her
sister was hanging upside down in her seat, the straps of the
seatbelt keeping her in place. She was unconscious. Her eyes were
closed, arms dangling limply above her head as if she were
stretching, and her long red hair trailed along the roof. Blood ran
down the left side of her forehead from a cut that split the skin
like a machete slicing a watermelon.

Iris
ignored the pain wracking her body, pushing past it, forcing herself
to move. With some ingenious thinking and liberal use of her tails,
she undid Lilian’s seatbelt and caught her sister in a furry
bundle before the redhead could fall and hit her head. The tails
brought her sister’s limp body over to her, and Iris wrapped
her sibling in a tight embrace.

“Don’t
worry, Lily,” Iris grunted, “I’ll get you out of
here.”

It
took more effort than she thought it would, but Iris eventually
dragged herself and Lilian out of the car. She gently laid her
sister’s body on the ground and checked the two-tailed
Celestial Kitsune for any injuries that she might have had, aside
from her head wound.

“It
doesn’t look like she’s injured,” Iris mumbled.
“She’s breathing at least.” Opening the eyelids of
Lilian’s left eye, Iris couldn’t see anything wrong with
it. Then again, if something was wrong with it, she wouldn’t
know. It wasn’t like she had any knowledge of first aid. “Damn
it, I wish I had Lilian’s healing powers.”

“Lady
Iris, I must ask that you step away from Lady Lilian.”

Iris
looked up and narrowed her eyes. A woman stood before her. Long
purple hair was twisted artistically into a bun behind her head. Pale
skin, rosy lips, a small nose and wide, almond-shaped eyes made for
an attractive face―at least it would’ve been attractive,
were the woman’s expression not so bland. Her dead eyes and
blank facade reminded Iris of a corpse.

Much
like Kotohime, this woman wore a kimono. However, whereas Lilian’s
bodyguard preferred kimonos in shades of blue with intricate designs
on them, this woman’s kimono was black with no designs. It had
also been clearly modified. The kimono was shorter than what was
considered normal, coming up to her thighs instead of down to her
ankles. Wide, voluminous sleeves served to create an unusual contrast
and looked awkward when combined with the short kimono skirt. Three
tails wavered behind the woman’s back.

“You…”
Iris narrowed her eyes. “I recognize you. You’re one of
the brat’s bitches.”

Ling
twitched, but showed no other emotion. “I am a vassal of Lord
Jiāoào,” she confirmed. “Now then, I must ask
that you step away from Lady Lilian.”

“Like
hell I will!” Iris stepped in front of her prone sister’s
form. “I know what will happen to her if I let you take her. Do
you really think I’m gonna let that disgusting freak of nature
lay a single finger on my sister? Think again!”

“I
see that you are going to be stubborn about this.” Ling sighed.
It sounded odd coming from such an expressionless visage. “Very
well, then. It seems I must force you to step aside.”

Iris’
instincts screamed at her. She moved swiftly, faster than she ever
had before. The area she’d been standing on just a second prior
exploded with white light, a large pillar of brilliant fire that rose
into the sky. Iris began to sweat just by standing near it.

“I
see you managed to dodge my
Fire
Pillar
.
Impressive.”

Iris’
eyes went wide seconds before a sharp, unbearable pain speared
through her lower back and stomach. She looked down, blinking, not
quite able to believe what she saw. Something long and sharp was
sticking out of her stomach. It looked like an ethereal sword. Wisps
of red and yellow flame flickered before her eyes like a candle
caught in a breeze.

“However,
speed doesn’t matter in a battle between kitsune,” a
voice said behind her—the voice that belonged to the person who
should have been in front of her.

Iris
looked up just in time to see the “woman” standing before
her vanish.

“That…
an illusion…” she gasped, agonized by the fire surging
through her veins.

“Indeed.
This whole time we were conversing, you were simply speaking to an
illusion. The real me was hidden this whole time. Do not worry. I did
not hit any of your vital organs. While

Lord
Jiāoào
wants Lady Lilian for himself, he is not willing to risk war with the
Pnevma Clan. You are very lucky in that regard.”

Iris
could have cursed―she probably would have, too, if she were
thinking straight. To think she’d been fooled by something as
simple as an illusion!

Her
legs gave out, unable to support her weight. She fell on her stomach,
raven hair spilling about her face and across the ground. Thanks to
how she fell, she could see Lilian lying on the ground several feet
away, eyes still closed, legs straight and feet canted inwards. Were
it not for the blood on her face, Iris would have almost assumed
Lilian was merely sleeping.

A
pair of feet garbed in
kunoichi
sandals
stopped in front of Lilian. Ling bent down and lifted Lilian
underneath her left arm. The redhead dangled limply, her feet, arms,
and head swaying as the lapdog of that brat,
Jiāoào,
stood back up.

Iris
wanted to move, to lift her hand, grab Lilian, and pull her sister
into her arms. She couldn’t, however, because her entire body
refused to move, or rather, it was incapable of movement.

That
vixen… she must have grazed a nerve ending in my spine.

Ling
disappeared, leaving Iris alone, in pain, and trying to come to terms
with the fact that she had just let Lilian be kidnapped.

***

Kevin
sat in front of the television, staring at the screen. A show was
playing,
Furry
Tail
,
one of his favorites. Oddly enough, it was a story about a world
where yōkai created guilds to take on missions and stuff. He had
always loved watching this show, and would normally be quoting the
anime while he watched. Not today, however. Today was not normal.

Lilian
wasn’t there. He was far more lonely than he had thought he
would be with her gone. His chest ached. There was an abnormal
emptiness that threw him off his game. In a way that Kevin simply
could not understand, Lilian had become an integral part of his life.
Without her there, everything appeared in monochrome.

There
must be something wrong with me.

“You
look troubled, Lord Kevin.”

Kevin
shuddered. No matter how many times he heard it, he would never,
EVER, get used to the way these kitsune addressed him.

“I’m
just thinking.”

“Would
you like to talk about it?”

Kevin
debated for a moment. He didn’t know Kirihime all that well,
but still, she was nice. Ever since she and the other two members of
Lilian’s family had arrived, she’d been nothing but kind
to him.

In
the end, he decided to explain his problem. By the time he had
finished, Kirihime was smiling.

“I
think I understand what the problem is, Lord Kevin.” Nope. The
shuddering would not be going away anytime soon. “You’re
overwhelmed by the depths of your own feelings for Lady Lilian.”

“It’s
not that. At least, I don’t think it’s that.” Kevin
shook his head. “I just don’t understand how Lilian’s
become so important to me in such a short amount of time. I’ve
only known her for three months.”

“That
is what I mean. You’re overwhelmed by how important Lady Lilian
has become in such a short amount of time.” Kirihime’s
smile was like a panacea for his troubled mind. It was kind and warm
and full of compassion—nothing at all like her sister’s
smile. “What I think you’re forgetting is that you’re
not dating a human girl, but a kitsune. As a species whose lives are
governed by intense emotions, we have no middle ground. It is either
one extreme or the other when it comes to matters of the heart.”

“But,
I’m a human.”

“Yes,
you are,” Kirihime agreed. “However, you are mated to a
kitsune. Lilian has offered you everything that she is, freely and
without reservation. Unlike a human girl who will always keep secrets
from you, Lilian has none. If you ask, she will answer. If you want
to know something, she will not hesitate to tell you. She is an open
book, and all you need to do is turn the pages to learn more. With
that kind of open honesty, combined with the depths of her love for
you, is it any wonder that you would eventually feel the same way?”

“I…
I guess not.” Kevin closed his eyes. “Though I don’t
know how to feel about that. It’s kind of frightening to know
that I have a girl who’s that dedicated to me.” A light
smile touched at his lips. “I’m afraid of breaking her
heart.”

“The
only way you could break her heart, Lord Kevin, is if you decide that
you don’t want to be her mate anymore.” A dazzling smile
lit up Kirihime’s face. “I do hope that never happens. I
would hate it if I had to kill you.”

Kevin
froze. “W-what?”

“Oh,
nothing.” Kirihime stood up and wiped the imaginary dust off
her maid outfit. “Now, then, I think you should stop moping
around and―”

The
phone rang.

“I
wonder who that could be calling at this time?” Kirihime asked
as she went over to the phone and answered it. “Hello? This is
the Swift residence. May I—oh. Oh, no!”

Kevin
stood up, alarmed as Kirihime’s body went stock still and her
eyes widened in horror.

“Yes,
I-I see. Thank you. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

As
Kirihime hung up the phone, Kevin stepped in front of the woman.

“Kirihime,
what’s wrong?”

Kirihime
shuddered. “It’s… It’s Iris.” She
looked at Kevin, tears in her eyes and worry written plain as day on
her face. “She’s in the hospital. They say she was found
unconscious on the road and that she has been horrifically injured.”

***

Kevin
didn’t have a car, nor could he drive. Unfortunately, neither
could Kirihime or Kotohime. However, that did not mean they were not
without options. Kevin made a call to Kiara, who arrived several
minutes later and drove them all to the hospital.

Kevin
Swift’s mind was a tumultuous storm as he paced around the
waiting area close to the operating room where Iris was located.
There were so many thoughts whirling through his mind, so many
questions, so many worries. What had happened to Iris? Where was his
mate?

“You
need to relax, boya.” Kiara leaned against a wall with her arms
crossed over her chest, her calm expression a stark contrast to her
disciple’s. “Pacing around like that isn’t going to
help you, your friend, or your mate.”

“That’s
easy for you to say!” Kevin snapped before he realized what he
was doing and took a deep breath. “Sorry. I didn’t mean
to snap at you. I’m just―”

“Worried?”

“Mm.”

“I
understand where you’re coming from, but you’ve got to
calm down. Remember one of the first rules I taught you?”

“A
true warrior never acts on emotions alone. They must always keep a
calm and collected mind in order to better analyze their current
situation,” Kevin recited.

“That’s
right. So, take a deep breath and calm down.”

Kevin
did just that—or, he tried to. No matter how many deep breaths
he took the worry, the anxiety and the fear persisted, a small black
ball of negative emotions churning inside of his gut.

“Do
not worry, Lord Kevin.” Once again, Kirihime’s hand on
his shoulder served to calm his raging thoughts. “I know that
you’re worried, but remember, all of us feel the same. Acting
out like this isn’t going to solve anything.”

“Right.
You’re both right.” He tossed them an uneasy smile. “I’m
sorry.”

“There
is no need to apologize. I’m glad you’re worried about
Lady Lilian and Lady Iris. Your kind and caring nature is truly
something to be cherished.”

Kevin
didn’t know why, but he felt a little better.

He
looked back at the operating room doors and sighed.

Please
be okay…

***

While
Kirihime calmed Kevin’s emotions with her gentle demeanor,
Kiara walked over to Kotohime. The swordswoman was kneeling against
the wall, her katana in her lap. Although her eyes were closed, Kiara
wasn’t fooled. She knew that Kotohime was perfectly aware of
everything happening around her.