A Fox's Family by Brandon Varnell Page B

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