Page 19

Dove

The basement of the Archfox’s house was a large gym, with plenty of room in the center and a padded mat made for practicing fighting. Seven withdrew his short sword and dagger and held them out. “Ready, Fated?”

“Swords again?”

I groaned. “You are always trying to beat me.”

“I’d beat you with any weapon, Fated.”

Seven smirked as he took his position. “Besides, you need practice with your new weapon. Do your best to hit me.”

Before I could even react, he zoomed forward, stopping a hair short from hitting me. I barely got my sword up in time to block his, and then his strength overtook mine, pressing down hard. I let the blade slip off with a zing!, ducking from the oncoming swing.

Seven swung at me again, and I blocked. I had gotten better at anticipating his moves. He zoomed around me, and suddenly he was at my back, his breath against my hair and tickling my neck. “I’ll start to use the Shadow against you now.”

I spun around, pushing him, and he stumbled over his own feet in shock, not expecting the move. He rocked backwards and his hand caught mine. My breath faltered and I released the weapon, letting it fall to the ground.

He fell to the floor, and while I wouldn’t exactly call Seven’s lean muscular body a cushion, he cushioned my fall. He smirked, gripping hold of my back as he spun us around, so that I was against the floor and his teeth were scraping against my neck.

My heated sensitive core throbbed with that yearning for more. And this time, nobody was home to stop it from happening.

“Seven,”

I gasped out as his hands desperately shoved under my shirt. When I lifted my back to help, his fingers grazed over my scars.

I reached up, touching his face and my thumb trailed over his scar. When he glared, I stuffed my hands between us, desperately trying to loosen his pants.

“Fated,”

he breathed, moving to stop me.

“Seven, please. Is the first time we mate going to be when I’m in heat? Because that’s not fair. I need practice to make sure it all goes well.”

Seven smirked, “Don’t be such a kit. It’s going to go well no matter what. We all love you.”

Love me?

Had anyone ever loved me before?

Certainly not like this. Elder Jane cared about me, like she cared for all the other orphans. Sana and Brynn respected me as a friend.

But I knew he wasn’t just saying it. I could feel it through our linked minds. And as weird of a way that Seven showed his love, I could feel it. His playful taunting, his smirks, his glares. Where someone else might view it as mean, I could see the truth. He wanted to be with me, talk to me, make me blush and feel good.

That’s when I realized it. He wanted love as much as I did. And the goddess had given us each other.

I stared into his ruby eyes. He leaned forward, eclipsing me in his kiss. I lifted his shirt off him, breaking our kiss for just a moment, expecting him to stop me, but he didn’t.

Instead, he helped me to stand, tugged at my shirt, and pulled it over my head. His eyes immediately went to my scars that wrapped around my right side and my hand rushed to cover them, but he grabbed my wrist and stopped me.

“Never hide yourself from me, Fated.”

He locked his lips against mine, his hands smoothing over my scars like they were a special part of me that he loved just as much as the rest. He moved his fingers underneath the waist of my pants, curling his fingers to my front and landing on the button, expertly undoing it and the zipper in a matter of seconds.

He tugged them downward, breaking our kiss as he knelt before me and brought his lips to my scars. “You’re so perfect. Every part of you, Fated.”

I lifted my feet as he demanded silently, pulling the pants off and leaving me standing in only my bra and underwear. Thank the goddess for Kairos’ new purchases. I wore a matching set of black lace and Seven’s eyes roamed freely over me, remaining on his knees.

I got down to his level, having to raise myself up to trail kisses from his lips to his scar and back again. I brought my hands to his buttons, struggling much more than he had to undo the pesky fasteners. He brought one of his hands slowly to mine, halting me.

I scowled up at him.

He smirked. “Are you sure you want to do this, Fated?”

“I thought you said you take what you want,”

I taunted, finally getting his pants undone.

Once he maneuvered out of them, he was before me wearing black boxer shorts, a clear silent message that he wanted me. I was almost proud of myself for causing such a bulge.

His tattoos went underneath the shorts, but I got a moment to enjoy the ones I could see. Strokes in a foreign language, images of demons. Then he was undoing my bra, his hands going under my breasts as he leaned down to kiss my budding nipples.

His eyes were nearly feral when he looked up at me, but every one of his movements was slow. Intentional.

I knew I was safe with the dark and dangerous kitsune.

My hands went to his waist, dragging down the last bit of clothing on him. His cock sprang out and I leaned forward, placing a kiss on him, my tongue reaching out for a taste. His fingers threaded my hair, tilting my head up to look at him. And then with the speed of a seven tailed kitsune, he had me lying on my back again, his hands gripping the new underwear. He ripped them open and pulled them down my legs and I cried out in giggling protest.

“Kairos will buy you another pair,”

he insisted as he brought his tongue to my core, dragging it over my heated center, twisting around my clit, sucking lightly and causing me to cry out in elated joy. “Good girl, you’re soaking wet for me.”

He said as he rose, his lips glistening. He brought himself up to my face, stroking my cheek with his thumb. “Okay, Fated. Are you ready?”

I nodded, trying not to appear too eager as I felt him press up against my slippery sex. He pressed into me, slowly, so slowly, and a moment later I understood why. A slight uncomfortable pain occurred within me, and I widened my eyes in shock up at him. He stroked his hand against my hair as he continued to push inward.

“You’re doing so good, Fated,”

he assured me, kissing my forehead as he continued to plunge himself into me.

A noise like a scared mouse came out of me as I looked between us and saw we were only halfway. I could see Seven withholding a joke as he kissed me again. “So fucking good, Fated. Just a little more.”

“A little more?”

I squeaked, looking between us again.

He paused, halfway inside me. “Just say the word and I’ll stop, Fated.”

He stared down at me seriously, but I shook my head, feeling myself beginning to adjust to his size. “No, no, don’t stop. I want this.”

He pushed himself in with agonizing slowness, but I needed the time. I could feel my wetness leaking from me, longing to take all of him.

Seven pressed himself fully in and a pop of pain exploded and I gazed at him with shock. I felt so close to him, finally coming together fully as Fated mates. He kissed the top of my head as I stared up at his magnificent tattooed chest. “That was the hardest part, Fated.”

He remained motionless for a long moment, staring down at me to access my reaction but I merely gulped and nodded again.

Pulling himself back, I expected more pain, but this time came a ripple of pleasure with the movement. “Such a good fox, taking all of me,”

he muttered, almost to himself.

He pulled his cock almost all the way out, touching every single nerve ending within me on the way, and then he pushed himself in again, faster this time. I expected the same pain, but instead only found bliss. I moaned, eclipsed by the pleasure as he retreated and pushed himself in again.

His momentum picked up as I began to moan and mewl for him. He had complete control of my every pleasure and I had control of his. My lips reached up to his chest, the only thing I could reach, kissing his tattoos, reaching my arms up to him and pulling him closer as he gave me every pleasure I had ever imagined.

My body clenched around him, my legs quivering as they tightened, trying to close but Seven’s body was in the way. And then he pulsed inside me, causing a new wave of motions as I felt a hot warmness coating the inside of me.

He laid down on top of me, careful not to crush me. “How was that, Fated?”

he asked, slightly out of breath.

“So good,”

I said, breathing heavily even though he had done all the physical work. “So fucking good. Amazing. Otherworldly.”

We remained there for a long moment before he pulled himself out of me and I trembled every sensation as he passed that knot within me and I almost came again. I could see the slight twinge of red mixed with both of our pleasure and I blushed, but he relaxed next to me, kissing my cheek and my temple, stroking my hair.

“I pleased you?”

he asked, his eyes were still dilated with a feral look. I could tell it wasn’t a normal question. It was something he needed to know to quell the wild side within him.

“Yes,”

I whispered, pushing my head below his chin. “Did I please you?”

“More than please,”

he said, still sapped of his playfulness. “Thank you, Fated. For giving yourself to me and sharing yourself with me. And for not giving up on me when I’m an asshole.”

Our bodies pressed together, remaining so perfectly close, only moving for a moment to retrieve our undergarments before returning together and pressing our skin against each other, as close as we possibly could without having sex again.

“Did I hurt you?”

he asked as my finger traced one of his many tattoos, this one of Tengu in bird form, a particularly scary demon that hadn’t been seen in many centuries.

I shook my head, but he caught my lie, grabbing hold of my waist and lying on his back, sitting me on top of him as he closed his eyes. “I’m a little sore.”

“Well, thank the goddess it was me first instead of Enko,” he joked.

I frowned, blushing and leaning forward to hide on his bare chest. “Will it fit?”

Seven’s chest jolted as he laughed silently at my question and my blush deepened. “You’re as red as a strawberry, Fated. But I’m not talking to you about your other Fateds’ dicks right now.”

We remained silent for a long moment and his hand rested on the small of my back near my scars. “I’m sure it will fit. The goddess wouldn’t have put you together if it didn’t, right?”

“Has the goddess ever...spoken to you?”

Seven leaned back, his grin vanishing. “Spoken? Fated, it's just a statue.”

I nodded rapidly, eager to get back to cuddling. “Right, I was just wondering.”

“Has she...spoken to you?”

He lifted himself up on the floor mats, easily bringing me with him and repositioning me on his lap, gazing down at me with his full intensity so that I couldn’t lie. “In the shrine?”

“Yes. I heard a woman’s voice.”

“Maybe it’s because you’re a Disciple. You can hear her and I can’t,”

he mused, but his expression remained curious.

A growl came from the doorway and both of us froze, finding Rhys glaring at the two of us, but mostly at Seven. “You didn’t, brother.”