A Fox's Family (Sample)

Chapter 1 - Part III

After taking a shower, Kevin, having donned his outfit of faded leather jeans, a white T-shirt and sneakers, left Kiara's mercilessly untender hands.

He didn't ride his bike back home, mainly because he couldn't ride his bike. His body was in too much pain for that. His arms were sore, his legs were burning, and his chest felt like someone had injected acid straight into his muscles.

And yet, despite the pain, he felt good. Maybe not physically good, but mentally, emotionally, Kevin felt incredible. Accomplished. It wasn't noticeable yet, but he felt like he was getting stronger.

Arriving home and grunting his way up the stairs, Kevin entered his apartment to find Kotohime cooking breakfast. He knew it was her before even looking in the kitchen, as he could smell the Japanese cuisine being prepared. Lilian rarely made Japanese food these days, preferring to try new dishes each time she cooked. She had a predilection for American breakfasts.

"Good morning, Kevin-sama." Despite her greeting, Kotohime did not look up from her task of setting the table.

"Um, good morning," Kevin muttered a tad shyly. Even after two weeks, he still couldn't get over the new suffix she had added to his name. He remembered asking her why she'd decided to switch from using "-san" to "-sama" once. Her answer had been rather enlightening.

"Because you have officially become Lilian-sama's mate. I must afford you the respect that comes with such a position, even if you are not quite deserving of such respect yourself."

Kotohime was a very traditional woman, believing that respect must at least be afforded to the position, if not the person who held it.

"I hope your workout with Kiara-san was productive," she continued as her tails reached into a cabinet and pulled out several plates.

"Uh, yeah, I like to think it was pretty productive." Kevin rubbed the back of his head, and then winced. It seemed even the simplest of movements hurt. "Kiara's tough, but thanks to her, I think I'm starting to get a little stronger."

"That is good. You're going to need that strength if you plan on standing by Lilian-sama's side."

"Believe me, I am already well-aware of that," Kevin said with more than just a hint of dryness.

"I'm sure you are." Kotohime's demure smile held an amused gleam, and her eyes glimmered in ways that still bothered Kevin. He felt like she was taking pleasure from his predicament.

After he had decided to become Lilian's mate, Kotohime had taken him aside and informed him of the dangers he would face—some of them anyway. She had not been pleasant about it either. There had been no reassurances, no "don't worry, I'll protect you" speeches or anything of the sort. Just straight up, brutally honest information given to him in a way that made the whole issue seem almost mundane.

Kevin was sure Kotohime had gotten a kick out of the whole thing.

"Breakfast will be ready soon," Kotohime's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Could you please wake up Lilian-sama for me? I believe she will enjoy being woken up by you more than she would me." Her smile as she said this was more than just a little devious. The way her eyes sparkled with a strange sort of mischief didn't help.

"Don't I always wake Lilian up?" Kevin retorted, "And of course she'd prefer me. I'm her mate."

"Ufufufu, indeed."

Kevin left Kotohime to her cooking and entered his bedroom. However, he paused in the doorway when he caught sight of his mate lying on the bed.

His heart skipped a beat.