In the stone garden, Freya gently stroked the nine-tailed fox's head with her right hand while brushing him with her left hand. The fox in front of her purred as Freya groomed him.
"It's done." Freya put the brush down and scratched his chin with a satisfied smile.
Caiden didn't turn into the arctic fox she first met, instead he used another form of his, a nine-tailed fox with the size of a king-sized bed.
Caiden pounced and pushed her down easily with his paws before licking her face. It made Freya giggle, "Why don't you turn back to your humanoid form?"
"You dote on me more in this form~" Caiden rubbed his nose against hers coquettishly. Freya sighed softly and shook her head helplessly.
Well, there was one way to beat this sly fox. She grabbed his ear making his movement pause. Freya smiled and pinched the tip of his ear, then proceeded to trace along the edges.
This action of hers made Caiden purr and shiver, his eyes flashed black before turning misty grey. With eyes filled with mirth, she asked slyly, "Say it again, do I not treat you well?"
Caiden's eyes widened before narrowing, with a poof, he turned back to his humanoid form. His ear was still pinched by Freya, but he ignored the electrifying pleasure.
Caiden whispered into her ears in a dangerously low voice, "If you keep provoking me, there's no telling how long I can hold back."
Freya wasn't frightened at all despite being pinned onto the ground, she remained in a relaxed manner, "14 years old, a minor. Behave."
The only reason she could act so brazen was because she knew Caiden won't force her, nor will he do something to hurt her. She released his poor ear that was pink on the tip and stroked his head.
Freya knew that she was his soulmate, she knew that he loved her but she never gave him a definite answer. It may be cruel but she wanted to give Caiden more time to decide.
She didn't want to be together with him just because she was his soulmate. He needed to see her as herself and deem whether Freya was suitable for him or not.
She was very clear on which lines can be crossed and which shouldn't be. She did love him, from the moment she saw him, she felt attracted to him. If this was what people call love at first sight, then so be it.
There was no constant blushing, nor was there any frequent heart racing for her, but just by being by his side, she felt extremely safe and comfortable. That was enough, these were the qualities she looked for.
She wasn't finding someone who would say sickly sweet words just to make her heart jump, she was looking for a life companion. Although it's hard to define their relationship right now, there's no doubt he was someone she held dearly.
Caiden naturally knew what she was thinking about. Though he knew she was the only one for him, and he had long fallen for Freya as a person, he never pushed it.
After all, she is like a kitten, the more you chase after her, the farther she'll run. However, she might occasionally come over and act coy if you don't move. They still have many years to come, no need to be hasty. She'll be his eventually.
This kind of tacit understanding that existed between the two made it so nothing was awkward.
Caiden slumped down and burrowed his face into her neck. Freya didn't push him away, she patted him dotingly. She pressed her head against his and complained, "You're too heavy, turn back into your fox form."
He only gave her a languid glance before continuing scenting her. Caiden hummed and bit down on her shoulder, it wasn't painful but it left a visible mark.
A nine-tailed fox has a very possessive nature, they would leave their scent on their partner...and then there's the marking. Biting the nape of their partner will bound their souls together, so the nine-tailed fox can find their partner even if they want to hide.
For the partner, being marked meant that they had to be prepared to be with the fox for life. After all, the nature of a predatory beast lies within the fox, they will hunt their partners for life and make sure they stay beside them...even if it's by force.
"What's that for?" Freya yelped in surprise.
Caiden looked at the mark he made with contentment as his eyes flashed gold. It was only after that he turned back into his arctic fox form and snuggled against her.
"It's going to rain." His voice reverberated in her head.
A few minutes after he said that, red droplets rained from the sky. The rain in the demon realm was very different from her past life. The scarlet blood produced a fishy smell, it was unpleasant.
The white flower on the side of the trail was stained scarlet, making it ominous. Caiden turned back to his humanoid form and tugged her into his embrace.
"Let's head inside." Caiden carried her easily.
Freya didn't resist, she didn't like the rain. Most demons hated the rain. They had to stay indoors to avoid becoming a bloody mess since magic doesn't work on it. It was a weird phenomenon but luckily it only happens twice a year.
Caiden sat on the bed and placed her on his lap. He waved his hands as the tray of desserts floated over to them. He fed her bites after bites, his actions skillful as he had done it many times.
Freya sighed, "In my past life, I would be killing targets all around the world at this age. I feel like I'm getting lazier."
Caiden rubbed his chin on her head, "It's fine. Just do what you want to."
Freya once thought that Caiden knew everything that happened in her past life, but that wasn't the case. Most people didn't remember their past lives, so he could only see how they died and not what happened in their past.
A soul can have many lives. He told her that the lives looked like balls of fire, black representing the past, blue representing the present. Those things are called blossoms.
She had a white one because she remembers her past. He could only see a simple summary of what happened in her life.
"You have a red blossom. I can't read it, it's locked."
When Caiden told her that, she asked what it meant. But even he didn't know what it meant. Since it was something that happened in the past, Freya just chose to ignore it. It was probably sealed for some reason.
"Your birthday is coming up in a few months, what do you want?" Caiden cooed, hugging her from behind.
He nuzzled his face into her neck and inhaled her scent. A whiff of pleasant gardenia and sunshine entered his nose. His tails started wagging subconsciously, this happens very often when the fox is with their favorite person.
"Anything is fine." She answered after pondering for a while.
Guns, swords, daggers...there's nothing else she wants. Other weapons don't pique her interest. She has many shooting ranges, gardens, libraries...all over the demon realm. Whether it was the south, east, north, or west...she has her own palace.
"Then it'll be a surprise." He smiled as his lips touched her nape, she's too defenseless. Caiden averted his gaze from the pale and slender nape, "Ah, it'll be your debutante ball soon won't it?"
Freya nodded and furrowed her brows. In the demon realm, debutantes usually fall between 16 years of age, but the princesses have to have their debut earlier, at the age of fourteen.
Caiden poked the center of her brows, making them relax. He asked, "What's wrong? Do you need help with the preparations?"
Freya shook her head, usually, the princesses host the ceremony but, "Daddy said that he'll prepare everything for me. It's just that, I don't know what to perform."
The princess performing at the start of the debutante ball is a tradition of the demon realm. It can be anything, ranging from playing an instrument to fighting with demonic beasts.
It wasn't for the people to see, it's more of an expression of gratefulness towards the demon kings and being filial towards her father. Freya could play many musical instruments, maybe she'll do that?
"You can just skip performing if you don't want to. None of us would insist." Caiden told her gently.
"No, I want to do something-"
A sudden idea surfaced in her mind, that should be fine. Caiden saw her eyes sparkling and felt his heart skipping a beat. He gazed away as his eyes turned pink. Ah, she's too cute...
"You found the answer?" He asked softly.
She beamed and nodded, she'll just have to practice a little. She snuggled against Caiden and rested her eyes. Hopefully, everything will go smoothly during the debutante ball.
[A/N: Last day of 2021~ I wish everyone a happy new year, may your 2022 be a happy year.]