32

Dove

I shrank, smaller, smaller. The light grew brighter, brighter. I tried to look at myself, spinning in a circle until my poofy white tail came into sight. My fox form! My fur was the same white as my human hair, except it was glowing.

"Holy shit," Kairos said, looking down on me. I jumped around in a circle, dancing around my lost clothes, the three men standing in a circle around me.

The demons retreated, flakes falling from the sky. At first I thought it was ash, but it was the first freeze of the season. Snow.

"Hide her. Get to my office," the Archfox ordered as he approached.

A heavy coat landed on top of me like I was a wild raccoon. He proceeded to wrestle me into a suffocating bundle and held me like a football.

Enko.

I growled at my captor. Enko's laugh rumbled in his chest furthering my irritation. "She's not happy."

After a few moments of annoyed struggling, I gave up. The soft cocoon of his jacket enveloped me in warmth, and the gentle tingle of Enko's foxfire hummed between us as he walked.

"Let me see her," came the order of the Archfox a couple minutes later.

And just like that, the warm comfort ended. My fur's soft glow illuminated the room as Enko removed the jacket. I glanced around, finding my three Fated staring at me. I sat on the Archfox's desk, my fluffy white tail wrapping around me.

Kairos stepped forward, leaning down close and whispering, "I knew that you'd be a cute fox." Sleepiness flowed through me in his warm allure.

The Archfox glared. "Enough, we have matters to discuss. Get her off of my desk."

"My, you are being bossy, aren't you?" Seven stepped between us, growling. "Maybe you should give us a few minutes to bond with her in fox form."

"Did you not see that fucking attack, Seven?" The Archfox turned to Kairos and Enko, walking around Seven to take his seat. "Sit down, all of you. Dove, off."

"Why, yes, of course, your Holiness, we must appease you," Seven commented snidely, earning a roll of the eyes from the Archfox.

I nimbly leapt to Kairos' lap, snuggling against his warm chest after eyeing the amount of blood leaking from his wound.

"Dove is a Disciple. That explains why she has so many mates."

"A what?" Seven asked and I gleamed up at him in shock. How could he not know of our history?

"They were believed to have gone extinct centuries ago, sometimes called the Heavenly Foxes?" the Archfox explained. "The goddess sends down Disciples, protectors of our realm against demons if they ever become too strong. They can have any number of abilities. At least, that's how the myth goes."

Kairos' body tensed, his eyes narrowing at the Archfox.

" Did he say ‘myth' ?" Kairos asked, but his voice was distorted and deep.

"With more training, we can get Dove ready."

I slumped back against Kairos and let out a small whine. I was so tired.

"She needs her rest, Rhys. Shifting into fox form the first time takes a lot of energy."

"She released enough magic to scare off a hundred demons, I saw it myself. We need her ready to fight. She is the best weapon we have against—" the Archfox began.

"She's not a weapon," Kairos snapped.

Seven stood up. "Our Fated needs to rest after the magic she expended today. She's completely wiped out. We're going back to our dorm, Rhys."

"We'll talk tomorrow," the Archfox called after us as Kairos carried me out of the office.

In the dorm, he set me down on the couch. I whined, trying to speak about missing his embrace.

"You won't be able to shift back for a while. The more you do it, the easier it gets," Seven explained.

"We should shift with her," Enko suggested. "It will be good for bonding with our Fated."

Seven shifted into his black fox, my light bending around him and his seven dark tails. Kairos transformed into the pale gold fox, his five tails sparking with lightning. Enko's fur burned a thousand shades of russet, the tips of his six tails pure fire.

Enko curled up on the end, his tails dying down to blackened embers to keep anything from catching fire. Seven and Kairos rested next to me and the connection lulled me into a deep sleep.