Chapter 7

As we delve deeper into uncovering the conspiracy involving rival corporations, we end up in a luxurious home along the beachside belonging to Chassis Black, the minotaur who hosted the meeting.

I've never breathed in such clean air before and I find the experience a little disturbing, though my cybernetics would disagree.

"How long do we have to be here?" I whisper under my breath once we're far enough from the crowd. The other men who also attended the meeting brought along various companions, some of which were their spouses by the tilt of their noses and their air of arrogance.

Servers maneuver around us as the rich toast to new business ventures and acquisitions while they overlook the scenery. It's surreal. My mind still can't comprehend how the rich live while everyone in Fortune City struggles to survive from day to day.

Ryuu leans in intimately and my body flushes from his all encompassing attention as heat emanates off his body toward mine. "We're going to find Chassis Black's mainframe. Rumor has it, it's buried underground beneath the bunker. The bunker contains a few of his computer systems, the perfect distraction for any petty thief and hacker." He smiles and my breath hitches when he lifts a finger and gently glides it across my jaw. He must know how he affects me, and the bastard does it anyway. I'm unable to do anything but watch, bespelled by the way his eyes dilate as he breathes me in. "But you, little fox, would not be deterred by such stupid strategies, would you?"

Why were my tails reacting? I shiver and blink a few times, my cheeks heating further as I cast my eyes downward and give him a soft and breathy ‘no'.

Who is this person? Surely it isn't me who sounds like a girl desperately craving praise from a master. Shaking my head, I mentally chastise myself and move away, pretending to grab some of the finger food off one of the servant's trays walking by.

"Thank you," I mumble as I immediately shove the small piece into my mouth and aggressively begin chewing so that I don't have to answer any more of Ryuu's questions.

Mindless conversations and a handful of fake smiles later, Ryuu and I are given a tour of the inside of this extravagant home with its lower half completely covered by glass walls akin to the Onyx building. It's evident Chassis Black transferred the technological advancement to his home as well.

What other things did Chassis Black bring over, I wonder curiously.

Ryuu steers us further into the home, closer to the halls. "I'm going to engage the Goblin over there," Ryuu whispers, leaning into the crook of my neck. A few of the wives have been giving us wayward glances, their eyes hungry for Ryuu's attention while furious when pointed in my direction. "And when I do, I want you to excuse yourself to the restroom. If anyone asks, tell them Mr. Dvorak wants you to pretty up before dinner starts."

I jerk my head back. "Pretty up?"

He grins charmingly before running his finger down my arm.

"Why wouldn't a kitsune like you not want to pretty up for your master, hmm?"

I open my mouth to throw out a retort when a woman scoffs behind me as her husband looks over her head and wags his eyebrows at Ryuu. When they are out of earshot, Ryuu places his hand on my lower back and ushers me into the dark hallway toward the restroom.

"Keep to the mission. I'll come find you in two hours… starting now." It was the last thing he said before I'm backed into the wall with his arm over us. He leans in to place his lips on mine. Caught by surprise, my hands automatically shoot up to his chest to push him away when the sound of voices float toward us.

"Lucky bastard. I haven't been able to obtain or see one in the past ten years and here he is flaunting her like the trophy she is." The stranger mutters under his breath before stalking past us and heading into the restroom.

I'm lost in his touch, in the way his tongue duels with mine as I try to catch my breath. I feel like I'm drowning in flames. When he growls into my mouth, I mewl and he presses his body fully against mine in response, further caging me in this storm of emotions. Surely, the need for distraction is over, but I can't find it in myself to stop him as his other hand caresses my fur, pushing my hood down to my shoulders.

"There you are." My breath hitches at his gravelly voice. I fear dying in this strange euphoria when the sound of footsteps behind him fades away. He pulls back and we both stare into each other's eyes, the tension in the hallway palpable, my skin pebbling as my heart beats off kilter while my circuits crackle beneath my sleeve.

Catching my breath, I blink a few times, realizing too late that my hands are still on his chest. I drop them and he leans in for a chaste kiss before regaining his own composure as if we didn't just make out in public a few moments ago.

"One hour and forty five minutes. Wait five minutes after I exit before you leave this hallway."

I nod and slink into the shadows, unsure if I caught one of his demons staring at us with glowing red eyes.

Ryuu, for being the size he is, easily slips out of the hallway and picks up conversation easily with the next person he comes across. I wait until the sound of his voice fades into the background noise of other conversations before I pull my hood back over my ears and my goggles down. This sparkling dress is going to make it hard for me to utilize stealth but at the same time would help me blend into the crowd of women if necessary.

Peering around the corner, most of the clientele are back outside while a few linger in the kitchen for mixed drinks. I tiptoe around the home, avoiding party stragglers while testing all the doors.

"How dare he bring that vile thing here. Has he no decorum? Slaves should be kept at home, not paraded around like living dolls," sneers one of the wives. There's something odd about these women, like a somewhat uncanny beauty that's too perfect and not quite right—manufactured.

I quickly do the only thing I can—I slink up the stairs making sure my tails are out of view by the time she turns the corner with the other wives in her posse.

"Some of the other men brought theirs as well, Becca."

Becca hisses as she turns on the other wife next to her. "But they aren't sex slaves, Janice! He was practically devouring her in the open. I was tempted to pull my husband out of this wretched place assuming they were about to fornicate next."

Shooting into the first room I can reach, I quietly close the door until they're unable to see me. I continue to observe as they walk by with drinks in hand, conversating about their disgust with the residents of Fortune City. My hackles rise but I have a mission to accomplish. This little setback shaves off precious time but is unavoidable.

When their voices fade, I look around the room. I realize I ended up in a large study with a wall of books behind the desk. Straightening, I begin to poke around curiously, running my finger along the spine of the various pristine books. How are there this many freshly printed books in here when most of our literature back in the heart of Fortune City have been burned in the last regime change?

Something shocks me up my cybernetic arm and I shake my hand out, lifting my finger to my face to inspect.

"That was strange…"

Lifting my hand to rerun the route I previously trailed my finger across, the air around a group of books at eye height begin to waver as if there's an invisible force field present.

"Magic? Here?" Magic's been forbidden since the Terraforming Era, a time where technological advances were scarce. Thought to have left with the dilution of dragon's blood.

I watch as the static hits my cybernetic finger once more. The pinch of pain makes me wince, but my instincts tell me there's something bigger happening here. Gritting through the pain, I force myself to grab the book and a soft click echoes before the entire wall of books turns and reveals a secret entrance.

Letting out a breath and shaking my hand out, I will myself to ignore the prickles that run up and down my limb as I cautiously take a few steps into the unknown.