Bleeding Lotus

Chapter 8

To most people, being asked what the hell are you? would be deeply insulting, but to me it almost felt like a compliment. I liked the mystery, the anonymity that wrapped around me like a second skin. No one knowing who I was meant I had done my job well—hidden away deep within the forest with my pack, far from the greed and cruelty of civilization. If anyone ever discovered the truth about me, it meant I had failed to stay concealed. Yet for some strange reason, I felt almost compelled to tell Damon exactly what I was, even though I had spent my entire existence guarding that secret with my life.

With an internal sigh, I finally decided to tell him. If it meant learning more about those three men and their strange weapons, then maybe it was worth the risk.

"I am a kitsune, also known as a fox spirit," I explain quietly. "My existence is devoted to protecting my fox brethren from being hunted. Long ago, foxes roamed the earth in countless numbers, but over the years their numbers have dwindled due to humans. For the last thousand years, I've done everything in my power to keep them safe, but..." My voice falters slightly. "Since I'm the last of my kind, it's impossible to protect every fox in the world from harm."

My heart feels as though it shatters every single time I think about it. The weight of being the only one left presses against my chest like a stone. There were never many kitsune to begin with, and we are notoriously difficult to kill, which makes it all the more puzzling how every last one of them disappeared. Sometimes I spend endless nights wondering if they were hunted down one by one... or if something far worse happened.

What confuses me even more is why no new kitsune have been created. We were made for a purpose. A sacred one. Yet for centuries, no new kitsune have been created. I've been alone for a couple hundred years now. Sometimes, in my darkest moments, I wonder if the one who gave me this life has died.

"Is it your choice or instinct to protect foxes?" Charlie asks. The question catches me slightly off guard. My kind truly must be nothing more than forgotten myths if they had no idea what I was or why foxes meant everything to me.

"It's my nature," I answer softly. "I was once human. Long ago, I sacrificed my life to save a pregnant fox from a hunter." My gaze drifts toward the forest as old memories flood my mind. "What I didn't know was that saving the fox would change my entire life. The one who made me in a kitsune believed my actions proved I was worthy of another life, so he offered me one." A bittersweet smile crosses my lips. "Of course I accepted."

Images from centuries ago flash through my mind—the scent of cherry blossoms, temple incense drifting through the air, cold mountain winds brushing against my skin. "When I woke up, I was no longer human. I had white fox ears atop my head and a tail covered in soft fur." I glance down at my hands briefly. "For years I trained in Japan under the oldest kitsune alive until he finally deemed me capable of surviving on my own." My fingers curl slightly against my lap as power hums beneath my skin.

"With age came abilities... and more tails. I eventually grew nine in total." My voice softens with reverence as I continue. "The god who gave me this life adored foxes. He had a demon lover he could only meet in secret, and the two of them first met in a meadow filled with fox kits playing together. They cherished foxes ever since because they reminded them of that moment."

For a second, warmth flickers through me at the thought of the strange couple. "The god gave me my body, my name, and immortality. His demon lover gave me my abilities. My sole purpose is to protect foxes. I must do everything in my power to keep them safe... even if it costs me my life." The moment the words leave my mouth, my eyes widen in horror. I had completely rambled after being asked one simple question. Normally I guarded information about myself fiercely, yet around these two something inside me loosened, especially around Damon. It was as if some invisible force urged me to trust him despite every instinct warning me not to.

"How is it we've never heard of your kind Lotus?" Damon asks, his deep voice laced with fascination. His piercing blue eyes practically glow with curiosity as he studies me, eager to learn more.

"There were only a few of us created," I explain. "We avoid civilization whenever possible and spend most of our lives hidden deep in the woods alongside foxes, usually in our fox forms."

"Fox form?" Charlie furrows his brows in confusion; the two men hadn't saw me shift from a fox to my humanoid appearance. Shifters are common enough among supernaturals, but fox shifters do not exist outside my species.

Sighing softly, I close my eyes and picture myself as a fox. Almost instantly, the familiar transformation begins. Bones c***k and reshape beneath my skin, fur sprouts rapidly across my body, and my nails sharpen into claws. My canines elongate painfully as my body shrinks smaller and lighter. When I open my eyes again, I'm staring up at the two men from the forest floor. Both of them look completely stunned.