A Kitsune's Tale Read online

  I could hear Kitty-Sue bustling around the apartment, but the tug of the warm water kept me from wondering what she was doing.

  After almost falling asleep in the tub, I finally got out once the water chilled. As I stood up, Kitty-Sue came back into the bath. She dried me vigorously with a terry cloth towel.

  We made our way back to the bedroom. Kitty-Sue had been very busy. All the dust was gone, the room smelled clean, and the sheets were fresh.

  Kitty-Sue excused herself for a minute, and I heard the cycle of the tub reheating the water, followed by the sounds of her taking her own bath.

  While she was busy, I took inventory of my physical condition. Deaf and partially blind on one side, aged to exhaustion, hormone levels so low that the enticing sounds of Kitty-Sue’s bathing did nothing to stir my imagination.

  By the time she rejoined me, wearing nothing but the collar and a smile, I had made a decision.

  She walked towards the bed, fully human except for the pointed ears, tail, and oval eyes. Her breasts made a seductive rhythm as she walked, and a hint of her scent wafted towards me. She climbed into bed, sitting beside me with her knees up and her arms wrapped around her knees. I felt the welcoming warmth of her body and caught myself staring at the hint of a nipple that showed as her breasts pushed against her thighs. She looked at me with a hunger that reminded me of Jorōgumo. Even with the collar, she could spin a web as dangerous as that woven by Jorōgumo.

  I sent a command through the collar, forcing her into her fox form. She was surprised and let out a small yip. I pulled back the covers and slid wearily under them The fox tilted her head to question why I had transformed her.

  “I think you should be in fox form when you share my bed. I don’t know if I could resist temptation if you stayed human,” I said.

  I lay back on the bed, relaxing for the first time in (days, weeks?) months.

  Kitty-Sue walked in a circle three or four times and settled in next to me, her tail covering her nose. She was soon breathing evenly and deeply.

  A few minutes of worry about my situation were followed by a deep sleep. Tomorrow’s problems could wait for tomorrow.