"Who in the world could that be?" Celeste asked as she followed me toward the front door.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
The sound boomed out again confirming that someone was in fact at my front door. I couldn't help but get excited, my system alerted me that another possible member of the harem was nearby and then someone knocked on my door. Realizing those two things couldn't be a coincidence made my mind race.
I pulled the door open. Standing there was a woman with tall blue ears and a thick tail that swayed with a slow, hypnotic rhythm. She wore a thin silk wrap that clung to her wide hips and heavy curves, leaving very little to the imagination.
The moment our eyes met, a sharp pull ignited in my chest, more intense than any attraction I had felt before. She didn't look startled by my sudden appearance or the blood on my shirt. Instead, she offered a knowing smirk, her golden eyes locking onto mine as if she had been waiting for me to open this door for a very long time.
My dick shaped friend responded with a notification.
[ Harem Candidate ⅖ ]
[ MANDATORY QUEST: BOND WITH THE KITSUNE ]
[ BOND INITIATION REQUIREMENTS: ]
[ 1. PHYSICAL CONTACT ]
[ 2. VERBAL ACCEPTANCE ]
[ 3. SEAL THE COMPACT ]
I forced it from my view, refocusing on the beauty on my doorstep.
"Umm… are you uhh," The fox woman squirmed and hid behind her hands. "Are you going to talk… or umm, just stare at me?" She almost vibrated as she finished her question.
"Oh… yea my bad. Umm, hello?" I said looking over at Celeste with a puzzled face before continuing. "What are you doing here… honestly how did you find this place?" Hoping for some answer I watched as she melted in place in anxiousness. "Sorry… that came off a bit harsh. What I mean is, how did you manage to find yourself knocking on our door?"
Her ears twitched as she thought. "I was in the woods… and I felt the need to come in this direction," She lowered her hands revealing her full face again. "I saw this big house I'd never seen before… and decided to knock?" Her voice rising on the last word in pure confusion.
Her earlier shyness melting away as she somehow wormed her way passed Celeste and I, stopping once she had made it into the center of our home. She began to look all around, inspecting the area with curious energy, her tail swaying rapidly as she explored. She twisted rapidly toward us and began marching, as she opened her mouth to say something her foot caught the rug causing her to trip forward into my arms.
Looking down at the fox-girl the system returned into my view.
[ BOND INITIATION REQUIREMENTS: ]
[ 1. PHYSICAL CONTACT (COMPLETE) ]
[ 2. VERBAL ACCEPTANCE (PENDING) ]
[ 3. SEAL THE COMPACT ]
"This place is a mess… thanks," She said, bringing my focus back to her. "I'm Reika a Kitsune… and this…" she stopped mid sentence, pushing herself up from my arms. "...this is my home now,"
Stunned by her statement I looked over at Celeste, her mouth was hung open in disbelief. I watched as she reached for her bow, raising my hands in protest. She let out a very loud sigh as she returned her weapon to her back.
"Ahhh man… I just wanted one night," Celeste cried out. "One night with Adrian to myself… but nooooo." She was pacing as she spoke, only stopping to complain more. "You're fine with this Adrian?"
"Umm… first, I'm Adrian and that's Celeste," I said as I pointed toward my elf companion. "We just kinda claimed this place… we could definitely use the help cleaning," Wiping dust off the staircase railing and showing it to her. "It would take us a long time to clean–"
"Clean! I love to clean!" Reika chimed in. "Also you're very cute… Celeste," she said, wrapping her tail around her. "I was living in a cave near here, but this place," She gestured to the house. "I like this place better so… which room is mine?"
Looking out a nearby window I noticed the hour was getting late.
"Celeste, we need to get supplies from town before we can stay here. Think Tanya would put her up in a room for the night if I paid?" I asked genuinely curious. "We're losing daylight. Reika–"
My voice was drowned out by a loud growling noise, I looked over at the fox girl. Reika's ears were folded and her tail was stood straight up, the fur spread wide as she growled.
"People in town don't treat me nicely… I'll stay here and wait for your return,"
Looking over at Celeste and nodding in agreement, we left Reika at the manor and headed to town.
The trip was a blur of frantic bartering. Every time I stepped more than a few yards from Celeste, my vision flashed a deep, angry crimson.
[ WARNING: BOND STABILITY AT RISK ]
[ DISTANCE FROM CANDIDATE DETRIMENTAL TO COMPATIBILITY ]
[ TIME REMAINING TO SEAL COMPACT: 06:42:11 ]
"We have to go. Now," I barked, grabbing the last crate of rations. Celeste didn't argue; she'd seen the look in my eyes.
We raced back through the darkened woods, the manor looming ahead like a jagged shadow. But as I threw open the front doors, I froze. The dust was gone and the air smelled fresh. Every surface gleamed under the moonlight, and the gore from the Grizzlejack had been scrubbed from the porch as if it never existed.
"Reika?" I called out. Silence.
Hours later, the adrenaline finally died down. I'd set Celeste up in the parlor and settled myself into the master suite, my muscles aching from the fight and the sprint. I stripped off my ruined shirt and collapsed into the massive, four-poster bed, the silk sheets surprisingly cool against my skin.
Beginning to drift into sleep, I felt the center of my mattress dip.
A soft, rhythmic rustle of fabric followed, then the unmistakable sensation of silk sliding against silk. A tail, thick and soft while radiating a low heat, brushed over my calves as it coiled loosely around my ankles.
"You came back just in time," a voice purred in the dark.
I felt a slender, curvy weight press against my back, and a pair of hands slid around my waist, fingers tracing the edge of the bandages on my shoulder.
"The house is clean, Adrian... but I'm still so very hungry."
[ SEAL THE COMPACT: INITIATED ]