Page 1 of Curses & Kitsune

Chapter 1

Iwake in the night feeling like something’s wrong. I try to move, but I can’t. There’s something pinning me down. My chest feels painfully tight, and I can’t get in a full breath. There’s a noxious churning in my stomach, like the sashimi I had for dinner is coming back up to kick me. Groaning, I turn over, and my nails catch in the sheets and shred them.

Shit. Not my nails. Claws.

A low growl fills the room, and I realize I’m making that horrible, inhuman sound. My skin itches like I’ve got hives as fur grows over my body. There’s a restless itch at the base of my spine, and when I scratch, I recoil with a shocked gasp. There’s a tail growing there. No. Not just one. Several. Nine.

Double shit.

I lurch out of bed and throw open the door. “Raiden?” I cut my lip on my sharp canine teeth. “Ow, fuck!” I wipe away blood. “Raiden?”

Down the hall, the office door flies open and Raiden hurtles out into the hallway. His scent slams into me, making me woozy. He’s never smelled like this. Raiden smells like himself, but amplified. My mouth waters with the sudden urge to bite, to claim.

What the hell is with me?

I must look as bestial as I feel. Raiden’s eyes go wide. “Shit. It’s happening. Come on, let’s get you outside.”

Once we’re outside, the scents of the night come at me in a rush. A bird calls out within the trees, and something scurries around in the bushes. The sweet aroma of flowers, growing grass, and the musky tang of animals compels me to investigate every little scent trail.

“Can’t think. What is… it’s all so…”

“I know.” Raiden tugs at my shirt. “Come on. Undress so you don’t tear your clothes.”

I can’t even manage that as my knees shake, and I drop to all fours. I drive my claws into the ground and tighten my jaw, trying to push back the change coming over me. “W-will it hurt?”

Raiden’s beside me, his hand gripping mine. “Only if you fight it. Let go.”

I’m scared, but I trust Raiden. He says to let go, so I’ll do it.

Closing my eyes, I force myself to relax. Fur sprouts and my body shrinks toward the ground. It happens faster than I can say. There’s no time to notice the changes or to take anything in. One second I’m on my knees, and the next, I’m buried beneath a pile of clothes.

I reach out to push them away, and there’s a white paw where my hand should be, the fur is streaked with a dusting of bright red. Not like blood, just a red pigmentation. I try to disentangle myself from my clothes. A frustrated sound escapes me as I stumble around, trying to paw the shirt off my head.

“Whoa! Easy, Sunshine. I got you.” Raiden laughs deep and low, then reaches out. The world around me comes into view. Raiden kneels over me, grinning. “Wow. You’re so fluffy! Here. Take a look.” He holds out his phone and switches to selfie mode.

The white fluffy face of a fox appears on the screen. That’s… me. Stunned, I turn in a circle, and all nine of my tails flutter around me.

“You’re cute in this form.” Raiden rests his hand between my ears, and his soft, warm touch makes me emit some embarrassingly high-pitched trilling sound. Foxes sound weird as hell. To my mortification, I roll over for a damn belly rub. Oh, no. He’s never going to let me live this down.

“Friendly little bastard, ain’t ya?” Raiden scratches my belly, then up my chest. When his hand is in reach, I bite him. “Ow! Shit. You little—” He stands, wrestling with his clothes. “Wait till I catch you.”

I yip my delight, bursting with the energy to run and hunt with my mate.

Once Raiden is nude, he drops to all fours. Before his hands touch the ground, they’ve turned to paws, and his beautiful, enormous black wolf leaps toward me. I duck beneath his pounce and race off toward the trees.

With a playful bark, Raiden gives chase. I lose track of when it happens, but at some point, we stop chasing each other and instead run beside each other toward a single goal. Joy surges through me as I run side by side with the man I love. We’re free. Nothing can touch us.

The winds change, blowing his scent toward me. My mate smells like sweet, citrusy yuzu. It's one of my favorite smells in the world. He smells so sweet, my mouth waters. A second heart races in my ears, and it’s Raiden’s. His heart pumps hard and fast as we run. For some reason, my eyes latch onto his neck. What would his blood taste like? Would it be coppery? Or would it taste as sweet as yuzus?

A flash of crimson blooms in the woods, as bright as a droplet of blood. A woman’s pale face materializes from the trees. No matter how far or fast I run, she seems to follow me, as if I’m only running in place. Tamano-no-Mae’s red lips curl.

“Go on”—her voice as clear as if she’s speaking directly into my ears—“take a bite. See for yourself how sweet your precious mate’s blood tastes. Drink him dry!” Her teeth flash, razor sharp.

A red haze falls over my vision as a sudden rush of rage possesses me. There’s something else buried beneath all that fury, something sour and bitter, but there’s no time to examine it. All thought flees my head except bite, tear, kill!

I pounce, claws slamming into Raiden’s side. He’s blown off his feet with a yelp, tumbling over in the grass.

“Sunshine? What the hell? That hurt!”

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