Chapter 5
Touji
With the deepening snow, it was a relief that I'd been able to shift into fox form. At least I was warm, and I could run fast. We were dressed for a mild Halloween night, not a snowstorm in the Swiss alps. Well, actually, I didn't know what Zan had dressed for. Had he been hibernating like that? Shirtless, in skintight leather pants?
It probably wasn't worth thinking too hard about that. My fox fur was excellent insulation, but they both looked cold, especially Agnes. Every few steps, I glanced back at them, worry gnawing at my gut. If this kept up, my work suit couldn't be enough to keep Agnes from catching hypothermia, and I didn't want the witch harmed. The demon could go fuck himself, but the woman was an innocent bystander.
I'd sworn an oath to protect the innocent.
Agnes hugged herself tightly, looking a little ridiculous and a little cute, bundled up in my coat and pants. Zangraxath had tossed my shirt carelessly over his shoulders, like he was on a yacht, and his black skin glistened with melted snowflakes. He was seeming unbothered by the cold, though he held Agnes tightly against him. He looked up, meeting my eyes. Was he worried, too? That seemed very un-demon-like.
"I'm f-fine," Agnes insisted, but she didn't shove Zangraxath away, which was telling. His tail curled more tightly around her waist. "Zan is keeping me warm."
"Zan? An hour ago he was threatening to make you his dinner, but we're on a nickname basis now?"
"Not like food dinner! I told you!" Zangraxath protested. "She says my name has too many syllables and that the destroyer of virginity part isn't as impressive in modern society. I still find it impressive, though. I worked hard for that title."
I cleared my throat. "It's a title? Like someone bestowed it on you?"
Agnes laughed, but her voice was a little thin and strained. She must have been cold, and concern flooded through me. "Let's keep moving. We need to find shelter soon. This storm is only getting worse."
"It's cute the way he's all business, but he's so fluffy," Zan said, and I considered biting him. Preferably in the thick muscles of his luscious ass. I blinked, shaking off that ridiculous thought.
"So fluffy," Agnes agreed, grinning. "I want to scratch his cute ears."
I held back a lecture about petting kitsune as we continued our trek and the storm intensified. Snow swirled around us in dizzying eddies, obscuring my vision. I strained my keen fox eyes, searching for any sign of civilization. It felt like an eternity before something that looked manmade finally caught my attention. A square shape nestled against a copse of trees.
"Wait here!" I barked, bounding ahead through the snow, my fox feet swift and built for running.
As I crested a small rise, relief flooded through me. There, nestled in the valley below, stood a quaint log and timber chalet. It was small and a little weather-worn, but it was shelter.
I raced back to Agnes and Zan, my tails wagging with excitement. "I found a little cabin! It's not far now."
Agnes's eyes lit up. "What a relief! I was about to suggest we build an igloo."
Zan grinned wickedly. "I would have kept you warm, little witch."
I shot the demon a warning glare. "Save your dirty thoughts for when we're not in danger of freezing to death."
"I may still be in danger," Zan said. "Surely you won't let me take shelter with humans who will recognize me for what I am."
Frowning at that, I ran ahead, curious about the chalet and more than a little surprised that I cared if Zan could join us inside. From a distance, the chalet hadn't looked occupied, and I knew that this sort of structure might be for tourists, or for a farmer who moved his herd to higher altitudes in the summer. If that was the case, it was likely to be empty, but I'd rather be safe than have Zangraxath spotted.
I circled the chalet, my nose twitching as I sniffed for any signs of life. Nothing but the crisp scent of pine and fresh snow. Good. We wouldn't be disturbing anyone. My wallet and phone were in my jacket pocket, and I made a mental note to leave them a gift or some money for the owners, to thank them for sanctuary on a snowy night.
With a deep breath, I shifted into my human form, immediately shivering as the icy wind bit at my bare skin. Damn, I'd forgotten how cold it was. Gritting my teeth, I tested the doorknob, finding it locked, but it was a simple latch, easy enough to force open. The interior was chilly, lit only by a row of windows along one side of the room, but blessedly out of the wind. It was basic inside, and rustic, but clean enough that I knew someone had been there within the last few weeks.
I headed for the wood stove, happy to find a pile of kindling and long matches at the ready. The downside to shifting form was the nudity, and I was freezing my balls off, so I unfurled my tails and curled them around my torso as I worked quickly. My fingers trembled as I struck a match and coaxed a small fire to life. As the flames grew, casting a glow throughout the room, I allowed myself a moment of relief before shifting back to my fox form and racing back into the snowy night.
Once outside, I could hear Agnes and Zan approaching. I barked sharply, urging them to hurry, racing up the hill towards them.
"I'm moving as fast as I can!" Agnes called out, her teeth chattering. "I can't believe it's snowing on Halloween — or I guess it's November 1st now."
Zan chuckled, his deep voice carrying easily over the howling wind. "Perhaps we've stumbled into some kind of temporal anomaly."
"It's the altitude," I said. "Come on, I have a fire going inside." I grabbed her sleeve in my teeth and tugged her forward, and she laughed, tumbling through the door after me.
I bounded back inside as Agnes and Zan shoved the door closed against the harsh wind, shaking off snow and looking around the cramped cabin. The face felt much smaller with them inside. Zan's large, muscular body took up so much room. I shook off my fur, staying in fox form because, well, my other form would have been bare-assed naked. They made a beeline for the cast iron wood stove, huddling close and rubbing their hands together.
"A fire. Did you just build this?" Agnes moaned, her blue eyes closing in bliss as she soaked up the warmth. "I thought we were going to freeze to death out there."
Zan, the hulking demon, pressed closer to her. "I would not have let you freeze," he purred, his yellow eyes gleaming with mischief.
I rolled my eyes, padding around to sit next to their feet, my tails curling towards Agnes, trying to comfort her. Now came the awkward part — I had to figure out how to ask for my clothes back without, well, being naked in front of them. Maybe I'd just stay a fox.
Agnes caught my gaze and giggled. "Aww, does the big bad kitsune want his pants? You're so cute and fluffy like this, though!" She reached out and scratched me between the ears, which was definitely not allowed, but I wasn't in the mood to argue. Also, she'd hit that spot that made me feel all tingly and happy. I pressed into her touch, letting her scratch far more than I should have before I remembered myself and backed up.
"No petting," I growled low in my throat, which only made her giggle again. Zan's gaze, however, had turned predatory.
"I wouldn't mind seeing the full package," he rumbled, licking his lips. "You don't have to be modest. If you're ready to shift back to your other form, go for it. Your other form really was quite delicious, from what I saw."
His words made me hot all over, and suddenly my fox fur felt like too much. With a snarl, I leapt up, snatching my shirt from Zan's broad shoulders with my teeth, and darting through a door in the back of the room, which turned out to be a small bathroom. In a flash, I shifted back to human form, pulling the shirt on.
"Hey!" Zan yelled after me, but I ignored him as I tugged the hem of the shirt down over my bare ass. It was barely long enough for modesty, but it'd have to do.
"Oh my god," she wheezed, "you look like Tom Cruise in Risky Business! Except, you know, without the tighty-whities."
I felt my cheeks burning as I stalked past them, not meeting their eyes. "Very funny," I muttered, yanking open cabinet doors. "Let's see if there's anything edible in this place."
"Your ass?" Zan asked. "And before you leap to the wrong conclusions again, I don't mean that in a cannibalistic way. That's the most luscious male ass I've seen in at least a century."
I rolled my eyes, but couldn't stop the heat from rising to my cheeks. "You've been hibernating for nearly two centuries."
To my relief, Agnes seemed to take pity on me, unbuckling the belt on my pants, which she was still wearing, and adjusting the skirt of her dress to cover herself as she tugged the pants off and shook them out. She tossed them to me. "As much as I'm enjoying the view, I'm warmed up now, and I think Zan is going to lose his mind if you keep walking around looking that sexy."
Blushing, I made quick work of pulling the pants on, checking the pockets for the timepiece in its little leather pouch. I eyed Zangraxath, wondering if perhaps I should attempt to reverse the effects of the timepiece's magic. But who knew where the demon would take us if I let him open a portal now? I slipped my ring, which mostly just offered protection, back onto my finger, and left the amulet and timepiece in my pocket to deal with later.
Reassured that I still had the protection of my artifacts, I turned to focus on the food. I was ready for anything, except for the pull I felt towards Zan and Agnes. It was as inexplicable as it was strong, but I was determined to ignore it all the same. I rummaged through the dusty cabinets, pulling out an assortment of Swiss snack foods and canned goods.
"Well, at least they keep this place stocked," I announced, laying out what I'd found. "Not the perfect meal, but we won't starve."
Agnes's eyes lit up at the sight of a stack of Swiss chocolate bars. "I'll take these, since he's a carnivore and all," she said, scooping them towards her and investigating the packages.
Zan, meanwhile, picked up three cans with photos of sausages on them. He popped the lid off, sniffing it. "I hope sausages still taste like sausages."
I wrinkled my nose. "Canned sausages? Gross."
"I'm a carnivore. I love sausages." Zan grinned, tipping the contents directly into his mouth, then chewing thoughtfully. He licked his lips. "A little gross, but I haven't eaten in quite a few years. Is there more?"
I pushed another can towards him, and he gulped that down, too.
"Those look more than a little gross." Agnes giggled as she broke one of the chocolate bars into squares and ate one of the pieces. With her other hand, she sorted through the assorted crackers and digestives, landing on a bag of what looked like potato chips. "There are chips. Why don't you try those?"
He snatched the bag from her, looking at the picture on the front. "I can't eat these. This is made from a vegetable. I'm a carnivore. And it doesn't even look palatable." He looked inside and shivered with disgust.
I rolled my eyes, popping open the bag and grabbing a handful of chips. "Your loss."
"This is someone's food. Should we leave them money?" Agnes asked.
"We'll leave a not explaining the situation, and some cash. My wallet and phone are still in my jacket pocket, right?" I asked. Agnes felt for them and set them out on the table before wrapping my jacket back around her and taking another bite of chocolate.
When the food was gone, an awkward silence fell. We stared at each other, the crackling fire the only sound in the small chalet.
Zan, predictably, broke the tension. "So," he drawled, stretching. "About that fucking..."
"No," I said firmly, even as my traitorous body reacted to the suggestion.
Agnes yawned. "As tempting as that sounds, I'm exhausted. Where do we sleep?"
I gestured to the large bed in the corner. "It's all we've got."
We shuffled over, pulling piles of blankets out of the chest at the foot of the bed, then settled in, Agnes claiming one edge while I took the other. Zan, of course, sprawled in the middle, his warmth radiating between us.
"Cozy," he purred, throwing an arm over each of us. For a demon, Zan was surprisingly... cuddly. Almost endearing. That couldn't be right. I rolled onto my stomach, facing away from him, and his big hand slid down my spine and splayed across my ass. I needed to tell him to stop doing that. And in just a minute, after I warmed up, I would do that.