Chapter 4

He raised the other end of the chain and dangled it in front of me.

Then he locked it around his own wrist.

I must have looked too startled, because he gave the chain a spiteful tug.

Caught off guard, I fell straight into his arms.

He roughly wiped away the tears gathering in my eyes and said maliciously,

“Don’t forget, I’m a fox. I’m not some pig-headed idiot like the merfolk or that tiger.”

“You managed to escape the merfolk without being completely bewitched. Good for you. But here, you’ll leave only when I carry you out.”

My vision went dark.

This time, I’d really picked a fight with someone out of my league.

10

The fox was every bit as cunning as I’d expected.

No matter what I tried, he wouldn’t budge.

And on top of that, he had none of a gentleman’s manners.

He slept on a soft, enormous bed and made me sleep on the floor!

That night, I glared at the chain, wishing I could tear apart the shadow on the bed.

He chuckled with his eyes closed.

“Stop staring. You still wouldn’t be able to beat me.”

“But if you’re admiring my looks, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

Me: “…”

I’d seen people full of themselves before, but never anyone this full of himself.

I angrily turned away.

Despite my fierce protests, he’d put down two layers of carpeting for me, but the floor was still hard and uncomfortable.

The air was chilly. I curled deeper under the blanket.

Just as I was starting to drift off, the heavy breathing beside me woke me again.

I irritably pulled the blanket over my head to block it out.

Suddenly, someone tugged at the chain around my wrist.

“Get up!”

He yanked the blanket away.

The little warmth I’d painstakingly gathered vanished at once.

I snapped,

“What are you doing?”

The spirit fox raked a hand through his hair, annoyed.

“I’m going to take a cold bath!”

I stared at him as if he’d lost his mind.

“What’s wrong with you? Who takes a cold bath in the middle of the night?”

He suddenly panted a few times, grabbed me roughly by the collar, and growled,

“I’m in heat. I need a cold bath!”

I woke up completely.

The chain kept me from getting far, so the bathroom door stayed only partly open. Waves of his ragged breathing drifted out, enough to make my cheeks burn and my heart race.

I don’t know how long I waited outside before I was nearly nodding off.

When the room went quiet, I asked wearily,

“Hey, are you done? I’m dying to go to sleep.”

There wasn’t a sound from inside.

“Hey?”

“You damn fox?”

Something felt wrong. I quietly opened the bathroom door.

My soul nearly left my body at the sight.

The spirit fox was submerged in the cold pool with his eyes closed. He wasn’t even bubbling.

I frantically called for the system.

“System! Is that fox dead?”

No matter how many times I called, the system didn’t answer.

Giving up, I slowly approached the enormous bath.

Calling it a bath was hardly accurate.

The spirit fox’s home was a villa built on a mountainside, and the bathroom was enormous. In the middle sat a deep, wide pool lined with jade.

The chain wasn’t long enough for him to reach the far side. He was fully submerged near the entrance.

The white fox was beautiful even with that nasty mouth of his. When he wasn’t speaking, he looked like a work of art.

Under the water, he resembled a jade statue carved to perfection.

I steadied myself and reached out to pull him up.

If he died, I’d fail my mission.

Just as my fingertips were about to touch the water—

The spirit fox suddenly opened his eyes.

He grabbed me and yanked me into the pool.

11

The instant I hit the water, I realized it was deeper than I’d expected.

Just as I was about to run out of air, warm lips pressed against mine, becoming my only breath.

The long kiss finally ended.

The cold water made me shiver, and I instinctively moved closer to the warmer body.

The spirit fox pulled me into his arms and carried me back to the surface.

“Do you know? You smell like the merfolk. You helped him through his heat.”

He tightened his hold around my waist, his gaze dangerous.

I’d just finished coughing and, by reflex, denied it.

“How could I?”

But images from that impossible dream flashed through my mind: the merfolk’s cold, shattered gaze, and his hand guiding mine, teaching me to explore him one touch at a time.

The spirit fox roughly wiped my lips.

“Didn’t you know foxes have a keen sense of smell?”

My face burned all the way to my neck. I stubbornly insisted,

“Then it was because he bewitched me.”

The spirit fox’s expression hardened. His eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Did you know foxes can bewitch people, too?”

I trembled from head to toe.

For someone on a mission, being bewitched was extremely dangerous.

One careless moment and I could be completely controlled, trapped here forever.

I still wanted to go home and spend my days petting cats and walking dogs.

With that in mind, I shook my head at once.

“I’ll help you!”

12

Heat flooded my palm, and my face turned crimson.

The last time I’d helped the merfolk, I’d been under his spell.

I’d thought it was a dream, and it had been too dark to see anything clearly.

But this time—

Even with only a ring of small lights on in the bathroom, everything was frighteningly clear.

Right in front of me. Nothing hidden.

I squeezed my eyes shut and rested my head on the spirit fox’s shoulder.

I just wanted it to be over quickly.

Then, for some reason, I got mischievous.

I lifted my head, freed one hand, traced it up his chest, and lightly touched him a few times.

He shuddered violently.

His whole body seemed to lose its bones. He went limp against me, his breathing growing heavier.

He buried his face in my neck, caught a patch of skin between his teeth, and bit down hard.

I sucked in a breath at the pain, and my hand moved more firmly by reflex.

He let out a soft moan.

Taking advantage of the moment, I weakly barked,

“Have you forgotten who’s in charge? Call me Master, or I’m not helping you!”

The spirit fox gave an angry laugh and bit his lip, fighting to hold on to his reason.

I thought he’d refuse even if he died.

Instead, he held my waist tighter. His voice came out rougher than before.

“Ma… Master…”

Who could blame me?

I was enjoying this way too much.

13

I’d only just managed to fall asleep when I was woken again.

Someone pounded on the door outside, as if trying to bring the whole house down.

Half-asleep, I thought I heard the white tiger’s voice.

“You damn fox! Open up! You tried to have me killed, and now you’ve kidnapped my benefactor! Hand the little human over! I’ll let you live!”

“Tch.”

The spirit fox sat up, irritated. He tugged on the chain and drawled sarcastically,

“Hey, wake up. Your white-tiger big brother is here to rescue you.”

I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids were heavy and my throat felt on fire.

“Hey? Stop pretending. Get up.”

He called me several times, then hesitantly reached out.

The next second, his expression darkened.

The white tiger was just about to transform and smash through the door—