Mob Sorcery 5 - Ch28

Vince took his time finishing his date with Ally, despite Anzu’s message. Nicki flew off after he told her to stick around, and they did another lap around the lake. The tips of Ally’s tails drew patterns in the water as he rowed.

Even after they finished, he and Ally grabbed some soft serve ice cream despite the cold. His heating spell kept them warm while they sat on a bench cuddled together. Her tails wrapped around him even after she finished.

“Thank you,” she said, head nestled against his shoulder. “This is the sort of date I dreamed of. Although eating on the boat was messier than I expected.” She giggled.

“Movies leave out the messy parts. Nobody outside a comedy movie has difficulty eating a burrito,” he said.

“They’re not date food.” Ally paused. “First date food. The one Gaby bought you tasted amazing when I stole a bite.”

He was damn glad the little fox had stolen a bite, as it reduced the amount he’d needed to eat that day after multiple lunches in a row.

“I take it you’re not a fancy restaurant girl,” he said.

Ally’s tails shifted to one side. “Maybe. Papa took us to fancy restaurants in New York quite often, either to meet his friends or for one of his many hobbies.”

Vince wasn’t sure he’d call being part of New York’s city council a hobby.

All good things came to an end. He needed Nicki to give him a lift to his next destination, so he’d organized with Lucia to escort Ally back home. While the fox protested she’d be fine, he prevented her from using public transport like she tended to.

No way he wanted to explain to Kiho or the Golden Hurricane how he’d lost their daughter on one of Aulfair’s infamously terrible buses. They were dangerous even without hitmen involved.

Once he gave Ally a goodbye kiss and the convoy of black Benzes drove away, Nicki fell on his shoulders. Her talons closed over him and she perched atop him before leaning down. A smirk split her face.

“Only a goodbye kiss?” the harpy asked.

“It’s a public park,” he said.

“She’s a master of illusions.”

“I think Ally would burst into flames without my help if I did anything more than touch her breasts in public. And even then…”

Nicki reeled with laughter. “You somehow attracted the most innocent fox ever, who wants a fairytale romance despite her terrifying Yakuza father, and a gangbanger unicorn fantasizing about watching you fuck another girl in front of her. Never took Gaby for a cuckqueen.”

Vince had never heard that term before. “I think she’s just horny and can’t do anything.”

“She can do something,” the harpy muttered, then cleared her throat. “So, where to?”

He pointed to the sky. “Up first. Then directions.”

Without hesitating, Nicki pulled him into the sky. She’d previously preferred getting a flying start before grabbing him with her talons, but either her new gear or training changed matters lately. He certainly couldn’t see much difference in her thighs through her toned lycra.

“Oi. Where are you looking?” she asked, glaring at him.

“Eyes forward,” he said.

“We’re not going to hit anything.”

“What if another flier comes past?”

She clicked her tongue. “I’ve been training my telekinesis and magic detection. Turns out I’m pretty good at sensing things if I try, and demihumans are easy to detect. Especially in the sky. Kiyoko isn’t, but she’s using some fucky magic to hide both her magic and physical presence. Like, even with my telekinesis, she’s not there.”

He nodded, then vocalized his understanding when he noticed Nicki wasn’t looking at him. “She is counterintel.”

He’d let both Kiyoko and Nina know where he was meeting Anzu, just in case anything went awry. If Kiyoko knew how to stay hidden, she could avoid whatever spies Anzu worried about.

“So, where are we going?” Nicki asked.

“That bougie café I met Gaby and the older unicorn bitch at,” he said.

Nicki whistled. “Wow. She must have made an impression.”

The flight didn’t take long. They spent nearly as long making small talk, given Lake Fontaine sat a stone’s throw away from the shopping district.

Being Sunday, plenty of families strolled around the overpriced grocery stores, kitschy shops, and restaurants. The café remained open, but with few customers. It approached 3PM, and staff began putting away some of the outdoor furniture.

Just like last time, Nicki twisted uncomfortably. Nobody spared her a look today. The crowd was larger and more varied. Some sort of market took place in the adjacent park, with stalls lining a walkway and many people walking in and out. More than a few birdfolk dressed in sporty lycra like Nicki, and a massive eagle flew down with his girlfriend nearby. The guy shot Vince a thumbs up and a wink when he spotted Nicki.

Clearly, Vince had come to another popular date spot.

When he looked around, he saw no sign of Anzu or Norah, who he assumed Anzu meant by the British accent.

“Let’s grab a coffee and wait,” he said. “Best to avoid the crowd in the market.”

Nicki nodded. “Yeah. Not my style.” She paused halfway to the café and made a face. “Oh, god. Am I going to have to get used to this sort of stuff when we move? The older part of Albion is just like this.”

“You can fly to the normal parts if you prefer,” he said. “I think Albion has some really old stores, though. Places that go back to the city’s founding. I think a lot of rich people are misers, so they fit in. Fia mentioned them.”

“I’ll grill her when I get back. I’m not switching from seltzer and soda to handcrafted matcha lattes whisked by somebody asking for as much per order in tips as I sometimes made an hour in Wings.”

That felt very personal. Ironically, the café they went to did have matcha lattes.

Vince ignored the temptation to order one, especially as Nicki glared at him the moment they walked in. She knew him too well by now. An americano to go worked just as well. Nicki went with a latte.

“So you like milk?” he asked.

She frowned at him, as if trying to parse that for some sort of sexual joke. “Coffee’s too bitter for me. The milk takes the edge off, but I get a lot of shit for it.”

“No sugar, though?”

She shrugged. “I used to whenever I got actual coffee instead of the sugary abominations at Starbucks or Dunkin, but Fia’s enlightened me that good coffee actually tastes good without sugar.”

Vince nodded sagely. “Welcome to the coffee cult. Next you’ll join me with the moka pot, grinding beans, and being annoyed at people who used to be like you.”

“I hate you.” Nicki glowered at him. “I expected an egg joke and I got something worse.”

“I’ve yet to find a use for eggs in coffee,” he admitted. “Cocktails, on the other hand…”

“If I lay eggs and you crack them into a whiskey sour, I will actually slap you. You realize harpy eggs are huge, right?” She paused, then bit her lip.

For a moment, he thought she was about to say something more. Her eyes swam with uncertainty and she searched his for something.

Then something shifted in the nearby parking lot and Nicki squawked. She nearly dropped her cup.

“Fucking fuck,” she said, barely avoiding spilling hot coffee on herself. “That sports car teleported in out of nowhere.”

Vince gripped his cane while staring at the blue Aston Martin that had blinked into existence a few dozen feet away. Nobody got out.

His phone buzzed.

Get in, Anzu messaged.

“That’s our ride,” he said. “Probably.”

A small part of him worried this was part of a hit. He sincerely doubted anyone else had gotten hold of Anzu’s number, but he’d heard about SIM card swap scams and number spoofing. Nobody else was close enough to help. If something went wrong, he’d be fucked.

Damn. Why did Anzu insist on such a dangerous way to visit her? Not even a visit from Agent.

Then again, could Agent visit him now he was cooped up behind Lionetti lines?

He and Nicki approached the sports car. A familiar unicorn sat in the driver’s seat with the window down.

“If you’d please hurry up,” Norah said, lowering a pair of fashionable sunglasses. Her horn glimmered in the afternoon sun. “I’m a busy knight. There are rich royals that need defending from horrific and true accusations.”

Okay, this definitely wasn’t Norah. Anzu, pretending to be Norah, smirked at him and winked.

“Um, do I come?” Nicki asked, both pairs of wings stretching and her feathers rustling nervously.

“Sure, if you want.” Anzu sounded unbothered. “It’ll be easier when I teleport back if you’re here to take Vince home. There’ll be entertainment and a gym if you get bored.”

Nicki scowled and her wings shrouded her body. “Vince?”

“It’s your call. In both regards,” he said.

He suspected Anzu saw Nicki as little more than his flier and somebody beneath her attention. If anything, letting her hang around to eavesdrop might be beneficial when explaining things later.

After the harpy nodded, he slipped into the passenger seat. Nicki rode in the back while leaning forward, her wings wrapped around her like a protective cocoon.

“I think you need to lean back to wear your seatbelt,” Vince advised.

“Not really,” Anzu said, still speaking with Norah’s voice.

Abruptly, the world shifted around them. Vince had barely fastened his seatbelt when a view of Aulfair’s skyline appeared before him.

His stomach dropped, and he thought he was going to die. Then he realized he wasn’t falling.

Glass panes stood in front of the car, which now sat inside a tiny two car parking lot. There appeared to be no way to get in or out without teleporting. The sports car next to it looked like a fancy coupe, but he struggled to identify its make, other than expensive and rare. It reminded him of a Lotus Elise.

Anzu exited the car, now returned to her true appearance. He followed her, and was the last person to exit the car as Nicki practically shot out the back.

He first noticed the security cameras and glowing Japanese script on the walls. Paper talismans like those Mei used against him were stuck in a corner. The room was all concrete, save for the glass windows, with a solid steel security door for an exit.

“I’m not sure if I should compliment you for analyzing your surroundings first, or be offended you’re not appreciating me,” Anzu said.

She leaned over the top of the car and smiled at him. Her seven golden tails swirled behind her in mesmerizing fashion, while golden eyes watched him closely. Long, blonde hair trailed over her shoulder and across the golden paint of the car.

He blinked, noticing the car had changed. It remained an Aston Martin, but a different color and model.

Anzu snickered and leaned down more. The movement pressed her large breasts against the hood, emphasizing the abundant cleavage between her red gown. Vince wondered if it still counted as cleavage when there was more tit showing than fabric, as a pair of red straps running from her torso around her neck were what kept Anzu modest. The dress appeared to fall to her ankles, but left her delicious thighs on show.

“You disguised an Aston Martin as an Aston Martin?” he asked, grasping for something to say that wasn’t about her looks.

“It’s the quintessential spy car,” she said, pouting. “Momo’s Venom is flashier, but it’s a pointless showpiece.”

“If you teleport the cars, aren’t they both showpieces?” Nicki pointed out.

“Hush.” Anzu’s tails wiggled at Nicki.

The fox sashayed over to the security door and opened it with a wave of her hand. Vince didn’t see a security dongle or bracelet, so guessed it relied on magic. They followed her.

They entered a foyer with an elevator, much like the one outside the Lionetti penthouse. The highly visible security continued. Numerous talismans hung in the corners and several tiles had been replaced with steel, presumably to hide something that would pop up and do something nasty.

“I take it you don’t like visitors,” Vince said.

“Nobody is supposed to come up here without our express invitation,” Anzu said. “Even putting aside corporate espionage, assassination remains a great concern. The entire penthouse is a bunker. Heavily warded, security systems that combine technology with magic, backup generators and gas alternatives, an escape room that lets us teleport away, and the accommodations mean we don’t have to leave.”

A keypad and indented scanner stood beside another steel security door. She typed in a long code while inserting a tail into the scanner. Vince heard two loud kachunks as heavy locks opened. Even after that, she inserted a mechanical key into a final lock to open it.

“What happens if you lose your key?” he asked. “Also, that seems hilariously insecure with magic.”

“The key itself doesn’t matter,” Anzu said. “The lock is so simple it can be raked. But doing so will kill anyone dumb enough to try. And we won’t lose the key.”

As if to prove her point, she flicked her wrist and the key vanished. Presumably into a private pocket dimension. She didn’t need fancy bracelets to store her stuff in one like Vince or Nina.

Once inside, Vince almost thought he’d gone back in time a whole century. Then he saw the TV on the wall and realized it was merely the décor.

The interior possessed an art deco appearance, with elaborate furnishings, industrial light fittings that hung from the tall ceiling, engravings in the tiles, and almost-garish color choices in the floor and walls.

They’d entered a living room that felt intended for meetings. Curved couches stretched around an elongated marble table that looked like an upside-down bathtub. The TV in the corner was off, while cabinets hidden in the corners presumably held drinks.

Anzu strode past them. “Most guests don’t go past this room. I won’t give you the full tour, but I’d hope you come more than once, so it’d be a waste not to show you more.”

Two hallways led to the next room. One contained a door to what Vince guessed to be the pantry, and the other went right through a galley-style kitchen. The appliances looked well used, if clean. He wasn’t sure what to think about the fact the Inaba twins cooked regularly.

Beyond lay another living room and appeared more lived in. A massive wall-sized TV stretched between the elegant art deco windows either side, with a kotatsu on the floor before it. A pair of massive recliners faced the TV. Office computers sat on standing desks in the corner, but looked rarely used. Treadmills, weights, and other objects littered one corner. Vince thought he spotted a dildo, then blinked and saw nothing.

The windows stretched impossibly high. He bent his neck and frowned.

“Is this two stories?” he asked. “I’m not even sure where we are.”

“You didn’t ask the tengu?” Anzu sounded genuinely surprised. “It’s not exactly a secret where we stay. This tower was built in the nineties, and we added our own fortress to it. Yes, it’s two stories. The upper floor contains a gym, atelier, and indoor swimming pool. There’s a single guest room, but I don’t anticipate you ever using it.” She smirked. “Although the only bedrooms are mine and Momo’s. We also have an office each.”

“What, no rumpus room?” he joked.

She made a face. “Those were so popular in the nineties. I still don’t understand why we had to include it. It’s technically the gym.”

As if already bored with the conversation, Anzu uncrossed and crossed her legs with tantalizing grace while leaning against the back of a recliner. Vince got an eyeful of a pair of scarlet V-string panties he wasn’t sure she was even wearing.

“See, that’s how you wear underwear beneath a dress like that,” Daji said. “The strings are so thin I didn’t even see the lines. Although I bet she’s wearing pasties over her nipples.”

Vince did not need underwear fashion lessons, although the image of Anzu in nothing but pasties was appreciated.

“I’d offer you a drink, but you already have one.” Anzu smiled at the coffee cups he and Nicki held. “Is there somewhere you want to see? My bedroom, perhaps? Or are you more of a fan of desks?” Her eyes lidded. “Maybe you want to despoil Momo’s bedroom.”

“Where is your sister, anyway?” he asked, shifting uncomfortably at her heated gaze.

Having the almost literal woman of his dreams coming onto him seemed too good to be true. Probably because it was. Anzu was up to something.

“She’s at a Lunar New Year event.” The fox pouted at him. “Why the interest in Momo?”

Anzu strode over to him, and every step emphasized her impressive hips. Her fingers ran along his side while her tails fanned out to block Nicki from his sight. The harpy clicked her tongue and took a few steps back.

“You said I’d be meeting both of you,” he said. “Sounds like she’s still busy.”

“She is, but will be here soon enough. We have plenty of work between our double lives.” Anzu stepped behind him and her tails swayed in his peripheral vision. “I did most of my influencer shoots in advance, but was busy attending celebrations yesterday and this morning. I’m shocked you didn’t notice. Aren’t you a fan?”

“I collect some of your photos,” he said cautiously.

“Anything where I wear as little as possible, you mean?” She laughed at his expression. “Purchase records are easy to obtain. Any company that specializes in handling money is easily compromised by money. Their morality and principles tend to be very one-sided, and mostly come down to ‘do what we say, not as we do.’ I assume you enjoyed my Christmas underwear shoot?”

He grunted, unwilling to give her the satisfaction she wanted.

“Honestly, I’m surprised you still collect them when you have your own fox,” Daji said. “You should tell her that. Do you think she’s used to being talked down to?” Contempt dripped from Daji’s voice.

“Why all this?” Vince changed the subject and waved a hand at the penthouse. “It’s a nice place, but I’ve gotten used to luxury lately. I’m not about to shatter your marble tiles with my jaw.”

“Like I said, I wanted to show you around. I expect you to visit more than once.” Anzu smiled at him.

Several seconds passed, and her smile thinned.

“You’re playing harder to get than I expected,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “I am a clan guardian. I felt your cock quivering after the heist when I teased you, yet you’re being so stoic. Don’t you want me?”

Nicki’s eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her coffee cup, looking expectantly between the two of them.

“I doubt I’d let you sleep or leave your bedroom if you let me make a move,” Vince said, and Anzu’s eyes lit up. “But you’ve been teasing me, stalking me, and using me for months now. I can’t trust you. You brought me here for a specific reason. Even if I can’t grasp exactly why, you’re up to something.”

Anzu rolled her eyes and walked past him into the kitchen. The hiss of a soda can popping greeted his ears. She returned with a tall can of sparkling water. The unflavored variety at that.

“Everyone is up to something,” she said, dropping her seductive tone. “Alessia Lionetti wanted a toy for her rambunctious sister. Your long-term roommate, Nina Hayes, wished for a cute boy to settle down with as she escaped her enforcer life. This harpy presumably wanted fat stacks of cash and was willing to do anything for them.”

“Hey!” Nicki snapped. Her face reddened when Anzu stared at her. “I… learned quickly that was a mistake.”

“See?” Anzu smirked.

“Nicki was up-front about her ulterior motive within days of meeting me,” Vince said. “And given how everyone talks about ‘getting that bag’ these days, I don’t think the average person can judge her, unless they’re an asshole. Especially not you.”

“Hypocrisy and cognitive dissonance are as human as breathing.” The fox’s tails continued to sway hypnotically despite her serious tone. “I want something of you. Like the other people in your life, that doesn’t mean I can’t show a personal interest. Life might not be short for an immortal like myself, but time passes too swiftly to remain distant.”

“Most immortals I’ve met say the opposite.”

She snorted into her can of drink. “Please. They tell you that, but aren’t they indulging themselves as well? I already spent centuries playing the dedicated, loyal spy and assassin, and my family was butchered for it by the people we dedicated ourselves to. Being apolitical is for fools, as eventually you’ll be replaced by an incompetent patsy. So I enjoy myself. Right now, you’re part of that enjoyment. Perhaps you’ll flame out. Or maybe I’ve stumbled on a long-term partner.”

A familiar word, and a familiar offer. Hadn’t Alessia spoken like this when they first met?

The circumstances were different and Alessia hadn’t attempted to convince him to fuck her, but the story of fighting the odds and needing someone to trust felt familiar.

“I didn’t think you followed me as far back as my first meeting with Alessia,” he said.

Anzu blinked, then laughed. “Really? We sound alike?” Her laughter turned to giggles as she crushed the can into a tiny ball of aluminum with telekinesis and shot it across the room. “Doesn’t that mean you know where our partnership will lead to?”

Her breasts crushed against his chest while her fingers ran along his inner thigh. She barely teased his crotch before dancing backward.

“You’re more up-front,” he grunted. “But is that why I’m here early? So you can flirt without Momo getting upset?”

“No, I’ll happily give you a handjob while she watches.” Anzu mimed the motion and he nearly spat out his coffee. “A chance to talk without her being a bitch sounded nice. We have multiple topics to cover, and I don’t want to give the impression I’m hiring you.”

“Really?” He stared at her.

“You’ve already gone around and gathered multiple offers. Old Man Miura wants to hire you and Alessia is buying you a house. It’s nice. Good style, spacious, large enough living room to line your harem up on Valentine’s Day—a shame you won’t have moved in.”

His blood ran cold. “Really?”

The entire reason he planned to move was because the Inaba twins compromised his old apartment. This sounded like a threat.

Anzu sighed and stepped around him. She lounged on the back of a recliner, then rested her chin on one palm. “You won’t find security through obscurity, Vince. Everyone knows where I live. I’m tracked 24/7, which is why I teleport around and rely on illusions when I interact with others. It’s important that your new home possesses powerful security. If anything, I worry the upgrades won’t be enough. Work with me, and I’ll provide more.”

“Is that your offer?” he asked.

“No. Momo and I will make our offer clear once we’re together and explain the entirety of what we want.” Anzu met his gaze and smiled. “You can assume any dalliances with us are separate to employment.”

“Us? You’re including Momo?”

“She has a soft center. Trust me.”

“If she means her womb, then all women have soft centers when they’re being crushed by your cock,” Daji said.

He chose to ignore that.

Anzu frowned. “You’re talking to her, aren’t you? Daji.”

Nicki’s wings fluttered and she looked around.

“She’s in my head, Nicki,” Vince said. “But, yes, Daji is badgering me.”

“Telling you to distrust me? All about the schemes and lengths I’ll go to in order to shove her egg back in the prison it belongs in?” Anzu asked with a playful smile. “I wonder how she appears to you, given she’s such a famous deceiver.”

Daji scoffed and appeared in person. Her nine black tails fanned out behind her as she strolled over to Anzu, and flicked her in the breast. “So arrogant. She admitted herself that the only way I’m going back into storage is by putting you on ice, and her panties are soaked just being in the same room as you. I don’t worry about her because of me.”

“She doesn’t like you,” he said. “But I don’t trust you because of how you’ve acted, not because of what she tells me.”

“And how do you know she’s not whispering evil lies into your ear as you sleep?” Anzu narrowed her eyes.

“I don’t,” he admitted. “But the whole point of having close lovers and allies is that they’d notice if my personality changed. I’m not some cult leader, and they’d call me out on it.”

“Then what does the famous deceiver tell you? Her anger is great enough to bubble out of her soul egg, and she gave Knightsgate immense trouble whenever she escaped. She corrupted daimyo, priests, and even a mystic fox clan head once.”

Daji sneered. She wore a jade dress that matched Anzu’s style, and crossed her arms beneath her hefty breasts. “I didn’t corrupt the clan head. He freed me during the Sengoku era in his lust for power, and nobody wanted to believe the Iga clan head had turned on the Shogun.”

“Daji says she didn’t corrupt the clan head,” Vince said.

Anzu raised an eyebrow. “My family is connected to the one destroyed by Knightsgate in her wake. We were left in control of countless relics despite that. If there’d even been a hint that he’d turned on the shogun of his own free will, the consequences would have been even more drastic.”

He shrugged, while Daji tittered.

“So naïve,” Daji said. “Does she think her ancestor lost all sense of pride and responsibility, merely because he wanted to escape his chains? I helped him destroy all evidence once the tengu and monks descended. If it helps, I did corrupt Nobunaga, but that was like pouring ink into a pot of black paint.”

Vince stared at the nine-tailed fox, who grinned at him.

“What? I didn’t say I had zero impact on Japanese history when I said I wasn’t Tamamo no Mae,” she purred. “Nobunaga didn’t call himself a demon king for no reason. Most famous daimyo of the Sengoku Era had magical backing. The clans and races that made up Knightsgate picked sides, much like they did in the Boshin War.”

Anzu frowned at him. “It’s hard to believe she’s not deceiving you when you stare into space with a confused expression.”

“I’ve picked up a bit of Japanese history from anime and games, so being told Daji manipulated Nobunaga, and that famous warlords were backed by Knightsgate is a surprise,” he said.

“I… see.” Anzu bit her lip. “Both are true. Ironically, the refusal of Mei Suwa’s clan to aid Takeda Shingen against Nobunaga was an exception. In an era where there was no true ruler of Japan, as both the Shogun and Emperor were puppets of smaller players, the unity of Knightsgate splintered. Part of the reason Knightsgate tried to unite behind Meiji was to avoid a repeat.”

“What an amazing job,” Daji drawled. “They merely wiped out all the clans in the north-east of Japan. And then they destroyed their non-Japanese branches when Japan decided to conquer Asia.”

As if she could hear the sealed fox’s taunts, Anzu’s expression darkened. “I’m assuming she’s taunting you about how Knightsgate continued to destroy itself.”

“Basically,” Vince said.

“It’s impossible to defend. When you’re the conqueror, it’s easy to ignore the warning signs. A blind man might see the inevitable time when a nation that has betrayed everyone else finally betrays you, but Knightsgate actively encouraged blind loyalty, so perhaps a blind man didn’t see it coming.” Her smile oozed with self-deprecation. “Is that what drives Daji? Hatred for Knightsgate? We sealed her away, long before Japan even existed in its current state.”

Daji snorted. “Still so self-centered. Being driven from her home has forced her to grow more than most foxes I ever dealt with in Japan, but she needs to look beyond her own bust to understand other people’s motivations.”

“Unless Daji is lying about everything, I doubt she thinks of Knightsgate as more than a nuisance,” Vince said. “If you left her alone, she probably wouldn’t think about you.”

“I imagine we’d say the same thing about the police.” Anzu laughed. “So, what would she do if left alone? What has she promised you if you grant her a body?”

Vince wasn’t sure Daji had truly requested that he find her a body. Hell, she’d basically never spoken of how she’d gain a physical form.

“Don’t worry about it,” Daji said. “It will happen when I’m ready, but rushing it will simply turn you against me.”

Truly words that made him not worry about her.

“Daji wants to retire to a huge palace, where we relax in decadence and I’m surrounded by hot, naked women all the time,” he said.

Anzu snorted and her tails lowered. “Cute.” She caught his expression. “You’re serious?”

“She showed me a vivid image.”

“Was I in it?” Nicki asked.

“Ask me who wasn’t in it.” He shook his head. “Unless I actively disliked them, she threw in everyone. Gave me a cock the length of a bus, too.”

“That sounds unusable,” Anzu said. “Curious.” One of her tails shifted and the fridge opened. Another can of water sailed toward her. “I hate that it matches her history. She was known for her decadence. But also her hatred of women. Why a palace full of others?”

“Because I want to see you squeal and scream as you learn your place,” Daji said, staring at Anzu as if it was obvious.

“I think you’re right that she dislikes other women, but not in the way you think,” Vince said slowly. “To put it bluntly, she wants me to fuck you.”

Anzu raised an eyebrow. “And you’re not?”

“She wants me to fuck you in a situation where you’re submissive, because in her eyes, a good fucking seems to solve most problems with women.”

“Oh.” Anzu smiled strangely, then broke down in giggles. “I’m sorry, you’re saying the infamously furious Daji, the great deceiver, and eater of sins, subscribes to the belief that all a woman needs is a fat cock and she’ll be happy?”

“No,” Daji said with a huff. “I believe that you need a specific fat cock and you’ll be a happy pawn suckling it down.”

Maybe Vince needed to cool it when it came to joking about not being a cult leader. Daji evidently wanted him to become one.

“I think she dislikes you more than most,” he said.

“Amusing. I wonder if she’d speak to me if I touched the egg.” Anzu drummed her fingers along the side of her face while staring at Vince’s jacket pockets. “Would you let me? It will teleport back to you even if I try to steal it.”

He didn’t like the idea, and Daji bared her teeth.

“Tell her that she can hold my egg if she gets on her back and submits to being bred like the mutt she is,” Daji snapped.

“I don’t think you want to hear her response,” Vince said. “And I’m not sure I trust you with the egg. What’s to stop you from placing it in wards?”

“Daji is bound to you with a level of divinity beyond what I can hope to accomplish.” Anzu waved off his concern. “Knightsgate has a single chamber left from the era of the gods capable of countering the pull of a huli jing of her power, but Houou lacks anyone with divine magic. Supposedly, mystic foxes were once capable of divine spells, but that time has long since passed. Or perhaps only a kyuubi can accomplish them.”

“I still don’t like it.”

She shrugged. “Then perhaps—"

The front door opened abruptly, cutting off her words. Nicki jumped. Her wings shot out to their full span.

Momo strode through the hallway into the living room. She glared at Vince, then Anzu.

“I thought we weren’t meeting him until evening?” Momo growled at her sister. “What are you up to?”

- - - - -

Commentary: Writing the alt history is fun. So is writing Daji.

There may be a second chapter posted today, but it depends on how big my backlog is by the time the chapter is posted (compared to when i scheduled this originally).