All seven tails fluttered behind her as Miu arrived in the Dark Enchantress Sirsi's realm with a dramatic gust of wind. Misty silvery-gray light drenched the sparse scenery. No trees. No mountains. Only a vast indigo-black lake stretched before her eyes. In this realm, there were no suns in the sky. Ever. Only the moon goddess presided over this very yin and very divine feminine land of endless night and magic.

Miu narrowed her eyes as she surveyed her surroundings. She intended to travel to the island in the middle of the lake and leave an offering for Sirsi. The Dark Enchantress was all-seeing and all-knowing. Sirsi possessed the power to realign stars and rewrite fates. Miu was in need of her services.

A rickety-looking row boat was docked near the shores of the lake. Miu climbed inside the small, floating vessel and leaned over the edge to dip her hand in the cool, shadowy waters. A surge of power dripped from her clawed fingers into the indigo depths. The water came alive. Steady waves began to bubble and froth and sway around her, pushing the boat towards Sirsi's remote island at full speed.

In her lap, Miu carried a sack full of precious stones and baubles. Rubies, pearls, emeralds, and diamonds. As the boat washed up on the banks of the island, a temple carved from ancient white marble came into view. The white fox demon entered the temple and laid her generous offering at the Altar of the Dark Enchantress to summon Sirsi's Eye.

Miu murmured, "I bring you tokens of my sincerity, Dark Mistress."

A smell of incense filled the air. Notes of sandalwood blended with jasmine.

Not long after, a faint, whispery voice hissed through the temple. "Tokens—in exchange for what, little fox?"

Miu confessed her heart's desire into the darkness, "I wish to become the bride of the water god. Tell me what must be done."

Her request was met with silence. The lull set Miu on edge. For a moment, she feared that Sirsi had rejected her offering.

Right as Miu's spirits began to sink, the formless voice returned with an ominous snicker, "I have glimpsed into your stars. Foolish fox, you are already walking the path you seek."

Had Sirsi been pleased with her offering, after all?

Blue eyes bright and wide with hope, Miu piped up, "What do you mean?"

The voice explained with a long-suffering sigh, "Choices may guide you through twists and turns, but, sooner or later, none of us can escape our destinies."

Understanding flashed across Miu's lovely face. "Are you suggesting that it is... my destiny... to marry Cassian?"

"From what I have seen, your threads of fate are so deeply entwined that he cannot escape your clutches unless one of you... perishes. Your souls were born to be together."

A twinge of guilt plucked at Miu's wicked, little heart.

Could their seemingly inescapable bond have something to do with the love spell she cast not so long ago?

Miu mumbled with a slight cough, "Perhaps, our souls were brought together by a, um, trifling twist of fate rather than destiny..." 

A scoff echoed through the dark. "Foolish fox. There is no spell or magic, in this realm or the next, strong enough to bind the threads of two souls who do not belong together."

Miu bit back a smug smile. Her spell, it seemed, was so powerful that not even Sirsi could detect it. "Are you certain?"

"Absolutely," the voice drawled. "There will, of course, be obstacles along on your path to matrimony. Nine—to be exact."

"Oh?"

"Your intended wishes to wed another. A more powerful being than you. You will have to show him that you are worthy to be his mate in the war to come."

Miu inquired, "How can I prove my worthiness to him?"

In flippant tones, the voice advised, "You will need your last two tails."

This again?

Lavia had told her the same damn thing.

As though earning tails was as easy as swiping precious stones and baubles from the lairs of dragon kings.

Miu scowled. "It will take me centuries to complete such a task."

"Not if you can convince your beloved to bed you," the voice suggested slyly.

Miu's white-furred ears perked up, twitching with interest, "What?"

"I have read your threads. The immortal one's lust for you is strong, stronger than he will ever admit, and his powers run deep. Boundless. Much like the sea. If you could siphon a fraction of his desire to feed your hunger, it would be more than enough to rouse your final evolution into a nine-tailed fox."

Clearly, Miu noted, great minds thought alike. Once upon a time, she had shared the exact same sentiments as Sirsi.

A corner of her mouth tilted up. "Are you suggesting that I seduce him, then?"

The voice tittered in agreement, "It would be the most efficient means to manifest destiny."

As a fox demon, Miu definitely knew a thing or two about seduction. The pathway to becoming Cassian's bride had never felt more promising.

Then, dismay sank in.

Except Cassian seemed to be the only male in existence who was immune to her wiles and trickery.

If only her charms worked better on the stubborn god.

If only she knew how to win him over without having to resort to wiles and trickery.

"I must go to Elysium," Miu fretted, frowning, "and, by hell's fire, find a way to make him love me."

The voice echoed, "You must, you must!"

Yet, another problem presented itself.

She lamented, "But how am I to enter Elysium? I am a demon. The holy gates alone would burn me alive."

Just then, a burst of sandalwood and jasmine overwhelmed Miu's nostrils.

The voice thundered ominously, "Bring me a a pound of dragon's scales, two feathers from a seraph's wing, and a ladle of tears from a virgin lad before the next new moon, and I shall concoct a most perfect potion that will transport you to the water god's very own palace in the heart of Elysium..."

☾

Miu spent the next few weeks stalking dragons and seraphs for scales and feathers. During this time, she also befriended an eighteen-year-old mortal virgin by the name of Visic and fed the boy a mouthful of lies about how she recently lost her entire family in a tragic fire. So convincing was Miu's teary-eyed, quivery-lipped performance that Visic wept through the entirety of her sad, heartbreaking tale.

The Dark Enchantress kept her word.

Once Miu brought her the dragon scales, the seraph feathers, and Visic's tears, a potion was brewed and bewitched with the blessings of the moon goddess.

With only a little hesitation, Miu gulped down the concoction, it tasted bitter on her tongue, burning her throat. Its effects were potent and immediate, though. Soon, a wave of weariness fell over the fox demon. Her eyelids had never felt heavier. Blackness clouded her vision as she fell into a deep slumber.

Miu dreamed that her body became light as a feather. She was floating through the skies, ascending past the clouds, and soaring into the stars.

By the time Miu awakened, she was no longer on Sirsi's little island.

She was elsewhere.

Miu released a soft groan. Her aching temples felt as though they had been crushed in a vice.

Weakly, her fingertips brushed against smooth, silky sheets. At least, it seemed, she was laying on something soft and comfortable.

Her blue eyes fluttered open.

Miu looked around in a state of confusion.

She was resting on a large canopied bed. Rich tapestries and ornate decor greeted her vision. Everything in the room was accented with touches of golds and silks and velvets.

She was inside someone's sleeping quarters.

But who's sleeping quarters?

Miu frowned slightly.

It was hard to think. Her mind was still feeling a bit muddled from Sirsi's potion.

Right on cue, her question was met with an answer. Miu felt a very familiar tug upon her heart. Heady waves of power thrummed towards her, brimming with a mix of amusement and irritation and lust.

A husky, very familiar voice drifted over in a low, wry murmur, "Tell me, little one—how did you get here and what are you doing in my bed?"

With a soft yelp, Miu's gaze darted over to her bedmate. Wide blue eyes locked onto narrowed silver ones. Shock froze on her face.

Was she really here?

In Elysium?

The realm of the gods?

With him?

Miu whispered in awe, "I cannot believe it worked..."

Her gaze drank in the sight of him. He was as beautiful as ever in his robes of white, hair black as night, and striking silver eyes.

The handsome water god sniffed in her direction. "You reek of dark magic."

Miu blinked back at him once. Twice.

He already knew?

Oh, hell's fire! In that case, she might as well confess her crime.

"I had a potion made," Miu confessed begrudgingly, "to bypass the gates."

Cassian scowled. "I ought to send you back to the Under Realm right this minute."

She cast him a sad, beseeching look. "You are not pleased to see me?"

His stern expression faltered. "I—"

Without letting him finish, Miu leapt onto his lap. His hands reached for her, seemingly, on instinct, catching her in his arms with a surprised grunt. Cassian frowned back at her. His expression was full of disapproval, but, Miu noted triumphantly, he did not turn her away.

This gave her hope.

This hope-filled desperation spurred on more foolishness.

She decided to set aside her wiles and trickery for the time being and try out a different tactic: Pure, unapologetic honesty.

Nestling herself into his embrace, she attempted to plead her case, "I beg you, do not send me away. I have gone through great lengths to come here. Please. Give me a chance to prove myself. To you."

"You wish to prove yourself? To me?" Cassian repeated in an incredulous manner.

Miu nodded. "You once claimed that I do not know the meaning of love, did you not?"

Eyeing her cautiously, he drawled, "I stand by my claim."

She pouted. "I know my charms do not work on you, either."

Cassian merely hummed in response, neither confirming nor denying her assertion.

Boldly, Miu forged on with far more confidence than she actually possessed, "I know you think the worst of me, but, let me stay in Elysium, and I will show you that there is more to me than meets the eye. I can become an ideal bride for you. I may not be entirely biddable all the time, but I will try to leave you in solitude as much as possible. I will work hard to become an asset to you in every way. If a war breaks out, I will fight to the death by your side. I will make you proud to be my husband."

Silently, Cassian stared back at her with an impassive expression, giving nothing away. She couldn't read him. The tension radiating from his person was driving her crazy, though. For several drawn-out beats, Cassian's eyes remained intent on her. He appeared to be deep in thought, and his piercing silver gaze made her feel fragile. Exposed.

Pounding like a drum, Miu's heart felt as though it might leap from her chest. She had never spoken with such earnestness or shown such vulnerability to any man. Miu feared that she was acting like a complete fool.

Mortified, she braced herself for rejection.

To her astonishment, when Cassian spoke up at last, he asked simply, "Why do you insist on being with me, little one?"

At first, his question stumped her.

She admitted, "I-I do not know."

He prompted softly, "Surely, there is some kind of method behind your madness? In all my centuries of existence, I have never met a demon who could love another."

"I may be a demon," Miu replied, "but, I swear on all seven of my tails, my feelings for you are not a scheme or a ruse."

Cassian looked doubtful. "No?"

"No," she confirmed. Firmly. "The world simply feels different when I am with you. Your single-mindedness is maddening, at times, but your dedication to your causes... intrigues me. Deeply. I want to be filled with purpose as well. Like you. You make me wish to strive for something greater than what I have been."

She wasn't lying to him.

Miu couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something about the lofty, hard-to-please water god that compelled her to step outside of the familiar and the known. To reach for the unreachable. Just to see if she might stumble into a different kind of existence. A less tiresome existence that didn't require her to kill and barter and maim and fight for every inch of her life every day and every night.

Grimacing, he countered, "Your words are stirring. Unfortunately, I have reason to doubt you. Demons crave power, only power. The carnal infatuation you feel for me is not the same as love. If you seek to become a nine-tailed fox, you must know there are other easier ways to claim your last two tails other than bedding me."

Warmth flooded her cheeks.

Oh, Beezlebub's balls!

What was he?

A mind reader?

He guessed it. She had been hoping to bed him for the sake of her tails.

Miu gave an awkward cough. "Of course I crave power. Who doesn't? In a world as ruthless and deadly as mine? But I only covet more tails for your sake. Before, you claimed that I was not too weak. Surely, a nine-tailed fox will be powerful enough for you?"

Cassian cast her another long, hard look. "You believe I will wed you once you become a nine-tailed demon?"

She offered him an hopeful, impish smile. "Yes?"

Miu waited for him to spurn her, to berate her.

But, for once, he did no such thing. He didn't pull away from her, either. He didn't push her away.

Hope continued to flutter in Miu's chest.

Had her heartfelt admission from moments ago actually gotten through to him?

Seizing this opportunity, Miu shuffled in Cassian's lap to get more comfortable. She felt his muscles tense up beneath her. He was becoming quite aroused. The god had since grown hard as a rock. Miu could scent his desire. Feel it calling to her like the moon to the tide.

His silver eyes grew dark and heated. "And you are here, now, to seduce me for more power?"

"Would it be seduction," Miu argued coyly as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "if you crave me as much as I crave you?"

She pressed a featherlight kiss upon his chiseled jaw.

Cassian turned his head away and scoffed in a dismissive manner, "I only crave you because of your underhanded spell."

Rolling her hips ever so shamelessly, she teased her sex over his manhood. "Do you want me to stop?"

Hesitation clouded his features. "I..."

"Well?"

He growled, "You are incorrigible."

Much like their exchange at Lavia's ball, Miu echoed his sentiments, "I am, indeed, incorrigible."

She kissed him again just below his ear, sucking gently on the sensitive skin near the crook of his neck.

Cassian released a helpless groan.

Suddenly, his hands clamped around the flare of her hips, holding her in place as he started grinding himself between her thighs. The friction between them became paradise. Miu's core throbbed with pleasure. She felt his cock grow harder still as he rocked against her. Instantly, several more jolts of power, brimming with lust, slammed into her.

Miu smirked and let his power sink into her skin. "Spell or no spell, you seem more than ready, my lord, to slip every inch of your hardness into the softness of my body..."

In huskier tones, Cassian chided, "Why must you keep tempting me, little one? I may be a god, but even I have limits. If I lose control—"

Chuckling wickedly, she cut him off, "I hope you will lose control. I want you to unleash yourself on me."

Miu proceeded to rain more kisses along his cheek, down his neck, nipping his shoulder playfully with her fangs.

He rasped, "You do not understand what it will take to satisfy me. All. Of. Me."

"Not yet," she murmured as her hand drifted down towards his crotch, "but I cannot wait for you to show me..."

As her fingers closed around his sizable erection, Cassian grunted, "Do not say I did not warn you..."

Just then, a very visible shadow flickered behind the god.

Miu's eyes grew large.

The phantom faded away as quickly as it had manifested, but, for a moment, she could've sworn that a second likeness of Cassian had flashed before her eyes.

This Cassian, however, appeared to be smirking, playful, almost... devious?

She quickly blinked it away.

What in Beezlebub's name did he mean by—all of him?