The fingertips of Lilith’s right hand danced gracefully up her left arm before resting over her heart, a dramatic sigh parting her perfectly red lips. She tried to play up the sense of relief in her eyes but the fox knew the emotion read disingenuous to her companion. He had proven himself to be far from a fool and such emotion was ill-fitting to the creature sitting across from him. Still, the only person Lilith really needed to convince was the innkeeper, that that old woman was eagerly eating up whatever they offered her. [i]What a dreadful existence she must lead to revel in such trivial affairs.[/i] The kumiho didn’t have much time to continue her train of thought as Aleks stood and asked to head to her room. The request struck her like a cold glass of water and, for a split second, it showed on her face. Wide eyed, she stared at his outstretched hand and imagined how the young man would react to her modest room. Trying her best to recover, Lilith ducked her head as if hiding an embarrassed blush. Still refusing to meet his gaze, she gently placed her hand in his and murmured his name, “Oh, Aleks…”

The delivery was perfect. His name rolled off her tongue like a demure confession and the old innkeeper couldn’t help but swoon at the sound of it. The girl was clearly smitten with the young man and she could barely stand the thought of what was going to happen once those two were alone. Everything they did, everything they said, was just so… [i]sensual[/i]. The energy that flowed off the couple was enthralling and the woman found herself hoping the young vixen would be staying at the hotel indefinitely. It was hard to believe such perfect and beautiful people existed and yet, here they were in her humble hotel lobby. It appeared Roza would have something to tell to the ladies at book club after all.

Lilith felt a jolt of electricity shoot up her arm as their hands touched and her spine tingled with the desire to pull away. Even so, she allowed him to delicately pull her from the chair, swallowing hard as they now stood close enough for her to get a strong intake of his heady scent. The pair remained still for a bit too long, the fox forgetting that she needed to lead the way as her head swam with a mixture of thoughts. A gentle nudge from Aleks re-centered the woman, her gaze finally meeting his azure eyes. Someone less astute than the young mafia member might have missed it but a gentle flush began to dust Lilith’s cheeks before she could turn and lead him a bit too briskly towards the stairs.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Lilith had been afraid Aleks would bring up her blunder downstairs but it seemed, for the moment, he was too shocked by her room to ask about it. He lingered in the entryway a moment, clearly trying to remain calm as he took everything in. The place was dark and unbearably 70’s. The walls, carpet, and furniture were all some shade of brown, orange, or yellow. The thick curtains were drawn shut, not allowing any light to permeate the dismal space. Flicking on a few geometric table lamps, the kumiho laughed lightly at his comment.

“It serves its purpose.” She strutted over to the mustard yellow bed and sat down, leaning back on her hands. She assumed Aleks would sit on the couch at the far end of the room and wanted to maintain her distance, lest he try and touch her again so soon. Crossing her legs, she smirked and tacked on, “Besides, it’s good motivation for me to get out more.”

Obviously wanting to change the subject to something more comfortable, Aleks unceremoniously tossed a ‘present’ on the table, forcing Lilith to get up and retrieve it. She almost quipped that she was [i]not[/i] a dog but bit her tongue instead. No doubt this was another attempt to rile her up. Silently praising herself for learning to recognize one of his tricks, the fox sat back down and opened the envelope, brow furrowed in confusion when she found a bracelet inside. No doubt it was expensive, the diamonds catching what little light was in the room and dazzling proudly as she gently rolled the piece between her fingers. Aleks waited until Lilith looked up at him with a questioning glance before speaking, “Allow me to elaborate.”

The fox spirit only gave half her attention as the young man spoke, waiting for him to get to the point. The condescending praise and half-hearted apology failed to rile her petulant nature but his quick scan of her body did not. She immediately prickled under his gaze and shot him a harsh stare. Her scowl went unacknowledged as Aleks continued to explain the plan, causing Lilith to glower further. This human had an iron will. Lilith… not so much.

Her face relaxed the moment she heard Aleks would be present this time around. She was surprised and her brows raised slightly in disbelief. She had pinned the young man as someone who would gladly let someone else do his dirty work with little to no direct involvement. It seemed Aleks would forever be full of surprises. Lilith couldn’t help but muse over how foolish someone was to get on his bad side and was silently glad to be part of his calculated revenge.

Smiling softly in approval, the kumiho shook her head, “No, I think I’ve got it. Tomorrow I get to wear a fancy dress and strut around like some prize you’ve won until it’s time to rip out the throat of every pig who looked at me like [i]I[/i] was the lesser creature.” She tilted her head to gaze at the diamond bracelet now on her wrist and smiled wider, “Although…” Lilith looked up at Aleks with a sidelong glance, “Are you sure you’re prepared for what’s going to take place in that house?”

Lilith couldn’t deny that she hoped he would be squeamish. The thought of him finally understanding what she was, what she was capable of, and fearing her for it delighted her to no end. But something told the golden-eyed vixen that her appetite for mischief and adoration would not be so easily sated. Not with this one.