Two very mismatched figures stood in a dark alleyway. The first was a beautiful pale-haired woman with striking blue eyes. The second was a less impressive, short, rotund man with rather unremarkable features.

They had left the village tavern together.

Slowly, sensually, the woman traced a long, sharp, black-tipped fingernail down the mortal's chest and whispered into his ear, "Do you think of me often, Corman, when we are not together?"

The balding man stuttered, "Yes, I-I do..."

She cooed, "Do you think I am beautiful?"

He practically whimpered, "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on!"

She stroked his cheek affectionately. "Do you love me, my darling?"

"I love you more than anything in the world!"

"Would you leave your wife and children for me?"

"Yes," he gasped. "In a heartbeat! I would do it in a heartbeat—"

Miu didn't let him finish.

She snapped her fingers, and, suddenly, Corman's eyes rolled to the back of his head. The man fell limp. His portly form toppled to the ground with a pathetic-sounding 'thump.'

She stepped over his unconscious body and grunted, "Despicable oaf."

With an elegant flick of her wrist, she clenched her right hand in a tight fist to soak up all of the adoration and infatuation from Corman's disgusting little heart. She had been luring him in for the past few weeks. After Miu wrung out every trickle of emotion and every drop of lust from the fat old fool, a surge of power thrummed through her veins.

Miu felt as though she had awakened from a very, very good nap.

Corman, however, would likely never wake up again. Only the pure and good and selfless could hope to survive an encounter with a fox demon, and Corman had possessed none of those qualities.

His desire for Miu had run quite deep, and the strength of his affections would likely keep her appetite satiated for another moon cycle. As Miu sauntered away into the night, two fluffy white ears sprouted atop her head and a luxurious fan of seven snowy-white tails appeared behind her. It had taken her several centuries of seducing countless mortals to earn these five additional tails.

Just then, her ears twitched at the sound of footsteps. They were featherlight on the pavement, barely noticeable, but they set her on edge. Miu sensed that she was being followed.

"Who goes there?" she barked into the night.

Orion's familiar voice teased her from the shadows.

"How bold of you, Miu of Seven Tails! Are you not afraid of getting caught with your tails wagging around in the mortal realm?"

She shrugged. "There is no one here except for you, Orion of Five Tails. I wanted to breathe a little. The human form can be so very confining at times!"

Orion stepped out from his hiding place. His fiery red hair and golden eyes glowed faintly against the indigo-drenched darkness of night.

He grinned. "I have news for you."

Miu tilted her head to the side and frowned. Orion was always full of surprises, and they usually weren't welcome ones.

"Good news? Or bad news?" she asked suspiciously.

"It is news about your beloved," Orion drawled in sing-song tones.

Out of nowhere, the likeness of the beautiful silver-eyed god who had once saved her life flashed before Miu's eyes.

Miu's cheeks pinkened slightly. "I do not know who you are talking about, you twit."

Orion arched a knowing eyebrow. "You are blushing, my little foxtress."

The bastard knew her too well.

With a resigned sigh, Miu grumbled grudgingly, "Go on, then. What is it?"

"I will tell you what you yearn to know about your beloved God of Water," Orion murmured, "if you do one small favor for me..."

Miu groaned, "Oh, no! No, no, no! The last time you requested a favor from me—I nearly said 'goodbye' to another one of my tails!"

Orion's golden eyes grew wide as he pleaded with her, "But I really need your help this time!"

"With what?" she asked archly.

"I might have gotten myself into a spot of trouble," Orion confessed nervously, "with a succubus."

"What did you do?" she demanded.

"I stole two of her eggs the other day..."

"What! Why?"

"Well," Orion muttered sheepishly, "I was a bit hungry after we, well, you know."

Miu cursed loudly, "Oh, hell's fire! Are you telling me that you laid with a succubus and then ate her unborn children?"

"That sounds about right. Yes."

She clicked her tongue. "That is low, Orion, even for you. I would not be surprised if she wants to kill you now."

Orion gulped. "Yes... that is what I am afraid of as well. Do you think you could help me, ah, get her off my back?"

Succubi were serpentine, snake-like creatures. They siphoned power from sexual acts with mortals. These she-snakes were similar to fox demons since Miu's kind also fed off feelings of lust, desire, and infatuation. The two species of demons were often at odds with one another since they tended to target the same prey: Mortal men who let their foolish cocks guide all of their whims and ambitions.

Miu used to be terrified of succubi when she was a lesser demon. They were very worthy adversaries. But no more.

She was Miu of Seven Tails now.

Now—succubi were the ones who slithered away in fear at the sight of her.

Miu rolled her eyes. "Very well. I suppose I can help you fight her off!"

"I knew I could count on you for some destruction and mayhem!"

"Now... what was it that you were going to tell me about the water god?"

Orion smirked. "Vyx of Six Tails told me that your pretty-faced immortal will be paying the demon realm a visit sometime next week to meet with Lavia of Nine Tails..."

Miu's eyebrows shot up. "Is that so?"

He nodded.

Miu chewed on her lower lip. "Next week, you say?"

"Indeed."

A slow smile spread across her face.

"How very extraordinary. Suddenly, I find myself with a most pressing urge to pay dear Lavia a visit..."

Miu was too proud to admit it to Orion, but her heart was pounding with excitement at the thought of seeing him again. For reasons she could never understand, he called to her like a flame in darkness. No male, mortal or immortal, had ever held her interest for so long. Miu struggled to understand the feelings he drew from her cold, black heart. But they warmed her soul and made her feel as though she had forgotten some kind of beautiful, lovely dream from lifetimes ago...

***

Lavia of Nine Tails with her molten crimson eyes and widow-black hair was one of the oldest and most powerful fox demons across the Nine Layers of the Under Realm. Every single demon under Lavia's protection was well aware of the fact that their mistress had yet to decide whether she wanted to keep Miu alive as an ally—

Or kill her before she gained another tail.

There was always a fine, deadly line to tread during Miu's visits to Lavia. She needed to appear valuable to have around without intimidating Lavia too much with her prowess. It wasn't an easy balance to strike.

Deep down, Miu didn't care much for the nine-tailed bitch, either, but, today, she needed to focus on buttering up Lavia in order to catch a glimpse of her beloved water god—and, of course, to stay alive.

Under the scarlet glow of a blood red hellmoon, Miu swished her tails and transcended the folds between the mortal world and the demon realm. Darkness and decay soon engulfed her. Violent winds whipped around Miu. They chilled her to the bone.

She soon arrived in the Second Layer of the Under Realm, where fox demons, succubi, and incubi reigned over lustful and adulterous souls.

Lavia's stronghold was embedded within Mount Lebidyn like a fortress hidden in plain sight. The guards scrambled out of Miu's path once they recognized her.

"How kind of you... to... grace us... with your presence once more... Miu of Seven Tails," one of the guards stammered nervously.

"Thank you, Keves," Miu murmured sweetly. "I hope you have since recovered from our last... encounter."

He gulped. "I am right as rain now, my lady. Thank you... for... your concern."

Last time, these foolish pups tried to bar her from entering their mistress' dwelling. Miu had left them in a heap of broken bones on the ground and barged her way in without a single scratch on her body.

This time, they let her pass without any resistance.

Smirking, Miu ambled freely into Lavia's lavish, gilded lair with all seven of her luxe white tails twitching behind her. The main hall glimmered prettily with lofty chandeliers, rich silks, shiny golds, and obsidian stone.

In her right hand, she carried a large, heavy rucksack. The exterior fabric of the rucksack was stained with a murky burgundy color. Like wine.

Or blood.

As Miu continued down the corridor, she sighted Lavia at the very end of the great cavernous hall. The ancient demoness was perched atop an ivory-colored throne carved from human skulls. Dozens of her subjects and servants were eyeing Miu's procession with a morbid kind of fascination.

Dark reddish liquid kept dripping from the rucksack in Miu's hand. Lavia scowled at the watery trail of crimson she had left along the pristine marble floors.

Miu stopped before the throne of skulls and bowed to her superior. "Greetings to you, Lavia of Nine Tails. Your humble servant has come to pay her respects."

"Humble servant, my arse! You are growing far too bold for your own good, Miu of Seven Tails," Lavia harped in waspish tones. "Tell me why I shouldn't hurl you from my presence this very instant!"

Miu held up her rucksack and smiled graciously. "Because I brought you a gift, my lady."

Lavia's eyes narrowed keenly. "What are you hiding inside that bag? It is dripping filth all over my beautiful home."

In one fluid motion, Miu dumped out the contents of her rucksack. The severed head of a succubus tumbled onto the floor. A loud, collective gasp echoed through the hall. It was followed by a frenzied wave of uneasy whispers.

"I present to you," Miu announced proudly, "Eisa, the She-Serpent of Hayrul."

Lavia's perfectly shaped eyebrows arched upwards. "You managed to find Eisa and kill her?"

Miu could barely stop herself from preening. "I did."

She knew that Lavia despised Eisa with a vengeance. Centuries ago, the elusive succubus had slaughtered one of Lavia's cubs in cold blood.

A cloud of suspicion passed across Lavia's beautiful face. "How in the world did you pull her from the shadows? For eons, I have been trying to hunt down this scaly, murderous bitch to no avail..."

Eisa had, indeed, been in deep hiding. The succubus had known full well that Lavia wanted her head on a spike.

"A friend of a friend found her for me," Miu answered in a purposely vague manner.

"A friend of a friend?"

"Yes, my lady."

In truth, Miu had Orion to thank for this auspicious turn of events. She would never have stumbled upon Eisa if not for his stupid egg-snatching stunt.

The succubus he had slept with was named Keela. Through a stroke of dumb luck, Keela also happened to be a gifted seer. When Keela came to take out one of Orion's tails for revenge, Miu easily fended off the lesser she-serpent and proceeded to wheedle and bully and charm her into revealing Eisa's hiding place.

Miu offered Keela protection for the remainder of the minor demon's natural born life, and, in return, the succubus agreed to take her to Eisa's hidden burrow in the Fifth Layer of the Under Realm. There, Miu and Eisa had fought in a pit of black hellfire. The battle had been extensive, gory, and fierce, but, in the end, Miu triumphed with only a few cracked bones and a nasty gash across her forehead. Minor injuries, really, that would heal in time.

Grudgingly, Lavia commended her, "I suppose... you have done me a great service, then. As you well know, Eisa has long been a thorn at my side. I thank you for avenging Sarava's death, Miu of Seven Tails. May her soul rest in peace."

"May your daughter's soul rest as well. Now that she has been avenged."

As the words lifted from her tongue, Miu's mood sobered slightly. Over the years, she had grown quite talented at fighting, at killing, at playing these games of power, but the violence of it all sometimes left a strange ache in her heart.

Such was fate, though.

If a seraph didn't butcher her first, then another demon would gladly kill her to siphon away her powers. As long as Miu wished to survive and thrive, there would always be another battle to fight, another enemy to kill, another deal to seal...

Lavia laughed darkly. The harsh sound of it pulled Miu from her reverie. "I assume you expect some kind of reward for your deed?"

Miu didn't miss a beat. "I hear you are throwing a ball for a very special guest of honor soon."

The handsome silver-eyed water god always occupied the forefront of her mind. She refused to give up this golden opportunity to see him again after all these years.

Lavia smiled and nodded, but there was no warmth in her crimson eyes. "I am, indeed. Would you like an invitation?"

Miu lowered her lashes and feigned submissiveness. "An invitation would be lovely, my lady."