Lavia's ballroom was situated inside a massive, echoing cave with millions of bone-hued stalactites dripping from the ceiling. Tiny lights shimmered from the tips of each tapering structure, alighting the vast, hollowed space like a sky full of stars and floating fireflies.

Brightly lit candelabras lined the stony walls. Long banquet tables filled to the brim with scrumptious offerings were positioned alongside them. Sirens and nymphs sang and played merry melodies on harps and lutes and other otherworldly instruments for the throngs of guests to enjoy. Happily, jubilantly, gods and demons alike feasted and danced and conversed the night away.

Miu spotted him the moment she entered the ballroom.

Although, much to Miu's annoyance, Lavia seemed to be permanently attached to his side. But her ire soon cooled when she realized that Lavia wasn't flirting with him. The nine-tailed demoness' expression remained grim. She appeared to be discussing dull, grave matters with the god.

Miu soon lost interest in Lavia. Her entire attention was now focused on him. She couldn't stop staring. As always, his presence drew her in. Like a beacon in a storm. He stood as tall and intimidating as she remembered. So very beautiful in his silver-eyed, dark-haired perfection. After their last encounter—alas, their only encounter—he hadn't made any attempt to seek her out again. She couldn't blame him. At the time, she only possessed two measly tails. She had also been teetering on the brink of death, trapped pathetically inside her fox cub form. The water god had yet to see her as a full-fledged demon.

Tonight, though, Miu intended for him to revel in all her glory.

Tonight, she donned a subdued gown of whispering white silk. Its simplicity only seemed to accentuate her splendid god-given features. Lush, silver hair spilled down her back in ethereal, flowing waves. Doe-like blue eyes shone with purity upon a heart-shaped, angelic face. Such innocence contrasted beautifully with the sinful curves of her temptress' body.

No male had been able to resist her allure. No female had been able to dismiss her charms.

Surely, tonight, the water god would feel some semblance of attraction to her as well?

Miu's heart began to race. There was only one way to find out. She waited until, at last, Lavia vacated his side. Until, finally, he stood alone. Miu sifted her way through the crowds to reach him. Gracefully, Miu bowed before the silver-eyed god. "My lord."

The god turned to look at her. He asked quietly, "Do I know you, my lady?"

A faint blush rose upon her cheeks. "My name is Miu of Seven Tails."

"I am pleased to meet you, Miu of Seven Tails."

"And what might your name be, my lord?"

Naturally, Miu already knew the answer to her own inquiry.

Cassian.

God of Water.

But he didn't need to know how deeply invested she had been in every facet of his existence.

"Cassian," he replied curtly.

With a distracted expression, he glanced away from her. His eyes seemed to be searching for something—or someone—in the crowd.

"Cassian. What a strong, virile name," she cooed in an attempt to reclaim his attention.

He frowned at her. "There is nothing strong or virile about a name, my lady. I would appreciate it if you and I could continue addressing each other as what we are: Two strangers who have barely been introduced to one another."

"But we are not strangers, my lord."

Cassian's eyebrows rose. "Whatever do you mean, my lady?"

Miu smiled coyly. "Perhaps... you might remember me from when I was a bit younger? You saved my life once when I was but a two-tailed cub, and, for that, I am forever grateful. I would do anything to repay your kindness. Simply say the word, my lord, and I am yours..."

The handsome god appeared to be unmoved by her innuendo. "I am afraid I do not remember you at all. I hope you will enjoy the rest of your evening, Miu of Seven Tails."

Without another word, he stalked away from her.

Miu scrambled to follow him. "Wait, my lord! Where are you going?"

Cassian replied in clipped tones, "I have business to attend to..."

"What kind of business?"

"Nothing that might interest you."

"I doubt it," Miu countered as she tried to keep up with his long strides, "everything about you interests me!"

Cassian stopped abruptly and flipped around to face her. Miu stumbled into the solid wall of his chest. He caught her waist and then set her aside. With a look of irritation, he demanded, "What do you want from me, Miu of Seven Tails?"

Suddenly, Miu didn't know exactly what she hoped to gain from him. For ages, he had existed in her heart like an unobtainable fantasy. However, now that he stood before her in the flesh, Miu felt at a loss.

What did she want from him?

For him to notice her, to see her, to yearn for her as she yearned for him?

Helplessly, Miu gazed up at Cassian. For the first time in a very, very long time, she didn't possess the slightest clue on how to seduce a man, at least, not this man. Her breath caught as she lost herself in his fathomless silver eyes. "I..."

Cassian seemed to pick up on the desperation and longing in her big blue eyes.

His expression softened a little. "Do not set your sights on me, my lady, for it shall only bring you disappointment. I have never sought a lover, and I never will."

Miu's eyes grew round. "Is it because I am a woman, and you prefer the company of men?"

Amusement gleamed in his eyes. "Is that what you choose to believe whenever a man turns you down?"

She leaned closer to Cassian and whispered in all seriousness, "I would not judge if you preferred men, in fact, I might even be interested in helping you find a suitable partner. Imagine the fun we three could have together..."

"You are incorrigible."

"I am incorrigible," she agreed.

He let out a low chuckle. It sounded strained. Laughter seemed to be a foreign concept to him. "Alas, my lady, your efforts are wasted on me. As I stated before, I do not prefer the company of anyone. I enjoy solitude."

Miu furrowed her brow with concern. "How very sad, my lord. Do you not ever feel lonely?"

His silver eyes flickered. "No."

"I fear I am not quite as keen on solitude as you. I always feel lonesome," she told him readily, "but I apologize if you felt as though I was pestering you. That was not my intention."

The corner of his mouth quipped. "What was your intention?"

Just then, Miu sensed his power trickling towards her. It felt heady, potent, and intoxicating. There was even a hint of sexual attraction floating in its midst.

Was he teasing her?

Maybe even flirting back?

She decided to take another shot at him. "I suppose... I had hoped that we could make each other feel a little less lonely tonight... if only for a short while."

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Are you propositioning me again, my lady?"

Miu batted her long, wispy lashes at him in a becoming manner. "Never, my lord! But do let me know if solitude no longer satisfies you. I can think of some engaging activities for two bored souls to take part in... together."

A ghost of a smile spread across Cassian's face, but he didn't take the bait. Instead, he clasped her hand into his larger one, raised it to his lips, and pressed a light kiss on the back of her hand to bid her a gentlemanly farewell. "Good night, Miu of Seven Tails. I may have forgotten our first meeting, but I do not think I shall forget this one any time soon."

Then, he took his leave of her and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Miu alone once more to pine after his retreating form.

***

After her brief exchange with Cassian at Lavia's grand ball, Miu was stunned to realize that she had extracted more power from the god's faint dribble of interest in her than from the hundreds of randy, lovesick mortals she had seduced over the past few years.

Miu desired the handsome water god all the more now.

His otherworldly beauty and sublime physique never failed to stir up tingly, lustful feelings betwixt her thighs.

His lofty and seemingly unreachable mien made him extremely attractive to a practiced vixen like herself who always had mortals throwing themselves at her feet.

The wayward gears inside Miu's mind began to turn.

If she played her cards right, if she could somehow tempt Cassian into becoming her lover, then a single week of coupling with a deity of his stature might be enough to harness all the power needed for her to evolve into an eight-tailed demoness overnight.

There was only a slight hitch with Miu's outlandish plan. Lavia's ball had ended, and the God of Water had since left the Under Realm and returned to Elysium, the celestial kingdom of gods and seraphs, a paradise where demons were forbidden to trespass.

Unlike gods, who could traipse freely between all three worlds, the movements of seraphs and demons were limited strictly to Gaia, the mortal realm, and their own respective lands. Not even a seven-tailed fox demon with Miu's talents could breach the gates of Elysium. Indeed, if it hadn't been for the formidable barriers that existed around the domain of gods and seraphs, then Miu would've sought out her beloved Cassian ages ago and many, many times over.

She huffed unhappily as her tails twitched with annoyance. The odds certainly appeared to be stacked against her at the moment.

Perhaps, her sole advantage at the moment was her own infallible sense of invincibility. At her core, Miu was an opportunistic soul, optimistic to a fault, and hardly one to shy away from the pursuit of power or pleasure. She chose to focus on the silver lining: Cassian wasn't immune to her charms.

Miu felt certain of this fact because she had literally consumed his attraction to her from the night before. His power raged through her veins like ocean water pounding against a too small vessel. She could barely contain it. Happily, it seemed, her silver-eyed god wasn't immune to her at all, and Miu intended to use his budding emotions to lure him out of Elysium.

Dark magic often made the best lures.

Miu proceeded to slice open her palm with one of her claws until blood oozed from the wound.

Miu plucked out one of her long, silvery-white hairs and bathed it in the dark, pooling puddle within her palm. Once the silvery strand turned red with blood, Miu grasped onto one end between her thumb and forefinger. She whispered an age-old incantation into the darkness.

"Imo talis amor. Ipse currere altius."

My love runs deep. May his run deeper.

Her eyes began to shine eerily bright, like glowing sapphires, as she relinquished her hold on all of the water god's power, forcibly drawing every surge of its thunderous intensity from her core in order to thrust it into her spell. Miu screamed in agony. It felt as though her innards were being ripped out.

But she didn't dare to stop.

All dark magic required an element of sacrifice. The more precious the sacrifice, the more potent the spell. Miu was taught this principle by a witch-siren when she was but a four-tailed fox, and she understood it very well.

"Ei autem qui potest et diligentibus me. Sed et si potes liber collocavit me."

Let him love me if he can. But set us both free if he cannot.

Little by little, like an invisible serpentine ribbon, the enchantment wrapped itself around her bloody thread of hair.

Upon the spell's completion, Miu released it, and a sudden gust of wind guided her strand of hair heavenwards until it vanished into the sky. Hope glimmered in Miu's heart even while her body fell limp with exhaustion. She had depleted almost all of her strength, and every bone and muscle inside her now wept with pain.

Listlessly, Miu gazed into the starry abyss with wide-eyed wonder.

She prayed that her sacrifices hadn't been given in vain.

She prayed that her beloved wouldn't choose to set her free.

She prayed that he would choose to love her as dearly as she wished to love him.