My boyfriend is a nine-tailed fox

Chapter 26: Building Trust

The evening was unusually quiet, the soft hum of crickets outside Anita’s window the only sound in the room. Jace sat cross-legged on the floor, staring at the fox pendant resting on the desk between them. His usually guarded expression seemed lighter, though his golden eyes carried the weight of centuries.

Anita shifted uncomfortably on her bed. “You’ve been... quieter than usual. Something on your mind?”

Jace chuckled, though there was no humor in it. “A lot of things. You, the fox bead, the enemies circling like vultures. Take your pick.”

Anita hesitated before asking, “You’ve mentioned bits and pieces of your past, but never how you got imprisoned in the first place. Was it... was it really because of the fox bead?”

He glanced at her, his sharp gaze softening slightly. “Not just the bead. It was because I trusted the wrong person.”

She sat up straighter, her curiosity piqued. “What happened?”

For a moment, Jace was silent, his gaze distant. Then he began, his voice quiet but steady. “Centuries ago, I wasn’t just any fox spirit. I was a guardian—a protector of balance between the mortal and mystical worlds. The fox bead wasn’t just a source of power; it was my responsibility. I was supposed to use it to maintain harmony, to keep chaos at bay.”

Anita nodded, hanging on his every word.

“There was someone I trusted—a sorcerer named Kael,” Jace continued, his tone darkening. “We fought side by side, protecting the realms from forces that sought to destroy them. I thought he was my ally. My friend.”

“What changed?” Anita asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jace’s jaw tightened. “Greed. Kael wanted the bead for himself. He said he wanted to use it for good, but I knew the power would consume him. When I refused to give it to him, he turned on me. He trapped me in that temple, using dark magic to bind me and the bead together. For centuries, I was nothing more than a prisoner, a relic of his ambition.”

Anita’s heart ached at the raw pain in his voice. “That’s horrible. I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like.”

Jace shrugged, though the gesture was bitter. “You learn to endure. But it’s not the imprisonment that haunts me. It’s the betrayal. I trusted him, Anita. I believed in him. And he used that trust to destroy everything I stood for.”

Anita was silent for a moment, letting his words sink in. Then she said, “I can’t undo what happened to you, but I can promise you this—I’ll do everything I can to help you. To make sure no one takes advantage of you again.”

He looked at her, surprise flickering in his eyes before it was replaced by something softer. “That’s a dangerous promise, Anita. You’re already in deeper than you should be.”

“Too late to back out now,” she said with a small smile. “Besides, I think we make a good team.”

Jace chuckled, the sound genuine this time. “You’re stubborn, you know that?”

“Yeah, I’ve been told.”

As the night wore on, the air between them felt lighter, the bond they shared growing stronger. For the first time in centuries, Jace felt a glimmer of hope—not just for his freedom, but for the possibility of finding trust again.