Clue and The Shrine of the Widowed Bride (Clue Taylor Book 1)

by Wendie Nordgren

  Shocked by his reaction, I blushed and smiled. The dress was of a deep blue, had long sleeves, and a full calf-length skirt. Winks had brought me brown boots and a thin brown leather belt to match.

  “Now then, I brought the transport. I don’t feel ready to slip any more than I suppose you do.”

  Tadashi quickly dressed and escorted us to the lobby. Lord Tanaka stopped us.

  “Mr. Taylor, please join me at my table. I believe a family meeting of sorts is in order.” Lord Tanaka wore a crisp black suit and an expression of resigned disdain.

  Winks glared at Lord Tanaka with a little less hostility than usual. I smiled brightly at the improvement. “Thank you for the generous invitation,” Winks managed to say.

  Lord Tanaka gestured for us to proceed him into the hotel restaurant. Winks held out my chair. Then, he and Tadashi sat to either side of me. I was surprised when Dorian took a seat beside Winks. A waiter filled our cups with a pale green tea. I smiled down at my engagement ring with its pale green jade and sparkling diamond and shifted my hand in my lap to catch the light.

  “I believe I am correct to say that the two of us are in agreement on at least one thing, Miss Taylor’s safety. The mononoke first attacked her before she had discovered her ability. As long as she remains in Scorpius, we can protect her. I believe you know what the fates of both you and your daughter would have been had we arrived moments later.” Lord Tanaka sipped from his cup. Tadashi covered my hand with his.

  Winks cleared his throat. “How can I keep them away from her? I’ve never had them attack like that before.”

  Lord Tanaka placed his cup on its saucer. “They are drawn to her in part because an Okami, an ocean spirit, and a demon each claim her. The bride and her sailor gave Clue a powerful talisman. For the time being, I suggest you encourage her to wear it. Also, Clue should remain in this reality unless accompanied by either you or one of us. As she gains control and strength, she will be more capable of protecting herself. Now, even the lesser spirits see her as an unprotected little bird in a nest when she enters their reality.”

  They continued to speak as if I wasn’t present for a few more minutes in which time, I ate a few cookies and finished my bland cup of tea. Eventually, we made it outside to the transport that Winks had parked at the curb right in front of the hotel. Tadashi hopped into the passenger seat and pulled me onto his lap. Winks scowled at the innocent expression Tadashi gave him. I wrapped my arms around Tadashi’s neck.

  “Don’t do that, Clue,” Winks said of my arms. I took them away and put my hands in my lap. Smiling, Winks lowered the window on our side. “Tadashi may want to ride to our house with his head out of the window.”

  Tadashi glared at him. “Why?” I asked. When they didn’t answer me, I worried it was me and attempted to discreetly sniff my armpit. Winks laughed. Tadashi put my arms back around his neck.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The first thing I noticed was that our house was clean. The clothes that I had borrowed from Cosmo were no longer on the table. My flowers were gone, but Tadashi’s note remained. I plucked it from my shells. Tadashi followed me upstairs.

  Winks said, “The door stays open.” He stood beside the stairs and watched us climb them with distrustful eyes.

  The second bedroom was occupied. Cosmo slept soundly in a new bed. Tadashi and I exchanged looks. “I didn’t know he was going to be living here.”

  Tadashi put his hand against my lower back. “It may take several days for him to recover. The spirit that seized him was aggressive. He fought its control, but it exploited his feelings of unrequited love.”

  Taking Tadashi’s hand, I pulled him down the hall to my room. I placed his note on my bedside table and sat on my perfectly made bed. I took off my boots and tossed them in the direction of the closet. “Come here. Get comfortable. I want you to stay.” I tossed the belt on top of a boot and got under the covers.

  Tadashi walked over to my pile and placed my boots and belt inside of the closet along with his own shiny black shoes. As he walked from the closet to the bed, the sprig of jasmine he had given to me caught his attention. He picked up the glass and examined it. He smiled. “Your flower is growing roots.”

  Then, he came to me in the bed and got in next to me. I cuddled up against him entwining the fingers of my left hand with his right and rested my right cheek against his chest.

  “That’s better. Will you teach me something?”

  “There are many things I would like to teach you. However, your father continues to intrude.”

  “Tell me about it. That’s not what I mean, though. Remember that time you and Cosmo got into it at the Wisteria?”

  “Yes, I became aggravated with him.”

  “Can you teach me to fight like that?”

  I felt him tense up against me. “Of course, I can. However, it will require time and dedication.”

  “I have time. I’m only doing odd jobs for Mrs. Stone, and I have an undemanding course load next semester.”

  “What are you taking?”

  “I’m just taking a few basic classes. Winks vehemently disapproved of my major citing conflict of interest for a master thief such as himself to have a Protect and Serve Investigator as a daughter. Therefore, I’m taking generic classes while I reconsider my major.”

  Tadashi snorted and began tickling me under the covers. I pounced on him and captured his lips with mine. He became my willing prisoner. Then, before anything could happen that might get us in trouble, I laid down next to him and listened to his breathing.

  “Hey. Get up. Time for lunch,” I heard Winks saying from nearby. Cosmo grumbled a response. I tugged Tadashi up before Winks could admonish us. As we walked along the hall, we heard Cosmo complaining of a headache. Tadashi sighed and entered the bedroom with me behind him.

  “What’s he doing here?”

  “Clue wants him here. Get along,” Winks said.

  “Here. Let me help you,” Tadashi said as he pressed his palms to Cosmo’s temples. Tadashi’s eyes glowed in the darkened bedroom. Cosmo groaned in relief. “Better?”

  “Yes, much. Thanks.”

  “What’s this?” I asked as I looked at some pieces of wood and a small knife on the table beside Cosmo’s bed.

  “It’s a Coldest Day gift for Mrs. Stone. I’m carving a picture frame for her out of wood from her cherry tree.”

  Seeing Cosmo for the first time since he had been possessed by an evil murderous spirit intent on raping me was difficult to reconcile in my brain with the Cosmo who had cleared out Mrs. Stone’s formerly cherished dead cherry tree at no charge and risked his life to save my father from a Yokai possessed mob boss. Instead of attempting to sort it all out in my mind, I left the room and went downstairs. Tadashi came with me. Winks helped his apprentice.

  “What did you do?”

  “I shared enough spirit energy with him to relieve his headache. Had Dorian not done the same on the return trip to the marina, Cosmo would be in a coma right now rather than complaining.”

  I took Tadashi’s hand and pulled him down to sit on the couch with me. A warm fire burned in the fireplace. “That’s what you have been doing for me, isn’t? Since we were on Fang, you haven’t left my side.”

  “We belong at each other’s side.” Tadashi’s brown eyes were filled with certainty.

  I was on his lap with my hands cradling his face kissing him with all of the passion in my heart when Winks and Cosmo came down the stairs.

  “Great. The headache has been replaced by a vicious stabbing pain in my heart from seeing my future wife kissing another man,” Cosmo said as he balanced himself with a hand on the couch.

  “Cosmo, I’m marrying Tadashi. See?” I showed him my ring.

  “We’ll see about that. I have time to win you.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

  “It means that I have given Cosmo Lenox, Gregory Finn, and Tadashi Shimizu my permission to court you. It is a binding verbal contract
and an expected practice on Cassini. I’ve given each of them my blessing to try to win you.”

  “Okay, but I’ve already made up my mind to marry Tadashi.”

  Winks grinned at me. “That’s fine, baby girl. After the year of courtship has ended, I’ll throw you a big fancy wedding. Now, come to the kitchen. It’s time for lunch.”

  Frowning at the backs of Winks and Cosmo, I whispered, “So, he’s going to make us date for a year? We don’t have to wait to be intimate. Do we?”

  “Your father can prevent you from legally marrying until you are of age simply by withholding his consent.” Tadashi had an anguished expression on his face. “I believe your father intends to make our intimacy an impossibility.”

  “We can sneak off to be alone.”

  “Clue, I believe you underestimate your father’s abilities.”

  I looked over Tadashi’s shoulder and into the kitchen. Colwyn Taylor gave me a great big smile and a mischievous wink.