She took the cup from him and inhaled the aroma of her tea. The plant should be odorless, but he still held his breath just in case. Then she brought the cup to her lips. His hungry gaze strayed to the staff, which she wore on her back at all times.
She took a long drink, then said, “Thank you, Tsuki for this tonic, I have had trouble sleeping.”
His blood ran cold, as he reached for his sword.
She took another sip of her tea. “Don’t bother.”
“What you’re doing is barbaric. I won’t help you make more of these things.” He threw his arm toward the bloody temple.
“If you are so weary of killing priests, then I have a new job for you, go and bring me Suzume.”
The moon hung heavy in the sky like a ripe peach, a dusting of stars were sprinkled across the inky horizon. It was the perfect kind of night for a moonlit stroll. Though his days might be taken up with rebuilding his kingdom, he wanted his nights to be filled by Suzume. The halls between their rooms were vacant, just as he’d ordered. He didn’t want to run into Shin. He had noticed Kaito’s good mood and had come to the logical conclusion about Suzume and him. The rest of the afternoon’s strategy meeting had been filled up with Shin trying to wheedle details out of him. But he wasn’t one to kiss and tell.
It still felt surreal. After all the uncertainty, and waiting, she had chosen him; she had come to him first. Once his kingdom was whole again, he would have nothing to want for.
Wind swayed through the branches of the stark sakura tree. When Hikaru returned from his mission, he would need to ask him to have it bloom once more to celebrate. Was it too soon to start planning their wedding ceremony? Ideally, the entirety of Akatsuki would attend, including her family. But first, he would have to get the emperor to agree. All the political machinations would take too long. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could wait until she was his completely.
The inner palace was very still tonight. Not a thing moved or breathed, and it set him on edge. It was too quiet. Kaito spread out his spiritual energy seeking out Noaki, who should be guarding Suzume from the shadows, but as he drew in closer, he found nothing. Not even a hint. Suzume’s door was slightly ajar, and something was moving inside.
Kaito flexed his claws and crept closer. Whoever was inside, they were cloaking their energy so he couldn’t attain a clear reading. This wasn’t some lesser yokai. Not wanting to give away, he’d sensed them, Kaito knocked on the door.
“Suzume, can I come in?”
There was no answer, not that he expected one.
“Don’t be shy, it’s just me,” he said as he slid the door open.
Inside was pitch black. Suzume’s bedding was tousled, and her clothes strewn across the ground. But no sign of a struggle. Whoever they were, they hadn’t run into Suzume yet. It was fortunate he got here first.
Kaito crossed the room, as casually as possible.
“Are you hiding?” he called out as he pretended to scan the room for Suzume.
At the empty futon, he crouched down and spread out his senses to feel for the intruder. Their energy was concentrated in the corner. Kaito sprung up and lunged for the shadowy corner, catching the intruder by the throat and pinned them to the wall.
“It’s not very honorable to attack while your opponent’s back is—” Kaito froze.
“Miss me?” Tsuki smirked, and then kicked, landing a blow on Kaito’s shin.
The kick caught him by surprise, and he let go of Tsuki.
“You dare come back here,” Kaito growled as he chased the fleeing Tsuki.
“It wasn’t my choice, she ordered me to do it,” Tsuki said.
“Like I would believe anything a traitor like you has to say.” Kaito swung for Tsuki’s head with his claws, but Tsuki dodged and ran to the other end of the room again.
“I never wanted to hurt Suzume, but she—” His words were cut off as he wrapped his hands around his throat.
Kaito rushed toward him, as Tsuki wrestled with himself and landed a punch on Tsuki that sent him stumbling backward. He grimaced as his features fluctuated between Tsuki to Akira and back again.
Kaito slammed him up against the wall. “Why did you come back, are you here to try and kill Suzume this time?”
Tsuki’s face was twisted in pain. “It’s—”
The words were cut off as Akira came to the surface. Kaito was thrown backward.
A shimmering red barrier separated him from Akira, he surged toward the barrier, slamming his fists against it. But he couldn’t get through it. Akira ran for the exit. He had to stop them before they hurt Suzume.
He paced behind the barrier like a caged animal, every few minutes testing the limits by slamming his hands against it. But try as he might, he couldn’t get past it. Even now, while he was trapped here, Suzume might be being carried away by Akira and Tsuki.
From the hall beyond the door, he heard footsteps approaching. Kaito pressed against the barrier.
“Who’s there?”
“Kaito? What are you doing in my room?” Suzume appeared in the doorway, looking confused but unharmed.
Kaito exhaled a breath he’d been holding, Noaki and Souta were right behind her.
“Are you hurt?” Kaito asked, pressing his hands against the barrier.
She frowned. “I’m fine, what happened here.”
“Akira happened,” Kaito bit out the words.
Souta approached the barrier and pressed his hand against it, with a few mumbled words it dissolved. Kaito bolted for Suzume and gathered her up in his arms, he needed to be certain she was unharmed.
“What’s gotten into you?” She pulled from his embrace, looking over at Souta and Noaki.
Kaito pressed his lips against her hair. “I was worried they’d hurt you.”
She relaxed against him, her hand resting on his back. “I’m fine, there’s no reason to worry,” Suzume said as he held her.
He didn’t want to let her go, but Akira and Tsuki were still out there.
“Gather a search party, find Akira and Tsuki,” Kaito ordered Noaki.
He bowed and turned to obey his command. They couldn’t have gotten far. He would make sure they were captured, and then he would punish them for daring to betray him.
16
Suzume paced back and forth in the map room. Kaito leaned casually against the map table, arms crossed over his chest. He was watching her as she paced, she could feel his eyes on her burning her up. She kept avoiding looking at him because whenever their eyes met, she thought of their kiss. Then her face flushed, and her stomach did flip flops.
“You’re going to wear a hole in the floor at this rate,” Kaito said.
She glanced at him intending to refute his statement, but the words were dried up in her throat.
A blush crept up over her neck and cheeks; he was smirking at her as if he could guess exactly what she was thinking. Did he know how she kept reliving the feeling of his hands on her waist, or how she thought about the reasons why her entire body felt aflame when his lips parted hers? Now was definitely not the time for that. She turned back to the map, as if the depictions of mountain ranges, rivers, and coastlines were of intense interest.
She cleared her throat. “The scouts should be back by now.”
Kaito joined her at the map’s edge, close enough that his arm brushed against hers. Her heart sped up. How was she supposed to focus on finding Akira and Tsuki, when Kaito was slowly driving her to madness? If he kept this up, she was going to be a pile of goo on the floor in a few minutes.
“Don’t worry, we won’t let them get away again,” he said as his finger traced up her arm.
Gooseflesh pebbled her skin, and her heart raced faster. At this rate, her heart was likely to beat out of her chest. The doors at the back of the room flew open, and Suzume jerked away from him. Seeing as their romantic relationship was so new, she wasn’t ready to flaunt it in front of the others. Shin must have noticed, though, because there was a small quirk at the corn
er of his mouth.
“What do you have to report?” Kaito asked him, as he and his mate Akane, who’d been part of the scouting party looking for Akira and Tsuki, entered.
Akane met Suzume’s eyes and gave her a knowing look. Suzume dropped her gaze to the floor, but she couldn’t keep a smile from her face. She never thought she could be this happy. The happy fluttering in her stomach never quite went away since she’d admitted to herself how she felt for Kaito.
“The shrine is swarming with hybrids, at least fifty, but there could be more hidden,” Akane reported.
“We’ve got them outnumbered, that’s good,” Kaito replied, rubbing his chin.
“I would advise caution, I feel uneasy about it. Apart from a few guards, there were no other protections around the shrine, it’s almost as if they want us to attack.”
“What do you think?” Kaito asked her.
It was a valid concern, when she’d first encountered the last piece of Kazue’s soul, it had been during a hybrid attack. Maybe it hadn’t been a coincidence, and they were working with Hisato; perhaps they were even the reason Tsuki and Akira had betrayed her. That day they’d gone missing while she fought the hybrids. Chasing after them was a risk, but it might also lead them to the last piece of Kazue’s soul.
“I think we’ll have to take the chance,” she said.
“I agree,” Kaito said. “Let’s prepare the warriors for an attack.”
Shin bowed, and he and Akane left to prepare. Things moved in a whirlwind after that, an attack was organized, plans made, and they were all so busy there was no time for second thoughts or doubts. Not until she was looking at the army before her did the reality settle upon her. They were going to attack Hisato’s hybrids, they might finally be able to find the last piece of Kazue’s soul.
Once they were all together, they would be strong enough to defeat Hisato. From the moment she had first discovered her power, she never thought she could live a normal life again. She had given up on thinking about the future, what happened after. But for the first time, she started to think about what came next. A life, not the one she had planned for herself, but a good one none the less, one with Kaito?
She snuck a glance at Kaito from the corner of her eye. He had asked her to marry him, to become his empress. What would it be like to rule at his side, a world where yokai and humans could co-exist...
Doubt started to creep in, and Suzume clutched her temporary staff in her hand. She’d been practicing with Souta after Kaito, and her sparred. She was feeling more confident, and her powers were coming easier again. But that was in the practice yard, what if in an actual battle she froze up, or worse lost control.
Kaito grabbed Suzume’s hand and squeezed. She met his gaze, and he gave her an encouraging smile.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be here for you.”
That was right, she wasn’t going to do any of this alone. She had Kaito, Souta, and Noaki on her side, besides Kaito’s army, to fight alongside them. They would win. They had to.
They were approaching their destination, a small cove on the beach where they could prepare for their attack. This was also where their group would split apart. As they drew closer, Suzume felt the pull of the last soul piece. They were there. This was it.
“Be safe,” Kaito said as he cupped her cheek, drawing her attention to him.
The rest of the world felt as if it fell away when she looked into his eyes. She leaned into his hand. Kaito’s words gave her courage. She never thought she could find comfort in another person, but Kaito’s belief in her made her feel stronger, more certain that she could face any challenge.
“Worried I’ll get hurt?” she asked, but there was a tremor to her voice that she couldn’t hide.
He shook his head. “You’re more than capable, but I couldn’t stand it if you were to get hurt.”
She exhaled sharply, something swelled in her chest that was hard to define. Was this what it meant to have someone to care for you? Someone who loved you?
“Time to go,” Souta said.
She let Kaito’s hand slip from hers, giving him one lingering look before following Souta. Kaito and the army would be attacking from the front, while Suzume and a smaller group would be sneaking in around the back, trying to find the last soul piece and getting them out before Hisato realized they’d taken them. She kept watching Kaito until they were over a rise and out of sight.
Once she could no longer see him, she focused on the task at hand. She would need to clear her mind of all other things, there was no time for distraction. But when all the battles were over, she hoped they could share more moments together and start planning for their future, together.
Kaito led his army toward the temple. It was smaller and more run-down than he had pictured. A few scattered shrine buildings with peeling paint, and scattered rocks were all the cover it could afford. But the hybrids shambling about the grounds, were not trying to disguise their numbers. A few well-placed archers could thin their numbers considerably. It all felt too easy, which only made him wary.
Shin approached. “What are your orders?” he asked.
“We lure them out to us. Have archers shoot from above and provide cover.”
“As you wish.” Shin pivoted on his heel and went to do as Kaito commanded.
When Tsuki had attacked, he had said she ordered them to attack Suzume. In the moment, he had thought nothing of it. But now he wondered, could it have been some sort of warning or a trap. They had led their army straight to them, and there was nothing to stop them from sweeping in and destroying them. He knew Hisato, he was cunning. They would take every precaution possible until he could be certain.
The archers were in position, just awaiting his signal. A hybrid stumbled across a courtyard in the temple. Kaito held his hand up and gave the signal to fire. A single arrow sailed through the air and struck the eye of the hybrid. It swung around and roared, alerting the other Hybrids, who, like a pack of wild animals, started to charge in the direction the arrow had been fired from.
They were drawing closer. Some dripping blood, their forms disfigured and terrifying. Some of his yokai warriors had never seen them before, and they recoiled from them. The scent of rotting flesh preceded them, and it turned his stomach.
“Hold,” Kaito ordered the army
The yokai shifted restlessly, he could feel their fear and hunger. The hybrids were nearly upon them now, he could see the whites of their bloodshot eyes.
“Now.”
A volley of arrows sailed through the sky and rained down upon the hybrids. Their bodies bristling with arrows, they continued without stopping. Fear rippled through the yokai, and they were slow to attack. It was up to him to lead the way; with a shout, he led the charge. Kaito plunged himself into the fray and swung his sword, hacking into the hybrids who bled thick black blood. The yokai followed him, Shin and Akane in wolf form tore at the hybrids with powerful jaws. While the rest attacked with sword, claw, and fang.
Kaito waded through the chaos, searching out his true opponent. Today would be the day he got his vengeance against Akira and Tsuki for their betrayal.
A hybrid rushed toward him, and Kaito sliced through it, and it sprayed black ichor on his face, which he wiped away. The grunts, growls, and clang of metal was a cacophony around him, and his vision was obstructed by the clash of bodies. Dust had been kicked up by the numerous stomping feet.
Tsuki fought at the edge of the fray. Kaito charged toward them, dodging hybrids on his way. They swung their sword cutting through yokai, severing them in half with ease. It shouldn’t have been possible. When they turned toward him, their eyes were without pupils and entirely black. They collided on the battlefield, and the force of it threw them both backward. Kaito’s skin prickled with energy, he could sense something in them that he’d never felt before, it was dark and spreading.
They traded blows, their power too easily matched, and neither one losing ground. Each time Kaito thought he was getting the uppe
r hand, they would slip out from beneath his grip. The fight continued to rage around them, but it had faded to nothing but a dull roar for him.
Tsuki rushed toward him and swung his blade high, Kaito dodged slicing a deep gash along his side. It didn’t slow Tsuki, and instead, he thrust at Kaito catching his dominant shoulder. His grip on his blade slackened as the black-eyed creature with Akira and Tsuki’s face bolted toward him again.
Kaito growled and rammed an elbow into their gut, forcing him to drop his sword. Kaito swung a punch, and missed, only to get caught by an uppercut that sent him stumbling backward. Before he had time to recover, he was on top of him again. They shoved him to the ground and pinned him there with a foot on his chest.
Tsuki smirked down at him. Kaito grabbed his leg and yanked it out from under him, bringing Tsuki or whoever he was onto the ground with him. They wrestled, neither one was able to pin the other.
A song rose over the chaos of the battle. It rattled in his skull and made his head throb. Suzume must have unleashed her song of destruction. He slapped his hands over his ears to block out the sound. Tsuki fell on all fours and screamed, his skin bubbling and twisting. For some reason, it was hitting him harder. Had Suzume learned to control her song that well?
He scanned the crowd for her, but instead spotted a priestess with glowing blue eyes. Tsuki and Akira lay unconscious or dead on the ground. And the woman strode toward them, in her hand was a staff. Kazue’s staff.
Kaito reached for his sword, which had fallen on the ground before leaping to his feet and drawing it on the woman.
She stood back, watching him, eyes wide. And behind her, Souta and Suzume ran toward him.
“It’s really you,” the woman said.
“And who are you?” Kaito nodded at Suzume, who closed in from behind, her hand raised, prepared to subdue the woman if necessary.
“Kaito, do you really not recognize me?” Her expression was hurt.
He had never seen this woman in his life, though he suspected this was the missing piece of Kazue’s soul. Hisato must have had her this entire time, perhaps even planned to use her against them.
The Fractured Soul Page 13