Calming the Storm (Crimson Storm Chronicles Book 2)

by Yumoyori Wilson

  My lids started to lower as my vision began to blur, but I saw Erica's sweet smile, which left me even more confused.

  "Don't worry, my love. You're safe with me now. I'll help free you again. I promise." She hummed in delight.

  Then the world went dark.

  ~HARU~

  "Text Crimson," I announced, feeling goosebumps run down my arms.

  "Why?" Itsuki asked. He'd returned to the group after having found nothing with the guards.

  At least he'd cleared the path for Crimson and Erica, so I knew neither of them was in danger. Plus, they had the top guard on Yomato's list with them to ensure they had backup.

  We could have kept an eye on her, but Yoshi suggested we let Crimson take the lead, realizing she'd worked hard enough and had proven she could handle herself.

  Since she was with Erica, the others had no major issues with it. Nobody but me, that is.

  None of us liked the woman, but she was one of the top guards in her sector of Homatomashi, so we couldn't deny her help, even if she was annoying as fuck. Yet, I've always disliked her and thought Storm did too. There was something fishy about her, and even after all these years, I still couldn't figure it out.

  Even with my speculation, I had no evidence to back me up. All I had was what I gained from observation and my own instincts. None of those would be enough to prove my point, though.

  We were heading back to regroup with the others, but when we were only a minute away, my stomach dropped, and I felt an intense wave of fear run through me.

  "I think she's in danger!" I snapped.

  "Who's in danger?"

  We turned our heads to our right to see Quil walk out from the thick trees with Malachi in his lion form.

  "GRRR." Malachi began to growl, his hair standing up as he looked to his left. I followed his gaze, feeling the same sense of danger coming from that direction.

  "Crimson. Text her to come back now," I insisted.

  "Sending," Quil announced. "Sent. I'll send one to...huh?" Quil began but then tilted his head in confusion.

  "What?" I asked.

  "My signal dropped," Quil revealed.

  "But you just sent a message to Crim," Itsuki pointed out while he put his hand in his pocket to retrieve his phone.

  "Ya, that sent, but I tried to text Aki and Yoshi, but those ones failed," Quil replied with urgency in his voice. He tapped at his phone before holding it up in the air to see if he could pick up the signal again.

  "Shit...mine's gone too," Itsuki noted.

  "The tracker should still work without a signal," I realized, pulling my phone out and pressing the tracking app. We all installed it on our phones before we left, wanting to make sure we could track Crimson if we needed to. We weren't going to deal with the misfortune of losing her again, like when she was taken from her home by James.

  We'd been lucky that Aki was able to get to her in time and revive her after she stopped breathing. But this time, we wouldn't be so lucky if we didn't have something to track her if James decided to strike again.

  The map of the forest popped up on the app, and I saw a pink dot blink not too far from us to the north. "She's okay and not too far from us. If we sprint, we should be able to catch up with her," I declared.

  "ROAR!" Malachi readied himself to run, which left us confused and a bit nervous.

  "What's going on with Malachi?" I asked.

  "He's been feeling anxious since he shifted. We thought it would be faster for me to ride him and survey the area, but the moment he changed, he turned right back around and that landed us here," Quil revealed.

  "You guys are here?!" Yoshi’s frantic voice called out. We whipped our heads to our right and saw him with Aki in his Kitsune form coming out from the forest. "We lost signal on our phones and thought something was wrong."

  Aki was silent, but he walked up to Malachi, who was still growling. They exchanged looks and appeared as if they would leave us at any moment.

  "Fuck, let's figure this out later. Let's get to Cri-"

  *BOOM*

  We dropped to the ground, which shook beneath us. Looking to my left, I saw smoke beginning to rise not too far from us.

  "Bomb?!" Yoshi sounded shocked.

  Quil pressed his hand to the ground, closing his eyes. "We need to run for it! Bombs!" he snapped.

  "Malachi, Haru, Aki! Go get Crim!" Itsuki ordered. I nodded, turning my head to see Aki already dashing off. He would be the fastest to get to Crimson, but I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with Malachi's speed either. He didn't move, clearly reading my mind and waiting for me to hop on.

  I did just that, running up to him and jumping onto his back in one smooth movement. As soon as I was settled, he dashed off, right before another bomb was set off. I was worried about the others, but I knew if things got too dangerous, Quil would shift and carry Itsuki and Yoshi into the air, ensuring they were a safe distance away.

  I held on tightly as Malachi picked up the pace, bomb after bomb going off around us, which Malachi tried his best to avoid. He jumped over a clump of fallen trees, and I caught the sight of Aki's glowing tails up ahead.

  I looked at my phone, using one hand to hold onto Malachi. I saw we were only seconds from where the pink dot was. Crimson?

  Malachi skidded to a stop, and I jumped off him. I watched him start running again as if he chased after something. "Malachi!" I called out, but he was already gone, having disappeared from my line of sight. Shit.

  That's when my ear picked up on the sound of Aki's whimpers. The soft noise made me whip my head around to where he stood. I rushed over to him, worried Crimson might be hurt under the pile of broken trees, but what I discovered made my heart drop and world spin. I fell to my knees, needing a moment to breathe when my eyes landed on Crim's phone laying on the ground.

  I reached out to pick it up with my trembling hand and read the note that reflected on the screen. No...no, no, no! This can't happen again...I can't go through this again.

  "HARU! AKI!" Yoshi called out, but I couldn't move, tears rolling down my cheeks. "Where did Malachi go?"

  "Haru? What's wrong...where's Crim?!" Itsuki demanded.

  "Aki...hey, what's wrong?" Quil whispered, but Aki's whimpers only got louder. The sadness in those sounds made a sob escape me, and I let my tears fall as I gritted my teeth.

  "Ha...ru...Shit!" Itsuki cursed. I noticed his feet in front of me, and he knelt down before me. He slowly pulled the phone out of my trembling hand, which dropped to the ground, now feeling just as heavy as the rest of me did.

  Itsuki was quiet for a moment before whispering, "Fuck...Erica."

  "What? Is there a note? Where's Crim?" Yoshi snapped.

  "She's...gone," I whispered, my voice breaking as more tears rolled down my cheeks. Why? Why didn't I say something?

  "He took something I loved and broke her. It's now my time to take something of his and destroy...her. Revenge is...bliss," Itsuki choked, reading the message out loud while his hand gripped the phone for dear life, even though it trembled.

  Yoshi was silent, and Aki continued to whimper, digging his paws into the ground in frustration. Quil rubbed his back soothingly, trying to calm him, but I could see the anger on his face, and his red eyes were changing colors nonstop.

  "Quil, track Malachi," Yoshi ordered.

  "We should be tracking Crim!" I snapped.

  "Malachi is the only one of us who isn’t letting their emotions fuck with them. He's tracking Crim's scent, and since he's not back yet, it means he hasn't lost her trail. We haven't lost Crim yet," Yoshi reassured.

  "I can track her," Itsuki announced. We turned to him as he pulled out a tiny device that almost looked like a phone charger. A cherry blossom with a gold stone hung at the end. He pulled out his phone and pushed it into the charging dock.

  "What's that?" Quil asked.

  "A tracking device I inserted into Crimson's hair ornament. It will videotape everything when it's pulled out of her hair,” he revealed.


  "And why would you make it activate when it's pulled out of her hair?!" I asked. Itsuki met my gaze and I bit my lip, trying my best to control my rage.

  "Erica isn't the delicate type. If she's doing this for revenge, she'll want to hurt Crimson. What would you do to try and hurt someone? Us shifters value items given to us by others, especially significant others. I can guarantee if Erica's objective is to physically and emotionally hurt Crim, those hair ornaments will be the first to be pulled out and tossed somewhere that Crimson can see them. I can tell Erica is going to try and erase her trail, but we'll have locked onto the area, thanks to Malachi. Once she pulls out those hair ornaments, we'll know exactly where Crimson is, and we'll be able to find her," Itsuki revealed.

  We were all silent for a few seconds before Quil turned to Aki. "Listen, Akihiro. There's still hope. We need you to catch up with Malachi and make sure you don't lose the scent. You're stronger and faster. Please," he begged.

  Aki whimpered, looking so sad, and Quil sighed, pressing his forehead against Aki's.

  "I know. I know you’re afraid for Crim's safety...I know you're scared she'll be tortured, but that's better than her being dead. The faster we get to her, the less damage that will be done. Onegai, Aki."

  Aki stared at Quil for five seconds before he nodded once, dashing off and disappearing into the trees.

  "What should we do now?" Itsuki asked Yoshi.

  "We need a signal. The moment our phones are working again, Quil will contact Hotaku and the Council. Inform them Erica has betrayed the Emperor and is holding Crimson captive. Itsuki, continue monitoring and the moment you get their coordinates, you let us know. I'll be contacting Father, requesting that Hakua is contacted. Her family has connections in these parts and can send warriors here faster than if we brought guards from the palace. And Haru..." Yoshi walked up to me and knelt down to look straight into my glossy eyes.

  Quil and Itsuki exchanged glances before they moved away, giving Yoshi and me privacy to speak.

  "I've seen you react like this three times, one being when Storm was killed. What's wrong?"

  "You wouldn't believe me," I whispered as I struggled not to break down. Yoshi lifted his hand to stroke my head soothingly.

  "Haru, we’ve been friends for years. We've fought alongside one another, and there's plenty of times your observant nature has saved our asses. You know something we don’t, and my gut is telling me that it has to do with Erica."

  I slowly nodded, lifting my hands to rub my cheeks. "Yes."

  "I won't judge you, and nothing will be used against you. We need to know what it is, Haru. Why would Erica take Crimson? Is she working with N.R.O.? Was it James?"

  I shook my head vigorously. "None of that."

  "Then?"

  "Yoshi...what I say...it'll break the others," I whispered.

  It already hurt to think about it and even though I suspected it a month before Storm's death, I still couldn't accept it.

  "What will break us, Haru, is if we lose Crimson. Whatever is related to Storm...it's in the past now. Crimson's our future, but if we don't figure out Erica's motives, she won't be," Yoshi stressed.

  We shared a look and I nodded, taking a deep breath and letting the air out before I spoke.

  "Erica...the message. ‘He took something I loved and broke her. It's now my time to take something of his and destroy...her. Revenge is...bliss.’ 'He' refers to James. Crimson said James was the one who killed Storm. James took Storm...who Erica loved, and broke her, which means killing her. Now she will take something of his, which means James still loves Crimson and Erica plans to destroy her." I broke it all down.

  Yoshi's eyes were wide. "What?"

  I closed my eyes, letting my head fall in defeat as I whispered the words I had hoped I would never have to say.

  "Erica loved Storm Yuna. They didn't despise one another, Yoshimitsu. It was the opposite. They loved each other. They were secret lovers."

  ~CRIMSON~

  The constant pounding in my head was what woke me up. I let out a groan, trying to move my body, but flinched at the pain that went through me. Fuck...what did I do?

  "Ah, finally. I thought you'd never wake. That drug I injected you with must have been too strong. I guess that makes sense. They use that stuff to torture Kitsunes all the time."

  I opened my eyes to a dark room. Looking up, I saw Erica sitting in a chair, her legs crossed as she filed her nails.

  She wore a long red dress, and the front dipped so low it was easy to see most of her breasts and her nipples through the thin material that covered them. She lifted her eyes to meet mine and a seductive smile formed on her lips.

  "I had a bit of fun when you were unconscious. I have to admit, you have a nice body." She giggled quietly, the sound making me afraid of what she'd done to me. I tried to move again but whimpered at the shooting pain that went through me. My back was what hurt the most, followed by my butt and thighs.

  "What...did you do?" I asked.

  She sighed, reaching out from behind her chair to reveal a whip. "I have a thing for bondage. It's such a turn on. I normally like when my lover is awake and begging for me, but I couldn't resist seeing your beautiful curvy body with a few wounds and bruises. The drug knocked you out to the point you didn't even respond to it. A tad boring, but it was enough to keep me satisfied until you woke up."

  I gawked at her, feeling sick to my stomach. "You're...wait, what?" I exclaimed, confused by all of it.

  Erica rose to her feet and smiled. "I know, it's hard to understand right now." She purred, opening her mouth to continue, but then a phone rang.

  She made her way over to a table that held different types of torture weapons, which made me afraid of what would happen if I didn't find a way to keep her talking. My Kitsune, on the other hand, was growling her head off, hating the fact our hands were tied back and that we were in excruciating pain.

  She picked the phone up from the table and stared at the screen. Her expression softened, and she allowed the phone to keep ringing, yet her eyes held a level of evil intent. My Kitsune and I shivered.

  She finally picked it up after the fifth ring. "Erica speaking...Hey James, I haven't heard from you in a while."

  I bit my lip, my heart clenching at the mention of James’ name. She noticed my expression and put the phone on speaker with a small smirk.

  "What do you want, James?"

  "What happened in the forest?" he demanded.

  "Shouldn't you get back to working for White Eyes? He doesn't like to wait," Erica cautioned.

  "Erica," he snapped.

  "I placed a few bombs to cause some confusion, so your ass wouldn't get caught,” she revealed.

  He was quiet for a moment. "Where's Crimson?"

  "She's with her men, obviously. If you hadn't run off, you would have known that,” she replied, her voice lacking any emotion.

  "Make sure she's okay,” he mumbled.

  "Why, do you still love her?" Erica exclaimed.

  "I...it’s none of your concern."

  "You're supposed to be dating me now, James,” she stated, and my eyes went wide. She was the one he was cheating on me with?

  "Erica...I'm not into you and you know it. I tried...not because I wanted to. You told Master you were interested in me. In return for getting the chance to date me, you agreed to continue working as a double agent after Storm's death."

  FUCK! She's a double agent...and wait, she forced James to date her?! He...he didn't do it on purpose?

  "You fucked me, James."

  "No, YOU tied me to a fucking bed and rode me like a fucking drunk bitch, you sadistic hoe. You know damn well what position I'm in! You know I have to serve White Eyes, and you decided to take advantage of that. I lost the one woman I actually gave a fuck about because she thought I was cheating on her with YOU. A fabricated lie I had to go with because Master told me so!" he yelled.

  Erica was silent, glancing over to see my stunned expression. "Your
temper tantrums are a pain in the ass. No wonder people say you're bipolar."

  "I'm not fucking bipolar, Erica. Now I'll only say this once. Don't hurt my Crimson,” he declared.

  "She's dating six other men who all think you're a criminal, yet you say I shouldn't hurt her? You know she's the key to all of this, right? She can't get the final crystal and you know it. We're going to have to kill her eventually," Erica disclosed, her voice like venom and filled with hate.

  "She doesn't deserve to die."

  "Neither did Storm, but you were fine with killing her," Erica countered.

  "That wasn't...fuck, Erica! How many fucking times do I need to say it?! You of all people know I can't do shit. I shouldn't even be on the phone with you right now, yet here I am, wasting time. I'm a fucking puppet, and until I'm set free, I can't do anything! White Eyes told me to kill Storm. You know exactly why. He wants everything, and she was in the way of his goal of domination."

  "You should have fought it."

  "I couldn't...and honestly...for the sake of protecting Crimson, I would have done it again," he whispered.

  Erica bit her lip hard and clenched the phone with her trembling hand. "A woman who's moved on. A woman who now despises you and will never love you again. A woman who will one day drive a sword into your chest, the same way you did to kill...my Storm...yet, you're able to defend her...able to love her." Erica's voice cracked as tears spilled down her cheeks. Her Storm...

  "You know why everyone loves Crimson? She's beautiful...just like the cherry blossoms we watch in awe when they bloom each year. Her heart is pure like water, even when the world dumps trash into it and tries to taint her view on life. She's full of energy, working harder than any person I've ever met, even when everyone tries to bring her down. She loved me...even when I treated her like a weed when she was really a beautiful rose waiting to blossom. You know what love is, Erica. You've experienced it. I may be a puppet, and she may never forgive me...or love me again, but that's something I'm willing to deal with. When I die, I'll know she'll have real men to take care of her, who weren't pathetic like me. At least she will be loved."