Canute (The Kindred Series Book 2)

by Frey Ortega

  Ranmaru shrugged. “Oops,” he said, though he rolled his eyes. The expression on his face was as aloof as ever.

  Canute felt the tiniest twitch of annoyance in the corner of his lips. Anger coursed through his veins. It shouldn’t have bothered him to be treated like a pawn. He prided himself on being the quintessential soldier. But with Ranmaru being this duplicitous, and not even being sorry about it made Canute clench his fists and grit his teeth.

  That only told Canute that killing this horrible wretch was an even better idea than ever before.

  Canute shook his head. “I keep giving you the benefit of the doubt, and more credit than you deserve,” he said underneath his breath. “I wanted to see if you had some sort of redeeming quality throughout all this. It shouldn’t have surprised me to find out you had none.”

  “Oh, I may have a redeeming quality or two,” Ranmaru said.

  Canute smirked. “And what would that be?”

  The smile on Ranmaru’s face was unmistakable. It was chilling—and it told Canute he had not been wrong in his assumption that the siren always had a trick up his sleeve. “I know how to keep your attention long enough for you to forget you’re still in enemy territory.”

  And when pain blasted the back of Canute’s head and the entire world around him started to turn black, he couldn’t even feel vindicated that he had been proven right.

  Somehow, in some way, there had been a ruse—and he had fallen for it.

  He hoped Haru would forgive him for this.

  Chapter Eight

  Somehow, in some way, Haru could tell that something had just gone horribly, horribly wrong.

  He’d dropped the clothes he was setting into his dressers and felt something inside his body—no, inside his soul—lurch. Something had happened to Canute. The man’s presence that had lingered like a warm, secure blanket wrapped around Haru’s very essence, seemed to have been pulled away from him. That had left Haru feeling a chill inside his body he’d never felt before.

  Odd, how someone who he’d only just met could provide so much comfort.

  Absentmindedly, Haru picked up the clothes he’d dropped and set them on top of the dresser. He bit on the corner of his lower lip and he furrowed his eyebrows, crossing his arms.

  What had happened?

  Even Momo had yipped and pressed his nose against the side of Haru’s shin. Haru looked down at the beagle whose tail wagged as his little head wiggled out of the sudden downpour of clothes that fell all over him. For some reason, Momo looked concerned.

  Dogs were so smart. Even now, Momo knew that something was amiss.

  There was a knock on the door when Lady Himiko came in with a fatigued expression on her face.

  “Canute’s gone missing,” she said. “He scouted ahead and we lost contact with him just a few moments ago.”

  Haru felt his heart drop. His stomach was a pit of anxiety. A numbing cold settled in his digits and it suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe. Still, even as his knees buckled and he fell to his knees, Haru closed his eyes and tried to center himself.

  Calm down. He’s not dead. He promised he would come back safe.

  Those three simple sentences were like a litany Haru had to say to himself over and over to keep from panic from setting in and taking control. Haru heard the clacking of heels on the ground before he felt a gentle, warm hand press against his back.

  Haru opened his eyes and looked up at the vampire matriarch, whose expression had gone from one of fatigue to one of concern.

  “You are his Kindred, and a kami. I know you have knowledge of magic hidden in you,” Lady Himiko said. “If we combine our powers, we can find him and bring him back home. Please understand, I would not have approached you if I felt I had another choice.”

  Haru frowned. “That seems to be the crux of the issue, doesn’t it? You feel as though you don’t have a choice. Much of this entire situation seems to be because Canute feels beholden to you and your cause, and because he felt he had no other choice, he acted rashly. I’m beginning to wonder if age does not actually confer wisdom.”

  Lady Himiko smirked. “If you were one of my men, I would have struck you by now for insubordination,” she said. “But you’re right. We’re all in the same boat. Those of us who are older have just been in the boat longer.”

  Haru didn’t find any humor or comfort in Lady Himiko’s words. He stared right up at the vampire matriarch, who only sighed.

  “Nevertheless, you are right. But the more time we spend idle, the more chance we have of losing Canute. Who knows what Oda is planning to do with him?”

  “Can you still feel his presence? Is he alive?” Haru asked.

  Lady Himiko nodded. She closed her eyes. “I can feel him. He’s alive. The thread of his life force is soft, which means he’s in danger, but he’s alive. I can’t locate him. The trail goes cold somewhere after the stronghold he was supposed to be in.” The matriarch gritted her teeth. “I shouldn’t have let him scout ahead. He should have come home when I told him to.”

  In hindsight, perhaps Lady Himiko should have done all of those things. But there was no use thinking about what should have been done, because things already had been done. Now there was only to actually correct the mistakes that had been made.

  Haru hadn’t liked what was happening yesterday, and he still didn’t like the situation today. His insides bristled and he could feel the energy wafting off of him, vibrating off of his fingers. The sudden, abrupt loss was a little too much to handle, and he needed to find some sort of balance.

  “I need to go there,” Haru said. “I need to find out if he’s safe.”

  “Have you actually fought someone hand-to-hand in your life? Are you trained for combat? I can’t, in good conscience, send someone untrained into enemy territory,” Lady Himiko said. “This is a war I cannot afford to lose.”

  “It’s also a war that you dragged Canute into in spite of the fact that he actually shouldn’t even be here,” Haru said, his voice sounding a little blunter than he intended. “Please don’t misunderstand, I don’t mean to be impolite. This is just far more than I’m used to dealing with.”

  Lady Himiko nodded. “I understand. This is a fairly abrupt change from a quiet life at a shrine.”

  “Be that as it may, I can take care of myself, milady. If we have to find my Kindred, I would prefer that I be there to see him,” Haru said. “Please. I have magic, I can at least protect myself that way. And with me, you could add something more to your arsenal.”

  There was a moment of silence as Lady Himiko stared right into Haru’s eyes. The kami clenched his fists at his sides and gritted his teeth, trying to seem as tough as he could be without being disrespectful.

  Finally, Lady Himiko sighed and shook her head.

  “I suppose I can trust a kami to be able to get himself out of harm’s way if need be,” Lady Himiko acquiesced, though she frowned. “But Canute will have my head for this.”

  Although Haru appreciated the little jab at Canute’s protective nature, he also knew that this entire situation had been partially the matriarch’s fault. This feud between the two vampire clans were, for a lack of better word, legendary. Among the kami who tried to live quiet, unobtrusive lives among the human populace, the war between the two vampire families had gone on long enough for even Haru’s grandfather to weigh in.

  A lot of the problems among the hidden, who just want to live their lives in peace, was because of this war. Though Haru was grateful for the protection he had been given by Lady Himiko and her followers, this sort of problem had been going on for hundreds of years.

  And Haru, who didn’t think he’d even have a chance to weigh in on this issue, thought that the solution had been simple enough. Rushing into battle ill-prepared and half-cocked and wasting more manpower than necessary was just one of the many ways Lady Himiko was losing this war. Haru had only known her for a few good days, but the way she lorded over everyone like some kind of messiah figure, the “Sha
man Queen,” as she always liked to call herself, was probably one reason why she didn’t have such tight control over her men.

  That was proving to be her downfall, and the solution—or so Haru believed—was just to stop thinking of herself as this infallible figurehead, and start thinking of this war as a general the same way that Oda was. The more that she thought of herself as a monarch, the less likely it was that she was going to win, and that became clearer and clearer with every moment Haru spent with the woman.

  Unfortunately, it was not his place to say anything. What he could do, however, was make sure Canute was safe, back with him, and though it pained him to think it, maybe they needed to go back to Canute’s homeland. Japan was proving to be hostile and unhealthy for his Kindred, and though it was a beautiful, wondrous place with people who cared about Haru, the kami could see very clearly how poorly things were going for his lover.

  Perhaps this was what it meant to be in love. Small sacrifices—or, sometimes, big ones—that were for the benefit of the person you loved.

  And Haru was beginning to realize that maybe, just maybe, he did love Canute. At the very least, there was a very real, tangible affection that Haru realized was as natural to him as breathing.

  Besides, there was a whole world, outside of his shrine, outside of the city and even outside of Japan. Haru wondered how a Monegasque sunrise would look like. He’d never even set foot outside of his own prefecture.

  “Can I trust you to be able to wield your magic effectively?” Lady Himiko asked.

  Haru nodded in reply. “I’ve been training, ever since I was young. I know how to wield it well.”

  The matriarch nodded. “I need a couple of hours to prepare for yet another teleportation ritual,” Lady Himiko muttered. “But with you helping me, I’ll be borrowing more power from you to conserve some of my own. I hope this is alright.”

  Haru nodded. He likely didn’t really have a choice, but the sooner he was able to get to Canute, the better. If that meant sharing in magic with the so-called Shaman Queen, he would do it.

  And if he had to hurt a few people…he just had to make sure that he didn’t kill them. After all, self-defense was justifiable, right? But there was no honor in killing someone when his entire power was dedicated to the wellspring of life.

  Haru ran his fingers down his short, but shaggy hair, and lightly patted the summer kimono he wore. He looked down at Momo, who was wagging his little tail but staring up at him. Haru leaned down to pat the beagle on the head, unsure whether he was reassuring himself or reassuring the pup.

  All he knew was that he needed his Kindred back and safe, consequences be damned.

  Maybe that just meant he’d have to break his own rule about harming another being.

  Haru didn’t want it to come to that, but he couldn’t discount it.

  His voice was resolute as he clenched his fists and looked right up at Lady Himiko.

  “Let’s do it. We have to bring him back.”

  Chapter Nine

  Is this hell?

  Canute felt his body ache in more places than one. His arms felt like they were being yanked upwards. His legs were being spread out, causing tension in his thighs. He was being held aloft, in a way that made him feel a discomfort that seemed almost…permanent. It was the slightest of stretches, pulling him at all angles, just uncomfortable enough to unsettle, but not painful enough to make him wince.

  Still, he knew that if he continued being stretched like this, it would take its toll.

  As his bleary eyes settled in the darkness, Canute felt a throbbing emanating from his head. The strike he’d received earlier had rendered him unconscious, and it was unsettling to feel so weak when he’d spent hundreds of years feeling like he was at the top of the food chain.

  To be rendered weak and defenseless the way he was, Canute was definitely off his game.

  Canute clenched his fists and tried to yank at his chains, wincing as the pain of the stretch seemed to grow ever so slightly. Wherever he was, it was dark, dank, and depressing, and it certainly mirrored how shitty he’d felt these past couple of days.

  Weeks, even.

  But that wasn’t the issue at the moment. His most pressing issue at the moment was the fact that Haru was somewhere out in the world, possibly worried about him, and Canute was chained up in some basement with no light, no food, and a dry, parched throat that made every wince and groan sound more like a frog’s croak.

  The achy throbbing at the back of his head also only told Canute that he might have a concussion. Regardless of the situation, the most important thing was that he was alive, and he needed to get out of here.

  Ranmaru had managed to blindside him once again.

  And here Canute thought he was finally going to be able to break free from that siren’s grasp.

  “You’re finally awake.”

  Canute felt the sudden splash of cold water suddenly gush over his face. He took a sharp breath. His heart started to thunder.

  “Was that really necessary? I’m already awake,” Canute snapped, feeling the harsh, blistering cold of the water over his skin.

  A few voices chuckled. Was there two or three of them there? Canute still couldn’t see past the darkness, but things were becoming clearer.

  If this was some basement dungeon, Canute was about to wonder how clichéd and stereotypical whoever owned this place was.

  “All bark and no bite, like a Lycan.”

  “And he smells like one, too.”

  As the fog lifted from Canute’s thoughts, he started to recognize that voice. One of them was clearly Ranmaru. The other voice had power behind it, a rolling thunder that Canute immediately recognized as Oda.

  “It appears you managed to slay Ranmaru’s bodyguards,” Oda said. “They were no match for you at all.”

  “What?” Canute muttered. “But I didn’t—”

  “Don’t lie. I saw it all happen with my own two eyes,” Ranmaru spat out. “You were merciless.”

  “Liar!” Canute shouted.

  “He called you a liar, darling,” Oda said. “Will you stand for this?”

  Canute felt the stinging crack of something harshly striking him across the face, knocking his head to the side. He hissed in pain, scrunching his face at the feeling of suddenly being slapped.

  The warrior vampire inside Canute was outraged. As he struggled against his chains, he felt his heartbeat thunder and adrenaline begin to rush in his system. Almost all at once, the jolt in his senses from anger piqued his body, his eyes finally adjusting to the darkness, and his breathing becoming more even as he stared his captors down. He could hear a distant rumbling somewhere, getting closer and closer, though it felt more like the slightest shake of the earth underneath, and all around.

  “You will die here,” Ranmaru said, his voice dispassionate. “And your friends won’t even be able to find your corpse when we’re done. You really think you can break into one of our homes and… and…”

  Don’t you dare, you filthy liar.

  “… And have your way with me?”

  Ranmaru’s eyes glimmered with crocodile tears. His lip quivered. Even in the dark, Canute knew the siren was a masterful actor.

  Canute felt another spike of anger inside him, and he struggled against his bindings once more, roaring in rage.

  And, like some frightened little thing, Ranmaru shivered.

  “Look at him! He’s an animal!” Ranmaru cried out, as though he was actually afraid. Though as the siren curled into Oda’s arms, he aimed his gaze right at Canute and smirked. He was playing the men around him like a fiddle, and Oda, of all people, was falling prey to him so easily.

  “He wants me dead, when all I’ve done is be a dutiful, subservient lover to you, my lord!”

  Ranmaru was playing such a perfect little doll, the victim, and though Canute knew the truth, Oda was lapping it up like some kind of mindless dog. Still, he knew that Ranmaru did have Oda eating off the palm of his hand.

  I
f Canute were to die here, his only remorse was the fact that he didn’t crush Ranmaru’s windpipe when he could have.

  Gritting his teeth, the vampire’s hatred for the siren and his lord knew no bounds. As he clenched his fists and felt anger roll through his body like never before, he rattled against his chains.

  “You’re a mongrel,” Oda spat out. “An abomination among our kind. Who are you to act like judge, jury, and executioner? You tossed aside the lives of those men so easily.”

  What?

  Did Ranmaru kill his bodyguards?

  It didn’t come as much of a surprise. Bodyguards who were so easily dispatched were not so effective, if at all.

  But was he being framed for that, too? Canute should have known. Ranmaru manipulated so easily. He didn’t even need to be convincing. His magic brute-forced its way into any person’s rational, thinking mind.

  “Because of your grave miscalculation, you’ve been captured and now, you’re going to be sentenced to death,” Oda said. “It will be too late for anyone to save you. But still, a warrior’s death is a warrior’s death. I will send Lord Cyrus your ashes. It’s a shame it has come to this, because under normal circumstances, I would have respected you.”

  “And how exactly will you kill me? Will you slay me here where I hang, and bleed me like some kind of chicken?”

  “Of course not. You deserve a much more dignified death than that, even if your victims didn’t get it,” Oda replied. “We will unchain you and execute you above ground, or you can retain your honor and take your own life, instead.”

  Oda slowly moved forward, pulling away from the Siren, who too, masqueraded as his Kindred. “What say you, murderer?”

  Canute closed his eyes. “How archaic. Are you sure you’re not going to ask me for trial by combat? Prove myself to your gods?”

  Oda grinned, but his smile was cold. “We honor those who honor themselves, and you dishonor yourself by taking the life of others so brutally and coldly.”

  Canute raised an eyebrow and smirked. “The way you do with Lady Himiko’s men?”