by Aliya DalRae
A knock sounded at the door. Merlin stroked Martin’s arm on his way by to answer it. It felt good to touch him, to not deny himself that pleasure any longer. Sad that it wouldn’t last, and he mentally kicked himself for resisting as long as he did. He glanced behind him at all that broad-shouldered beauty, and his regrets compounded. If he’d only been open about who he was, about being Kurai Senshi, perhaps Viper would have been able to secure the Compound sooner. And maybe Merlin wouldn’t have spent so many nightmare-filled days alone in his bed.
He opened the door, and Rachel was there, her eyes wild and her hair a tangle that spoke of a recent awakening. “Merlin? Are you all right? What’s happened?”
Merlin got a good look at the hallway, at all the glass littering the floor, and the darkness that filled the corridor. How far had his madness reached? Too far, was the answer.
“Rachel, yes I’m fine.”
“I heard someone in the hall. Was it an intruder? Did they do this?”
“No,” Merlin said. “No, it was me. Are you and the kids okay?”
“Yes, we’re fine. What do you mean it was you?”
“Do me a favor,” Merlin said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and guided her back into the hall. “Could you please call housekeeping and have them send someone to clean up the glass and replace the lamps? I’m afraid I’ve put us all in a bit of a pickle, and I’d feel better if I knew the clean-up was in good hands.”
Rachel glanced at the door Merlin had pulled nearly closed then back at him. “I… sure. I can do that, but…”
“Where’s Nox? Is he not at home?” Due to his twin’s potential for going off the reservation, the male split his time between his new mate’s rooms and his own suite across from Raven and Jessica’s. Fortunately, he spent more time on this floor than upstairs nowadays, but with Raven, one never knew.
“No, he’s at the barracks. His shift starts in an hour. Merlin, what’s going on?”
“I’ll be sure he’s included in the Warrior’s meeting. We’ll need to figure out what to do with you and the twins, with Jessica and Kythryn, and Rebecca, of course.”
“Are we in danger?” Rachel seemed incredulous, and he understood. The Compound was stronger than a fortress, but there was no such thing as impenetrable.
“I’m afraid so. Talk to housekeeping, and I’ll have Nox back to you in a couple of hours. We should be safe until then.”
She agreed, but it had required a gentle nudge to get her going in the right direction. Merlin returned to his suite, where Martin stood in the doorway to the meditation room. He’d turned on a couple of lamps that had somehow survived Merlin’s tangle with the Shade, his blond hair collecting the soft light and shining like gold when he turned to face Merlin.
“Interesting room,” he said. “Is that a shrine?”
“About that…”
“Doesn’t matter. Seems we’re on a tight schedule.” He grabbed Merlin’s hand and pulled him closer, peridot light swirling in his eyes, a wry smile pulling at his lips. “I’d like to think you requested that hour so that I could make love to you again before the Kurai Senshi show up, but I have a feeling that’s not the case.”
Merlin tried to match his smile, but what he needed to share was no gentle matter. And while it would feel so good to have his hands and his mouth on all those thick muscles again, Merlin knew that the time they’d shared would have to be enough. He led Martin to the sofa and when they sat, he held the Soldier’s hand in his, turned it over to study his palm as he searched for the words he needed. It took several calming breaths before Merlin could begin, but, as Martin mentioned, time was running short, and there were things that needed to be said. Things Martin deserved to know.
He looked into those grey-green eyes and said the words he hadn’t spoken aloud in over a millennium. “My name is Katsuro Senshi, and I am a Dark Warrior.”
Chapter Forty-Four
T he food tasted like ash in Takeshi’s mouth. Generally, he had the mid-night meal to himself, a tray brought to his room by one of the lower-level Senshi. Tonight, however, Master Jonathon requested he join him in the dining room for what amounted to an early lunch, and by “requested” he meant “demanded.”
As the unusual Kurai Senshi master tucked into the bucolic meal of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, Takeshi didn’t have to wonder why he was here. Any Dark Warrior worth his sword would have felt the surge in the Shade earlier in the evening.
Yuuma checked in right after. His team confirmed that its origin was within the Legion Compound erasing any remaining doubt that Katsuro was inside.
So, while Takeshi sat there chewing on white bread and processed cheese product, the sentries breached the magic concealing the Compound from unwanted visitors. They would recon the area as the rest of his Warriors slipped out of camp in ones and twos to amass at the abandoned property.
This millennium-long hunt for Katsuro would end tonight with the traitor’s head separated from his shoulders. Perhaps Takeshi would take his topknot as a souvenir. Barbaric, he knew, but he’d earned some kind of token with his persistence.
“You seem awful happy about something.” Master Jonathon had been prattling on during the entire meal. It took a moment for Takeshi to realize he’d spoken to him directly.
The male’s eyes twinkled as he chewed, practically daring Takeshi to address the elephant in the room. It was time to drop the pretenses. “You felt that surge. My hunt will end soon, and you’ll be rid of me.”
“You know where he is then?”
“Hai. Yes.”
“You want to fill me in?”
Takeshi walked a fine line here. Jonathon made it clear his Warriors were not to help him in his quest. His cell phone vibrated, and he glanced at the text, buying himself a minute or two to decide how to respond to Jonathon’s request.
Team has arrived. Join us as soon as you can.
An address followed, and Takeshi smiled.
“I detest those things at my table,” Jonathon said. He wiped his mouth with a linen napkin leaving a red smear on the white fabric, then threw it on his empty plate.
“Apologies, Master.” Takeshi slipped the phone into his pocket and returned his attention to answering Jonathon’s question. “And I believe the less you know about my plans the better. Speaking of, lunch was lovely, but I must be going. Katsuro isn’t going to kill himself. Not without my help,” he added, unable to quell the maniacal laughter that exploded from him.
As he left the dining room, he could feel Master Jonathon’s disapproving glare on his back. Even that sanctimonious bastard couldn’t destroy his excitement. Just a few more hours, and he would finally be free of his quest.
Chapter Forty-Five
T he words felt wrong on Merlin’s tongue, a sensation that was both foreign and familiar. He had ceased being Katsuro the moment he escaped the Kurai Senshi, the name buried in the past as protection to both his heart and his hide. He’d gone without any name at all for centuries. Mason was the first to call him Merlin.
But that wasn’t the truth Martin needed to hear.
Merlin stood, not only because sitting was impossible, but also to put some distance between the two loves of his life. Though one was just a memory now, it seemed disrespectful somehow to have them share such close space. When he reached the window, he turned to face the male who still lived while the ghost of Kioshi hammered away at his heart.
“What we are,” he said, waving a hand in the air between himself and the male on the couch, “is not allowed. To the Kurai Senshi, laying with another male is akin to unsanctioned murder. It brings dishonor to the Clan, and to the males in question. If their families had not disowned them already for being Kurai Senshi, being gay would have certainly done it. Loving another male simply was not done.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Martin said. He pushed himself from the sofa, but Merlin shook his head and waved him back to his seat. He sat, but the scowl on his face said he wasn’t happy ab
out it.
“It is ridiculous in the twenty-first century. For Japanese Vampires in the eight hundreds? It simply was. Of course, knowing something is taboo does nothing to change who one is on the inside, even if you know that if you are caught just being who you are, the shame would be so great that you would be required by the codes of honor to perform seppuku.” At Martin’s blank expression he said, “Hara kiri, ritual suicide.”
“Bullshit.”
“It is simply how it was. Of course, one could always choose execution, but there was no honor in that, and it was believed that if you did not take your death into your own hands, your soul would burn in eternal sunlight.”
“For loving a male.”
Merlin bowed his head, his response a mere whisper. “Yes.”
When he looked up, Martin’s eyes were trained on him, but he said nothing more. Merlin pushed himself away from the windows, instantly regretting the loss of support the shaded glass had provided. When he caught Martin’s eye, he found all the encouragement he needed to continue.
“As you can guess, you were not my first lover.”
At this confession, Martin lowered his eyes, unable or unwilling to meet Merlin’s gaze. Nobody likes hearing that the person they love has loved another. Merlin accepted this and moved on.
“From the moment I laid eyes on him, Kioshi was my world. I’ll spare you the details, but I do not tell you this lightly. It wasn’t long before we found our way into each other’s arms and beds. We knew if we were caught it would mean our deaths, but some things you just can’t fight.”
Martin looked up then. “Like us.” Not a question, a fact, and one that Merlin couldn’t argue. When he smiled, Martin’s shoulders relaxed, and the corner of his mouth lifted in response.
“Yes,” Merlin said. “Exactly like us. I tried to deny you, Martin, but you were too damned persistent.”
He shrugged and sat back on the sofa. “I want what I want.”
“To your own detriment, of course.”
His smile widened. “Of course.”
Merlin sighed. “Kioshi and I were so enamored with each other, we stole every moment we could to be together. We became bold in our lovemaking, took risks we shouldn’t have. In the end, we were discovered, by our sensei, Takeshi, no less.”
Merlin moved to the fireplace and ran his hand along the mantel, his mind a million miles away and a thousand years in the past.
~~~~~
T akeshi said nothing when he walked in on Katsuro and Kioshi, just smiled a vicious smile as the door covering floated back into place. It had been arrogant to try and steal this moment, in Kioshi’s hut of all places, but their need was great, and they had thought no harm would come from it.
They waited for the guards to come for them, to take them in front of Master Masaru to hear of their fate, but the guards never came. Days passed, turning into weeks, and still nothing occurred in word or deed to punish them for their sins against the Clan.
Takeshi was brutal during training, but only slightly more so than he was to the other trainees, and never so much that it called attention to them. The only indication that he had not forgotten what he’d seen was the evil gleam in his eye when he caught them looking at one another.
For their own safety, they stayed away from each other. No more meals together or pairing up for sparring. As difficult as it was, they pretended as if the other did not exist. That seemed to be enough for Takeshi, as days turned into weeks, and their secret remained just that.
Nearly a month passed, and Katsuro dared to relax, feeling that the worst was behind them. Kioshi must have felt the same, for Katsuro found a note from his lover beneath his pillow when he turned in for the day.
Meet me on the training field, tonight at sundown. Love, K.
Katsuro barely slept, the thought of holding his beloved in his arms again a thief that turned his stomach into a knot of butterflies as the long hours of daylight inched along. When the sun fell below the horizon, he jumped out of bed and dressed in haste. His feet moved of their own accord to the training field, carried him to the place he knew so well.
To Kioshi.
When he arrived, however, there were two people waiting for him. Takeshi stood tall and proud in the middle of the field, while Kioshi knelt at his feet, a sharp tantou aimed at his middle.
Katsuro ran to them, screaming for Kioshi to stay his hand.
“This is not the way,” he begged, but Kioshi shook his head.
“We were wrong,” he said. “Takeshi has reminded me of our vows to the Clan. We should never have dishonored our family as we’ve done.” Tears left bloody trails on Kioshi’s fair cheeks, his eyes spilling over to add to the stream.
“We don’t have to do this,” Katsuro begged. “It’s wrong! We shouldn’t have to die because of who we love. We shouldn’t have to kill ourselves because he says we should.”
But Kioshi shook his head again. “We’ve dishonored the Clan, Katsuro. Please. This is the only way to save our souls.”
“You should listen to him,” Takeshi taunted. “Seppuku will save you from eternal sunlight. It is the only way.”
“Please,” Kioshi cried, as he gripped the tantou’s handle in both hands and repositioned it above and to the left of his navel. “Don’t make me go alone.”
“You don’t have to go at all,” Katsuro screamed. “You shouldn’t have to die for loving someone. Takeshi, stop this madness. Tell him!”
Takeshi sneered at Katsuro and kicked Kioshi in the back. The jolt drove his body forward, the force of it enough to ram the dagger Kioshi clutched so tightly into the soft flesh of his belly.
Katsuro dove for the tantou, but he was too late. He fell in front of Kioshi, whose pleading eyes hardened in a moment of acceptance. Katsuro could only watch as the male he loved tightened his grip on the tantou’s hilt and drew the dagger across his belly. His blood sprayed from his body, showering Katsuro’s face with its warmth as Kioshi stretched his neck to its full length.
“No,” Katsuro pled, but Takeshi was already in mid-swing. His katana connected with Kioshi’s sweet neck, sliced through flesh, sinew and bone.
Kioshi’s head landed at Katsuro’s knees, his dark eyes staring sightlessly up into a sky full of twinkling stars. “No, no, no…” Katsuro palmed the blood-soaked cheeks, brushed the hair from his lover’s eyes. Eyes that had begged for him to join him in this ridiculous ritual.
Katsuro’s eyes bled black, the light from the stars, the moon, drawing into him as the Shade consumed him.
“Check yourself, Senshi. You will submit to seppuku, or I will kill you where you kneel, groveling over the body of a dishonored Warrior.”
“To kill myself would be to dishonor Kioshi, and that is something I will never do.” Katsuro grabbed the tantou and lunged for Takeshi. He slashed wildly as he set upon his sensei, craving the kill for the first time in his life. Takeshi dodged, but not before Katsuro slashed his cheek with the dagger, mixing Kioshi’s blood with that of his killer.
Noises from the edge of the field revealed they were no longer alone. Takeshi, distracted by the new arrivals, never saw what happened next.
Katsuro knelt next to Kioshi’s ruined body, touched his face briefly before cutting a lock of his hair with the tantou. He shoved both into his kimono, and in the confusion of the growing crowd, he disappeared.
Chapter Forty-Six
W hen Merlin grew quiet, his story complete, Martin sat in shock, unsure what to say. It occurred to him that, even with thirty years under his belt, he was so very young compared to Merlin. The idea of such violence being dealt upon a male strictly because he loved someone of the same gender boggled his mind. He wasn’t naïve. He knew that even in the twenty-first century there were those who would hurt you if they knew you were gay. Vampires were often worse than humans in this regard, especially the Aristocracy, which was why he’d kept his proclivities quiet among the Soldiers. But this, what Merlin had lived through, was barbaric.
&nb
sp; “Wasn’t hara kiri a samurai ritual?” he asked, his mind settling on that one bizarre fact rather than trying to make sense of all the rest.
Merlin came back to himself, blinked a couple of times and nodded. “It was, though I believe rather than being completely beheaded, the humans would leave the head barely attached by a thin piece of skin as a point of honor.
“The group the humans know as samurai, or bushi, were a human spinoff of the Kurai Senshi. It is believed that Minamoto no Yorimasa had found favor from Master Masaru, who taught him the Kurai ways. He was the first human to perform seppuku in the eleventh century. I heard Master Masaru mourned for a year.”
“And you?” Martin joined Merlin by the fireplace. “How long did you mourn your Kioshi?”
“I mourn him still. I will always mourn him. However, until recently I’d been able to compartmentalize my grief, leave it at the alter that bears his name.”
“The shrine.”
“Hai. Yes.”
Understanding hit Martin in the gut, and his eyes opened wide. “Kioshi, aishiteru. Kioshi was your lover, and the rest…”
Merlin looked away, refused to meet his gaze.
“I told you I loved you, and that’s how you responded.” Martin hated the accusation in his voice, but he’d be lying if he said it didn’t sting. How was he supposed to compete with the memory of a murdered lover?
Merlin finally met his eye. “I am sorry about that. The nightmares have plagued me from the day you walked into Mason’s office. Today was the first day I’ve slept for more than an hour without seeing his guts spill out in my dreams.”
“Today you slept in my arms.”
Merlin stretched a hand to him, but let it fall by his side. “Today I felt safe for the first time in over a thousand years. And now, by trying to protect you, I’ve all but guaranteed your death, and everyone’s here.”