by Jasmine Walt
“Aika!” Amabie called as I burst out the door. I shut the door behind me, then hurried down the hall before she could come after me—
And ran straight into a rock-hard chest.
“Aika?” A familiar set of strong arms wrapped around me, and to my utter mortification, I looked up into Shota’s concerned face. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”
“L-let me go,” I stammered, pushing ineffectually at his chest. “I don’t want you to see me like this.”
“What are you talking about?” Shota asked, holding me out at arm’s length. “You look…” He trailed off, his expression going slack with shock. His eyes grew darker as they slowly moved up and down my body, and my mind skidded to a halt as I recognized the look in his gaze. It was the same hungry look my last boyfriend would give me when he saw me in an outfit he thought was hot. The one that told me he’d be demanding sex by the end of the night, and that I’d have to find yet another excuse to bail.
Except with Shota, I had a feeling I wouldn’t want to bail if things ever got that far between us.
“Incredible,” he murmured softly. He slid his left hand up my bare arm, and I shivered a little as his rough palm glided over my skin. My body went completely still as he cupped my cheek with his hand and used his other arm to pull me closer to him. He was wearing an old-fashioned suit, I realized dimly, made from some kind of velvety, dark teal fabric. It had long coat tails and big brass buttons, and it should have made him look ridiculous. But the damned thing fit him like a glove and somehow only made him look even more handsome.
“This isn’t about how I look,” I spluttered, trying not to let myself get distracted by the look in Shota’s eyes. The warmth from his hands kindled a fire in my own body, one that was doing its damnedest to drive everything else out of my head aside from the need to touch him. Why was he touching me like this, after all the effort he’d made to put distance between us? “It’s just…”
“There you are!” Amabie exclaimed. I cringed at the sound of her voice, my shoulders hunching. I didn’t want to face the mermaid princess, not after I’d stormed out on her. “I was worried something had happened to you, but it looks like you’re doing just fine.” She crossed her arms over her breasts, pouting. “Why do you like her so much better than me, Shota? Is it because I have too many tails?”
“Aika and I are friends.” Shota’s arm tightened around my waist, and I instinctively knew he was frowning at her. “What did you say to her in there?”
“She didn’t say anything wrong,” I said wearily, pushing out of his embrace. “I just got overwhelmed, that’s all. I feel guilty about getting all dressed up and going to a party while my mother is locked up in a dungeon somewhere.”
Amabie’s expression softened. “If I could sneak you out of the castle and get you back to the surface, I would,” she said, taking my hand. “After what you did for my mother, it is a small price to pay. But the Umigame is your fastest way back, so there is little point in doing anything until he is ready to go. And besides, we really would like you to come. It has been an age since we have last celebrated anything.”
She squeezed my hand, a little harder than necessary, and in that one gesture, I understood. This moment was important to Amabie, was important to everyone in the palace, and if one of the guests of honor decided not to show up, it would ruin the whole thing. The feast was in celebration of the dragon queen’s return to good health, and my absence would steal the spotlight away from that. Trying to run away was a selfish thing to do.
“I understand,” I said, bowing my head. “I’ll be there.”
“Excellent.” Amabie beamed, and for once, her fangs didn’t seem quite so scary. But the expression quickly disappeared as her hands flew to her face. “Oh no!” she shrieked, her eyes widening almost comically with horror. “I spent too much time focusing on you. I still have to finish getting ready!” She whirled around, and I jumped back to avoid getting smacked by her fins as she hightailed it back to her room. Naturally, because I have the best luck, my back slammed into Shota’s chest.
“Umm.” I turned around before I gave in to the urge to lean into him. “I guess I should finish getting ready too.”
“Huh?” Shota cocked his head, giving me a puzzled look. “I thought you were already ready.”
“Well I was, until…” I lifted a hand to my cheek, then remembered that my makeup was waterproof. None of the tears I’d shed had stained my cheeks or ruined my smoky eyes, because I was underwater. Really, the only thing that I’d messed up was my hair. It was hanging loosely around my shoulders now, instead of twisted up into the knot Amabie had secured earlier with a clip.
“Aika,” Shota said, taking me by the shoulders. He tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze. “I promise, you’re going to be the most beautiful woman at that ball tonight. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“And how do you know that?” My voice was steady despite my tripping pulse. This man did things to my heart rate that should probably be illegal.
“Because,” he said, “I can’t take my eyes off you.”
The simple sincerity in those words knocked the breath out of me. No guy had ever said anything like that to me, and in that moment, I wanted to let my guard down. What would it be like to have a man in my life I could rely on? The concept was completely foreign to me. It had always been me and mom—I’d been so little when my father had passed away, I didn’t remember him at all. I’d had a few boyfriends, but nothing serious, and once my mother had been diagnosed, my love life went completely out the window.
My mother had done her best to take care of me, but she couldn’t always be there for everything. I’d learned to become self-reliant, to stop looking to other people to solve my problems for me. I’d come to understand that if I wanted to accomplish anything, I had to do it myself.
Friends were nice to have if you wanted a good time, or if you needed the occasional ear. But they couldn’t fight your demons for you. They couldn’t solve your problems. Those were things you had to do on your own.
And yet, it seemed that Shota and Raiden were helping me do both.
“Aha!” Raiden called, startling us both. Shota instantly jumped away from me, looking guilty as hell as Raiden came around the corner. “I was wondering where you were.” He looked me up and down, his dark eyes gleaming. “You look beautiful.”
“T-thanks,” I stuttered, warmth rippling through me. There was no denying the admiration in his eyes, and yet the moment was dampened by the way Shota was standing off to the side, staring resolutely ahead. Why was Shota acting like he’d just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar? I tried to meet his gaze, but he refused to look at me.
Was I insane? Had we not been having a moment just a few seconds ago? Why had I suddenly ceased to exist?
“Is everything okay?” Raiden asked cautiously, glancing between us. Suspicion glinted in his eyes. “Were you guys in the middle of something?”
“Not at all.” Shota smiled at both of us, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. And he still wouldn’t look at me directly. “You two look fantastic,” he said, gesturing to Raiden’s outfit, which was similar to his but in deep red. “I’m going to go ahead of you. See you guys in the ballroom.”
“Okay…” Raiden trailed off as Shota walked away. He turned to me, a quizzical expression on his face. “Are you sure nothing happened?”
“Nothing at all,” I said, tucking my hand into Raiden’s arm. I was tired of letting Shota twist my feelings into knots. For once, I’d let myself enjoy Raiden’s company without feeling guilty. “Shota had just come by to tell me you were looking for me.”
“That I was, and boy, am I glad I’ve found you.” Raiden smiled down at me, and my skin tingled with anticipation as he gestured to the stairway ahead. I had a feeling there was a double meaning to his words. “Shall we?”
I smiled back, deciding that for once, I was not going to overanalyze. “We shall.”
18
For someone who supposedly hadn’t celebrated anything in decades, Ryujin sure knew how to throw a party. The moment Raiden and I descended the curved staircase leading down to the foyer, we were instantly enveloped in a sea—pardon the pun—of guests who had all managed to flock to the palace on such short notice. I’d thought they would all be varieties of undersea yokai, but to my surprise there were lots of regular marine animals as well. Manatees, sea lions, otters, sharks, penguins—even a few orcas were in attendance.
I wondered how wise it was to put so many predators and prey in the same space. An orca was eyeing one of the otters with an unhealthy amount of interest. But it turned out I had nothing to worry about—heads instantly began to turn toward us, and whispers spread through the crowd like wildfire.
“Guess they’re not used to seeing humans down here,” I murmured to Raiden as we merged with the crowd. Servants were taking coats from the guests and directing the flow of traffic toward the ballroom.
“Ryujin did say it had been ages since a shaman last visited,” Raiden pointed out.
One of the servants spotted us and quickly snatched us out of the throng. We were ushered to the entrance and handed off to a ningyo dressed in a brilliant silver gown. She introduced herself as the hostess, then took our hands and led us to a balcony at the top of the staircase. We stepped just inside the double doors and found ourselves overlooking the ballroom.
“Honored guests,” she sang, drawing the attention of the guests down below. They all turned to look at us, including Ryujin and his wife, who were seated on thrones. To my surprise, the two of them had shrunk themselves down into smaller forms, likely so they could mingle and dance with the guests. “Please welcome Takaoka Raiden and Fujiwara Aika, the shamans who helped save our queen’s life.”
The crowd broke out into raucous applause and cheers that completely stunned me. I wasn’t used to receiving so much praise and attention. Raiden, on the other hand, had no problem with it—he waved at the crowd below and nudged me to do the same. Shyly, I gave them all a small wave, and the cheering grew even louder.
Against my better judgment, I sought out Shota in the crowd. He was standing in the middle of the room, looking up at us, and for just a moment, I caught an expression of such intense longing on his face that it stunned me. But it disappeared the moment I locked gazes with him, so quickly that I wondered if I’d imagined it.
As I stared down at him, trying to decide what the hell to think, Raiden tucked me against him once more. I tore my gaze from Shota’s as we descended the staircase together.
“You’re doing great,” Raiden assured me, even as my stomach began to flip-flop. He squeezed my arm, as if he sensed my distress. “I’ll be right here with you the whole time.”
I glanced at him, envious of his calm demeanor. “You act like you’ve done this before.”
“The Takaoka family attends social functions like this all the time,” Raiden said simply. “It’s par for the course when you own a multi-million dollar corporation.”
We reached the ballroom floor, and for a moment, I was terrified that everybody would rush toward us. But to my surprise, the guests parted, clearing a path to Ryujin. The dragon king and his wife looked expectantly toward us, and suddenly I felt like the biggest idiot.
Duh. Of course you can’t just melt into the crowd and become a wallflower. You have to pay your respects first.
Raiden and I reached the dais, then sank to our knees and bowed our heads to the floor.
“Good evening, Ryujin-sama,” Raiden said, and I was thankful he was speaking for both of us. “We are very pleased to be here as your guests of honor tonight.”
“You may rise,” Ryujin said.
As Raiden and I got to our feet, I was painfully aware that the entire ballroom had fallen silent. Even the musicians had stopped playing. I wasn’t exactly agoraphobic, but I did hate being the center of attention. My skin prickled with anxiety, and it took everything in me to meet the dragon king’s gaze calmly and pretend there wasn’t an entire room of people watching me.
“As you all know now,” Ryujin said, pitching his voice so the whole room could hear, “these two shamans risked their lives to bring our queen the coveted monkey king’s liver so she might partake of its healing properties and become well again. That she sits here with me tonight is entirely due to these two brave humans, and I would see them rewarded for their efforts.”
Ryujin lifted a hand, and a servant who had been standing in the shadows came forward. He bowed to Raiden and me, then offered me a huge leather pouch. My nerves buzzed with excitement as I took it from him and carefully opened it. With bated breath, I reached in and pulled out the jewel of ebbing tide. It blazed in my hand like white fire, and my skin hummed in response to the contact. It was like a low-level electrical charge was coursing through my body.
“As promised, the jewels of rising and ebbing tides,” Ryujin said as I pulled out the other stone. “They must be returned by the next fortnight. You may either return them in person or give them to the Umigame to ferry back to me when you are finished with them.”
Raiden and I both swore that we would see the jewels returned. We bowed again, then straightened up, expecting Ryujin to give us the weapon he’d promised. Instead, he told the crowd to enjoy the ball, and the guests all erupted into applause again.
My stomach sank in disappointment at the dragon king’s obvious dismissal, and part of me wanted to protest. But Raiden caught my eye, and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was—that it would be suicide to make a scene in front of so many people. Wordlessly, he offered me his arm, and we turned away, prepared to melt into the crowd and endure the endless hours of conversation awaiting us. I immediately zeroed in on Amabie and Shota standing just a few feet away. Amabie was hanging on Shota again, but he looked so damn uncomfortable that I didn’t feel jealousy at all. Taking pity on him, I headed toward him.
“Aika! Raiden!” Shota darted forward, escaping Amabie’s clutches. “The two of you did amazing up there.” He smiled broadly at us, as though the awkwardness from earlier had never happened.
“Thanks.” I smiled, even though I didn’t really feel like I’d been awesome. My stomach was a pit of worry, and I felt like it was going to swallow me whole. Raiden had been right. How were we supposed to go up against Kai without any kind of advantage? We’d been counting on that weapon.
“Don’t look so disappointed, you two,” Amabie said. She lowered her voice. “My father told me to have you meet him in his suite after the ball so he can give you the weapon. He does not want to do this in front of all these people. Any one of the yokai here could be in league with Kai.”
A shiver crawled down my spine at the serious tone in her voice. It made perfect sense, and I immediately felt bad for doubting the dragon king. “I suspected it was something like that,” Raiden said. He sounded calm, but his shoulders had tensed subtly, and I knew he was on his guard now. Why hadn’t I thought about this?
Amabie nodded. “I will take you to him when the time comes.” Straightening, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and put on a sparkling smile. “I’m so glad you’re enjoying the party,” she said in a louder voice that was obviously for the benefit of everyone else. Craning her neck, she waved at another ningyo across the room, one who bore a striking resemblance to her. “Ooh, look, my cousin Arie arrived! Let me introduce you, Shota.”
“I—whoa!” Shota said as Amabie yanked him away. He cast Raiden a long-suffering look as she dragged him across the ballroom floor. I realized then that Shota was hanging out with Amabie for the same reason I’d let her maids dress me up earlier—the princess was too important to offend. Some of the heavy weight on my chest lifted, and even though I still didn’t love watching Amabie drape herself all over Shota, I at least didn’t feel like I wanted to murder her anymore.
“So,” Raiden said, pulling my attention back to him. I blinked when I noticed he was offering his hand to me. “May I have thi
s dance?”
My heart skipped a beat at the warm look in his eyes. “I’m not really familiar with ballroom dancing,” I said shyly, glancing toward the couples whirling across the dance floor.
“Lucky for you, my mother thought it would be fun to sign me up for lessons when I was fourteen,” Raiden said, smirking a little. “I don’t think this is exactly what she had in mind when she said I would need to use the skill someday, but there’s no time like the present, right?”
I couldn’t help it—I laughed. “Your mother made you take ballroom dancing as a teenager?” I asked, finally taking his hand. “I’m having a hard time envisioning you waltzing around a room in a tuxedo.”
Raiden grinned. “You’re about to see it right now.”
My stomach leapt as Raiden guided me to the dance floor, and I realized that everybody was going to be looking at us again.
Get over it, I told myself sternly as Raiden and I took up our positions. He put his left hand on my waist, and my skin tingled beneath my dress as he slowly slid his hand up my side until it was curled just beneath my shoulder blade. Gently, he took my left hand and placed it on his upper bicep, then clasped our free hands together.
“Just follow my lead,” he murmured. He stepped forward, his knee brushing against my thigh, forcing me to step back. Then to the side, lifting me a little so I was on my tiptoes. Flustered by the unfamiliar dance, and the feel of his hands on my bare skin, it took me a moment to realize we were doing a kind of box step. But Raiden was good at leading, and his strong arms and sure steps quickly disguised my missteps. Soon enough, I lost myself to the rhythm, and we floated across the room as if we’d been doing this for ages.
“You’re a quicker study than I thought you’d be,” Raiden said as we waltzed past a pair of skeleton-like yokai dressed in white robes.
I smiled. “I think it helps that we’re underwater. If we were on land, I’m pretty sure I would have face-planted by now.”
“I would never let that happen.” He pulled me closer, close enough that my breasts brushed up against his chest for a split second. An electric thrill went through my body at the brief contact. “We haven’t known each other very long, Aika…but you’re important to me. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”