Page 89 of Secrets & Sake

“It was always Namikawa’s plan to use you in the ritual. I assume you know what I’m talking about.”

My breath hitches as he confirms my worst fear. “The kitsune ritual. Namikawa is the kitsune, isn’t he?” All that I need now is a motive.

Something like respect lights up Hideyoshi’s eyes. “Ah. So you have done your research. You likely know all our secrets.”

Raiden’s claws prick my neck. “I know your clan has been murdering people since the 1900s. Sacrificing them in this sick ritual. Why? What the hell do you get out of it?”

With a suck on his cigarette, Hideyoshi blows smoke out the window. The stink is starting to make my stomach queasy. “During the Meiji Restoration Era, hunters decimated our numbers, culling us to near extinction. Namikawa believed the only way our kind could survive was if he bound an ancient and powerful kitsune to serve our pack in the fight to come.”

I’m pretty sure I misheard. “Namikawa’s ancestor?”

Hideyoshi shakes his head. “No.”

My brain stumbles over this revelation. “How can Namikawa be that old?”

“The kitsune has granted him great longevity. A boon, or perhaps a curse, the kitsune bestows upon its host. However, the longer a kitsune possesses its host, the weaker the host becomes. Namikawa knew the demon would demand a price, but he didn’t know how truly heinous the demon’s request would be. The kitsune demanded that we sacrifice one half of a couple, or half of a fated pair. Only then would she serve us.”

That’s oddly specific. Why would a kitsune enjoy tearing loving couples apart? “But that was a hundred years ago.”

Hideyoshi nods sullenly. “Yes. The kitsune curse lasts from generation to generation. So long as whoever hosts the demon sates her lust for power, she will remain in our service.”

“And if you don’t?”

“Then the demon will rampage out of our control. The sacrifice is vile, but it is nothing compared to the bloodshed the kitsune will unleash if we do not appease her.” Disgust fills Hideyoshi’s voice. Clearly, he hates the idea, so why is he going along with it?

“And you. What’s your role in all of this?”

In the mirror, Hideyoshi glances at Raiden, brows puckering as if he’s in pain. “For years, Namikawa has punished my grandson for the actions of his father. All I want is for him to be free. I told you there is nothing I would not do for him. I meant it. It pains me, but I would see hundreds dead before I allow Namikawa to harm him any longer.”

“But Raiden would never want that!” I say, imploring him to see reason. “If he finds out you’re helping Namikawa murder people on his behalf, it will destroy him! He’ll never forgive you.”

A shuddery sigh escapes Hideyoshi, smoke leaking from his mouth in a long stream. “That is a price I will have to live with. Losing you… it will hurt him. Greatly. But what Namikawa has planned for him will hurt far, far worse.”

Heart in my throat, I ask, “What?”

“Namikawa has been the kitsune’s host for a hundred years. It is a burden he tires of as the curse eats away at his body. He planned to pass the curse onto Raiden’s father, but the curse rejected him. We do not know how or why Raiden’s father was able to evade the kitsune’s curse, only that he did. As you know, he ran away. I begged Namikawa not to, but he was determined to pass the kitsune curse onto Raiden as revenge for his father’s betrayal. Until you showed up. Namikawa does not fear much, but he fears your bond. He thinks that it may be enough to… override the control he has over Raiden.”

My interest piques at that. Could it be true? The red thread connecting me to Raiden glows, still tethering us together despite our fight. If our mate bond is the key to freeing Raiden from Namikawa’s influence, then that could be our way out of this.

Hideyoshi meets my gaze in the mirror. “As you can imagine, that is a risk Namikawa can’t afford. If he can’t control Raiden and the kitsune, then Raiden will become a threat. The Takada-kai have threatened us with war. Hunters are creeping into our territory. The kitsune is an edge we cannot afford to lose. So I have offered to accept the curse in Raiden’s place. Namikawa knows I will do whatever he asks so long as he has Raiden under his control.”

I swallow hard, stomach swooping. “So… he wouldn’t be expecting you to betray him.”

Hideyoshi’s eyes meet mine in the mirror. “No. I don’t expect he would. I have been nothing but loyal to him throughout the years. But even my loyalty has its limits. I will become the kitsune’s host, and I will destroy the Namikawa-kai. Only then will Raiden be free.”

“So… so you’ll help us.”

But Hideyoshi shakes his head. “I will help my grandson. I am sorry, Hiro. Truly. But the ritual must be completed. The kitsune must have her bounty of souls. Your soul included. Or else none of this will be possible.”

Panic tightens my chest. “You seriously think Raiden will ever forgive you for killing so many people?”

Hideyoshi closes his eyes tight, but not before I glimpse the remorse that dampens his eyes. When he opens them, they burn with resolution. “All that matters is the Namikawa-kai will be gone, and Raiden will be free. If he hates me for the rest of his life, then so be it.”

Despair wraps around my heart with an iron grip. This is it, then. I’m going to die. There’s no way out of this situation and yet, I want to live with a desperation that surprises me.

I can’t die. Not yet. But it's not because I haven’t penned a big story for the newspaper or because I still have so much to prove to my family.

It’s because of the man beside me, eyes vacant, claws around my neck. This man, who has given me the love and acceptance I’ve searched for my whole life. I’ve got to find a way to get us both out of this mess. If I want to have a future with him, I’m going to have to fight for it. Because we both deserve it. We deserve to have the love we were denied.

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