Page 5 of Curses & Kitsune

Jinta thinks he’s… disappointing me? If he really feels that way, then I’m a lousy mate for not doing everything I can to assure him he could never disappoint me. “Jinta—”

Shaking his head, Jinta shoves past me and out the front door. In the sudden quiet, my sigh seems loud and defeated. What can I say to chase away all the doubts that plague that beautiful head of his? I’m the worst boyfriend and mate. He’d be better off with anyone but me—except I’d kill whoever took him away from me.

“Damn it.” I close the door behind me and follow Jinta to the car. The guards patrolling the front yard bow to me as I pass through the bamboo garden and out the front gate. One of the guards sits at the wheel of my Mercedes. In the back seat, Jinta sits with his arms folded and his head hung low.

The gull-wing doors close behind me as I drop into a seat beside Jinta, who takes a sudden interest in the sleepy scenery beyond the windows. I bite my lip so I don’t say something stupid. Words have never been my strong suit. Instead, I reach out and brush my pinky over his knuckles. Jinta’s fist loosens, shoulders dropping down from where they’d hunched toward his ears. When he takes my hand and holds on tight, the ball of tension in my chest unwinds thread by thread until a contented sigh leaves my lips.

Before I can lean over and kiss his cheek, my phone rings. Fishing it out of my pocket, I answer. “Hey. I’m on my way into the city.”

“Good.” Ren’s voice is thick with fury so cold, it’s a wonder I don’t feel her frosty breath on my ear. “We need to talk.”

I squeeze Jinta’s hand. “What happened?”

“We’ve been betrayed.”

The doors crash open as I storm into my office, making the photos of all the Namikawa-kai bosses above my desk rattle in their frames. Ren paces up and down by the window so furiously, I’m expecting the rug to catch fire beneath her boots.

“I just called him,” she says. “He’ll be here any moment.”

“Good.” My stomach burns with anger. “And you’re sure?”

“I’m positive!” Ren sweeps loose strands of hair back into her ponytail. “That bastard! When I get my hands on him—”

“I know.” As much as I share her anger, I’m unsure how to handle the situation. If Namikawa were still alive, would this have happened? Betrayals were rare under Namikawa’s leadership, but he was a firm believer in the crime fitting punishment. For repeat disobedience, he would take a finger. For more severe offenses, the punishment was a swift death.

Namikawa was respected. I am, too, but not nearly as much as he was.

Will my pack forgive me for what I have to do?

The door bangs open. Goto Ishida rushes into the room, hair askew, forehead damp with sweat. Before I can speak, Ishida drops to his knees and bows, forehead to the carpeted floor. “Please, boss, forgive my brother for his foolishness! Punish me instead, I beg you!”

I bunch my lips to keep the weak impulse to reassure him locked inside. No matter how much I wish things could be different, I can’t afford to look weak by forgiving his brother for what he’s done. Now, more than ever, the Namikawa-kai must present a strong and unified front, or our enemies will prey on us like sheep for the slaughter.

“Your brother committed a serious offense. He has to be punished for it.”

With a ragged gasp, Ishida looks up at me. “I’ll… I’ll keep a close eye on him. This won’t happen again, I swear!”

“Enough,” I growl. “I’ve made my decision.”

I hate that this will be the first big choice I have to make, but I should have expected this. I’m not an enforcer anymore. I’m the boss, and I have to act like it.

“Please, I—”

The doors open. Tadaomi Ishida steps into the office, hands in fists at his sides, shoulders tense. His eyes narrow as he sweeps his gaze from his brother to me. “Get up, brother. You’re making a fool of yourself.” His voice is heavy with resignation. Face wet with tears, Ishida scrambles to stand. When Tadaomi meets my gaze, he holds his head higher. “Well? Let’s get this over with.”

Straight to business, then. Tadaomi always did have some honor. Wordlessly, I motion for him to follow me up to the roof. The wind whistles as we step out under the overcast skies. It’s not especially cold, but I still shiver as Tadaomi faces me. I can’t say I ever knew him very well, but I considered him my brother, the same as anyone else in the pack. I’ve killed my enemies without batting an eye, but I’ve never had to kill one of my own blood brothers before.

This… won’t be easy.

Tadaomi folds his hands at his waist and says, “So, you saw me. I guess I wasn’t as careful as I thought.”

Ren looks ready to start breathing fire. “Why would you go to a meeting with the Takada-kai? Explain yourself!”

Tadaomi laughs, shaking his head. “I pledged my loyalty to Namikawa. Not Noboru.”

I should have expected not everyone would be thrilled with the abrupt change in leadership. But for Tadaomi to go so far as to meet with our enemy? It’s unforgivable. “What did you tell him?”

Tadaomi jerks his shoulders. “Nothing he could use against you. I only said that I wished to join his pack in the fight to come.”

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