Page 81 of Curses & Kitsune

“Now, Tamano!” I shout.

Akira screams and grabs at his chest. His limbs jerk and flail, eyes rolling back as he howls in anguish before his body explodes, blowing apart in chunks of flesh and shards of bone. Blood sprays all over the hunters nearest him, who shout in horror and disgust, then in terror.

The spirit of the kitsune towers over the hunters, an enormous fox shrouded in black smoke. Red eyes blaze, and long, sharp fangs gleam as the kitsune snarls. “I have been held captive for long enough! Never again!”

Tamano lunges, snapping up dozens of hunters in her huge jaws and crunching down. Blood spatters the earth in a shower of crimson rain. I can’t look, covering my eyes as the screams of the hunters, the grotesque crunch of bone, and wet squelch of blood assault my ears.

“Jinta, I’m here!” Raiden cries, and his arms are around me as he holds me close.

I hide my face in his chest, shaking violently at what we’ve unleashed, until the world falls silent. The kitsune makes a loud swallowing sound, and my stomach lurches. When I dare to open my eyes, the kitsune looms over us. She lowers her body to the earth and bows her head.

“I thank you for setting me free. I go now to my beloved. Perhaps one day, we will meet again.”

Raiden stands and bows. “Thank you for your help, Tamano.”

My knees shake, but I rise and bow, too. “Thank you. Say hello to Konoe for us.”

The kitsune bares her bloody fangs in a hideous leer. Howls of laughter escape her long snout, and then she bunches her muscles and soars high into the star-strewn sky, nine tails rippling after her. The clouds swirl overhead, opening into a portal that glows with light. “Konoe, here I am!” she calls, voice full of joy. Her tails are the last to vanish into the portal before it closes. The winds disperse, clearing the clouds from the sky, and the world falls silent.

My shaky knees give out, and I slump into the grass. I can’t believe it. It’s over. The hunters are all dead. Not a single piece of them remains. Takada is no more, and with Hirano as their leader, the long rivalry between the packs will one day turn to peace.

“We did it,” Raiden says, sitting in the grass beside me.

“Yeah…”

He scoffs. “You don’t sound so convinced.”

I don’t know how to feel. How can it be over after all this time? “I don’t know,” I say, shrugging. “I guess I’m just waiting for something else to happen.”

“Like what?”

“Anything. An earthquake or a tsunami. More hunters. Another big yakuza rivalry. Godzilla.”

Raiden slaps a hand over my mouth. “Shut up, you’ll jinx us!” And then he bursts into hysterical laughter and tackles me into the grass. As his warmth envelops me, his laughter sweet in the night air, I hold on to him tight.

My mate’s lips find me in a kiss so full of joy and relief that it chases away all my worries and doubts.

It’s over. Raiden and I can finally be free.

Raiden breaks our kiss, eyes bright, teeth bared in a grin. “Get up. Come on. There’s something I want to show you.”

“Baby, my nerves are shot. Please, no surprises.”

“Come on! You always love my surprises.”

That is true. For our first date, he brought me to his favorite garden in the city, then took me home and pounded my brains out.

If anyone is good at surprising me, it’s my guy.

“Jinta? Hey, wake up. We’re here.”

I jolt awake with an aborted snore, not realizing I’d fallen asleep. We’ve parked along a side street in Shinjuku. The streets are mostly empty except for a few drunks stumbling home under the light of dawn that streaks the horizon. Raiden opens the door for me, mouth twitching at the corner like he’s fighting back amusement. “Close your eyes.”

I give him a suspicious look but obey. “Kinky.”

He chuckles and tugs on my hand. “Good boy.”

My eyes still closed, I let my mate lead me a few steps from the car until we stop. “Keep ’em closed,” Raiden orders, and tugs his hand free. There’s a rattling sound, like keys, then the unmistakable click of a lock. He takes my hand and leads me onward. A door closes, and the noise of the outside world is muffled. There’s a smell like plaster in the air. I’m not a kitsune anymore, and while that’s a relief, I enjoyed having more enhanced senses.

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