Page 33 of Curses & Kitsune

She shakes off my hand and glares up at the moon. “I’ll believe it when I see it, human.”

“So make me a promise, okay?”

She curls her lip but doesn’t argue.

I hold out my hand. “I’ll set you free when the time comes, but you have to stop acting like we’re enemies. No more mocking me. No more trying to take control and hurt people. We both want the same thing. So let’s work together until then, okay?”

Tamano’s fur bristles as she growls, and then she huffs. When she sticks out her small paw, I shake it. “Very well, human. But go back on your word, and I will make you and everyone you love regret it.”

I’d be lying if I said I trusted Tamano completely. She and I got off to a rocky start, but we’re both in the same boat here. I’m going to do everything I can to lift this curse, for my sake as well as Tamano’s.

Chapter 12

When I open my eyes, Jinta’s side of the bed is empty. The tinkling of shower water against porcelain faintly carries from down the hall. Golden dawn light streams in through the windows and pools on the bed. The world outside is quiet except for birdsong. It’s like having our own little corner of the world, but I know it can’t last.

My phone rings, and I curse when I recognize the number. “Takada.”

His voice is low and furious when he says, “You lied to me, Noboru.”

A vein pulses in my temple as I grunt, “Did not. Just didn’t tell you shit that wasn’t your damn business.”

“An out-of-control kitsune is my fucking business!”

Jinta wasn’t himself last night. I know that because I know him, but I can’t expect my pack or Takada to see things the way I do. Fact is, they watched Jinta kill their allies as well as their enemies. They will demand repercussions. And if they try and hurt Jinta… I’ll kill them all. And where will that leave me? A pariah among my own pack. That’s the very last thing I need, especially with hunters gunning for us.

“Jinta and I are trying to lift the curse, Takada. It’s going to take time.”

“Well, hurry the fuck up. If you want my pack’s help, then you will get that thing under control. Our deal is off the table until I’m sure the kitsune is a weapon in our arsenal rather than a ticking time bomb. Got it?” He hangs up before I can respond.

This isn’t good. I need Takada’s pack if we’re going to stand against the hunters. Slumping over, I tangle my fingers in my hair, growling. Fuck. How can I keep my pack together and keep Jinta safe? If it comes down to it, I’ll choose Jinta. Always. Even though I know he deserves better. Lifting my head, I gaze out the window as the sun shines through the emerald leaves of a tree, branches rasping against the glass in the breeze.

The simplest thing… would be to send Jinta far away once he’s cured. Away from the pack, the hunters, and me. Pain spasms through my chest, tearing a gasp from me. I grip my chest, grinding my teeth against the pitiful whimper that tries to escape me.

Mate. Mine. Ours.

My wolf despises the idea, and so do I. But what other option is there?

Fuck this. I can’t torture myself with these thoughts right now. I’m not giving Jinta up, not without a fight. Kicking off the blankets, I cross the room and grab some lube I stashed in the dresser during my last visit here, then I follow Jinta’s cherry blossom scent down the hall to the bathroom.

I need my mate. Need to feel him against me. His mouth hot and pliant against mine. Hear his soft cries, my name a breathless groan on his tongue. Want to bury myself in his arms, in the desperate clutch of his body.

I slide the door open and step into the bathroom. A gentle mist hangs in the air, and the shower door is fogged up, only allowing a tease of Jinta’s lithe body through the glass. My bare feet slap over the floor as I approach. Jinta’s silhouette freezes on the other side of the glass. I reach for the door.

It opens, and my breath catches as Jinta’s gentle eyes find mine. His brown hair is almost black when wet, clinging to his round face. Water sluices down his high cheekbones and drips off the tip of his button nose. His lips are damp and pink. Wordlessly, I go to him, and he twines his slender arms around me. Long fingertips glide up my back to curl in the hair at my nape.

My heart thuds hard as Jinta molds himself to me, his cheek to my pec right over my heart. I want him closer. I’ve never needed someone so close, even though he’s as close as he can possibly get. I’ve never let myself feel this way for anyone. It’s terrifying because if I lost him, I don’t think I could recover from it. It would break me irreparably.

A shiver racks Jinta’s body, and a breath like a sob catches in his throat. Burying my fingers in his hair, I give a gentle tug and make him look up at me. Jinta’s lip wobbles, and my heart cracks in two when his eyes take on a damp sheen.

“I… I’m sorry,” he croaks. “So sorry. I-I don’t know what happened. I c-couldn’t control it, baby. I swear, that wasn’t me. I wasn’t—”

I sway us beneath the warm shower spray. “I got it,” I murmur into his wet hair. “I know.”

“Your p-pack. They’ll be so angry. I don’t want to turn them against you.”

“Fuck them,” I rasp as a growl rises in my throat. “Hear me? Fuck all of them.”

Jinta shakes his head, shoulders hitching when he hiccups. “Don’t. You can’t isolate them from you. You need them, o-otherwise how will you fight the Blades and Takada?”

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