Page 37 of Curses & Kitsune

Only one remains. Tail tucked, he takes off into the trees. Prey to be hunted, caught, and devoured! The world blurs around me as I shoot after him in pursuit. I leap through the air and crash to the ground in front of him. His paws scrabble in the dirt as he tries to flee, but he’s not fast enough. I snare him in my jaws and bite down, splintering his ribs between my teeth, flooding my mouth with his sweet blood.

More. I need more. With every piece of flesh I consume, my power grows. I will kill anyone who threatens my mate. Consume the world with my foxfire. Flood the streets of Tokyo with blood.

“Jinta!”

A sweet, citrusy aroma penetrates the haze of bloodlust. A wave of calm washes over me, tearing me from my shifted state. A foul taste floods my mouth, making my throat prickle. My stomach lurches, and I cough, spitting blood and flesh and fur from my mouth.

What… what the hell did I do? I open my eyes.

A scene of carnage straight from a damn horror movie makes the air freeze in my lungs. Wolves lie broken and bloody, bodies mangled, innards sprawled over the blood-soaked grass. My lungs tighten.

Oh, god… I did that. I did all of this. My vision spins as I lift my hands, caked with blood and stinking of gore.

A voice comes from far away, but my ears ring too loudly. I can’t hear it.

“Get away from me,” I whimper, teeth chattering so bad I can hardly get the words out. Falling backwards onto my rear, I crawl away from Raiden as he reaches toward me. What if I’d lost control and hurt him? What if it was his blood staining my hands, his blood coating my throat? My vision fogs as horrified tears burn my eyes.

I’m a monster.

Raiden heaves me off the ground and holds me against his chest. His citrusy scent is awash in blood and gore, but I huddle into the warmth of his body. I suck in a ragged gulp, and his big hands stroke my back.

“I got you, Sunshine. You’re okay.” Raiden’s voice shakes, and he squeezes me tight against his body. “Nobody’s going to hurt you again.”

But what if I hurt him next? Or someone close to him? Who will protect him from me?

Raiden kisses my hair, chest shuddering against me. “I’m so sorry,” he whispers, voice ragged. He’s never sounded so gutted before.

Wrapped in the sanctuary of his arms, I close my eyes and finally know peace.

Chapter 14

It’s been fifteen minutes, and my hands won’t stop shaking.

I grip the wheel tight, eyes constantly darting between the road to Tokyo and Jinta. He’s curled in the passenger seat, eyes closed as he rests. I got him dressed and helped him clean the blood off his face. His wounds have healed. He’s fine.

Fuck.

My eyes burn, a lump rising in my throat. Squeezing the wheel until it creaks, I try and battle my emotions into submission. I can’t fall apart. Not now. But my mind torments me, forcing me to imagine all the horrible ways that attack against Jinta could have ended. The wolves had held me down. I wasn’t able to break free and get to him. If he hadn’t shifted, Jinta could have been—fuck. I could have lost him.

A strangled scream tries to escape, but I fight it down by boring my teeth into my inner cheek. My people are right. I’m nothing but a shadow of what Namikawa was. I hated the man, but I’ll be the first to acknowledge the respect and power he commanded. Because he wanted this life, wanted to be a leader. And I don’t. Never have, never will.

I can’t control my own men. I can’t control Jinta’s kitsune. My pack will turn on me one by one, and if the hunters and Takada-kai don’t kill us, we’ll consume ourselves from the inside out. Something’s got to give.

The scenery blurs by, and I lose track of time until Tokyo’s skyscrapers come into view. I wish I could take Jinta and go far away from Tokyo, run away from the responsibilities awaiting me. But I can’t. I’ve got to keep the pack from falling apart before our enemies take advantage of the cracks in our armor.

My phone rings on the dashboard. I swipe to answer. “Ren, what’s going on?”

“We did it.”

Finally, some good news. “You found him?” My wolf infuses my words with a growl, the urge to hunt rising within me.

“He’s waiting for you in the usual spot.”

My fingers curl on the wheel. My lips lift, fangs sharp. “On my way.”

I slam on the gas and drive straight for the piers. Jinta still dozes when I put the car in park, exhausted from the chaos of the past couple of days. I hate to wake him up. Reaching out, I brush my knuckles over his cheek, but he looks too sweet in his sleep. He deserves to rest.

Closing the door softly behind me, I leave Jinta in the car and make for the warehouse ahead. Namikawa used the place to question people, usually those who crossed him. Often, that was me. Just the sight of this building makes an icy trickle of some old, primal fear run down my spine. A remnant left over from the last time I was here. It wasn’t long ago that he held me here against my will. Compelled me to put a knife in my hand and cut off my own finger.

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