Page 91 of Crossed By the Stars
I unwrapped my body, tossing the kimono on a chair and reaching for the bag with the gown inside it. Even though I cringed at the thought of my father buying it as much as I had the kimono, at least the dress was something I was used to. It was black and gold, made of material so light it almost floated. The metallic bodice stood out against my pale skin while the black skirt flared out, landing midthigh in satiny waves. It fit me perfectly. Either Yuriko had made it for me at my father’s request, or someone who knew me very well had. At the bottom of the bag was a pair of shoes made of gold and black lace. They were expensive and spiked just like I enjoyed them, but they would make running away slightly more difficult, no matter how good I was in heels.
After I’d put the dress on, I left my hair in the low chignon I’d placed it in earlier and hurried out of the room. The front door had guards inside and out, the bulky forms easily seen through the glass. The man facing me was in a dark suit and had a face more severe than any I’d seen on Cillian.
I’d known it wouldn’t be as easy as walking out the front door, and yet, my heart still fell slightly. It was fine. There would be other doors, other ways out. Even a window on a lower floor would do. As I turned to explore the house, Isamu appeared at my side, as if from nowhere.
Jada
COSMIC LOVE
“And in the dark, I can hear your heartbeat.
I tried to find the sound,
But then it stopped, and I was in the darkness.
So, darkness I became.”
Performed by Florence + The Machine
Written by Welch / Summers
“Going somewhere, Jada-chan?” Even asmy cousin, him saying the nickname felt out of place. We didn’t know each other well enough for him to assume he could use it. And because of that, it felt as condescending as when Ken’Ichi had taunted me with it. My skin began to crawl again, so many warning signs filling the air around me.
“I’m surprised, Isamu, that you aren’t at my father’s side,” I said in the haughty Jada tone I’d perfected in my years traveling with Benita and the vampires. His eyes narrowed at my tone and my using his first name.
“How was thechakai? Akari has been preparing for months,” he said, and the hair on my arm stood up even more. The personal name he used for Akari. The fact that he’d known she’d been planning the tea ceremony for so long. Were they a couple? Engaged? Had my father arranged a marriage between them as a way of offering repentance for the loss of a son? Marrying a man so high in theKyodainawould be another acknowledgment of the Matsudas’ position just as Ken’Ichi marrying me would have been.
“She was brilliant,” I said.
He hardly acknowledged it as he took in the dress I was wearing.
“You’ve changed already. This is unfortunate.”
“Why?” I asked, my heart leaping but my face staying calm.
He tucked his hand through my arm, and the scent of his cologne hit me, a scent that had my mind flying back to my apartment the day the first note had been left. I jerked, trying to pull away, but he tightened his grip, twisting my wrist painfully. “Do be a good girl, for once in your life, and come along,” he said with a calm that both my father and Ken’Ichi would have respected.
Me, on the other hand…I was filled with anger and terror in equal amounts.
“I’m to wait for Kaida,” I said, which wasn’t true but felt necessary.
“Kaida is…tied up with more important things.” He smirked. “I’ve told her about Yamasaki-san’s gun. And your father will always be her first choice.”
He tugged me toward the back door.
“I’m not going with you.” I struggled against his grip again. I’d built up a lot of muscle boxing with Lía, but after being battered from the bombing, my muscles were sore and weak. The harder I fought, the more they ached and groaned.
Still, I got in a punch to his side that had him gasping, but it only made his hold tighten. He pulled his gun from the back of his jacket and tucked it up against my hip in a way that hid it in the folds of the dress.
“Always so much drama with you,” he said. “Just come along.”
I tried to plant my feet, but it was useless. Isamu may have been lean, but he had hidden muscles just like Dax, and he just dragged me along with him. My heel caught in one of the Persian rugs, and I would have fallen if he hadn’t been holding me so firmly.
He hauled me out the back door and into the garden, leading me down the path toward the pagoda once more. The door slid open as we approached. Akari was there, still in her kimono. The grass mats were gone, and in their place, a raised tatami bed rested with lanterns surrounding it, flickering with candlelight.
My cousin shoved me toward the mat, and I stumbled, landing on my knees. I flipped around, pushing myself back to my feet and turning in time to see Akari reach Isamu’s side. She raised herself on her bare toes and placed a kiss on his cheek. He pulled her hand to his lips in return. Then, they turned to me.
Akari’s face was dark with anger.
