Page 131 of Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox
Rising higher, Argent made good their escape. But he couldn’t resist a backward glance, wanting to make sure his meddling went unnoticed. Everyone’s attention was where it belonged—on the cringing foxes.
Correction. One head was turned his way, tracking his progress.
A formidable feline perched on the compound’s high wall, looking for all the world like a large, lazy housecat. Orange eyes blinked, and a pewter paw lifted. At first, Argent thought the cat intended to wave, but he only gave the fur a few lazy licks before rubbing behind an ear.
Even so, Argent knew he had been spotted, marked, and allowed to leave.
SIXTY
Emergence
Home.
Tsumiko paced the floor in Stately House’s kitchen, her nerves frazzling as she waited for Argent to announce their return. He’d slipped in without triggering Michael’s defenses, so as not to disturb anyone at this early hour. Or so he said. She was fairly certain he was investigating the Amaranthine newly attached to their household.
But she was more concerned about Michael and Sansa. Would they approve of her plan, half-formed though it was? It would affect them all, so she wanted their input. But more than anything, she wanted their support. What if they didn’t want a passel of orphans invading their home? What if Tsumiko’s decision drove them away? In creating a new kind of family, would she lose this one?
Feet padded along the passage, and Gingko strode through the door. In two low bounds, he had her and Kyrie in a lopsided embrace. “Dad said there was trouble,” he said gruffly. “You okay?”
“Fine. I’ll be fine.” And then she realized that she wasn’t the only one holding a baby. “Who’s this?”
“Meet Lilya.” Gingko eased back and pulled aside the blankets to reveal a rosy-cheeked newborn with Sansa’s dark hair. Nose twitching, he asked, “And who’ve you got there?”
“His mother is my relative, a distant cousin on the Hajime side. She … didn’t want him.” Tsumiko stroked the little boy’s cheek. “I’ve been tending him, but he’s getting fussier. We’ll need to find him a proper meal.”
“Leave that to Sansa.” Gingko guided her to the sofa in the bay window and made her sit. “Does the kid have a name?”
“Kyrie Hajime-Mettlebright.” She searched his face, trying to gauge any reactions. “We’re going to be his family from now on.”
Gingko’s ears pricked forward. “Swap?”
She took Lilya, who was smaller and softer than the hybrid child, but intangibly brighter. “Oh,” she breathed. “Is it just me, or is she …?”
“A stunner. Brightest child yet,” Gingko bragged. “Maybe even beacon class. But this guy’s flashy in his own way. What’s up with this hair, little bro?”
“He’s like you, half-human.”
“No kidding. Ialmostmissed the subtle hints.” He loosened Kyrie’s blanket, sniffing and stroking until the baby woke. Then grinning at the little one’s doleful red gaze. “How’d your cousin get mixed up with a dragon?”
“Abduction,” whispered Tsumiko. “She was unwilling, and so her child was unwanted.”
Gingko sobered. “She make it?”
“Yes. And she asked me to take him.” Tsumiko was still trying to process everything that had happened in the last few days. “It’s a long story.”
“One I want to hear.”
Tsumiko touched his shoulder. “I’d like that … to talk it through.”
“Sounds like bad stuff happened.”
She nodded. “But good things, too. Especially for Kyrie.”
More steps sounded in the hall, and Argent strode through, now dressed in his own clothes and scowling faintly. Michael and Sansa followed close on his heels. And another person slipped into the room behind them—the feline newcomer.
He was even bigger than he’d appeared in the snapshots Michael had sent. Standing just inside the kitchen door, like a guard at his post, he kept his head bowed, his eyes lowered.
Michael guided Sansa to a rocking chair, then hurried over. Resting his hand atop Tsumiko’s head, he beamed. “Welcome home, Tsumiko. I see you’ve met our little lady.”
