Page 6 of Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox
Argent’s token resistance dwindled away, and he sagged into Michael’s embrace, barely suppressing a shudder as he basked in the unique radiance offered by a reaver’s soul. It wasn’t enough to satisfy the requirements of his bond, but it did help. He dragged the man closer, tightening his hold.
Michael slid his arms around Argent’s back and offered soothing pats. “Wish I could do more.”
“You do more than a proper captor should.”
“Because we’re friends,” said Michael. “I’ve been in charge of you since I was fourteen. Though for all intents and purposes, I’ve been yours since I was three.”
“Mine?” Argent snorted. “You are my keeper, and I have nothing.”
“Surely the past few decades have given you some basis for trust?”
“Foolish boy.”
Michael’s voice came just as softly. “I won’t let her hurt you.”
An impossible pledge. Argent had been through this too many times. By now, he should be numb to the humiliation. But in the end, the bond would rip him raw and debase him further. Nothing could spare Argent from the morrow’s pain, but he could spare Michael.
He’d been hiding the hurt for centuries. What was one more lifetime? “I will be fine.”
FIVE
Rare Soul
He hated her immediately.
Sansa had served the girl breakfast out on the veranda. She was sitting in Eimi’s favorite chair, taking in the breathtaking view of the sea, and Argent despised her for trespassing on their grief.
Tsumiko Hajime was everything one might expect from a big-city schoolgirl. Even her uniform remained intact—pleated skirt, wide collar, and a drooping cardigan stitched with a school logo. Argent muttered, “Is shetwelve?”
Michael made a soft noise of protest. “She may be petite, but she’s a woman of twenty.”
“And still in middle school? She must be backward.”
“Behave.”
“Not unless she makes me.”
Michael spared him an exasperated look, then opened the veranda doors. “Good morning, miss. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, thank you.”
And then her eyes swung his way, and Argent waited to see what kind of life she would damn him to.
She slid from her chair and offered a small bow. “How do you do? I’m Tsumiko Hajime.”
Michael smoothly supplied a kinder introduction than Argent would have offered. “Miss Hajime, this is Argent. He’s your butler, so he manages the household. Argent, this is your new mistress.”
Taking refuge in the ostentatious propriety to which he’d been trained, Argent executed a neat bow.
Tsumiko searched his face, but not with the greed of a conqueror surveying her spoils. If anything, she seemed to be looking to him for some sign that she was welcome. She would not find it. Not from him.
Except.
By the ninth tail, her soul wasstaggering.
Eddies of raw power twirled like ribbons around her body, lazily looping back, not quite contained, but restrained. He wondered what would happen to all that potential if she were angry, afraid, or at war. Fully unleashed, this girl might be the most powerful reaver he’d ever encountered. With enough training, she could rival the heads of the Five Clans.
How could she be untrained?
