Page 149 of Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox
Tsumiko shook her head. “So it’s a token position?”
“Not at all. You heard Sensei’s reasoning.” Michael gently released her and guided her to a chair. He knelt before her. “Argent would be an excellent addition to the Five.”
“I don’t mean any offense, but I don’t know … much. Are you sure Hisoka doesn’t want Argent because he’ll owe him?” Tsumiko quietly added, “That would be trading one kind of bondage for another.”
“Impossible,” Michael said firmly.
“Then what? He’s diverting all his resources out of the goodness of his heart?”
“Equally impossible.” Michael chuckled. “I doubt anyone’s ever been able to completely figure out why Hisoka-sensei does anything. But there’s always a reason. Always. Even if it doesn’t come to light for a long time.”
Tsumiko frowned. “You and Sansa both make him sound wise and good.”
Sitting back on his heels, Michael said, “You know, the wolves may call him Poesy, but his own people call him Prophet.”
“Why?”
“It’s eerie how often he knows things he shouldn’t.” He offered a small shrug. “Sensei is the closest thing to omniscient you’ll find this side of heaven.”
. . .
Again that night, Tsumiko kept Kyrie, even though there was room enough in Lilya’s crib. The nursery was freshly warded, but she wanted to hold him close—maybe evenneededthe closeness—but her nightly vigils were taking their toll. She ached with exhaustion, unable to sleep. Mired in worries, Tsumiko held the tiny charm on her necklace so tightly, the shape might cause a permanent indentation.
A cross and a crossroads.
Her plans and purposes had seemed grand and good … until Hisoka Twineshaft strolled into Stately House with a scheme of his own. One that would give Argent everything he’d lost. One that would take him away.
She’d been willing to die to set him free, but she didn’t want to live without him. And so her conscience stung. No, itstabbed. Because her reluctance was an obstacle, and removing it would mean exposing the true state of her heart. For all her noble words, she was as bad as all of Argent’s other mistresses. And they would find out.
She was keenly aware of the Amaranthine who lingered around her home. Without even trying, she could tell that the wolf and dog were rampaging through the nearby woods. That the cat was on the roof, probably on the high turret overlooking the sea. And that the dragon was somewhere below, probably in Michael’s office, poring over their research.
The only one she couldn’t locate was the one she wanted most, but Tsumiko bit her lip, holding back the whisper that would bring Argent unerringly to her side. She refused to put demands on him with so many other Amaranthine present. To betray his secrets. To diminish him in their eyes.
A light knock stirred her from increasingly melancholy thoughts. “I’m awake,” she called.
Argent let himself in. “Lilya woke. Sansa asked that I bring Kyrie so she can tend to him as well.”
“Oh. Yes.”
He collected the baby but didn’t turn away. “Have you slept?”
“A little.”
“Tsk.”
“Sorry,” she whispered. He always did know when she was lying.
“I will only be a minute,” he said. “Wait for me.”
Tsumiko ducked under her covers, a childish impulse. Comforters and coverlets wouldn’t hide her gladness from Argent’s all-knowing nose. His heightened senses made everything easier, yet somehow more complicated, since she was having trouble untangling her wants from her needs. It was as if her head and her heart were at war, and no matter which prevailed, she could lose something precious.
Was it possible for Argent to have a clearer picture of her feelings than she did? If so, did that mean that all the Amaranthine here knew more than they were telling?
The mattress dipped, and the blankets folded away, leaving Tsumiko feeling exposed. But when Argent offered a hand, she took it in both of hers. His touch steadied her.
“What are you afraid of?” he asked.
“Mights and maybes.”
