Page 37 of Kotori
"Perhaps. A governess. A cultural advisor. A woman who understands her place in our world and serves accordingly." I lean closer, close enough that she can feel my body heat like I feel hers. My fingers trace a slow path from her neck down to her shoulder, then along her arm, proprietary and unhurried. "And in return, you need only embrace your natural role. Submit to proper authority, serve our family's needs with perfect devotion, become worthy of the trust I'm placing in you."
Her breath hitches, a sob she's trying to suppress. The sound sends heat through my veins, straight to my cock. Her vulnerability is intoxicating, more potent than the finest whiskey.
"I won't."
"You will." The words carry absolute certainty. I allow my hand to brush against the small of her back, feeling her shiver beneath my touch. "Because deep in your heart, you know this is what you've been searching for your entire life. A master worthy of your service. A purpose greater than yourself. A love so consuming it transforms everything you thought you knew about who you are."
I stand again, looking down at her kneeling form silhouetted against stone and morning mist. Beautiful. Fragile. Mine. The sight of her there—trembling, vulnerable, fighting the desire I can see plainly in her eyes—tests my self-control.
"Take time to consider your answer, Paige-san. But know this: there is no leaving this place. No returning to your small life in Chicago. No escape from what you've become in my eyes." My voice drops, intimate and final. I let my hand trail through her hair, savoring its softness between my fingers. "You belong to me now. The only question is whether you'll embrace that truth willingly, or require more persuasive education."
The threat hangs in the air, subtle but unmistakable. Part of me wants to claim her here and now, to mark her as mine in the most primal way possible. But patience has always been my strength. The waiting makes the eventual surrender sweeter.
I turn and begin walking back toward the main compound, leaving her kneeling alone before my ancestors with the weight of inevitability settling around her shoulders.
"Think carefully, kotori," I call back without turning around, the pet name carrying through the morning mist.Little bird. Delicate, beautiful, meant to be caged and cherished.
She'll break eventually. The only question is how long she'll make both of us wait. How long I can resist the urge to take what already belongs to me.
As I walk away, I note the maple trees beginning to bud along the path. By the time they turn vibrant red in autumn, she will have learned the full measure of belonging to me. Time is on my side. I have the patience to allow this transformation to unfold naturally, each season bringing her closer to complete surrender.
The hard weight of desire still pulses through me, a reminder of how close I came to claiming her there on the sacred ground. But some things are worth the wait. I will have her begging for my touch before this is over.
The clan meeting tonight will consume my attention until evening—trade routes through Osaka require negotiation, territory disputes need resolution, and several other leaders require reminders of where true power lies. But through it all, my thoughts will stray to her kneeling before the shrine, tears staining her cheeks, the first understanding of her fate beginning to take root.
I smile as I emerge from the garden path. Taming a wild bird requires discipline and patience. The process cannot be rushed. But when she finally accepts her place in my world completely,yields herself to me body and soul, the victory will be all the sweeter for the waiting.
10
Paige
Istumblethroughthegarden paths, silk catching on bamboo, tears blurring my vision. The wooden geta sandals torture my feet—click, click, click against stone like a countdown. I nearly fall twice, the restrictive kimono making every step short when all I want is to run.
Kotori. His voice follows me through the mist.Little bird.
The cherry trees watch as I pass, ancient witnesses to whatever just happened at that shrine. My breath comes in short gasps, the tight obi making everything harder. I can't think. Can't process. I just need to get away from him, from that place, from the way he looked at me like I was already his.
There is no leaving this place. No returning to your small life in Chicago. No escape from what you've become in my eyes.
His words echo in my head as I rush forward, desperate to put distance between us. I still feel his hand on my throat, his thumb tracing my lip, the heat of his body as he knelt close to mine.The way he broke me apart with words and touches that claimed without taking.
The main compound emerges through the fog. Stone walls, sliding doors, somewhere I can lock myself away and pretend this morning never happened. My hands shake as I reach for the side entrance, the one they used to take me out for this nightmare.
"Williams-san." A guard appears, making me jump. "You have returned early."
My voice cracks. "I need to go to my room."
He bows slightly but doesn't move aside. "Matsumoto-sama's instructions were to escort you back when your walk concluded."
"The walk is concluded," I say through gritted teeth.
"Hai." But he follows me anyway, footsteps echoing behind mine as I navigate corridors that feel like a maze. Every turn, every sliding door, every paper screen looks the same. How am I supposed to find my way out of here if I can't even find my room?
Finally, the familiar door. I fumble with the handle, desperate to get inside, to breathe, to think. The guard bows and disappears, but I can feel him watching. Feel all of them watching.
The door slides shut behind me, and I lean against it like it's the only thing keeping the world out.
The yukata has to come off. Now.
