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Authors: Yuki Edo

Tags: #paranormal, #anal sex, #mm, #shapeshifters, #shifters, #rimming, #gay erotic romance

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BOOK: Foxfire (Nine Tails, 1)
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Chapter Five

 

Masaki lay stretched out on top of the
blankets on Hiro’s bed. The smell of burning sage filled the room.
Hiro held one of Masaki’s hands to his chest in a tight grip, and
Masaki refused to disturb him. He’d been sleeping for nearly twelve
hours now, his skin cold to the touch and his heart beating at a
slow but steady rhythm. Inari moved about the room quietly,
occasionally disappearing briefly to consult with spirits she had
sent out. Though she appeared calm, Masaki knew his kami was upset
about Hiro and even angry with herself for not having the power to
help. She came over and gently touched his shoulder.


Masaki, I want you to get
up. Eat something. Transform and run in the garden.
Anything.”

Masaki shook his head. “He reached for
me in his sleep, said my name. I have to be here if he wakes. I
promised to stay with him.”

She ran her fingers through Masaki’s
hair. While her touch gave comfort, it could not quiet his worrying
thoughts. He could not believe any being would wish harm on Hiro,
so it had to be an enemy of him or Inari. But they had none. Inari
did nothing but good with her blessings, and the price for her
favor was always fair. Masaki could think of nothing he had done to
anyone—he kept to himself and only did his kami’s
bidding.


Your heart will be with
him. I can feel it, Masaki. You’re in love. You gave more than your
body last night.” She pulled away and sat close to him.


I know I did, and that
means it will only hurt more if we can’t save him.”


I won’t let that happen.
If he begins to slip away, I will take him to my temple and place
him beneath the first shrine ever built to me. He’ll rest there
until we find a way to bring him back. I won’t let his soul
depart.”


Keeping him between the
worlds would not be fair.”


But he wants to be with
you.”


Yes, he wanted me last
night, but love takes time, especially for humans. We’re different
from them, despite our similarities. He felt lust. There was
emotion and tenderness with the desire, but it was only the start
of love. He may feel different if he recovers, given the fate I’ve
led him to.”


Don’t become discouraged.
A spell that can be placed can be lifted.”

Masaki sighed. “He feels so cold, my
lady.”

Inari stood. “I’m going to seek more
help. I should’ve gone myself right away instead of sending
spirits.” She leaned over and kissed them both. “I’ll return as
soon as I can.”

Masaki nodded, and she vanished. He
moved closer and took Hiro into his arms, trying to warm him but
not succeeding.

* * * *

Hiro heard voices and opened his eyes,
but then the sounds faded. He saw nothing but mist, and he sat up
to look around. His head ached as he moved, rubbing his eyes to
clear his vision. The air felt fresh and moist, the way it did
early in the morning, but he saw little beyond the mist and the
shadows of some trees. It was far too quiet. He knew this had to be
a dream, but in a way, that frightened him more.


Masaki?” Would the
kitsune hear him? Could Masaki help him wake up? Hiro reached up to
touch his medallion, but it wasn’t hanging around his neck. That
worried him even more.

A giggle caught his ear, and he turned
his head. He saw a simple wooden pavilion, which had not been there
a few moments ago. A table and stool sat inside it, the table laden
with food. Hiro stood and walked over to it. The scent of rice and
vegetables wafted to him, and he saw a pot of tea as well, but he
didn’t enter. Something felt wrong. He’d read the myth of
Persephone as a child, so eating seemed like a very bad idea, given
what was happening to him. Even in a dream, something might be
exercising power over him, and he wouldn’t let himself be trapped.
He moved beyond the pavilion and looked around. Offerings of food
were often used to trick people in lots of legends, but who would
want to trick him?


Masaki?” It might not do
any good, but if he could reach the fox spirit, maybe he could wake
up. He felt groggy, as if he’d been sleeping for hours. More
giggling drifted to him, and he saw a shadow move behind the
pavilion. He tried to follow the sound, and in the distance, he
caught a glimpse of a dilapidated red torii gate. Moss and dirt
covered it, but Hiro still took a step forward. He didn’t know
where else to go. Passing through a torii represented moving from
the profane to the sacred, so it seemed the best place to go. Yet
as he moved, he didn’t feel safer. Something shifted in the mist
beyond the gate, and he stopped before crossing through
it.

Hiro backed away and moved to a nearby
tree, sitting on one of its thick roots. If this was only a
harmless dream, he had nothing to fear. But if something was wrong,
he would wait for Masaki to help him. Despite the strange
sensations that had crept in as they made love, Hiro had still felt
a powerful connection to the other man. He’d felt the love being
offered, and the feeling had both honored and humbled him. Masaki
would not abandon him, no matter what had to be done.

* * * *

Masaki caressed Hiro’s face as the
young man said his name again. His entire body ached, but that had
stopped bothering him hours ago. He sat up, however, when someone
knocked on the door. “Who is it?”


Daisuke. May I come
in?”


Yes.”

Daisuke opened the door quietly and
slipped in, closing the door with equal care. He gazed at Hiro and
then at Masaki. “I expected to be put to work with more heavy
lifting, but I arrive downstairs and find Toyohiko here going
through his books. What’s happened to Hiro?” he said
quietly.


We don’t know. A spell
causing him physical pain. Itching, burning, extreme chills and now
unconsciousness. Inari could not lift it.”


Who could it’ve been? Did
you see anyone who wasn’t human at the museum?”


Not that I remember. I
introduced Hiro to Chiasa, and he met the artist of the sculpture I
bought. And she was a young, shy girl. Nothing else
happened.”


But he had symptoms in
Tokyo? Or not until later?”

Masaki sighed. “He began to itch in
Tokyo.” He pulled the covers back briefly to show Daisuke the
inflamed skin.

His brother nodded, his brow furrowed
with concern as Masaki tucked the blankets back into place.
“Perhaps you shouldn’t have bought that sculpture.”

Masaki frowned. “What do you
mean?”

Daisuke pulled a chair out from the
desk and sat. “The metal may be tainted. Something about that thing
feels off to me. Artists scavenge sometimes. If she took metal from
a shrine or temple, even an old abandoned one, she might’ve angered
someone. Did you buy it because Hiro liked it?”


Yes, but I like it as
well. It’s a nine-tailed fox.”

Daisuke rolled his eyes but in an
affectionate way. “Yes, I did notice that. They let me watch them
seal it up so I would sign papers saying it was in perfect
condition when it left. I’m just wondering. You can ask Toyohiko
about it. I bought a medallion on the coast years ago, and wearing
it made me feel sick, incredibly nauseated. I didn’t fully recover
until I donated it to a shrine and told them to sell it to repair
some storm damage.”


And you simply
recovered?”


Yes. Toyohiko had
predicted as much. He believed I’d come into contact with something
sacred that had been stolen or misused. We narrowed it down to the
necklace soon enough. I recovered within moments, and the symptoms
never returned.”


But you only felt sick.
Was it as serious as this?”


No, it was different, but
couldn’t it be something similar?”


Maybe, though I think it
would affect me as well.” Masaki looked back to Hiro. “I won’t
leave him, but perhaps Inari could help. Unpack the sculpture, but
not inside the house. Do it on the lawn. Call her back and see what
she thinks.”

Daisuke nodded. “All right.” He stood
and gazed down at Hiro. “I’m sorry this has happened. Is there
anything I can do for you? Have you eaten?”


Just help me find out
what’s wrong. Nothing else matters.”


Okay. We’ll do all we
can.” Daisuke turned and left the room as quietly as he’d entered
it.

Masaki watched Hiro sleeping. His skin
looked paler, but he didn’t sweat and ran no fever. He kept growing
colder, Masaki believed. Toyohiko was looking through all his books
to find a similar case, and Inari was consulting other kami and
spirits. Masaki pulled out his phone and dialed Chiasa’s number.
She had spoken well of the young artist, yet Masaki wondered if
Daisuke might be right. If she had stolen something, even without
malice, she might be displaying symptoms as well.


Hello?” Chiasa
answered.


It’s Masaki Kitamura. I
was hoping to reach the artist who created the fox
sculpture.”


Kira. Yes, of course. I
can send her address to your email when I reach my office. I’m
afraid she would never give us a number. She says she doesn’t use
phones.”

That seemed odd, but there was nothing
to be done about it. “Thank you. I hope she got home safely. I
believe you said she was flying out today.” Chiasa hadn’t said
anything of the kind, but Masaki wanted to keep the conversation
rolling. “She was talking to Hiro and excused herself, saying she
was tired.”


I’m not sure what her
plans were, actually. She’s very elusive and keeps to
herself.”


Ah, I was mistaken then.
Thank you.”


You’re welcome. Until
next time.”


Yes, goodbye.” He hung up
without waiting for her to reply. Last night, he hadn’t gotten a
very good look at the girl, and now he wondered about her. She had
created a nine-tailed fox, so she must know something of folklore.
He considered all the glass on the base of the sculpture. Some of
the pieces had been odd colors, colors she might’ve had a hard time
obtaining. Could they have come from the stained glass windows of a
sacred building? With no way to contact the girl directly, Masaki
couldn’t question her or find out if she were all right.


Masaki.”

He turned at the whispered word and
saw Hiro’s eyes fluttering. “I’m here. Tell me what you
need.”

Though his eyelids quivered, and he
almost focused for a moment, Hiro never came fully awake. Masaki
cursed under his breath, pulling the covers around Hiro more
securely, as he knew of nothing else to do.

* * * *

Hiro could smell sage, but he didn’t
understand why. He’d fallen asleep against the tree, which seemed
odd. He knew that the strange place he was in had to be part of a
dream. Nothing else made sense. After rubbing his eyes, he looked
around. His body ached, and the smell of sage soon faded, replaced
with the stench of decay. Many of the trees around him were dead,
some of them rotting. The sky overheard remained as bleak and gray
as it had been before.

Strange animal cries filled the night.
As Hiro looked around, a scene arrested his attention. He rose and
walked over to the stones, the configuration striking him and
jarring his memory in a way that nauseated him. Four jagged stones
sat near a much larger one, and a pair of trees wound around each
other just behind them. Even the colors were the same. Hiro
swallowed, starting to panic. The landscape before him was exactly
like a painting of Yomi he’d done in an art class many years ago.
It still hung in the hallway outside Akira’s bedroom.

I’m in the land of the
dead? Or my own head? Does this mean I’m…
He whirled around as the animal cries grew louder.


Masaki! Lady Inari! Can
anyone hear me?” he cried, the animals going quiet. No one
answered, and nothing stirred. Then he heard the giggle again, and
he ran from the sound, not knowing what else to do.

* * * *

Masaki jerked up when he felt the
blankets shift. He yanked them back, but Hiro no longer lay in the
bed. Daisuke had not reported back to him, and he jumped up and ran
outside. Inari stood by Daisuke, and a ring of blue flame
surrounded the metal sculpture.


My lady, Hiro is gone!
What has happened?”


He’s gone?” Inari said,
moving to his side quickly. “Nothing’s happened here. I put the
ring up as protection. The sculpture is radiating warmth, and I
don’t like the feeling it gives me. It’s the work of a witch. We
must find the one who made this.”


A witch?” Masaki asked.
As he stared at the sculpture, he thought about the young girl
who’d been speaking to Hiro. Who had touched Hiro. She’d been too
short and thin to be the woman who came to mind, but spells for
changing one’s appearance did exist. That cascade of wild hair was
familiar, painfully so. “Kilana.”


Who?” Daisuke
said.


Kilana. The
kitsune-tsukai who tried to trap me years ago. Only Inari’s mark
saved me.”

Inari furrowed her brow, but then her
face hardened as realization moved over it. “But you killed her
when she said she would find a way to take all nine of you from me!
I was there.”

BOOK: Foxfire (Nine Tails, 1)
10.52Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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