by Kate Grove
Ciara glanced in the direction of Kawayuki’s castle for a moment before turning back to him.
“Thank you, but I have yet to figure out how to get home.”
“Is it far away?” Ayaka asked, curiously.
“Yes, very far, I’m afraid,” she replied.
“Then you can come with us until you figure it out!” Ayaka offered.
“Erm…” Ciara fidgeted, uncomfortable. She glanced at him, nervously. “I’m not sure your Daddy—”
“The name’s Katsuo.” It bothered him that she wasn’t calling him by his name. She fell silent, waiting for him to continue. “Ayaka is right. You may come with us.”
“I…” She choked on her words and looked at him with misty eyes. Oh gods, no, not another woman trying to manipulate him with tears! But she gulped those tears down and took a shaky breath. No tears had fallen. She even mustered a smile on her face as she said, “Don’t be offended if I take you up on it!”
“Of course not. You may stay as long as you need.”
“Thank you, I am very grateful, Katsuo,” she said, hastily wiping at her eyes.
“Come, come!” Ayaka grabbed Ciara’s hand and dragged her toward him. Katsuo turned to walk back to where they had left their horses. He wondered at the funny feeling in his stomach when she called his name without honorifics. Were all foreigners this informal?
That was so embarrassing. I almost cried in front of him! Ciara thought as Ayaka led her. She snuck a peek at Katsuo, curious. He was a puzzle. One minute, he was cold and threatening her, the next, he saved her, and the way he treated Ayaka told her he had a soft spot for his little daughter. He couldn’t be a bad person.
The image of an attacker cut in half flashed before her eyes. There was no way she was going to trust someone who handled killing people with such ease. How did he do it when she could hardly bear the guilt of causing one person’s death?
Ciara’s gaze wandered over his broad back and wide shoulders and settled on his toned arms. The way he held himself reminded her of watching a dangerous predator, built for war. He glanced back, and their gazes locked for a second. She looked away, embarrassed that she was caught staring. I’m not going to make a fool out of myself. He’s like all other guys, he’ll walk away soon enough.
“Shiara,” Ayaka called her, and she turned her attention to the little girl. “What do you do at home?”
“I’m a voice trainer and singing coach.”
She crunched her nose up as she concentrated to understand.
“You teach people to sing?”
“Among other things, yes. Why?”
“I like singing.”
“That’s wonderful!”
“Takeru sings well, but Daddy is—”
“Ayaka,” Katsuo cut her off firmly. That one word was enough for the little girl to stop chattering. Ciara raised her eyebrows, curious how Ayaka intended to end the sentence. Clearly, Katsuo was of another opinion.
“I can teach you if you want,” she told Ayaka.
“Really?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks, Shiara.”
Maybe work on pronunciation first.
9
They had soon reached the horses in a nearby clearing. Takeru was already there, waiting for them with a small group of soldiers.
“My lord.” They all bowed to Katsuo. Ciara glanced at the samurai with surprise in her eyes but otherwise didn’t comment.
“Takeru!” Ayaka ran up to the teen, who picked her up easily.
“I’m so happy you’re here, Ayaka!”
“Me too!” She buried her face in Takeru’s neck.
Katsuo looked around.
“We’re still missing a few people.”
“They didn’t make it back.” Takeru reported, wearing a dark expression.
A moment of silence passed the group.
“Let’s go home, men!”
Cheers erupted at Katsuo’s order. He walked over to Ayaka, but she hugged Takeru’s neck tighter.
“You’re going to kill me, Ayaka,” he wheezed, and she loosened her hold a little bit.
“Do you want to ride home with Takeru?” Katsuo asked.
She nodded.
“I think she’s missed her favorite uncle,” Takeru chuckled, patting Ayaka’s head.
“You’re her only uncle,” Katsuo murmured and went to get his horse, but a soldier was already there with said horse. Katsuo looked back at Ciara. “You can use one of those horses.”
Ciara paled and gaped at him. She whispered something in a squeaky voice.
“What was that?” Everyone’s attention was on her, and she felt as if she was on stage again, which made her voice instinctively rise as she announced proudly that she couldn’t ride a horse. Her face reddened as soon as she saw the men’s flabbergasted expressions.
“You’ll ride with me, then,” Katsuo said and walked over to her, leading his horse. Takeru exchanged curious glances with the soldiers, who knew even less about the woman who was to ride with their lord.
Katsuo picked her up and Ciara was surprised for a moment at his gentle touch. The last time she thought herself light as a feather was when she was a child, but at this moment, as Katsuo lifted her with care and ease, a funny feeling bloomed in her stomach. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it was a pleasant feeling. Katsuo placed her in the saddle and quickly jumped up behind her. Ciara made herself as comfortable as she could. Even though her whole body tensed up when Katsuo settled behind her, it was still better than running around barefoot.
“Move out!” he yelled, and she winced at the loud voice. Ciara held on for dear life when the horse broke into a gallop.
“Relax. You make the horse nervous,” Katsuo said as he leaned closer and circled an arm around her waist, making Ciara tense up more.
“Horses make me nervous,” she shot back. The horse jumped over a fallen log, and she clutched Katsuo’s arm that held her.
“How long is the ride?”
“Two days.”
Silence.
“Sorry, I think I’ve heard wrong. Two entire days?” Just how slow was a horse compared to the modern conveniences she was used to? Were these people time billionaires?
Katsuo chuckled behind her, and she could feel the rumbles on her back.
“I’m just jesting. It’s only half a day.”
“Half a—That’s way too long,” she mumbled, slumping back. She didn’t even realize she had leaned back until Katsuo cleared his throat nervously. She straightened up.
“Don’t. You’ll fall off at this speed.”
Ciara leaned back, acutely aware of the muscles behind her and the arm around her waist. She sat in a cloud of fresh forest and soap, and slowly, she relaxed. She suppressed a yawn, suddenly realizing she had been up and around for a whole day if her estimate was right. The sun had reached its zenith in the sky, and it stood in the same position when she went to that fateful meeting with her new student. Just who was that man in black that pushed her into this world? Did he know what would await her when she arrived? Was it an accident or on purpose?
Katsuo felt Ciara’s form go limp in his arms. He glanced at her face, seeing her eyes closed. Her breathing was slow, and everything indicated she was asleep. He shook his head in disbelief. How could she fall asleep in the arms of a stranger? She was lucky he was a man of honor.
He took a deep breath to center himself and caught a whiff of Ciara’s scent. Something spicy and vanilla. He couldn’t help sniffing her hair to catch the pleasant scent again. When Katsuo realized what he was doing, he straightened and put a little distance between his nose and her head.
She was a curious little woman, helping Ayaka when she couldn’t protect herself physically, frightened of him one second, then talking back the next minute. And now she fell asleep, unaware of the world around her. Katsuo wondered what Kawayuki had wanted with her. That person never did anything unnecessary.
He stole another glance at her sleeping face
. She had a noble profile and exotic features. Her alluring scent surrounded them, and he shook his head to get rid of this ridiculous attraction he felt toward her. The last time he gave into temptation and even married a woman he had thought to be the love of his life, it turned out she only wanted to marry him for the title and money. And then tried to get rid of him immediately after the wedding.
It didn’t end happily, and it still stung whenever he thought back to that fateful night many years ago. His hands instinctively tightened as he remembered why he kept a dagger under his pillow. He wouldn’t let himself be caught defenseless again. A whimper in his arms drew his attention, and he realized he was squeezing Ciara’s waist. He loosened his hold on her and leaned back a little bit. He hoped to clear his head before they arrived back at Shirotatsu castle.
Katsuo was the first to reach the gates, with Takeru and the others close behind. The sudden stop jolted Ciara from her half-asleep state, and she blinked around sleepily. Katsuo got off the horse first then helped Ciara down. She felt a little wobbly on her feet after so many hours of horseback riding. She hissed as she stumbled around on her bare feet. She steadied herself by leaning a hand on the horse’s side.
Her head pounded, and she felt a little dizzy. Is this what jetlag feels like? she silently wondered, shaking her head to get rid of the fuzziness.
“My lord Katsuo-sama!” a shrill voice penetrated the fog in her brain, and she looked up, barely avoiding wincing at the loudness of it. A beautiful woman hurried toward them with tiny but quick steps. She had an entourage behind her. Ciara’s eyes widened seeing that image. At least ten people hurried after her, maids and soldiers alike. They all wore simple clothing, but the woman who had greeted Katsuo had a lavish kimono on. It had orange and golden hues with a maple leaf pattern.
Ciara thought she looked absolutely stunning. Now if only she would stay quiet. Ciara massaged her temples as the other woman arrived. She bowed deeply before Katsuo, who had walked ahead to meet her. He had an annoyed look on his face.
Takeru could easily read his brother’s expression. He had completely forgotten about Orihime. The teen let Ayaka down, who immediately ran over to Ciara, asking if she was all right. Satisfied his niece was in good hands, Takeru joined his brother in greeting the guests.
“Orihime-dono.” He nodded his head at her. She flicked her gaze toward him but otherwise did not acknowledge his presence. Takeru felt his eye twitch.
“What do you want?” Katsuo was curt with her.
“I heard what happened. My condolences.” She bowed deeply.
“What are you talking about?” Katsuo raised an eyebrow. Had something happened while he was away?
“The little girl—”
“Ayaka is fine,” Katsuo cut her off, and Orihime’s eyes widened. She looked around, searching for her.
Takeru turned to see Ayaka clinging to an apparently exhausted Ciara.
“Excuse me,” Katsuo said with as much politeness as he could muster. “I must attend to my family.” That was a clear prod for Orihime, who wanted so much to wed into his family.
“Who is that woman? What a sight, running around barefooted and in rags…” Orihime muttered. “Where did you find her, Milord?” She fluttered her eyelashes at him as she fanned herself with the golden folding fan in her hand.
Katsuo was just about to turn to go to his daughter and the foreigner. He stopped, considering Orihime’s words. He looked at Ayaka and Ciara together. The woman who had nothing but offered help to his daughter. She seemed to be doing a little dance on her injured feet as she laughed with Ayaka at something. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest at the sight.
“My lord? Katsuo-sama?” Orihime’s voice penetrated the happy image in front of him and he looked at her. Clearly irritated, she continued. “I demand you answer me, Milord! I will not have a strange woman around my betrothed!”
Katsuo thought he heard something pop in his ear, probably a vein as he tried to stop himself from lashing out at Orihime. The audacity of her! She was behaving as if she already owned the place. And if she had it her way, she would be. Katsuo was at the point where he’d explode from the tension.
“As brother said, he is going to attend to our family.” Takeru stepped up, putting a hand on each of Katsuo’s shoulders. It seemed like a friendly gesture, but both knew it was more like a counter-measure in case Katsuo snapped. Takeru was acutely aware of his brother’s subtle transformation that had begun. The golden hue in his eyes, the lengthened fingernails…
If outsiders discovered the family secret, they were in deep trouble. They were more human than anything else, but if all the other daimyōs in the vicinity banded together to attack them because of their true ancestry, their entire household would suffer for it.
Takeru tried to save what he could.
“What are you saying?” Orihime’s attention was finally on him.
“Just what I said. That woman over there is to be wed to brother.”
Katsuo was strangely silent while Orihime’s eyes widened. She looked at Ciara’s sorry form again then back to Katsuo.
“Is that true, Milord?”
He didn’t reply right away, making Takeru tighten the hold on his brother’s shoulders.
Still tense, Katsuo barked out a reply. “Yes. Now let me go,” he addressed the latter to Takeru, who immediately released him. Katsuo glared at him but didn’t say anything else as he went over to his daughter and Ciara.
Takeru let out the breath he had been holding, and Orihime snapped her fan closed.
“We’ll see about that!” she huffed, turning her nose up and marching away with her entourage.
“What have I done?” Takeru sighed to himself, barely audible. Naturally, his brother heard him. There was no other explanation for the second glare.
10
“Sometimes I swear you were dropped on your head when you were little,” Katsuo told Takeru after dinner. Ayaka was exhausted, so she went to bed early, but the two brothers stayed at the table and talked.
Takeru poured some sake for Katsuo.
“This won’t let you off the hook,” he warned as he downed the alcohol.
“I know,” Takeru sighed and turned his eyes heavenward. “But what could I do? That seemed like the only solution to get her off your back. And for you not to attack her on the spot.”
“It was reckless.”
“Half transforming in front of dozen strangers was reckless!” Takeru snapped. Katsuo’s eyes flashed golden, making Takeru backpedal. “Sorry. But you know it’s true.”
“We cannot go with this plan.”
“Why not?”
“Ciara would never agree,” Katsuo replied.
“Oh, because you know her so well?” his little brother asked. “Listen, I can talk to her and—”
“She’s a foreigner; she wouldn’t understand. Besides, what if she forgets it’s all a farce? I most definitely don’t want to be tricked to marry again,” Katsuo stressed.
Takeru chose his next words carefully.
“It might work because she’s not Japanese. And not all women are like… her,” Takeru finished lamely. His brother had forbidden uttering the name of his ex-wife who had tried to kill him on their wedding night.
“Orihime is the same.”
“Maybe.”
“I know.”
“But what do you actually know of Ciara?” Takeru pushed. “We don’t really know anything other than she’s afraid of snakes and could be killed in an instant on a battlefield. But she does have a good heart. It’s proof that she helped Ayaka.”
Katsuo seemed to think it over. He sipped his sake quietly. Takeru let him ponder over the options.
After a little while, Katsuo asked, “Are you saying we should give her the benefit of doubt?”
Takeru nodded. “Yes. We’ll stay vigilant, but as far as I could see, this foreigner couldn’t hurt anyone. We can get Taiki to have someone tailing her if you think we need to.”
> Katsuo thought back to the woman falling asleep in his arms. Then when she interacted with Ayaka. He felt no ill intention coming from her.
“That won’t be necessary. I can keep an eye on her.”
Takeru seemed as if he wanted to say something, but very wisely, he changed his mind and stayed quiet. He nodded in agreement then stood up.
“Let me get her.”
He hurried out of the room.
“Wait, now?” Katsuo yelled after him a little late. He poured himself another cup of sake. He had a hunch he’d need it.
It was late into the night, and Ciara couldn’t sleep. She found a spot on the veranda where she was able to admire the slim crescent of the moon. Her thoughts were in a disarray. As soon as they got to Shirotatsu castle, she felt how exhausted she was. Thankfully, she was quickly led to a guest room where she almost immediately fell asleep.
She vaguely remembered someone trying to wake her up, but she shooed them away and turned her back on them to sleep more. Now that night had fallen and the sliver of the moon was high up in the air, she felt refreshed. Most of the castle had fallen asleep, except for the guards patrolling the castle grounds.
It was a bigger castle than Kawayuki’s, and it had a huge courtyard. She could see the top of a pagoda nearby – the other place didn’t have one. Musing about her new circumstances, she didn’t sense the presence of someone approaching until they stood right behind her and spoke up.
Ciara jumped in fright at the unexpected voice. She turned to the person behind her.
“Takeru… right?”
The teen nodded and stepped next to her.
“And you’re called Ciara.”
“Yes.”
“Come with me,” he said. Ciara’s eyebrows rose at the order. “Brother wants to see you,” he added.
Ciara waited for a moment longer before realizing Takeru wouldn’t change his wording. She nodded, resigned.
“Right.”
She got to her feet and dusted off her attire. She had found clean clothes in a cupboard in her room and quickly changed after she woke up. There were some bandages prepared, and she used them to wrap her aching feet. They were still painful, but it was way better. Ciara followed Takeru at a slow pace.
