My stomach dropped. “I don’t have years,” I said as the elevator doors opened again. “My mom is kidnapped now. Even if she had the best medical care ever in Kai’s custody, which I highly doubt, she might not have years. Who knows what Kai is doing toher!”
“I get it, Aika. Really, I do.” Raiden gripped my shoulders and pinned me with that steady gaze. “Do you think I want to be holed up in here while my parents are across the Pacific Ocean, possibly fighting off the greatest evil the shaman world has seen in centuries? Iknowthey left me in the dark because they didn’t want to get me involved,” he growled, the planes of his face tight with anger now. “I’m their only heir, and they don’t want me hurt in case something goes wrong. But it’s not in my nature to sit back while others put themselves in danger. If they die…” His voice cracked a little, and he looked away. “I’d never be able to forgivemyself.”
That little crack in his armor, that moment of vulnerability, soothed my ire, and my anger finally slippedaway.
“I understand,” I whispered, placing my hand on top of his. His fingers, which were digging into my shoulder, loosened a little. “I’m sorry, Raiden. I guess I didn’t think you’d be worried about your parents, since they’re trainedshamans.”
The anger slid from his face, leaving a heavy, exhausted look in hiseyes.
“They can take care of themselves,” he said, sticking his hand between the elevator doors as they tried to close on us. He stepped into the hallway, and I followed. “But if it really is Kai who’s escaped, this is a level of threat that none of us have ever dealt with before.” He paused, then added, “I know we’re both worried, but we should really try to get some sleep. You need to be well-rested for your trainingtomorrow.”
I nodded, following silently as Raiden led me down the hall. The plum-colored walls were lined with faux paper lanterns set on low, their dim lights casting a faint glow on the hardwood floor. Instead of doorways, the rooms were separated byshoji—room dividers made of Japanese paper and wood. As we passed one, I caught the faint sound of someonesnoring.
“There are other people staying here?” I asked in a hushedvoice.
“Yeah. These aren’t permanent residences, just lodgings for visiting shamans, mostly.” Raiden came to a stop in front of one of the rooms and slid theshojiaside. “This is yourroom.”
I peeked inside. Directly beyond the door was a room with a low, Japanese-style table and two seat cushions, where one could have tea or enjoy a meal. The walls were papered inmatcha-green, the floors covered intatamimats. There was another room to the left, out of view, where I assumed the bedroomwas.
“You’ll find pajamas and a toothbrush in the closet,” Raiden said, “and the bathroom is back up the hall. Go on,” he said, nudging me. “There aren’t anymokumokurenhidinghere.”
I shivered at the idea—mokumokurenwere ghosts that lived inside tornshojior beneathtatamimats. “Thanks for that thought,” I said as I stepped inside, glaring over my shoulder. “You really know how to make a girl feelsafe.”
I blinked in surprise as his face lit up in an unexpected grin. “I’ll be right across the hall if you get scared. Sleep tight. Don’t let thetatamimatsbite.”
He slid the door shut before I could throw one of the pillows at him. Huffing, I listened as the door across the hall slid open, then shut. What a cheeky bastard. Still, it was reassuring to know that Raiden was just a few steps away if I needed him. Not that I really thought there were any ghosts lurking in the walls or floors when the whole building was warded…but after the day I’d had, it was nice to know I wasn’talone.
Pulling out my phone for the first time in hours, I was surprised to see it was nearly ten o’clock at night. Where had all the time gone today? I scrolled through my notifications, half-hoping I’d see some text or missed voicemail from my mom. Anything to let me know she was okay. But she hadn’t had her phone on her when theogamatook her, and even if she had, I doubt her captors would have let her keepit.
Then again, if Kai really was nearly two centuries old, he wouldn’t know anything about cell phones. I wondered if that was an advantage we could somehow use against him. Just how powerful was he? And why exactly had he been sealed away? There was a lot I didn’t know about this shadowy enemy of mine, Irealized.
Maybe you can ask Mamoru tomorrow,I told myself as I explored the rest of my little suite. There was a bedroom beyond the sitting area, with a futon and bedding laid out on the floor, and a metal rack that could be used for hanging up akimono.
In the closet I found extra pillows, a set of white pajamas that fit me well enough, a soft robe, and cloth slippers. I took two of the towels into the bathroom down the hall, which I was pleased to find had a sizable bathing area separated off from the toilet and sink. These rooms werewaybigger than I’d anticipated. It was almost like staying in aryokan—Japanese-style inns with hot springbaths.
Excited, I stripped off, then scrubbed myself down before getting into the tub for a long, hotsoak.
Enjoy it while it lasts,a sinister voice whispered in the back of my mind. Goosebumps prickled across my skin, and I jerked upright, looking around the bathtub. But there was nothing in here but the curling steam and shampoo bottles. Nothing here but the sound of my harshbreathing.
You’re just hearing things,I told myself, sinking back into the bathwater. But I was wary for the rest of the night, and when I finally tucked myself into the covers, it took a long, long time before I could work up the courage to close my eyes and give myself over tosleep.
9
Iawokeat six in the morning to the sound of voices arguing outside mydoor.
“You arenotgoing to ask her about this right now,” Raiden growled. “She just gothere.”
“Comeon,” a male voice whined. It sounded about an octave higher than Raiden’s, and oddly familiar. I scrubbed at my face, trying to banish the heavy exhaustion that still clung to me after a fitful night of sleep. Who was Raiden talking to? Was it another shaman? “She’s the only one who can help me with this. Youhaveto let me talk toher.”
“Mamoru isn’t going to be happy about this,” Raiden warned, and that, more than anything else, piqued my curiosity. Pushing off the covers, I sat up and stretched, then shrugged on my robe and slippers before padding over to thedoor.
“What are you two arguing about?” I asked, sliding open theshojiscreen. The two men froze, mid-argument, and turned to look atme.
“Shota?” My eyes nearly popped out of my head as I got a good look at the man standing next to Raiden. He wore a black button-up shirt with tiny cranes embroidered on it and tight, salmon-colored pants instead of his usual chef’s coat and jeans, but I’d recognize that shaggy J-pop band haircut and that faceanywhere.
Relief flooded through me at the sight of a familiar face, and I threw my arms around him. “Oh my god, it really isyou!”
“Aika?” Shota stiffened beneath my embrace, his voice faint with shock. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around me, returning the embrace, but his reception was far colder than I’d anticipated. “I…I wasn’t expecting to seeyou.”
