The strained note in his voice had me pulling back, and my heart sank a little. The blood had drained from his face, and he was looking at me as if he’d seen a ghost. “Are you all right?” I asked, feeling deflated. I thought he’d be happy to see me,but…
“Do the two of you know each other?” Raiden asked, looking back and forth between us. His eyes were narrowed, and lines of displeasure bracketed hismouth.
“Yeah, she runs the shabu shabu place just around the corner from my sushi restaurant.” Shota cast me a wary glance. “You didn’t sayshewas the one,” he said in a meaningfulvoice.
“I had no idea the two of you already knew each other,” Raiden said, sounding pained. An awkward silence passed between them. “Is this going to be aproblem?”
I folded my arms across my chest. “Would one of youpleasetell me what’s going on here?” I felt like I was only hearing half the conversation and that there was a whole level of subtext I wasmissing.
Raiden cleared his throat. “Sorry. This is Shota Hayakawa, my cousin. He’s a shaman too, but recently he’s decided to forego the family business and pursue the culinary arts instead.” His tone was colored with disapproval. “But then, you already know about that last part, from what Iunderstand.”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe you’re a shaman, Shota,” I said, still trying to wrap my head around that. When I’d seen him standing in the hall, my brain had short-circuited, and all I’d thought was that it was so nice to see a familiar face. But of course he was a shaman. Why else would he behere?
Shota gave me a lopsided smile. “It’s not exactly like I’m a walking advertisement for one. I’m sorry I reacted so badly. It’s just…I’m surprised to see you here. They told me your first name, but I figured it couldn’t be you, because I’d already ruled you out as ashaman.”
“Wait a second.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to relieve the tension headache brewing. Glancing back and forth between him and Raiden, who was still dressed in his pajamas and looking a bit rumpled, I could see the familial resemblance in the angle of their jaws and the shape of their noses. Was that why Raiden had looked familiar to me when I’d first run into him? Because of his relation toShota?
But that didn’t explain the connection I felt. Withbothofthem.
“What do you mean, you already ruled me out as a shaman?” I asked. For some reason, that line had stung, even though I was still struggling with the idea myself. “Did you, like, test me orsomething?”
“No, but you have agakiworking in your shop.” Shota shrugged. “You didn’t seem to have any idea of what she was, and she didn’t know what you were either or she wouldn’t have been so nice to you. Why do you think she hated me so much even though I was always bringing byfood?”
“Oh.” I bit my lip, thinking it over. “I thought she just hated you out of loyalty to mymother.”
“And yet you didn’t?” Shota raised aneyebrow.
“Who’s to say I don’t?” I stuck out my tongue athim.
He grinned. “There’s no way you hate me. My food is far toospectacular.”
My breath hitched in my throat at his familiar, teasing smile, and for a moment, the rest of the world fell away. There was no mistaking it—Shota and I definitely had a connection. And yet…I’d felt the same thing with Raiden when I’d first met him. How was that possible? Was I really crushing on two differentguys?
“Shota,” Raiden said, his voice full ofwarning.
“Sorry.” Shota looked away and scratched the back of his neck. “This is all just…surreal tome.”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” I said, scowling at Raiden. What was his problem? If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was telling Shota to back off, which didn’t sit well with me. After all, I’d known Raiden all of five minutes. And yeah, maybe there was some kind of pull between us, but that didn’t mean he owned me. I’d known Shota alotlonger.
“So, what was that thing you came to talk to me about?” I asked, trying to engage Shota again, who seemed to be looking at everythingbutme. “You were saying that you needed something and that I was the only one who could helpyou.”
“Right!” Shota brightened up again. He unhooked a keychain from his belt, which was laden with those little mortuary tablets, just like Raiden’s. How had I never noticed he’d been carrying one of those? Was it always hidden beneath his coat? “I need you to summon ayokaifor me so we can go visitRyujin.”
“I’m not sure this is a good idea,” Raiden warned. “Mamoru told us not to let her out of the building until she has moreexperience.”
“It’s afantasticidea,” Shota said, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “Come on, Rai. Who in their right mind passes up the opportunity to go visit a dragonking?”
“Whoa. Back up a second.” I raised a hand. “What do you mean, adragonking?”
Shota blinked. “You’ve never heard ofRyujin?”
I frowned, a vague memory from one of my mother’s fairy tales coming back to me. “Isn’t he like a sea god orsomething?”
“Yes,” Raiden said tightly. “A very powerful one, who probably isn’t too keen on having visitors dropping in on him withoutnotice.”
Shota rolled his eyes. “And just how are we supposed to send him notice? A message in a bottle?” He snickered at his own joke, and I couldn’t help grinning. He was such a goofball. “Stop being such a stick in the mud, Raiden. You know how much I’ve always wanted to visit the sea god. And besides, he might know something about this mess with Mount Koya andKai.”
“Well why didn’t you say that in the first place?” I asked. “Of course I’m interested in anything that’ll help rescue mymother.”
