Page 73 of Son of Shadows

But so far his spies had failed him. No one had been able to locate Ryuichi. The closest they’d come was finding the kitsune who’d raised him, but she’d refused to tell them anything. Then somehow she managed to escape.

Why couldn’t something go right? Especially now, when he was so close to having everything he ever wanted.

Venom hissed in his face. “Why aren’t you saying something? I’m starving.”

“Quit your whining,” Orochi sneered. “I’m trying to think of how we find Ryukage’s sorry excuse for a son.”

Venom craned his neck backward, his other brothers shifting away to give him room. Then he lunged forward, attempting to bite Orochi. But it was a seriously unwise thing to do. Orochi headbutted Venom so hard it knocked him out. His head collapsed onto the ground, while their brothers inhaled sharply.

“Take note,” he warned the others. “Or else it’ll be you next.”

“Master?”

Orochi heard a tiny, annoying voice and glared down at the small rodent-looking yōkai who was speaking to him. “What is it?” he roared.

“Forgive me, sir. We have word from our spies that the boy was spotted.”

Orochi hissed with pleasure. “At last. Where are they?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but the message we received said they are moving now to take him and bring him to you.”

This was the best news he’d heard in a long time. It was almost enough to make him want to smile.

It was time for Ryuichi to help him, then die.

* * *

“Put your back into it, you dogs!” Haru was in high spirits as the crew carried barrels of the product. They had swung around the back into a secret grotto underneath the island, as planned. It was a beautiful little alcove, free from any suspicious eyes.

“We have to finish unloading. There’s a fight topside, which is giving us cover. I don’t know how long they’ll keep it up. It’s already been a day.”

Koichi was more than interested. A fight? Were they underneath a battleground? Was this part of some lord’s power play while the Ryukage was missing in action?

He was more than curious about what was happening. It would take his mind off his aching body. Haru had ordered the massive barge to be emptied, and the product barrels distributed all over the cave network, which seemed to stretch on for miles. The barrels were as heavy as a pregnant oni.

Never in his life had he ever worked this hard. Ryuichi-kage had no problem keeping up with the other yōkai, loading and unloading the heavy barrels. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying it. Koichi’s back, however, would never be the same. Unlike the shadow, he was merely human—a ridiculously handsome and skilled human, but human nonetheless.

After carrying another barrel and putting it in the cavern, Koichi sat down on some rocks.

Was it comfortable? No.

But he didn’t have a lot of options.

Koichi hoped none of the yōkai would bother him or tell Haru, but he was willing to pay the price if they did. He was extremely tired. He closed his eyes to rest for a moment, his mind slowly going blank.

“Hello, Koichi.”

Koichi eye’s popped open in surprise. Haruki was standing in front of him, with her hair let down so it rested on both her shoulders.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“What does it look like? I’m taking a break.”

“That so? And what would Haru think about that?”

He stared her down. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Ever since her confession on the boat, Haruki had been acting like nothing had happened. He had to admit—her ability to slip back into her regular devious persona without her heart was impressive.