Page 54

Then the mist in front of my eyes thickened, and the path changed. The stone steps transformed from old to brand new with no moss or cracks. The cedar forest went from full to mainly saplings. Each was as thin as my wrist.

And it was no longer night.

It was day.

What’s happening? Why do I see this. . .vision?

And then a young fox spirit raced down the path.

Is that Yoichi?

His kitsune form was as small as a fox, yet he had these oversized paws and ears that were absolutely too large for his head. One furry little tail streamed behind him.

Going about his day, he slipped on the wet steps, rolled, fell on his little bottom, then sprang back up, and glanced around like he hoped nobody had seen.

To his right. . .a human kneeled at the altar and whispered. Suddenly, that prayer floated from the altar.

Yoichi’s kitsune froze. His ears swiveled. Fast, he ran up the steps and leapt into the air.

Once he grabbed the prayer, he disappeared.

The vision left me.

I blinked. “Oh my God.”

Yoichi had stopped us from moving forward and simply peered down at me.

“I-I. . .saw you. . .”

“A vision?”

“Yes.”

“As fated mates. . .we will see each other’s past at times.”

“You were an adorable little kitsune.”

“Never.” He frowned as if embarrassed at being cute long ago. “I was always a fierce kitsune.”

Still I couldn’t wrap my mind around how amazing the idea of a kitsune was. How many times had he done that in a hundred years? Grabbing the wishes of so many humans.

A grieving mother.

A frightened child.

A man heading to war.

Each prayer rippling through him like a bell struck in his chest.

I blinked, and the saplings became giants again. Moss crept back over the stones. The mist thinned.

My heart pounded. I hadn't summoned that vision, lit a candle, or even read a bone. Yet, the vision poured into me anyway.

Yoichi’s gaze dropped to the black heart on my chest, then to the bandage on my palm. "Our bond is opening faster than I thought it would."

"Is that normal?"

"Nothing about you and me will be normal, little witch." He lifted his view back to my face. "What did you see?"