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The crows descended with a cacophony of cawing. That noise changed to short, sharp cries so aggressive, I flinched from the sound.
They fluttered around me, swooping at the goon holding me. He let me go, trying to fight them off but there were too many. They came at him from all directions, pecking and thwacking.
He yelled and cried out but I stood back and watched. Soon, blood run down his face. Those crows weren’t playing around.
I wanted to run but this was no time for running. I needed to stand my ground.
“You will not destroy Yuki’s star ball or any other part of her,” I told Yamaguchi. “You’ll let her free.”
He laughed. This time I didn’t let that hideous laugh overwhelm me, though. I put my hands on my hips and looked him square in the eyes.
“Laugh all you like, old man. I’m not your bitch. I’m a God.”
The old man cackled and threw something at the goons. As a cloud of orange smoke plumed around them, the crows rose into the air. Damn it. They were my crows and he had no business attacking them like that.
The goon came at me. I widened my stance and stared him down. That goon wouldn’t put his hands on me again.
I had no idea what I could do. No weapons, no powers except crows that had been rendered useless. All I knew is that I wanted the power. I wanted him to be afraid of me, very afraid.
A wind whipped around me, stirring the branches on the trees overhead. The crows cawed and even the drumming from the festival seemed to recede.
My stomach churned but in a whole different way than it had earlier. Something rose inside me and my body quivered. It seemed like my skin became too small for this power I felt.
The crows cawed but stayed on the branches of the trees above. The air crackled around me, shimmering in a strange way.
“You can do this,” a voice said, resonating in my head.
Hell yeah, I could. I didn’t need the kami to tell me that.
I rose my hand toward the goon. It didn’t glow like Jin’s had but it shimmered. I was a god. I had no idea what that meant and no idea what I could do but a meat mountain like that guy wouldn’t control me.
Those intentions seemed to shoot from me.
The goon stumbled backwards, even the crows retreated. Then the goon covered his face, blocking his eyes from my stare.
“Get her,” Yamaguchi cried.
The goon sunk to his haunches and quivered. “I can’t.”
“Get up,” Yamaguchi yelled but the goon stayed down. He turned to the goon holding Yuki but that guy shook his head as well.
The two of them trembled to look at me. I had this. I really had this. Deep inside, I knew this was something I’d been capable of all along if only I hadn’t been too scared to access it.
I turned on the other goon, the one holding Yuki.
“Let her go,” I said.
Yuki had become even more fox-like and the goon had her around the neck.
The goon let go of Yuki and ran. I wanted to laugh but I turned to face Yamaguchi.
“Nani? What?” he said.
Yuki sunk to the ground, still fox-like. Shun ran to pick her up.
I tried the staring thing with Yamaguchi but it didn’t seem to take hold. I screwed up my face, pushing harder but it was useless. He had something around him the fear couldn’t penetrate. A protection or something.
“His protection can only last so long,” the kami told me. “You can break through it.”
I slowly smiled. “I’ve got you,” I said.
“You have powers but remember, I have the kitsune’s life force.” He held up something that glowed like a star. “I can destroy her at any time.”
Shit, yeah, I hadn’t considered that. With the goons powerless, we could leave at any time but that did nothing to save Yuki.
“I warned you,” Jin said. “I told you you’d gotten yourself on Yamaguchi-san’s bad side.” But he stood behind Yamaguchi like a scared little kid hiding in his mother’s skirts.
“You betrayed me, the three of you. You thought you could fool me with a simple trick? I can’t let that go unpunished. If word got out, people would think I’d turned soft. You need to pay.”
“What do you want?” I asked.
That cold gaze of his still scared me. He might not have powers of his own but he had no mercy and no compassion.
“I want you, little god,” he said.
That sounded so creepy and wrong, I shuddered. Did he mean he wanted to kill me or inappropriately touch me? Saving Yuki’s life force was all strong and noble of me but there was a line I wouldn’t cross.
I smiled at Yuki and shook my head. “Not going to happen. Soz, Yuki, not going to die for you.”
“I want you to work for me,” Yamaguchi said. “One year, fully paid. In return, the kitsune remains safe. You stay in the apartment and get paid fifty thousand yen a month. I’ll send you a contract and sort out your visa. And, at the end of it, I find your precious stone.”
Before I could answer, Shun grabbed my arm.
“Don’t agree,” he said. “Don’t you dare agree. He’s never going to let you go.”
I shook myself free. I couldn’t not agree. Didn’t Shun know that? One year wouldn’t be so bad.
“One year,” I said. “I’m free to go at the end of it. No tricks, no loopholes. I won’t do anything illegal. And Yuki gets her star ball back at the end of it.”
“He’ll never agree to that,” Shun muttered.
I ignored him and stared at Yamaguchi.
“Agreed.” But the creepy grin on Yamaguchi’s face almost made me regret my decision.