AllFreeNovel
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I find a motel not too far from the facility and hand over enough cash for the night. As soon as I’m behind the closed door, Kohaku appears in front of me, making me squeak in alarm. But in the next instant, his arms are around me, holding me tight to his chest as I breathe in his Christmas scent. His nose buries in my hair and he sighs. “I’ve been wanting to do this since you first walked into that building, little warrior. Are you alright?”
My arms wind around his waist and I sink into his embrace, letting a few tears fill my eyes and fall. “No,” I whimper against his black t-shirt. “No, I’m not okay.”
He doesn’t say anything to try to make me feel better, no words of encouragement or affirmations meant to soothe me. He just holds me, his hands stroking over my back and shoulders, up my neck and into my hair, until I relax entirely against him, and my tears stop falling.
He pulls back and smooths a hand over the side of my head. “I’ll get you something to eat. You should take a shower and try to get some rest. You’re hardly slept for the last few days.”
He’s not wrong. Ever since we left Cohen’s house, I’ve been a ball of wired anxious energy, not able to drift off for more than a few hours, even on the plane. It was hard when I was on the move to relax. Kohaku was with me for most of the trip, sure, but I wouldn’t expect him to remain alert while I just drifted off. We both needed to keep an eye out for witch hunters and coven members alike to make sure I’m safe.
I open my mouth to argue, but he placing one long clawed finger against my lips. “You’ve done such a good job of taking care of yourself for the last few days, little warrior. But I can do it now. Please, let me.”
I swallow my protests and nod. “Okay, thank you, Kohaku. I appreciate it.” I press up on my toes and brush a kiss over his cheek and then down to his mouth. He doesn’t let me take it any deeper than a brief kiss before he’s gently pushing me away and toward the bathroom. “Shower, pajamas, rest.”
He swipes the keys for the car out of my hand and leaves.
Exhaustion drags at me, but I force myself to pull my bathing things from my bag, along with a pair of clean pajamas, and head to the bathroom.
As I wash, the thoughts I’ve been trying to keep at bay beat at me, forcing their way into my head, making me acknowledge them.
For the first time since I left, I’m not moving. I’m static, and I don’t have the option of leaving, not until I talk to my father. I know that means that the guys will track me down via that map spell Ezra likes. Or, hell, maybe Cohen has something that will work faster than that one. Maybe my leaving will be enough to get them to actually work together, but the chances of that are slim to none.
Not if the way they’d snarled at each other before Kohaku helped me disappear was any sign.
So now it’s likely just a race to see who can get to me first.
Probably Cohen, if he can open a portal all the way here. But I don’t think he can create one that will take him across the country. No, it’s more likely that he’d need to do a few jumps in order to get to me.
If they’ve been tracking my progress, then Fielder probably already knows where I’m heading. He was the first to know who my father is and what happened between us. He probably already knew where he was being held.
So they could really show up at any minute.
The thought is both worrying and welcoming. I miss them. All five of those assholes. Even though I made the choice to leave them, even though I know they wanted to keep me with them. I can’t go back to that. To them fighting over me, to them not listening to what I want and need. I can’t do that. Irefuseto do that.
If they want me back, they’ll have to figure out a way for them to be okay with sharing me. I don’t want to pick between them. I won’t do it.
I wish they could understand.
But I have no clue how to explain it better to them. I’ve already tried.
Sighing, I flip off the water and climb out of the shower, wrapping a towel around me.
I know I’m on borrowed time. At some point, they’ll show up. I have to be ready when that happens. I have to be strong and stand by my decision to leave them. That’s going to be really fucking difficult, seeing as I already had one breakdown just from the idea of seeing my father, from just the being in the same damn building as him.
If they show up tomorrow, I will probably be a wreck and might forgive them everything, so long as they just hold me.
And man, I don’t want that. Not until we have a genuine conversation where they actuallylistento me.
I hear the door to the room open and close, and the sound of Kohaku shuffling around, his footsteps moving closer, until they pause just outside the bathroom door. “I brought food whenever you’re ready, little warrior,” he murmurs through the door.
“Thank you,” I call back, running a comb through my wet hair. I really should take the time to blow dry it or put it in braids, but my stomach is practically gnawing at itself, so I leave it as is, and hurriedly dry off my body and tug on my shorts and tank top.
The smell of burgers and fries hits my nose as soon as I open the door and my stomach lets out an eager grumble, making my cheeks flush and Kohaku chuckle. He’s sitting at the small table, food spread out, definitely more than I can eat, and I briefly wonder if he’s going to eat too. Do demons need to eat? Do kitsune? How much of what he does now is because of what he was originally? And how much is because of what form I chose for him?
I have so many questions about him, about what he does and who he is and who he was. I want to know all of it.
His warm orange eyes run over me from head to toe, lingering on the swell of my hip and my bare thighs. He is definitely an ass and legs guy. Not that he didn’t look at my tits too, but the way he studies my legs as I move closer to him? Yeah, he’s a leg guy.
I plop into the chair access from him and ignore the ache pounding at my core in favor of appeasing my loudly growling stomach. “Did you buy the entire menu?”
