existence.” She keeps a sweet smile, but her words are knife-blade sharp.
“Why are you here?” Every nerve in my body feels singed. Something is really wrong.
Her smile makes me think of a nest of coiled snakes. “To get to know you better, Wren. When we discovered that Sofu sent Kaji to you, my mother decided to send me so I could learn more about you.”
“Sofu? Kaji?” It’s embarrassing that I don’t know more about my own family, but it isn’t really my fault. My father never stuck around long enough to tell me anything.
“Sofu. Our grandfather,” she says with a scowl. “And Kaji. The family’s most powerful kitsune.” I look at her blankly and she rolls her eyes. “The fox. Kaji.”
“We named her Loki,” I correct, and feel a pleasant tingle when Sakura’s perfect face goes blotchy and red.
“That isn’t her name.”
When Sakura is relaxed and in control, she looks cute, sweet, likable. But with her temper on edge, she looks like a pink-haired toddler about to lose it. For the first time since I walked into the kitchen, I feel like I might know how to get the upper hand with her.
“Well, Sofu did send her to me . So I named her.” I shrug. “Not that it matters to you anyway. I mean, she’s my pet.”
“ Pet ?” Sakura’s face is raspberry-Jello-shot red. Her eyes are beads of fury and some very unattractive spittle collects in the corners of her mouth. “Kaji is not a pet, you idiot! She possesses incredible power, probably more than—” She stops, glances at the boys staring at her with mouths hanging open. Not one except Jonas looks like he has a coherent thought in his head. I guess purple eyes and a sexy pout will do that to the developing male brain.
My cousin takes a deep breath, pops a smile back on her face, smoothes her pink hair, and forces a giggle that tricks everyone else into thinking all is right and good. “I know we just met, but you have to understand just a few teeny tiny things.”
I nod. “Okay. Because I really don’t know that much about Loki—”
“Kaji,” she snaps. “And of course you don’t know that much! You have no idea the years I’ve spent training to earn the right to have Kaji as my kitsune. I sat at Sofu’s side through so many long, boring lessons because I knew she would be my reward. But, for some reason, he sent her here.”
“I know you must be pissed about that.” Pissed doesn’t begin to describe the look that morphs her face into something resembling a freakish Halloween mask. “But I’m just as confused as you are. I have no idea why our grandpa sent Loki to me, and I’m just as curious about finding out the answers as you are.”
Her face changes again, her features smoothing like all the hostile, tight lines have melted down a little. Her voice is pure saccharine. “You are so wrong, sweetie. See, I’m not curious at all. And I’m not looking for any answers. What I want is what you have. Because it was never yours to begin with.” Her tone is all sugar and arsenic, and I feel the slow burn of its poison.
I’m not new to being rejected. I have a very long history dealing with it, actually. I’ve developed a fairly thick shell when it comes to not being the chosen one.
Or I thought I did. It’s one thing to be rejected by my parents and ignored by my family in Japan for almost two decades. It’s another entirely to have someone my own age, someone I would have thought I could trust, telling me that I’m the loser one more time.
My back goes up. My spine gets steely. “What I have was mailed across thousands of miles with my name is big black letters on the box, Sakura. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t some mix-up.” No matter what kind of trouble Loki’s given me so far, she’s mine to protect, and I will do that no matter what it takes.
“Just because our idiot grandfather gift wrapped Kaji for you doesn’t mean you deserve her.” She shrugs, her pastel hair tumbling over her shoulders. “Look,
“Why are you here?” Every nerve in my body feels singed. Something is really wrong.
Her smile makes me think of a nest of coiled snakes. “To get to know you better, Wren. When we discovered that Sofu sent Kaji to you, my mother decided to send me so I could learn more about you.”
“Sofu? Kaji?” It’s embarrassing that I don’t know more about my own family, but it isn’t really my fault. My father never stuck around long enough to tell me anything.
“Sofu. Our grandfather,” she says with a scowl. “And Kaji. The family’s most powerful kitsune.” I look at her blankly and she rolls her eyes. “The fox. Kaji.”
“We named her Loki,” I correct, and feel a pleasant tingle when Sakura’s perfect face goes blotchy and red.
“That isn’t her name.”
When Sakura is relaxed and in control, she looks cute, sweet, likable. But with her temper on edge, she looks like a pink-haired toddler about to lose it. For the first time since I walked into the kitchen, I feel like I might know how to get the upper hand with her.
“Well, Sofu did send her to me . So I named her.” I shrug. “Not that it matters to you anyway. I mean, she’s my pet.”
“ Pet ?” Sakura’s face is raspberry-Jello-shot red. Her eyes are beads of fury and some very unattractive spittle collects in the corners of her mouth. “Kaji is not a pet, you idiot! She possesses incredible power, probably more than—” She stops, glances at the boys staring at her with mouths hanging open. Not one except Jonas looks like he has a coherent thought in his head. I guess purple eyes and a sexy pout will do that to the developing male brain.
My cousin takes a deep breath, pops a smile back on her face, smoothes her pink hair, and forces a giggle that tricks everyone else into thinking all is right and good. “I know we just met, but you have to understand just a few teeny tiny things.”
I nod. “Okay. Because I really don’t know that much about Loki—”
“Kaji,” she snaps. “And of course you don’t know that much! You have no idea the years I’ve spent training to earn the right to have Kaji as my kitsune. I sat at Sofu’s side through so many long, boring lessons because I knew she would be my reward. But, for some reason, he sent her here.”
“I know you must be pissed about that.” Pissed doesn’t begin to describe the look that morphs her face into something resembling a freakish Halloween mask. “But I’m just as confused as you are. I have no idea why our grandpa sent Loki to me, and I’m just as curious about finding out the answers as you are.”
Her face changes again, her features smoothing like all the hostile, tight lines have melted down a little. Her voice is pure saccharine. “You are so wrong, sweetie. See, I’m not curious at all. And I’m not looking for any answers. What I want is what you have. Because it was never yours to begin with.” Her tone is all sugar and arsenic, and I feel the slow burn of its poison.
I’m not new to being rejected. I have a very long history dealing with it, actually. I’ve developed a fairly thick shell when it comes to not being the chosen one.
Or I thought I did. It’s one thing to be rejected by my parents and ignored by my family in Japan for almost two decades. It’s another entirely to have someone my own age, someone I would have thought I could trust, telling me that I’m the loser one more time.
My back goes up. My spine gets steely. “What I have was mailed across thousands of miles with my name is big black letters on the box, Sakura. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t some mix-up.” No matter what kind of trouble Loki’s given me so far, she’s mine to protect, and I will do that no matter what it takes.
“Just because our idiot grandfather gift wrapped Kaji for you doesn’t mean you deserve her.” She shrugs, her pastel hair tumbling over her shoulders. “Look,
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