A Matter of Pride by Kaye Draper

Author:Kaye Draper [Draper, Kaye]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-07-30T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Hisashi hit the ground hard. His breath hitched as he dug his fingers into green grass and dirt. The change from indistinct gray to full color always left him feeling disoriented when his vision switched between realms.

Hanging his head, he drew in a shaky breath, glad for the afternoon sun that beat down on him, baking away the cloying feeling of chilly mist. He'd made it.

He pushed himself to his feet and stood, swaying. A part of him was anything but relieved that his panicked, last ditch effort to stay connected to this reality had actually worked. After all, it meant imprisonment. It meant leaving behind everything he cared about. But the desire to survive was just too strong.

Besides, if he went off like a bomb there in town, he would have taken the whole block with him—and that was the best-case scenario.

He pushed his hair back and to the side, running a hand over the ward on the shaved side of his head. That was what had helped him get back here. The old draw that reminded him he belonged to his clan. Even though he'd weakened the ward by altering it with his own kanji, the magic tie was still there.

He dusted off his leather jacket and jeans, reaching behind his neck to pull up the hood of his sweatshirt so it covered his hair. He didn't have to worry about glamouring himself to hide from humans. He'd landed smack-dab in the middle of clan territory. The humans here were mostly sighted and in the know. His clan kept tight control over who was allowed to come and go. They were just as rigid about that as everything else.

No, he hid his white hair and skin because in a Japanese-dominated settlement of kitsune, he always stood out like a sore thumb.

He made his way to a gravel road that led up, toward the forested hills at the base of the mountain. The scenery was beautiful here, away from the bustle of the metropolitan areas of California. He'd forgotten just how beautiful, in his rush to get away. Now, he stared up at the lush landscape and misty mountaintops that he'd never leave for the rest of his long life. He hoped like fuck it still looked as pretty to him a few hundred years from now.

His feet were heavy as he climbed the path toward slavery. What was Gesa thinking now? The big gryphon would be pissed, of that he had no doubt. She was probably cursing his name, calling him a fucking idiot. But she had the rest of her pride. She'd be okay.

And Oisin…well, the fae hardly remembered Hisashi anyway, so no loss there.

His chest ached and he swallowed hard to stop himself from crying like a damned baby. His feet scuffed over the path and he closed his eyes. He would be twenty-one years old as of tomorrow. He'd spent the last six years of his life on his own. He was done feeling like a helpless kid.

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