I find myself unexpectedly touched by his and Alaric’s concern for me. I step back, hugging Dragon closer.
“I kind of feel like you’re playing a part in my capture,” I mumble to Caspian as I pass Dragon over to him. “At any rate, keep him warm for me or I will kill you, if and when I get back.”
He huffs and sets down his book. “I know how to keep a dragon warm.”
Dragon curls around the back of Caspian’s neck, his long tail hanging over his shoulder.
“Just be sure not to leave him,” I say.
Alaric chuckles behind us. “Aww, it’s like you’re raising cubs together.”
Caspian grabs his book and tosses it at the Rivermare’s head. “Shut it!”
“Now, now. No violence in front of the children,” Alaric warns, just narrowly avoiding the book with a swift duck of his huge body.
I leave them bickering while I pack a bag for the night. He mentioned I should bring swimwear. Where could he possibly take me that I’d need to wear a swimming costume? It suddenly dawns on me that I don’t even have one. It’s not like my mum thought to pack mine before I ran for my life. My underwear will have to do. I grab a fresh bra and matching pants, shove them into my backpack, pull on my boots, and head back into the living room.
The sight of Alaric and Caspian laughing together takes me by surprise. Not long ago, Alaric knocked him out because he was being so adorably protective over me. Now he’s tolerating Alaric’s presence just like he would any other hunter. I mean, at the end of the day, Alaric did save my life. And as much as that doubt frustrates my partner, I think Caspian is secretly glad I’m still alive.
“Ready?” Alaric’s voice jolts me from my reverie.
“Yeah. Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
I’d be an idiot if I said the thought of being alone with him doesn’t make me nervous. But it also rouses excitement within me. There’s something about Alaric that I like as much as I dislike. His presence alone excites me.
“No.” He opens the front door with a slam of his hand and a grin. “After you, my lady. Beauty before age.”
“More like brains before beauty,” I tease.
To my delight, the wolf laughs, the sound deep and throaty. “Tonight’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Strangely, I believe him.
“Look after the fur babies,” I call out to Caspian and I make my way to the door.
Knight jumps up from behind the sofa. “I beg your pardon! I am a knight, and knights do not have fur. Nor do dragons. They have scales. In this instance, they have gold scales. Not fur, you imbecile.”
I shake my head around a smile and follow Alaric out of the room. “Can I still call them fur babies if they don’t have any fur?”
He gives another chuckle. “Honestly? I’ve got no fucking idea what you’re talking about.”
Cherry blossom leaves flutter around me on the other side of the portal. I shield my gaze from the blindness of the setting sun on the horizon, and my breath hitches. Luscious green trees stretch for miles beneath the auburn sky, broken up by rivulets and creeks that run towards the cliff I’m standing on. Behind me, a vermillion temple stands proudly with Japanese Kanji written above the entrance.
“Japan?” I say, turning to Alaric. “Why Japan?”
He nods and hoists my backpack farther up his shoulder. “Figured you could do with some TLC.”
He makes towards the entrance, and I follow suit, only the sounds of birds chirping to punctuate the surprisingly comfortable silence.
“I tend to come here when I have too much on my mind. Helps me forget. There’s something sacred about this onsen that just… washes everything away.”
Of course the Rivermare wolf is taking me somewhere with water.
I stay silent for a moment, studying him through hooded lids. This is a much different side to the Alaric who blackmailed me into becoming his friend.
“If you’d told me that trips to Japan were included in our deal, I wouldn’t have been so reluctant in the beginning.”
Alaric chuckles at that. “Aye, I suppose I didn’t go about our friendship the right way.”
“You went about it the completely wrong way,” I counter, following him into the temple.
“True, true. But I did save your life. That’s gotta count for something.”
My playful reply dies on my lips when I see the interior of the temple. It’s more breathtaking inside than it is outside. Everything’s wooden, and the walls are covered in scrolls containing beautiful scenery. A cherry blossom mural hangs beside the reception desk.
“Kon’nichiwa.” Alaric bows to the male host, another Rivermare shifter, then continues to speak in Japanese.
I can’t make anything out, which makes me a little nervous as I wait for them to finish their conversation.
Alaric turns to me with that same carefree smile of his. “Everything’s in order. The host will show us to our rooms.”
The plural of ‘rooms’ eases my trepidation. Although, a small part of me is a little disappointed. What did I think would happen? That we’d share a room together? I hardly know the wolf, for goodness sake.
The host guides us through the back of the temple-styled onsen. Alaric is taken to his room first; he removes his shoes before entering. Next door to him, I take mine off and step over the threshold. Inside the warm, cosy room is a large double futon draped over the beige Tatami matts. There’s also a dresser, coffee table, and a luxurious en suite towards the back. The sliding walls and doors are covered in thin, white paper. Everything is minimalistic but clearly very expensive. I sure hope Alaric doesn’t ask me to pay the bill, I think with a
