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Kimiko overslept.

She swung her feet to the floor and considered the cluttered hush of her room, trying to remember why this was significant. Books were strewn everywhere. Oh, yes. Isla had been reading to her long into the night. Because Kimiko couldn’t sleep. Recollection crashed into her, refreshing her half-forgotten jitters, just as a tap sounded on her window.

Was that what woke her?

Noting Isla’s absence as she shuffled to the window, Kimiko drew aside the curtain, squinting into the midmorning brightness. Akira grinned and waved, gesturing for her to open the window. He looked totally at ease with both the height and the cradling hold of his nestmate.

Kimiko opened the window and was immediately assailed by noise.

Two vans were being unloaded near the base of Kusunoki, where a graceful canopy had been erected. Banners fluttered on stands—Kikusawa’s red chrysanthemums alongside the celestial copper of the Starmark crest. Furs and heaters. Tea urns and tapestry rugs. Everything you’d expect for an extravagant human wedding. Only this ceremony would be Amaranthine. And it was hers.

“How did I sleep through this?” She pulled Suuzu and Akira in out of the cold.

“A barrier,” said Suuzu.

Kimiko leaned out, trying to get a sense of what had changed. Something was definitely there, but it didn’t feel like the crystal-based warding Isla’s father had used along the boundaries. With a long last look at the box-laden people hurrying back and forth along their front walk, Kimiko shut out the cold. Immediately, the hubbub outside her room vanished. “Did Lord Mettlebright do something?”

Suuzu hummed. “No, this barrier has a wolvish feel to it. Several trackers arrived during the night. One of them must be responsible.”

“Very considerate,” she murmured. Maybe Dickon would know which of the wolves had gone above and beyond by protecting her sleep. “But why are you guys here? You’re late for school.”

Akira beamed. “Special permission to skip. Argent said so, and nobody argues with Lord Mettlebright.”

Suuzu said, “I will remain by your side throughout the day, as your go-between.”

With a sharp elbow to the phoenix’s ribs, Akira added, “And as your friend.”

“Hmm.”

Any doubt on that score vanished when Suuzu frowned and reached for Kimiko’s hair. Glad of their presence, she bowed her head and submitted to a little friendly preening.
 

Akira spent the rest of the morning pitching in where he could, with regular pauses to take pictures with his phone. The shrine had plenty of interesting nooks and niches. He’d just zoomed in on a squat jar with a long neck that looked to have been carved from crystal when he received a heavy rap on the head.

“Security breech located,” drawled a vaguely familiar wolf clansman with bandages everywhere. “No pictures, Akira.”

This guy knew his name? Akira checked the three crests on his armband, the first of which designated him as an Elderbough. “Boon?”

“You know it!”

He’d only seen this son of Adoona-soh’s once before, at a whelping feast for the child of her eldest, Naroo-soh. Gingko had introduced Akira to more wolves than he could hope to remember, but Boon stood out. Not so much because of his carefree manner, though he seemed like a friendly guy. But Suuzu had kept a wary eye on the wolf all through the festivities.

Boon bent until they were closer to the same level. “Seriously, kid. Today’s doings need to stay under wraps. Let Eloquence and his lady have some scrap of privacy.”

Akira extended his phone. “Sis was feeling left out.”

The wolf snatched it out of his grasp, scanned the exchange, then pulled Akira into a headlock before taking a selfie. With surprising delicacy, he tapped out a message, adding a full range of emotes. “Not every day I get to scold a beacon.”

“Not many to scold.” Akira checked to see what Boon was saying to his sister. “So how’d you get hurt?”

Boon scratched absently at the edge of gauzy wrappings. “Nothing to worry about.”

Akira guessed Boon had been part of the rescue effort. “Would you happen know anything about Suuzu’s brother and … and his partner?”

The wolf’s yellow eyes narrowed, and he delivered another smart knock to the top of Akira’s head. “You really are a security breech.”

“Not for knowing stuff,” protested Akira. “Only if I tell what I know to someone I shouldn’t.”

Boon was back in his face. “And what makes you think I know Juuyu and Sinder?”

“I knew you knew! Is Sinder okay?”

“Patched up and perky as ever.”

Jigsaw details slid neatly together. Sinder had said he was part of an elite taskforce, and Juuyu had mentioned in passing that a wolf had helped him create his necklace. “Are you one of Juuyu’s teammates?”

“Here’s the thing, kid. I am not a security breech.” Boon deposited the phone in Akira’s coat pocket. “The less said, the better. Savvy?”

With exaggerated solemnity, Akira said, “Your secret’s safe with me.”

That earned him another rap on the noggin, but it was light enough to count as affectionate.

Another possibility occurred to Akira. “Are you the one who added a barrier to Kimi’s room?”

“What’s it to you?”

Akira carefully adjusted his posture, trying for gratitude. “Kimi was glad. You did good.”

“Look at you, flashing etiquette. Seems they teach something useful in that school.” Boon gently adjusted the set of Akira’s shoulders. “You totally have an avian accent, though.”

Was that possible? He’d been living with a phoenix for a long time, but he’d never taken any notice of what Amaranthine didn’t say until Kimi brought it to his attention.

Boon chuckled.

“You made that up!”

“Nah. That joke’s older than tides.”

An idea sparked, and Akira considered the impulse to trust. He needed a little help, a little advice, but he hadn’t really decided who was close enough to trust, but distant enough to make secrets possible. He slowly reached out and touched the wolf’s wrist. “Can I ask about something kind of personal?”

Boon immediately lowered himself to the floor. “Anything you need, little bro.”

He laughed. “Gingko calls Kyrie that—little bro.”

“Probably because I’ve been calling him that since he found his way into our pack.” Boon’s big hand closed around Akira’s wrist. “He was as scrawny as you back then. And just as determined to be a security breech.”

“Really?”

Boon made him sit and draped a companionable arm around his shoulders. “Haven’t you ever seen him with Kel? Those two were close as two moonbeams. Couldn’t train, tussle, or nestle the one without the other, so they got a double dose.”

Best friends. “Like me and Suuzu?”

“Couldn’t say for sure. Juuyu’s not exactly chatty.” Boon made a show of sniffing his hair. “But you smell enough of feathers and fraternity to convince me.”

“Do you know about Juuyu’s necklace?” he asked softly.

“His nest.”

Akira was more than a little relieved. Boon knew, which meant he could help. “Did you help make it?”

“Not so much. My partner is the thoughtful one. It was his idea.”

“Oh.”

“That’s not to say I don’t know what’s what.” Boon pulled up the leg of his jeans, revealing his ankle accessories—colored cords, complex knots, and beads carved from different types of crystal. “Learning to make them is part of our lore. Comes standard for every whelp and weanling.”

“Is it hard?”

“Want to learn?”

Akira nodded. “Suuzu needs one, and I wasn’t sure where to start. I mean, how do you find nice enough things? And how do you make sure nothing falls off?”

“You’re in luck, little bro. First step is confiding in a packmate of superior years and skills—me.” Boon touched his bandages and grimaced. “Boss wants me in reserve until I heal up a bit, so I have time on my hands.”

“Are you sure?”

“Better than sure. I’m prepared.” So saying, Boon slipped the tip of a claw into one of the complex knots and coaxed it loose. He unwound a glossy black cord that had been wrapped three times around his ankle. Its only ornamentation was a small chunk of orange crystal with a hole bored through its center, affixed at the midpoint by two ornamental knots. The wolf said, “It’s braided from Juuyu’s hair. That’s why it’s so long.”

Akira took a longer look at Boon’s ankle and easily picked out a looping braid that stood out from the rest. Springtime green against Boon’s tanned skin.

With a snort, the wolf slid the cuff down to hide the rest. 

“That’ll do for the foundation of the nest you want to build with Suuzu. He’ll like having a token of his brother. And the tuning means he’ll always know what direction Juuyu’s in.”

Tuned crystals. Akira rubbed the pad of his thumb over the stone’s rough edge, but all he could feel was its weight. To him, it was just a pretty rock.

Boon said, “Juuyu is important to Suuzu, which makes a gift like this the right kind of shiny. But before handing it over, you should add something of your own.”

Akira smiled crookedly. “My hair’s too short.”

“Go with a crystal, then.” Boon smirked. “Don’t suppose you know anyone with a knack for tuning the things.”

“Michael.”

“High end. You have good taste. Wheedle a pretty rock out of him, and I’ll make it secure.”

“What about the other things?” Akira let the silky length of hair slip between his fingers. “Juuyu had way more than two items.”

“Probably took him years to collect them all.” Boon shrugged. “You in a hurry?”

Akira wrestled with a sense of urgency. “I’m human.”

“I noticed.”

“Just an ordinary human.”

Boon’s gaze softened. “I get it kid. Okay. I never did get a good look at Juuyu’s nest. Can you tell me anything about his treasures without getting too personal?”

“A nest is home, so they were reminders of home—stars, scents, seas, songs. And there was something blue to remind him of the sky.”

The wolf smiled. “It would be blue skies. Rainy days put him in a mood. Right. There’s your mission right there. Bring me either the tuned crystal or something blue, and you’ll have yourself a good start.”

Akira gave back the crystal on its cord.

Boon didn’t keep it. Knotting the ends, he settled it around Akira’s neck. “Wash this next time you bathe. Birds are less fussy about scent than wolves, but your nestmate won’t like it if you seem to be treasuring something of mine. Wear it close to your skin. Make it yours before you give it to him.”

Tucking the strand under his shirt, Akira said, “Thanks, Boon. Really. I owe you one.”

“It’s all good, Akira.” Boon didn’t quite meet his eyes. “We’ll settle up some other time.”
 

Kimiko eased away from Hisoka-sensei’s entourage of experts and ducked into the kitchen, only to find Dickon Denholme already there, resplendent in traditional attire. “Very dashing!” she said approvingly. “Noriko, they’re ready for you upstairs.”

Her older sister set tea and a selection of snacks on the table. “That’s an interesting choice, Kimiko. Has Mama seen you?”

She shook her head. “The Amaranthine in charge of wardrobe are keeping her occupied. She’s eating up all their fuss and flattery.” A veritable flock of avians had arrived earlier, toting boxes, chests, and trunks from which spilled a fortune in silk. “Don’t you just love peacocks?”

“I thought they were pheasants,” Noriko murmured, half to herself.

Dickon gazed at them over the rim of his tea cup. “I know the flamingo.”

Kimiko shooed her sister toward the door. “Go and be preened, then come back down to show off for us. We’ll repay you for your snacks with increasingly outrageous compliments.”

“Don’t be silly.”

“I expect to see you in at least three empress-level designs,” insisted Kimiko. “Indulge me!”

Noriko hung up her apron and departed with her head held high … and cheeks pink.

Interesting.

Kimiko studied her companion, whose gaze was firmly fixed on his tea.

Doubly interesting.

She cheerfully said, “Hisoka-sensei thinks of everything.”

“His attention to detail is … admirable.”

“I’m not sure I like all the subtleties. Quen’s straightforwardness is more to my taste.”

He smiled faintly. “Then you have made a good match.”

“May I ask an impertinent question?”

“Yes.”

“Where do you rank?”

Dark eyes lifted. “Seventeenth.”

She didn’t even try to hide her astonishment. “In which class? Battler?”

“Overall.” After a lengthy silence, he quietly added, “My father is the beacon of Wardenclave.”

Kimiko gasped, “How are you here?”

“I have always been attached to the Starmark clan. Six months ago, when my debt to Glint was satisfied, Harmonious offered Rein and me a place. I wanted to settle down. Hisoka found out.”

“Reaver Denholme, are you joining our family?” Kimiko playfully added, “For the ceremony, I mean?”

“Added security.” He inclined his head. “You understand.”