Taming the Storm (Crimson Storm Chronicles Book 1) by Yumoyori Wilson (17)

"Crimson, you have to eat."

I continued working on the next commission from a client named J.H. He was another long-term patron who'd been buying my work for years. The piece they requested was a little girl holding a baby Kitsune in her arms. It was a simple project, but it seemed to take hours for me to get inspiration.

"Crimson."

I blinked out of my daze at Yoshi's stern tone. I looked up at his displeased look, but then returned back to my work.

"Where's Aki? He'd convince her to eat," Malachi sighed.

"Can't always rely on him and he's out," Itsuki pointed out.

They continued talking, but I tuned them out in an attempt to return to my art. The last three days I'd been a mess and I didn't want to linger on the pain that vibrated through my hollow heart.

"Crimstorm."

I looked to my left to see Haru sitting right next to me with a spoon in his hand. I glanced at the steamy spoonful of tomato parmesan soup. My stomach growled at the sweet aroma of tomato basil mixed with the scent of cheese. I glanced back at my work, pondering whether I should pause to eat.

After having some green tea ice cream the night James broke up with me, I had barely eaten. I slept the first day away next to Urufu and the others would rotate between watching me and holding me when I cried for no reason at all.

Apparently at one point I had cried because the sky was blue, but I couldn't remember that part. The second day, I tried to get back into my usual routine, but it was hard. Just walking out of my room and seeing the vacant room across from mine that was once James’ made tears well in my eyes.

Today was the third day and it was a little better, but the guys were struggling to get me to eat. I'd already noticed the dramatic difference from how loose my pants were this morning. I didn't know I could drop eight pounds in three days and as awesome as it sounded, my curves would go downhill if I didn't gain the weight back soon.

Aki was the only one who, after numerous attempts by the others, was able to get a few spoonfuls of anything in me. I don't get why, but after finding out he was a Kitsune, I felt calmer in his presence and didn't want to disappoint him. The thought was weird and even with my clouded logic, I knew it didn't make much sense, but I guess everyone did strange things after breakups.

I continued to look back and forth from the spoon to my current project. If I stopped completely to eat, I wouldn't be able to get back into the groove once I was done. Haru gave me a slight smile.

"I'll feed you. Just concentrate on your work," he offered.

I looked into his mismatched eyes that held not a hint of pity. He genuinely wanted to feed me and let me continue doing my work. I nodded slowly, opening my mouth to accept the offering of food. The soup was at the perfect temperature, not too hot or cold. After savoring the bite, I returned to my work, making small paint strokes before moving my head back for another spoonful delivered to me by Haru.

Spoonful. Sketch. Spoonful. Sketch. I opened my mouth for another, but Haru chuckled.

"Sorry Crim, it's empty."

I pulled my eyes from the canvas to pout, looking down at the empty bowl that was once filled with that amazing tasting soup. I heard Itsuki sigh.

"Pass the bowl. We have more," Itsuki announced.

A small smile tugged at my lips at the mention of more food. I still felt like I hadn't eaten in years and it was nice that I didn't have to stop my work. I looked back at the half-finished piece, but then realized I hadn’t said thank you to any of them. I knew they had assisted me with everything down to Quil helping me bathe which wasn't even embarrassing anymore.

"Arigato," I whispered. The sound was so low I didn't know if any of them heard it.

"You’re welcome, Crim," I heard Quil reply.

I glanced up to see him standing between Itsuki, who had returned with a fresh bowl of steamy soup, and Malachi; all three of them had big grins on their faces. I turned my gaze to Haru who also looked pleased, smiling broadly.

"Good job, Crim. Just go back to work. There’s no need to thank us," Haru said in a gentle tone.

I nodded, focusing again on my work.

When the scent of the soup hit my nose once more, I smiled, peeking at Haru who held another spoonful of soup ready for me to slurp away. I finished the second bowl and finally felt somewhat satisfied. Haru sat next to me, watching me paint while I zoned in and out of Itsuki, Malachi and Quil's conversation.

"Yoshi's not having any luck, is he?" Quil groaned.

"Nope. The only witnesses who potentially know what occurred are female and they've been doing their best to stay far away from anyone. There was another murder two days ago and now everyone is being extra cautious," Malachi explained.

"Has the Emperor been notified?" Itsuki questioned.

"Yes, Yoshi informed him today. He and Aki are looking into the recent murder to see if they’re connected in some way. All we know is that the majority of evidence points to N.R.O. but they're slippery. We have to try and track down the sources that are supporting them," Quil answered.

"Which we all can agree is someone on the Council." Malachi looked irritated.

"Why can't you guys get a new Council?' I mumbled. I didn't take my eyes off my work and continued to paint away, but I felt their stares.

"It's not that simple. Nokamato bases their rules on old culture. Not all cities of Homatomashi agreed to the transfer of the new legal system. The Emperor is in the works of making it a mandatory change instead of a voluntary one," Itsuki explained.

"But that takes months and we don't have time for that. We need to find who in the Council is involved. At least if we can find the culprit and have evidence, we may get the support of other countries surrounding Homatomashi in applying the new laws," Quil considered.

"Does it have to be evidence regarding Storm's murder or will anything work?" I asked.

"Anything. He can be caught walking on private property and the Emperor can question him and get his people inside the shrine to learn what's going on. All Council meetings as of late occur in your home, Crim," Malachi admitted.

"Is that what I interrupted when I had my little Crimstorm flare up?" I wondered.

Haru nodded. "I believe you ruined their party. They're still getting the windows fixed."

"Oops." I shrugged sarcastically.

The guys all grinned.

"You almost done, Crim?" Malachi inquired.

I looked down at the image, taking a quick minute to think over how long it would take me to complete it.

"About an hour and a half left. Once it's dry I can add the finishing touches," I replied.

"You want to go out for a run? It's Sunday so it shouldn't be crowded on the trails," he suggested.

"I'll come," Haru announced, giving me an encouraging grin.

"Um... I guess," I replied hesitantly. It did sound like a nice idea to get out of the house. Not to mention my muscles ached which I figured was due to lack of exercise.

"You don't have to if you’re not up for it, Crim," Itsuki reassured me.

"You can stay home and continue painting. Whatever you want to do," Quil added.

"No...I don't mind going out. Maybe we can go now?" I asked.

"If you like," Malachi agreed.

"Okay. Let's go for a run." I gave him a thumbs up.

"Itsuki and I will stay here. I'll help cook dinner," Quil announced.

"More like he'll help burn Crim's house down," Itsuki mumbled.

"You need more confidence in me, my friend," Quil whined.

"Confidence in you burning the house down? Yes, I have one thousand percent confidence in that," Itsuki teased.

I snickered at their exchange. "Quil you suck at cooking," I pointed out.

He smirked, then got up and walked over to me. He bent down and placed a soft kiss on my forehead. "I know. I just wanted to hear you laugh again," he whispered.

I blushed, looking over at the others who nodded in agreement. "Thanks for everything, guys. I'm sorry if I've been such a burden." I would have to remember to apologize to Yoshi and Aki too.

"Never a burden," Itsuki assured.

"That’s why we're here," Malachi said proudly.

"It's our responsibility and our pleasure, Crim," Haru soothed.

"And seeing you healing brings us comfort that you'll get through this," Quil acknowledged.

I nodded, rising to my feet and placing the half-finished art on the easel.

Yes. I would get through this thanks to their comforting love.

"C'mon, Crim and Haru! You have to try and catch up," Malachi called out.

I rolled my eyes, glancing over at Haru whose face was red; he looked like he'd pass out any minute from exhaustion.

"We can take a break," I offered.

He shook his head. "Ne...ver!" he panted and began running faster to try and catch up to Malachi.

I smiled and shook my head at Haru's determination. He hated running, yet he always came along. I had to admit he was getting faster and his endurance had improved significantly. I was happy to have two running mates with me and the nice cool air was exactly what I needed today.

I hadn't realized how cooped up I was until I stepped outside and took a deep breath of fresh air. Running had always been a good therapy of mine, and today's run was doing its job in helping me return back to normal.

"Hottie! Move that booty," Malachi called out teasingly.

I rolled my eyes and readied to sprint when all of a sudden I felt dizzy. Huh? I came to a stop, waiting for the spinning sensation to pass. I normally only experienced random dizziness at home when I painted too long or was dealing with my anxiety which sometimes led to hyperventilating.

I closed my eyes and ran my hands through my hair. What is going on with me la—

I couldn't finish the thought as something crashed into me hard, knocking me to the ground.

You’ve got to be kidding me right now! I snapped my eyes open to see a masked man on top of me with his hands around my neck. I gasped for air and began trying to kick him off of me.

The familiar sensation from the night at the shrine returned and I let it take full control. Instead of just attacking aimlessly, I suddenly knew exactly where to kick for the masked man to let out a grunt. His hold on my neck loosened and I allowed my anger to morph into fire.

The man screamed as his hair caught on fire; he let go of my neck and attempted to put out the flames. I pulled my legs up and kicked him with both legs; the force threw him out of the alley and onto the street where another man appeared. I noticed as Malachi fell to the ground fighting a larger man, but didn’t see Haru anywhere.

I hurried to my feet and ran in the opposite direction. I had to fight the onset of dizziness that took this opportunity to rear its nasty head when I was being chased down by whoever these masked men were.

I reach the end of the alley and was ready to turn left when I saw a second masked man running toward me. UGH!

I darted right, sprinting as fast as I could. I heard the men chasing after me and my senses told me they were catching up fast. I turned the corner and down a quiet street. The block was made up of businesses and with it being Sunday, I knew no one would be here to help. I clenched my jaw and let the power inside dictate my next move. I turned right down another alleyway and cursed when I saw a dead end.

I looked back and saw the two men come to a stop and meet my gaze. I didn't need to see their lips to see the satisfied twinkle in their red eyes. I glanced back at the wall and charged, picking up speed before I pushed off the surface.

The moment my feet touched the wall, I pushed off it to the left wall before pushing off that one with even more power and landing on the right wall. I kept going and going, feeling a little boost of wind magic at the bottom of my feet that helped me cross the wide distance between walls. I reached the top of the ten-story building on my left and began running across the roof.

"CRIM!"

I could hear Malachi’s voice, but I kept running, unsure whether he was down below or chasing me with the other two men. I jumped from rooftop to rooftop, using the wind to help me levitate to the higher buildings.

I looked over my shoulder, realizing I wasn't being chased anymore. I came to a stop, but didn't let my guard down. I scanned all around looking for the culprits when I heard a loud agonizing scream and a crack.

I knew it couldn’t have been Malachi or Haru so it must have belonged to one of people chasing me.

"I need to calm down. Calm down," I whispered to myself.

Hakua always said the best way to fight was to remain calm and vigilant, always on the lookout of your surroundings.

I closed my eyes in an attempt to tune into my surroundings, but I instead saw an image of a set of swords. They looked to be in a case and had some type of inscription on the blades. They weren't long like a samurai sword, but weren't short like a dagger. They were in the middle and reminded me of the swords we practiced with during sword dance training.

My heart pulsed irregularly and I felt a pain in my chest. I opened my eyes, just in time to see the second attacker from earlier lunge at me. I ducked as he flew over me and I sprinted the other way till I reached the edge, coming to a stop. The jump between buildings was too far for me to make.

I turned back and saw the man crawl to his feet before turning to stare at me. He pulled his mask down and took a deep breath. I could feel the magic from here and the hairs on my arms stood up in shock and utter fear.

Jump!

I didn't have time to turn around. I stepped back onto the edge and let my body fall backwards as the man let out a shrill cry that sent a wave of fire toward me in a cyclone.

I screamed as I let my hands move outward and let my fear give me enough of a boost to call on the wind. It would slow my fall, but it wouldn't completely prevent the harsh impact of falling fifteen stories.

I closed my eyes and braced myself; everything shifted in slow motion as images and thoughts poured into my mind.