Koshi (2 page)

She had run to her best friend and they’d cried on each other’s shoulders. That was when her friend had confessed a have-to-take-it-to-the-grave secret or her employer would kill them both. Her friend worked for Baker Morris, an agency that researched, chronicled, monitored and sometimes was forced to police creatures that came from another plane.

This other world was called Outremer and certain areas of both worlds touched to create gates. That was when she learned about gatekeepers. Especially about a certain dragon keeper who hoarded magical treasure.

Humans didn’t know about the magical realm. Hell, it had taken some convincing to get her to believe, and she was desperate. Determination could stiffen any spine and give courage to any coward. She’d need to muster all she could to face Gatekeeper Ishi. They didn’t have dragons in the mid-west. He’d be her first, and she didn’t know shit about them.

Flipping through her English-to-Japanese phrase book, she approached the captain and asked for the closest hotel.

Both men blinked and stared as if she grown a second head.

The stranger snorted, then threw his head back laughing. He slapped the captain on the back and dropped him to the ground. “Oh!” Bending over, he helped the captain back to his feet. “We don’t run those types of tea houses on the island anymore. It’s frowned upon.”

“Tea house? I asked for a hotel.” Slapping the book closed, she stuffed it in her pocket. “You speak good English.”

“So do you.” He continued to grin as the captain bowed to him and returned to the ship. “It’s an odd time of the year to visit Izu Oshima Island. Tourist season doesn’t start for another month.”

“Good, it should be easy to find a room. Can you point me in the right direction?” The seasickness fogging her head faded and her vision cleared. Her gaze met the man’s dark, intense stare. Heat flushed her cheeks in a wave of awareness. In her state of disarray, puke stains and all, she wanted to crawl back on the boat.

His gaze traveled lower, caressing her curves, before returning to her face. Only a predator could own such a hungry stare. “If you make a right off the dock, it will lead you to the main road.”

“Thank you.” She shifted the weight of the pack on her back and marched toward the street.

He twisted as she passed him, his gaze weighing heavily on her. “It’s about a three hour walk to the nearest hotel. If you run, you might beat the storm.”

She spun around. “What?” she wanted to smack that stupid grin off his face. The trip across the strait had been harrowing enough. She wasn’t in any shape to hike in a storm. “Do you have cabs?”

“Yes.” He approached her. “During tourist season.”

“Then how do people move around the island? There have to be buses.” She peered at the storm clouds, which appeared closer than before. She hadn’t considered the consequences of rushing here. Time was running out and she’d jumped on the first flight out to Japan.

“They walk or bike. There are a few buses, but I don’t know their schedules.” His gaze lowered to the opening of her blouse. “Maybe we could come to some kind of arrangement.”

Gasping, she clutched the edges of her blouse shut. “I don’t think so.” She must look better than she felt or smelled. How could anyone be interested in her in this state?

He rolled his eyes. “I meant your necklace.”

“Oh.” The heat of her mortified blush almost blistered the skin off her cheeks. Of course, he wasn’t making a crude pass at her. He was only trying to swindle her. Nice.

He gave her a crooked smile as if he knew exactly what she’d been thinking. “The gold reflects the light very nicely.” Reaching for her jewelry, he bypassed her swatting hands until he held the small heart-shaped pendant in his palm.

She yanked it away. “It’s not up for trade. My mother gave it to me.” She’d died in her sleep a year earlier after a long, happy life. Out of all the things from her estate, Sandra had only wanted this necklace. Her father, who’d passed years ago, had given it to her mother when they’d first met.

“It has a nice weight to it and is well crafted.” His gaze lingered on her necklace for a second longer before meeting her stare. “I have a truck. I could drive you into town where you would have a pick of fine hotels.”

“That’s very kind of you.”

“For the necklace.”

She growled like a rabid dog. Yes, it had been that kind of day. “I said no. Nain!”

“Nine?”

“What?” She threw up her arms and abandoned all hope of help.

“That’s what you said. Nine what? Rides? I usually don’t play taxi for tourists, but…” His gaze grew heavy with darker promises. “For you, I’d offer a ride on me.”

She blinked. Did he understand what he’d just said? “I think we lost something in translation.” In both their cases. “I’ll manage on my own.” Stalking to the road, she ignored his laughter and pulled out her phrase book. Lost and tired, all she wanted was a room. Maybe she could stay in someone’s home for the night. But how did she ask? These sentences were more tailored for people who had already arrived at their destination.
Where is the bathroom? Where is the phone?
She didn’t see a
Can I spend the night?
written anywhere. Then again, that could translate improperly and she’d end up in a worse situation.

Reaching the road, she turned right and kept searching for some kind of help. Another American tourist, an embassy, or even a flipping McDonald’s would be welcome.

A pick-up truck slowed next to her and the window rolled down. “Maybe you have something else to trade?”

The stranger had followed her and she gave him a what-the-hell look.

“I’d hate for you to walk all that way after such a harrowing boat ride.” He winked at her.

“That’s very kind of you.” She stopped walking, forcing him to slam on the brakes to maintain their conversation. Could she trust this stranger who exhibited a touch of stalker tendency? Flashes of serial killer music sang through her thoughts. She glanced around at the mostly empty road. What choice did she have? At least he spoke good English so when he murdered her she’d understand his evil monologue. “Maybe you could offer to drive me for free?”

He stared at her with mock surprise. “There’s such a thing?”

“Yes.” She dropped her pack to the ground, her shoulders already aching, and tried her best to not smile back at the jerk.

Leaning forward, he tilted his head to the side. “Why?”

She shook her head. “It must be a cultural thing.” Kneeling, she rummaged inside her bag and pulled out her wallet. She was on a tight budget. All her savings had gone to purchasing information. “How much?”

“Money?” He grimaced. “I don’t like paper. Don’t you carry anything valuable?”

“Most people would consider money valuable.” She mumbled under her breath as she shoved her wallet back into her pack. With a little more digging, she found her small carrying case and held out two silver earrings. “That’s all I’ve got. Take it or bug off.” She laid them on his outstretched hand.

He sniffed at the metal. “There’s not much silver in this.”

“How can you tell?” Her shout echoed over the water.

“I just can. Get in. I’ll give generosity a try.”

She climbed inside the old cab with peeling leather seats before he could change his mind. “It’s only charitable if you don’t keep the earrings.”

He dropped them in his breast pocket. “Believe me, this is charity.”

Chapter 2

Sandra settled inside the truck and glared at the driver as he pulled away from the curb. His audacity had stunned her into silence. He had taken her jewelry, insulted it, and then called himself a saint. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, she kept her mouth shut, since she really needed the ride.

Before this week, she’d never left the large town of Crab Apple for any extended amount of time. She had worked at the local diner as a waitress and shared a crappy apartment with her sister. They’d been surviving until Beth fell ill six months ago with a tumor in her head.

Staring out the window, at the waves crashing against the shore, she sighed. Those events seemed like a hundred years ago, but in a matter of months, Beth had gone from a vibrant ray of sunlight to a faded shadow. The doctors said it was inoperable and the treatments weren’t shrinking it.

She’d lost all hope of her sister surviving until now.

“My name is Koishi.”

She twisted in her seat to face him. “Sandra.” If it weren’t for his crummy attitude, she’d consider him handsome. High cheekbones gave his face a sharp appearance. Fortunately, his full lips, which were too quick to laugh at her, softened the harsh lines. He kept his jet-black hair cut short in the back, but the wind swept his bangs across his forehead. Tall and broad shouldered, he could catch attention. He was definitely getting hers.

“What brings you to our fair island out of season, Sandra?” The way he spoke her name, as if he tasted it, sent a shiver over her spine.

Her pulse raced a little. “I’ve always wanted to explore the area and this is the only time I could get off from work.” She’d been practicing the lie and it flowed easily from her mouth.

“Are there no places closer to home to explore?” He raised an eyebrow and glanced at her.

“Sure, but they’re not Japan.” She wanted to change the subject before he questioned her more. “Where did you learn English?”

He swerved the truck and she clung to the dash for her life. They’d just missed hitting what looked like a Chihuahua running across the road. “Damn.” He snapped his fingers. “I missed it.”

Wide-eyed, she gaped at him. “You wanted to hit it?”

“Long story. I learned English during the war. Some American soldiers took refuge here. They taught me.”

“Which war? Desert Storm?”

“What?” His eyes widened. “I meant, they taught my grandfather. It was during World War II.”

“And your grandfather taught you to speak perfect English?”

“Yes,” he said with his ever-present smile. Turning off the road, he aimed the truck for a nice sized town. “This is the main tourist area. Beach, water sports, and lots of food. Plenty of hotels to choose from. I’ll take you to my favorite.”

“Sounds fine, but I don’t need anything fancy. Something clean with hot water will do.” Her smell was killing her even with the window open.

“This one has both, with a fine view of Mount Mihara.”

“Is that where the dragon lives?”

His easy grin slipped. “What dragon?”

“I’ve heard that a dragon guards this volcano.” From what she’d discovered of their race, all of them remained in Outremer except this keeper. “I was told, by a reliable source, most of the residents on this island know about him. I could imagine it’s kind of hard for a dragon to hide.”

“True.” He kept tossing furtive glances her way. “And you came all this way to see a dragon?”

“Yes.”

“He’s quite magnificent.”

She raised her eyebrow. “You’ve seen him?” What were the chances? She wasn’t born yesterday. Koishi could spin whatever tales he wanted, but she wasn’t buying. Even if she wanted to, she didn’t own any more jewelry to spend. She set her hand over the locket hanging from her neck. And he was never going to get her necklace.

“Sure I have. You can see him flying over the island sometimes when he feeds.”

“And he lives in the volcano?”

“Of course, he’s a stone dragon.”

She scratched her chin, not seeing the connection. “Wouldn’t a fire dragon be better suited for a volcano?”

He shrugged. “They’d like the heat, but stone dragons are drawn to lava.” His voice took on a tone of awe. “The birth of all land comes from magma. It holds quite a bit of magic.”

“Not on Earth. This plane contains no magic. It’s all in Outremer.”

“You know something about the other realm?”

“A little. I was wondering if you knew about it as well. Does everyone who lives here know?” She watched the locals hurrying along the street. One man was nailing shutters over the windows of his home. It would be a bad storm.

“You’re smarter than you look.”

“What?” She snapped her head around in his direction.

“Most know about the dragon, but very few know of the gate or Outremer.”

“Why do they think he stays here?” She couldn’t decide if she’d been complimented or insulted.

“There’s still magic here. It’s deep in the ground where humans can’t reach it, and useless to most.”

“Except to a stone dragon.”

“Master Ishi can use it to replenish his own magic.”

“Why doesn’t he return home? What’s he afraid of?”

The truck jerked suddenly and she shot forward. Luckily the dash softened her impact.

“What the fuck?” She rubbed her head.

He’d slammed on the brakes.

She gazed out the window expecting to see a body on the road or, at least, a flock of chicks crossing, but she saw nothing.

“Ishi isn’t afraid of anything.”

She faced Koishi. The storm clouds reflected in his eyes and she could almost taste the lightning in the air around them. She swallowed with a throat gone dry. “My mistake.”