Temper: Deliverance: Book Three of the TEMPER Saga, page 6
“All those past weeks, when you dreamt of me…” The fox rasped behind her. “I could hear the call of your mind, your burning desire for me, how you much you wanted me to take you. How ready you are! I couldn’t wait anymore, I had to have you, to bind you to me once and for all. You’ll see, you’ll like it: I’ll be rough, rougher than him… and you’ll beg for more, like you always do, little mudansha.”
Her gag muted Lana’s scream; sheer fright and panic brought her to the verge of passing out.
Does he know everything? Has he seen it all?
Around them, the world was slowly but surely turning dark, bright colors replaced by creeping shades of bloody red and viscous blackness.
One by one, trees were reduced to bare skeletons and nameless, eyeless, legless things seeped from the cracks between the stones to wriggle on the ground. An awful stench, as if they were standing inside old sewers, filled her nostrils. To her abject horror, they were shifting outside her reality, far from anyone, from any hope of being rescued.
“You were hidden from me for so many years, it was so frustrating... At first, I thought I’d rip that low-life into pieces for daring to lay hands on what is mine. But then, he awoke your real self, you became this shining beacon of raw lust. I let him train you, making you ready for the next step. I hope you are grateful I made sure you would end up living with him, right? It was so easy… as if that weak little man was waiting for a nudge, to get rid of his noisy brat and insufferable mother-in-law…”
The changeling fox chuckled, and fresh tears ran down Lana’s cheeks.
My condo… The fire… It really was my fault then...
“Anyway, we’ll invite that decrepit teacher of yours to our wedding. He’ll understand how slutty little bitches like you should be handled. How inept he is, compared to me. And then, I’ll kill him. But I’ll be quick and merciful. A token of my gratitude.”
Something harder and larger than a tail pressed against her back as paws covered with silver fur, similar to human hands but adorned with long claws, fondled her breasts above her coat. The large tail muffled another scream.
It’s… it’s just another nightmare, right? I’m going to wake up, this isn’t happening, I’m not going to disappear to be… to be… raped by that beast!
“Rape? Oh… what an ugly word…” She shuddered at his ability to read her thoughts. “There’s no rape when a husband takes what is rightly his. And don’t fret, I know that’s what you want. Soon, you’ll crawl at my feet,” he rasped. “I’ll give you what you crave. Isn’t it more rewarding than what this worm will ever do for you? Of course, his spawn won’t survive, but who cares? I’ve healed you, and my seed will breed you, many, many times. You will give me strong, powerful kits! And so what if you get a little damaged in the process? I don’t mind broken toys, as long as they behave.”
The yokai pushed Lana forward, and she found herself sprawled over the stone fountain. “Open your legs and bend over now, I want to taste every single little hole of you… But tell me, aren’t you honored to become my bride? Hm? Speak! I am your lord and master now! I want to hear it from those delicious cherry-red lips.” The tail inside her mouth went away.
Heaving with sobs, Lana gasped for breath and attempted desperately to clamp down her panic and terror. With all her might, she pushed back against his double invasion of her body and mind.
You can fight this! You can be stronger than this! Don’t give in!
She clenched her fists, her only body parts that were still free. Her right hand grasped the balls in her pocket.
This time, her scream of agony filled the clearing; for a fleeting second, inhuman pain seared through her body, as if dozens of irons branded her skin wherever his tails touched her. Piercing through the red fog of her pain, the angry roar of the changeling deafened her when he unexpectedly let her go. She almost passed out but managed to take a few steps away from him on wobbling legs, unable to believe she was free from his deadly embrace.
“What? What did you do! Who gave you this?!” he shrieked, full of rage, towering over her.
Lana finally got a good look at him. Screaming again in sheer terror, she fell down and crawled back on all fours as fast as she could manage, sobs of fear and pain leaving her without strength.
A freakish, tall monster! Silver fur covered all his body; nine tails swirled around him angrily, as if sentient themselves. His head was the most terrifying of it all: with vaguely human traits, its pointed snout and awful rows of sharp teeth, from where an extremely long red tongue hung, left no place to doubt as to what he was.
Fury and resentment burned in his slanted orange eyes. His impossibly long and large erection jutted angrily at her. If he ever laid a hand or anything else again on her, she was done.
“Lana! Lana san!” Her breath caught; on her right, Yuki was rushing into the clearing. Her companion was the only thing that Lana could clearly see. Even though colors were back to normal, it seemed like a shroud had fallen on everything around her. She raised a trembling hand to warn Yuki to stay away but only a moan passed her lips.
“Sweetling! I’ve been calling you for an hour now! We’re all looking for you! What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
“Yu… Yuki… don’t…” Lana panted, frantic with worry. To her relief, the shape of the fox was now by the stairs, transparent, almost gone.
Her companion kneeled next to Lana. Her arms went below her back and shoulders to support her.
“Don’t stay in the snow, now! Did you slip? Did you break anything?”
Yuki’s hands roamed over Lana’s shoulders and arms. The young woman shouted in pain as her lover’s fingers unknowingly grazed the places where the fox had touched her bare skin. A glance at her trembling hands ripped a horrified shriek from her throat.
“My hands! Look at my wrists! What… what did he do to me?”
6 - Painful Revelations
Angry red lashes criss-crossed her lower arms and wrists. Lana touched her face and winced; her skin burned. Her nether regions, legs and chest throbbed with pain. It no longer felt as if irons scorched her but more like swimming in a sea of stinging jellyfish.
“Your wrists? What are you talking about?” exclaimed a frantic Yuki.
Incredulous, Lana stared at Yuki. She can’t see them? My wounds are invisible to… normal people?
No time for this now. They had to flee this place before the cursed fox recovered from whatever held him away and made another move. By some miracle, the two plastic balls had some effect on him, but maybe it wouldn’t last long. His awful promises of endless torture and despair played in loops in her head.
“Let’s… let’s get out of here, please, Yuki sama…” Lana moaned, grasping her companion’s coat. Yuki was lost yet didn’t dispute the sense of emergency.
“This way… the road’s over there…” Yuki said, supporting her and turning them away from the shrine. Then she stopped in her tracks. “Wait… There was a path here! Where is it?”
Lana’s heart missed a beat. The trees were shifting in front of them. Trick or reality, that damned fox was making sure they wouldn’t find their way out.
“Dio mio, he’s trapping us here!”
“‘He’? Who… who are you talking about? The man who attacked you?” Yuki stammered, glancing around them frantically but seeing nothing. They reached the trees, but there was no way leading inside the forest.
“No man, no… Oh, Yuki sama, we should have told you… You deserved to know so long ago already… I’m so, so sorry that you’re being dragged into this hell,” Lana whimpered, clutching her lover’s hand. Distraught, she began to look for a way through the dense forest.
“You’re not making any sense!”
“I know, I’m so sorry, if we ever get out of this, I swear you will learn everything, I can’t go on like this… This is getting worse and worse!”
“There! Look! Those Jizo statues!” Yuki pointed at two small granite figures at the feet of cedar trees a dozen meters ahead of them. Amazingly enough, there was enough space to step between them. The women didn’t hesitate and darted toward the miraculous exit. Lana didn’t even dare looking behind her shoulder, too scared of what she would see.
“But where to now?” Lana exclaimed in despair when they reached the religious statues. There was no actual path to follow.
“Another Jizo, just over there! It must be an old pilgrim path, let’s go!” Yuki said while dragging a whimpering Lana. Pain shot throughout her body, but panic-fueled adrenaline still gave her enough energy to walk.
“And over there, another one… Oh!” Lana shrieked and froze on the spot. Her companion screamed and stopped as well. “Tell me… tell me you’re seeing this!”
“Yes…! Yes, I see it! Heavens… How… how can it be… the statue is…”
“Moving!” They exclaimed together. Right under their terrified eyes, the statue’s head pivoted toward them. It extended a short finger, pointing at a direction ahead of them.
“It… it’s showing us the way,” Lana whispered, exalted, hope blossoming in her heart for the first time they had arrived in Nikko. This one was an ally. Realization dawned on her. “Four… four Jizo statues, Yuki sama, don’t you see? Don’t you understand who they are?”
Filled with wonder and overwhelming emotions, the women stared at each other.
“Our… our babies?” Yuki croaked, hand flying to her mouth.
Lana embraced her tightly. “They’re protecting their brother,” she whispered.
“But from what?” Yuki exclaimed, gripping Lana’s arm.
Lana closed her eyes; fresh tears rolled on her cheeks as she rested her brow on her companion’s shoulder.
“From demons bent on making our lives a living hell...”
Yuki gasped and recoiled. She stared at her partner and then at the lone, moving Jizo that kept pointing behind itself, as if insisting with a sense of urgency.
“I… I don’t understand, but we need to get out of this forest now. Let’s move!”
Yuki wrapped an arm around her lover’s waist and began to run, but Lana was at her wits’ end, and her feet tumbled on every stone and root. Pain slowly reignited throughout her body to reach new, barely tolerable levels. By the time they stumbled upon the open and the road passing along the forest, she was almost unconscious, and Yuki had to carry more than support her. The weather had turned, and an icy drizzle was now biting their cheeks.
“Yuki san! Over here!” A familiar voice shouted, and from behind half-closed lids, Lana saw a car waiting down the road.
Where is…?
Strong arms engulfed her to relieve Yuki from her heavy and precious cargo. With a whimper, Lana buried her face against Honda’s chest. Oddly enough, being close against him seemed to bring her a form of relief.
“Yuki san, what is the matter? Where did you find her? Lana san, what… what happened to you? Your face?” Lana had never heard so much trepidation and fear in his voice. Heavy sobs wracked her, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
If it looks even just a little like my wrists…
“What are you talking about?” Yuki exclaimed in horror. “There is nothing wrong with her face! But, but what we saw in that forest, I can’t… I don’t understand…
“What did you see? Tell me what happened!” Honda urged his wife.
“I… I can’t explain, it was impossible! I was deep under the trees and heard an awful scream coming from the clearing at the foot of the old shrine. I found her on the ground, alone, utterly scared and not making much sense, but clearly, she was attacked. We ran, we were fleeing something threatening the two of you, she said. And then… those Jizo… Please!” Yuki exclaimed, desperate, clutching her husband’s arm. “Tell me what’s going on!”
Lana grabbed Honda’s coat and moaned; her body was shivering, as if struck by a high fever. Hands shaking and aghast, he stared at his distraught companions, sweat breaking on his forehead despite the cold temperatures.
“Yuki san, I’ll tell you the whole story, I promise, but for now, we’ve got to bring her back to the estate, she needs help, and we can’t stay outside. Call the house, tell them we found her. You drive, I’ll carry her to the back seats.”
Lana was swept away in Honda’s arms. She hung on to his neck for dear life as he darted toward their vehicle.
“Stay with us, Lana san, don’t let go! We’ll sort this out, you’re safe, stay with us… stay with me!”
Yuki opened the rear door of the car, and delicious warmth greeted Lana. Honda sat down next to her and rested her head on his lap. She sighed with relief at the change of temperature and opened an eye. Even though she felt slightly better pressed against him, she clenched her jaws because of the pain.
Honda stared at her, fear and worry unmistakable in his eyes and his ashen-white face; it was maybe even more terrifying than the rest. His hand tentatively cupped the cheek that didn’t burn. The car took off, and Yuki spoke frantically on the phone.
“Tell Satoko san to wait for us at the gate!” Honda interrupted her.
“Your sister-in-law is an orthopedic surgeon, I don’t see –”
“She’s got medical knowledge, that’s all we need for now, we’re too far to drive to the nearest hospital, especially with the traffic conditions.”
“Understood,” Yuki said grimly before continuing to talk on the phone.
Lana pressed a trembling hand on Honda’s chest. “He… he… he wants to… break me into pieces… torture me… you… kill the baby… his tails… his… his teeth...” Lana stammered.
Honda’s body turned into marble and he cradled her against him. His growl resonated under her ear. “It was him? He caught you and you managed to break free?” Shock and awe warred in his voice.
The car went over a bump and her coat moved, revealing her thick, wooly black leggings torn in several places. His growl became loud enough for everyone to hear; his free hand hovered over her legs, but she weakly pushed it away. It would hurt too much. Lana closed her eyes again; even dim light was painful.
“I… I don’t know how I got away,” she stammered. “And he touched me everywhere… and… he was inside my mind…” She broke down again.
Honda hissed. “He will not touch you again. Ever. I failed you, Lana san, this is… I failed all of you!”
Yuki slammed her hands on the wheel as they approached the family estate. “I have no idea what’s going here, but it’s awful and it’s certainly not the time for self-pity and regrets, goshujin sama! You owe me many explanations, and I cannot promise I will forgive you, but let’s focus on more urgent matters!”
In any other circumstances, Lana would have smiled at her companion’s words and attitude that reminded them of the steel she was made of. Someone would get an earful. Wisely, Honda didn’t even try to protest.
“Ah, everyone is at the gate, including okaa sama. She doesn’t look pleased,” Yuki commented.
“But when does she, ever?” Honda growled. “She will accept us and let her back in. Pull over near the front door, please. Lana san, can you walk, just for a few steps?”
She groaned, opened her eyes, and pushed herself up. “I’ll try… Don’t carry me in front of your mother.”
Honda grunted. “Precisely. I will support you.”
Panting and wincing, but doing her best to control her face, Lana got out of the car; five or six family members that she hadn’t even met gathered around them, anxious and at a loss.
“Satoko san, over here! We need your assistance. She was attacked and injured,” Honda told a middle-aged woman. Their audience gasped at his words and began to murmur. Honda’s sister-in-law approached them swiftly and gave Lana an overall assessment.
“Where is she injured? Did she lose consciousness?”
Lana shook her head in anguish. Everyone but Honda was completely oblivious to the red marks that covered her. How could anyone help her?
“No, I didn’t… I didn’t hit my head, but I was grabbed and –”
“What is going on here! What is this circus? Son, explain yourself!” The Honda matriarch called out from behind them as she walked from the gate. Lana took a deep breath and clenched her jaw.
Will this cursed day ever end?
“Okaa sama, please be more considerate. Something… difficult and painful happened at the old shrine, and I want Lana san to get back inside, so she may rest,” Honda replied, struggling to hide his own frustration with his mother’s behavior.
“I made myself clear,” Natsuko said as she came around to confront them. “This is just another trick to make you –” She grabbed Lana’s down-turned face. “Who did this to you?” she spat in a low hiss.
Hissing in pain and anger, Lana staggered back into Honda’s arms and pushed the invasive hand away. But the old woman caught her wrist and turned it, staring at the angry lashes that ran up under Lana’s sleeves.
“You can see that?” Incredulous, Honda reached out to make his mother let go of Lana’s hand but with no success.
His mother’s gaze pierced him, and she maintained her vice-like grip on Lana’s wrist, eliciting a groan of pain from the younger woman.
“The question should be, why can you?” she whispered angrily. “Daughter, come here at once!”
Honda’s older sister stood by the entrance, away from the group, and quickly obeyed. As soon as she got a better look at Lana, she gasped and covered her mouth, speechless. The other members of the family exchanged dumbfounded looks.
“But what do you see? There is nothing on her face and wrists!” exclaimed a puzzled Satoko.
“Quiet now! Satoko san, your services are not needed. Medicine cannot help her. All of you! Go back inside and resume what you were doing. Not a word to anyone, understood?” Natsuko ordered fiercely, making eye contact with everyone. All bowed in deference and left the courtyard, not even attempting to argue.
Thick snow was now falling hard on their heads, and Lana shivered violently, feeling hot and cold at the same time, like when she had gone down with the flu a few years before.
