Chapter 15
“That must have come as a shock,” I continued, trying to send warm healing energy into the older woman through both my words and my fingers. The two humans flanking us leaned in closer, like dogs offering comfort through their presence alone.
“It was a disappointment,” the older woman countered. But rather than pulling away from my touch, she squeezed my fingers one second longer while offering me the fairy tale I’d spent a decade pretending I didn’t crave with the yearning of an orphaned fox pup.
“You, however, were not a disappointment,” my grandmother informed me. “I have long searched for a granddaughter. A firm, strong woman to train and to nurture. A brave kitsune to carry on the family name after I leave this plane.”
As she spoke, she gazed at me with eyes so dark the
