White Lies: (The Uruwashi Series #4) Read Online Free Page B

chest in excitement. “Really?”
    Desmond nodded. “Go’n now, sod off wit yew.”
    Simon’s face lit up and he spun, disappearing down the hallway back the way they came within seconds.
    “Thanks,” Tristan mumbled, surprising both vampires. “Kid’s got a serious case of verbal diarrhea.”
    Desmond snorted a laugh before he could stop himself and snapped the shoji shut behind the group. Being paper, they could still hear Simon’s loud voice as he ran through the house, calling out to Jennifer. When his voice dissipated to nothing the whole group gave a collective sigh of relief again.
    Yukihime’s private room. There were many memories tied to this place, this room in particular. Ash’s jaw tightened as she looked over the dark space, illuminated only by fire pit set into the floor feet from the bed and the strings of mini Christmas lights strung across the ceiling inside sheer fabrics that gave the room a warm, comfortable glow.
    Tristan flinched next to her and when she looked at him, he was staring at the ceiling. “Why don’t they melt?” he whispered, pointing to the tiny ice sculpture cranes built around the bulbs.
    “Because she does not wish them to,” Ash said softly her attention shifting to the center point of the room, the Master’s bed. It was “vampire sized”, as Ash had come to think of the excessively huge beds that were hardly ever used for sleep, found in vampire domiciles. Round and big enough for five to lie on very comfortably, the sight of the bed made Ash immediately regret allowing Desmond to lead them here. She’d been in that bed before—and not for sleeping.
    Ash took a moment to scan Yukihime’s library, stuffed to the ceiling with books, most old and unreadable, ready to crumble to dust at a single touch. She recognized many of the books, but didn’t see the one she was looking for.
    Yukihime’s ornate, delicate desk was messier than normal, covered in papers, notebooks and leather bound books that didn’t appear to be part of the old library. Yukihime was up to something, searching for something. If Ash wanted to find out what that something was, however, she’d have to play her cards very carefully.
    The outside wall panels were all open, letting in cold air but not the snow as Yukihime seemed to be playing with the falling flakes, swirling them about to make intricate patterns and designs in the air. The Master herself was on the deck, kneeling in the snow, wearing her white kitsune noh mask with its red and gold accents. There was a big red velvet bag in her lap resting under her hands. Ash wasn’t sure exactly what was inside but she smelled decay.
    “You sent for us?” Ash prompted sounding more as if she were a knight called in by her ruling Lord for battle than a vampire seeing another vampire for the purpose of, well, telling her to back off.
    They all exchanged little looks when the Master vampire ignored Ash’s words. Desmond only shrugged and went off to make himself comfortable on the bed.
    Ash knelt next to Yukihime and said softly, “Shishō?” though she felt the Master didn’t deserve the respected title any longer. Not after all she’d done. Ash wasn’t the grudge sort but Yukihime, Master of Water, had gone too far.
    The old vampire looked up slowly, turned her head to look at Ash. The eyes staring through the mask were cold and empty, and Tristan shifted nervously from foot to foot behind her.
    “Shishō?” Ash repeated softly and reached out towards the Master vampire, though she was forcing herself to do it. Those empty eyes followed her hand but the owner of them did nothing as Ash gently pushed the mask up to rest on top of Yukihime’s head.
    The expression hidden within the mask was sad and tired. Yukihime’s face was that of an eternal youth but after a millennia she’d learned how to express herself well with even the smallest of nuances. And this particular nuance told Ash, who was well versed in Yukihime, that the ancient