Azumi kept scamming the area with her yoki, though her eyes remained fixed ahead.
Their group was an odd one, but she wouldn't consider them friends, let alone family. Sesshomaru, to her surprise, had fallen to protecting the rear instead of stampeding ahead as she might have expected. Instead, Ayame and her wolves led the the way, which perhaps made sense since they knew the scent and yoki of their brethren better than anyone.
Azumi initially hadn't trusted any of her new companions, not after what she'd been through.
It had been a human in their village who had led the monster and his army to them through the barrier Thad has hidden them from human eyes, but it had been Azumi herself who failed and had led to the death of her own people. She'd failed to recognize the betrayer, had failed to sense the taint he'd carried, and in doing so, she'd lost almost everyone she'd ever loved.
Her younger sister's body had been so thoroughly damaged they'd never been able to positively identify Aiko's remains. Her parents and grandparents had been slain and though everyone had done their best to repel their attackers, they had failed.
The human who had betrayed them hadn't been lucky enough to escape with his new allies. Azumi has made sure of that shortly before the disaster had unfolded completely. But though she didn't regret his brutal slaying, it changed nothing. It would not bring anyone back.
It was a loss she still couldn't speak of and not even her mate had understood. Shin tried, with all the pureness he had within him, but he could not understand.
Shin believed in their new allies and he yearned for their friendship. It was only for Azumi's sake that he attempted to maintain an air of distance, but she wasn't a fool. She could readily sense his discontent through their mating bond.
She would protect her mate's gentle heart, even from himself. If their companions ever betrayed him, she was uncertain if he would be able to cope. She had fallen in love with his soft and accepting heart, but now she feared it would damage her mate irreparably.
Yet despite all of her concerns, Azumi could not help but be concerned for Ayame and her newborn.
For a moment, she wondered what their lives might have been like if Itsetsuhiko had not become involved. Might Ayame's son and Azumi's own have become friends in spite of the hanyo blood?
Certainly in Azumi's village, hanyo had been accepted. Though the majority of yokai had looked down and hated the hanyo, her village had been different. It was the bond of the parents that mattered, not their powers. So long as the pair had mated, hanyo were as welcome as any full-blooded yokai and even the humans who worked alongside them had their human children equally welcome.
Thus the barrier. Too many, humans and yokai alike, would not be accepting of the peace her people had found, so the barrier had served to allow them to live in peace. Over time, most had forgotten her village had even existed... until Haruto's betrayal.
She still did not understand what had caused the human to betray them as well as the young fox yokai he had been courting, but in the end, it changed nothing. Humans like Haruto could not be trusted, and there were too few like her mate to offset the rest.
But she admitted, if only to herself, that if she had met Kagome and her pack before the attack, she might have developed an affinity for the other woman. If Kagome was truly like Azumi's mate, then she hoped and prayed Sesshomaru did a much better job of protecting her.
"You should talk to him," Kagome said quietly. Evidently the priestess had walked up to her while Azumi had been lost in her thoughts. "Your mate, I mean. He worries."
Azumi stiffened; the priestess's advice was unwelcome and unwarranted. None knew her mate better than she—their bond ensured that. "There is no need," she said shortly.
Kagome seemed to hesitate for a moment. "Where I'm from, married couples who have gone through traumatic events sometimes keep their thoughts and feelings to themselves to prevent harming their partner more, but it leaves their partner feeling isolated."
Azumi's nostrils flared but she kept her thoughts and irritation to herself at the priestess's impertinence. She had no desire to end up battling Kagome's betrothed over any slights, real or perceived.
Kagome sighed. "I'd like to be friends with you, Azumi. I understand if you don't, but I really want the best for you and Shin. You've both been through a lot already and I don't like to see anyone suffer."
"And you believe I am allowing my mate to suffer," Azumi said stiffly. She had blocked her mate out of the bond from time to time, but he had seemed so understanding that she'd assumed he empathized and was giving her time.
Azumi observed her mate as he chatted with the two male wolf yokai.
He did not seem especially upset. Did the priestess see something in her human mate that Azumi as a yokai could not?
"Not deliberately," Kagome was quick to reply. "Shin cares about you a lot and he worries."
Azumi pressed her lips together, unnerved by the priestess's insight. If she was correct, than Azumi had made an error with her mate and had harmed his soft heart. That, she swore, would not be allowed to continue.
If, on the other hand, the priestess had lied and sought to cause strife where there had been none, no one would save her from Azumi's wrath.
Not even Sesshomaru.
He would understand, for she saw how zealously he guarded the priestess he thought to claim as his. He would only become more protective as the bond deepened.
Azumi would not kill the priestess, not when she was still useful, but she would ensure the priestess did not cause needless turmoil again.
"We'll be making camp in a little while. Why don't you try sitting down and taking with him then?" Kagome suggested. "It can't hurt, right? If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but it never hurts to check on someone you love."
Azumi inclined her head after a moment. It was a reasonable enough suggestion, and time would tell if Kagome could be trusted.
Azumi's heart insisted she could, but Azumi had already learned that the heart could not be relied upon as a strict and accurate judge of character. And Azumi's mind was far more suspicious.
As Kagome clapped her hands togetherness in delight, Azumi met the golden gaze of the priestess's mate.
The momentary warning that flashed crimson in them was clear. Azumi bared her fangs but quickened her steps to catch up to her mate.
She wouldn't be intimidated, but she also wasn't a fool. No one would dare risk taking on the Lord of the West—except Itsetsuhiko. And though Azumi longed to slay the monster herself, she was beginning to suspect the inuyokai was not likely to give her the chance. For some reason, the inuyokai has dedicated himself to the eradication of the pest, and his lineage was not known for its mercy.
Still, either way, Itsetsuhiko would not be long for the next world, and that was a thought she enjoyed with relish.