The Surrogate Luna

Chapter 2

*Aaliyah’s POV*

Mr. Watanabe led us to a really nice home. The outside was a deep gray with black shutters, and a front door was a deep red. Inside was nicely furnished. There was a huge soft black U-shaped sofa cover in throw blankets and pillows with a fuzzy gray and white rug in front of a fireplace. There was a huge television mounted on the wall above the fireplace, and my first thought was, “is that a fire hazard?” The boys all laughed as they carried the luggage inside, and I realized I had said it out loud.

“No ma’am. I promise your new home is perfectly safe.” A soft, sweet voice greets us. A short woman with long bright red hair bustled in. “Hello Miss Flowers. I am Keiko. I will help you while you visit the Kingdom of Kitsune. Let me show you to your rooms.” She bowed to us and beckoned us forward. Jin’s room was on the first floor with a jack and jill bathroom connected to Malik’s room. Malik is a kitsune, and Jin is a dragon. Their shifter creatures are the strongest while we are in Japan. Their rooms are closest to mine. If anything goes wrong, Malik can get me out of here the quickest. Jin has insanely cool fighting skills outside, you know, being a whole dragon. He’d be able to ward off danger long enough to get me out of here.

I look around my room, and it's at least 4 times the size of the room at Council Hall. It was decorated in soft pink and nude colors. There were cherry blossom trees painted all around the room. There was a fuzzy pink rug on the floor. I HAD MY OWN BATHROOM! There was a huge clawfoot garden tub and a stand-in shower. There was a vanity table with bright lights surrounding the mirror. This is a girl's wildest dream. I flop down on the bed and almost immediately fall asleep.

—----

A few hours later, I'm woken up by NaTaro flopping on the bed. He’s a gorilla shifter. Even in his human form, he’s heavy like King Kong.

“What do you want, RoRo?” I moaned into the pillow.

I hear him chuckle. “His royal highnASS is asking us for dinner. The lovely Keiko is on her way up to help you get dressed. Wannabe said a Council Rep and vetted potioneer will be there, too.”

“You mean Watanabe?” I smirked.

"Yeah, whatever." He chuckles. "How are you feeling?"

"Now that I've come down from whatever ganja Jin gave me?" I laughed hysterically. I sat up and leaned against the head of my bed. "I'm not going to fib and say I'm okay. I hear King Sohma is the worst of them all. That's why I wanted to come here first. I figured if I got the hardest one done, the rest would be a piece of cake. Worst case scenario here is, I have a dozen while being trapped in a cage. Best case, his second chance pops up before I have to do anything, and I can move along with my life."

"And what if the worse and the best happen at the same time?" He arches an eyebrow and looks at me quizzically.

"Then I know for sure that Selene hates me personally, and I'm doomed for my slightly immortal life," I cried out in agony.

"Well, if anything, you can come visit me and Keiko at one of our many vacation homes during your bouts of self-pity and sorrow."

I rolled off of the bed and started the shower. “Please don’t mess with Keiko. It’s going to be hard enough being here as it is. I'm not allowed female companions aside from the occasional handmaid.” I began to undress. None of the boys are phased by my body. They’ve had to watch me being experimented on and examined by every doctor, councilman, and king over the last year and a half. They never let the doctors touch me longer than five minutes, and no one else can look for longer than three before a claw extends in their direction.

“Me? Mess with anyone?” He feigns hurt. “I would never. But if she just so happens to be lonely on a rainy night and needs a pair of big strong arms to protect her from the storm outside.”

“Then she can call her mate to comfort her.” I heard Keiko giggle from behind him. If NaTaro wasn’t so chocolate-skinned, I’m sure he would have been blushing.

I laugh and continue to shower as they bicker back and forth. I take my time and use all of my strawberry scented body care items. When I’m finished, RoRo is gone, and Keiko is spreading out a beautiful cream, pink, and gold kimono on the bed. She opens a large black box and takes out gold earrings, a matching chain necklace, and a pair of gold sandals. I go to put on a regular pair of underwear and a bra, but Keiko grabs my hand.

“His Highness wants you to be dressed appropriately in case the uhm… festivities are approved for tonight.” Her embarrassment showed all over her porcelain skin. I swallowed down my fear and slid on the cream silk and lace underwear set. If that's what you want to call it. My boobs were barely contained, and my butt cheeks were on either side of the thinnest piece of string I've ever seen in my life. I had an instant and constant wedgie.

I lathered my skin in cocoa butter, and Keiko began patting my skin with gold powder and spraying a berry-smelling perfume in a pink bottle all over me. It's an Arabic perfume called Qissa I got from Felipe's sister Lupe. Lupe and the rest of Felipe's sisters got me a mess of girly items for my last birthday. Since they weren't sure when we would spend the next birthday together, we had my nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first birthdays.

Keiko helped me dress in the kimono and added a little bit of eyeliner, blush, and lipstick to my face. My hair is already in box braids, so she twists them in a low bun and adds some gold filigree to it. When she is satisfied with her work, she steps back and smiles. “Miss Flowers, you are truly beautiful. Your soul is so pure.” I can see and feel the sadness behind her words.

“Please call me Aaliyah. Or LiLi” I beg her. She smiles softly.

“Okay Miss Aaliyah. It is time for dinner with his highness.” She pulls me from the vanity table and into the hallway.

Keiko and I head into the living room, and the boys are all dressed in all black with Sakura flowers that match the flowers on my kimono covering their ties. They all smile, and it eases my nerves. I can feel a bit of apprehension from each of them but also their unwavering loyalty and confidence to get through this. We all pile into a three-row blacked out SUV and follow the GPS to Kings castle. My hands are shaking so hard, and a wave of nervous nausea hits me. Jin is sitting to my left, RoRo on my right. Keiko is up front with Felipe. Zeke and Malik are in the single seats in the second row. Everyone is idly chatting while I have a silent panic attack over what’s to come.

As we pull up in front of the Kitsune Kingdom’s castle, a swarm of people is outside. Many of them think we are just a group of ambassadors from America coming to learn the customs of other kingdoms. They have no clue what I have to do to restore balance to their kingdom. To all the kingdoms.

The car comes to a complete stop in front of the steps of the castle. Felipe exits first. Greeting the King's court. Keiko immediately courtesies after stepping foot from the car. The rest of my guard exited the vehicle first and scanned the area to ensure my safety before Zeke reached in for my hand. The moment I'm fully on the ground, a loud roar startles the entire crowd, and a huge bright orange furry hand is latched around my throat. The claws have me in such a vice-like grip, I just know that I am bleeding all over the kimono.

“HOW DARE YOU?”

I scratch at the large hands for only a few seconds before the black edges around my eyes consume me, and I fall into a dark, quiet void.