Let Me Read You In — House of the Kami

Welcome to Let Me Read You In, where you can hear a chapter of my novels before choosing which world you want to enter.

This is House of the Kami, a dark chaebol romance, by me, Tierra Cox.

If this chapter catches you, you can find the full book on Amazon or Noir Pages. (starting July 10)

Now, let me read you in.

Transcript

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Welcome to Let Me Read You In, where you can hear a chapter of one of my novels before choosing which world you want to enter. This is House of the Kami. So, you read the Yakuza's Jewel and you're wondering where is Andromache now? I got you. If this chapter catches you, you can find the full paperback on Amazon or the ebook on Noir Pages. If you're on my website right now, click the button down below. Now, let me read you in. These kids, man, Brisea sighs. You've thought of everything Andromache. All this damn candy and stuff. Thank God we gonna be here for a while. Sadella chuckles. Keihan will deal with the girls. I need my soft life to remain that way. She swirls the wine cooler in her glass. Oh God, is he looking over here? Baby Kean is jumping in the bounce house. Look, look Baby, I can see you, she calls, waving her hand. We all watch as Keihan performs a backflip, and all the baby girls begin clapping. Yay, Apa Hanul and Anais cheer. Kehyan does it again, and the girls cheer more. He's gonna break his neck or something, Sadella sighs. Lord he loves when the girls cheer him on when he does crazy stuff. Here comes Keun. Briseus covers her mouth. What are they doing? We watch as Anais crawls into the bounce house, and Kehun and Kyoshi begin to popcorn her. Hey, I clap my hand and four faces look my way. Tell him to stop that for that baby gets hurt. They'll be fine, Ken Quan calls. She's having a good time. Ichiro and Chang Wu look at each other with a look of exhaustion. Sadella claps her hands and Kichun looks her way. She shakes her head no, and Quian stops bouncing, gathering Anais into his arms. They are children, overgrown children. That bounce house is for the babies, and here they are dominating it. Shaking my head, I rub my stomach watching the children run wild across the lawn. I have an idea. Let them all get in there and popcorn each other. Last one standing wins. Saut makes his way over, handing Briseus a drink. Wins what? I'll think about it. One of Kiyoshi's bikes, maybe. Saot grins. Sure, I'll play. Briseus scoffs at her husband. Please don't. He winks at her walking away, and once again the mothers are left on the Dais. It's sixty five degrees out. The sun is out today, no clouds, and honestly it's a little warmer than I thought. We have a gigantic bounce house, ponies. A magician is coming soon. Face painting, balloon popping. The theme of this party is Princesses at the Carnival. I didn't make this up. I let Keiko choose her own party theme, and here we are. The other members of the Indo faction are here, and many have brought their children as well. Some of the city officials drop by with gifts and well wishes. The Kwans are here, all three of them, Ken, the oldest, still unmarried, and as far as I know, no girlfriend either. I should find someone for him and see if Sadella approves. My sister, Nice, and the Chai Chanas, which means Sora and Yua are here as well. Looking over, I smile at Ella Kong, who has her daughter, Mingxi, on her lap. The baby is seven months old and currently feeling sleepy, drifting off in her mother's lap. Ella, I say softly making my way over to her, how are you? Do you want to go inside and nap with Ming Shi? She yawns, shaking her head. No, I mean I'm fighting to stay awake. She closes her eyes. She won't sleep through the night. I'm exhausted. I remember those days, Sadella smiles. Is she waking up to eat? Ella shakes her head. She just wants to be awake. Sitting up in bed, looking around, babbling. Ming Shi is stretched over her lap and Ella bounces the baby patting her back. Like girl, close your eyes. You see me doing it, you do it. Bersayus laughs. Cassie used to do that. Girl, pop on that TV and go back to sleep. She can't go nowhere. Do nothing. Ella's eyes widen. Can I do that? I'd feel like I was doing something wrong. She's fed and changed, Sidella starts. Nothing around that can hurt her. Fed and changed, Ella nods. We sleep in one of those cage beds. She can't get out. I don't think I have much to add or offer. I have five pairs of hands to help me. Perseus nods. Let her sit up near you and watch television. Put on Miss Rachel. Thank God for Miss Rachel, Sidella crosses herself. Ella smiles. I remember when I first met her, tear streaked face, swollen cheeks, heavily pregnant and scared out of her mind. Now she's quiet, calm, composed. There's a stillness about her that seems like peace. When they got here, Chang was moving to her beat and Ella moved flawlessly. She commanded Chiang like a woman who knew power was just an extension of her arm, and all she had to do was wiggle her fingers. Good. Perseus and Sedella fall into a conversation and I sit down next to Ella. How are you? She knows what I mean, her eyes drifting to Chiang as he stands with Haruki and Ken. Better. I listened to you. I stopped crying and thought about what I could do. Good. You love him? If I thought for a second that she didn't, I'd be on Haruki's ass like white on rice. I do, Ella smirks. I hate how he did it. Got under my skin like that, snatched the rug from under me. I wanted to be loved and needed and wanted, but I guess I didn't realize the depth at which I wanted it. Does that make sense? It does. I nod. And I know all too well. Then again, we are different. I knew exactly what I was getting into. Ella was blind. Are you in love with him? She licks her lips. I think for a while I fell out of it. It was precarious. Her eyes soften. Then I talked to you. I went home and thought about what I wanted and where I was and what I was doing. I still loved him. I wanted him. I thought, okay, if I left right now and someone else was here, how would I feel? How would I feel? Ella sighs heavily. And I wanted him. But God, I was so angry. I was hurt. I was confused. She shakes her head. Then Ming Chi got here and it's the way he is with her. How he continues to be with me. Chang has never been all talk. I fell back in love. She looks at me with a smirk. Does that sound stupid? Be honest, do I sound stupid? Maybe to someone, but I'm not gonna say that. Her truth is her own. How she feels and has worked it out is what she believes to be in her best interest. And that's it. But I understand Ella. She was in love, but she was blindsided by who Chang was and what that would mean for her. It's not stupid. I rub her arm. Girl, come on into this house, you're falling asleep. Ming Xi, she sighs. I can't. As I point to her baby, Mingxi is knocked out cold, mouth open, drool falling. Her fat cheeks are slightly red, and Ella scoffs. You little brat. The day unfolds in a blur of color and laughter, the kind that settles into my bones so deeply I know I'll remember it for years from now in flashes, the way the sun catches in Keiko's hair, the smell of sugar and popcorn drifting across the lawn, the sound of little feet pounding across the grass. Princesses at the carnival. I let her choose the theme, and apparently my daughter believes princesses require ponies, magicians, balloons, and an alarming amount of pink. The lawn behind the house looks like a small fairground. Streamers flutter from the pergola, ribbons tied along the fence posts, a striped tent sends near the garden where the magician performs tricks for a circle of wide-eyed children. Beyond that, the bounce house rises like a bright castle, pink and gold, and every few seconds it erupts with squeals and shrieks of laughter. Keiko is at the center of it all. Her dark hair is pulled into two tiny curly puffs on either side of her head, glittering bows pinned into each one because Briseus insisted they were non-negotiable. She wears a pale pink dress with layers of tool that puff around her like a cloud. A plastic tiara was beneath Haruki's princess. The gold crown with Savorsky crystals slides crooked every time she runs. Right now, Keiko's on a pony. The little animal is white with a brushed silver mane and a saddle trimmed in pink. Keiko grips the saddle horn like it's the most important responsibility she's ever been given. Haruki walks beside her, one hand steady, resting lightly against her back. You're doing great, he tells her softly. Keiko beams. Daddy, look. I'm looking, he laughs. The pony takes another slow step and she bounces in the saddle, her shoes kicking excitedly. Again, she declares, you're already on it, Haruki says, but she laughs like that's the funniest thing she has ever heard. When the ride ends, she bolts straight for the bounce house. Haruki follows her inside moments later because apparently the laws of physics no longer apply when a two year old demands it. The entire thing begins wobbling as a six foot yakuza leader attempts to bounce gently. He fails immediately. Keiko squeals with delight as he lifts her and lets her fall onto the soft inflated floor. Again. He tosses her up once more, careful but playful, and the other children start bouncing harder until the castle becomes a chaotic storm of giggles and flying limbs. Later on, I watch across the lawn, Ichiro sits patiently in a folding chair, while the face painter leans over him with a tiny brush. Keiko stands beside him watching intently. Her own face is already painted, soft pink butterfly wings stretching across her cheeks with little white dots scattered like glitter. She points at Ichiro. Same. Ichiro nods gravely. Same. The painter finishes and Ichiro turns his head toward her. A butterfly stretches across his face now too. Keiko claps like she's just witnessed the most extraordinary event in human history. I will not cry. I try not to cry. My baby is having the time of her life, and each one of the men who is instrumental in hers takes a part in something. I watch from the corner of my eye as Anupong signals at the children around him before cuddling up to Briseus. I can tell he's trying to convince her. She says something to Sarowot and must not have gotten the answer she wanted because two of the three triplets are kissing her cheeks. Niran is shaking his head like he's over their antics. Later, we gather under the shade of the trees to open presents. Boxes wrapped in bright paper pile around Keiko like a small mountain, she tears into them with reckless determination. A stuffed rabbit, a princess tea set, board books with thick pages she can turn by herself, a tiny crown that lights up when she presses a button. Every gift earns the same delighted gasp. Ooh. Then comes the cake. It's almost too pretty to cut. Three tiers of soft pastel pink decorated with delicate sugar flowers and tiny edible pearls. At the top sits a small fondant princess wearing a gold crown, light brown skin made from brown sugar, and her dark hair formed from chocolate curled to resemble Keiko's. Everyone gathers around the table, the candles flicker in the warm afternoon air. Haruki lifts Keiko onto his hip. Ready? She stares at the flames like they might be magic. We sing, voices blending together, laughter slipping between the notes. Keiko leans forward when Haruki tells her to Blow. She tries. The candles dance but stay lit. Again. This time they go out. Everyone cheers. I take the knife and cut the first slice, handing it to Haruki so he can help her take the first bite. Frosting ends up on her nose. She doesn't care and applies some to her father's nose so he can match. By the time the party begins winding down, the sun has softened into a warm golden haze, balloons drift lazily against the fence, bits of ribbon and wrapping paper scatter across the grass. Akada carries an armful of presents toward the house and pauses in the doorway long enough to glance back at me. He winks. Of course he does. I smirk at him and rub my stomach absently. Maybe I had too much cake today. Or maybe it's just been a very good day. I don't think I feel well. I haven't had much of anything all day. Then I had a slice of cake, too, actually, and now I'm paying for it with this nasty sugar rush. The party is over, the cleanup has begun. Ella and Ming Shi are in the guest room still knocked out. Cassie and Yua are playing video games while Anais watches, insisting that she too is a big girl. Hanul and Keiko are down for naps. The adults inside the house in the sitting room drinking, talking, and playing games. Bersaius and Sedella are joking with each other. Kihan has just won another round of arm wrestling. Changwu and Ichiro are in the basement doing nerd stuff. Sora is laughing at something Akio is saying. It feels like old times. Hey, Bersaius sneaks up behind me as I watch the last of the ponies get loaded up onto their trailer. You okay? Do I look bad? I sigh, leaning my head on the cool glass. My stomach hurts. Your lips are a little pale, Sidella admits. Did you just eat cake all day? Yes, I groan. God, this better not be food poisoning, though. No one heard Ella approach. I thought you were pregnant. Your hair is so shiny. All three of us turn to face her. Pregnant? No. I was spotting this morning. Hair isn't a telltale sign, Briseus laughs. I've only had one, what do I know? Sidella? I mean she shrugs. Do you feel it? You'd probably feel how this is different. It's too early to tell, but panic floods me, not fear. Excitement? No. Fear. Dread. Not again. My heart is already racing before I reach the stairs. I rush upstairs and hear the flurry of feet behind me as I head into my room and into the bathroom. I keep pregnancy tests under the sink. Snatching the cover from one, I immediately yank down my pants and sit down, holding the stick into the stream of urine. Briseus is the only one who comes in. Are you? Girl, I just started. My hands are shaking. Fuck, I think I peed on my hand. Give it here. Briseas holds her hand out and I recap it, handing it to her. Don't tell me anything. After I flush the toilet, Sadella and Ella come inside and I wash my hands. My heart is pounding too fast. I feel lightheaded. Lord, am I? I was spotting. That doesn't mean anything. I knew something was up with me. Akada and I have been having unprotected sex all month, right after my period ended. Could I have ovulated earlier? Ella sucks in a breath, and I rush over. Four women hunched over a test on the bathroom counter. Then we all see it. The second line. Very faint, but unmistakable. Sedella whoops, Ella claps. Bersaya smiles at me, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. I just stand there. Numb. It's happening again. Another baby. Another baby with a kata. And I burst into tears. You've just heard a chapter of House of the Kami by me, Tierra Cox. If you want the rest of the story, come on, I know you do. You can find the full paperback on Amazon or the ebook on Noir Pages. Follow the link below for House of the Kami or explore the full Crimson Ties collection. Thank you for listening, and I'll see you in the next story.