Senshi (A Katana Novel) by Cole Gibsen Read Free Book Online Page B

his dream of becoming the world’s next great psychologist. That was, when he wasn’t trying to psychoanalyze me.
    Quentin whipped the car around a corner at breakneck speed, forcing me to close my eyes. I didn’t open them again until I heard gravel crunching under the tires, signaling our arrival at the Waterloo Community Park.
    In the Midwest, we only have four months out of the year when the outdoors isn’t covered in ice or hot enough to melt the mascara off my lashes. October is one of those months, so Kim decided we should take advantage of the cooler temperatures and train outside.
    Quentin parked his Mini next to Kim’s silver Trans Am and my pulse jumped into my throat, like it did every time he was near. It’d been that way between us since the moment we first laid eyes on each other in Lord Toyotomi’s courtyard. Five hundred years later and my skin still tingled from the familiar pull that drew me to him like a wave to the shore.
    I hesitated before unbuckling my seatbelt, noticing that Quentin had turned off the ignition but made no move to leave. Instead, his fingers thrummed nervously against his legs. “Um, are you okay?”
    He nodded but didn’t say anything. I followed his gaze to where Kim and the others were stretching under the shade of a large oak tree.
    I placed my hand over his drumming fingers, which froze under my touch. “You don’t have to be nervous, you know. It’s not like this is your first time training with us. You’re a total natural, and you’re getting better all the time.”
    “Who said I was nervous about training?” he snapped. His head swiveled and his eyes met mine. “Maybe I was just scouting the scene for fire hazards.” He pointed to his eyebrows. “Can’t be too careful, after all.”
    I recoiled against the seat like I’d been slapped. It wasn’t like I didn’t deserve what he’d said to me—it was just that Quentin had never spoken to me like that before. His eyes remained fixed on me, with something so much more than anger burning through them. “Q, I … ” But I couldn’t think of the words that would make things better.
    But just as quickly as he turned on me, his face softened. “Rileigh, oh my God, I didn’t mean it.” He pressed a hand to his temple. “I have this killer headache, and it’s making me a little crazy. I swear, I don’t know what got into me. Can you forgive me?”
    My lungs tightened, refusing to move air. I thought I’d choke on my words before I forced them off my tongue. “Forgive you ? After what I did?” I twisted toward the window so he wouldn’t see how much trouble I had trying to breathe. If Q was angry with me, I could handle that—I could make it right. But if it was something worse? What if he was afraid of me? “Q, I promise you that I’m going to do whatever it takes to get this ki thing under control.” And then, after a pause, I added, “We’re cool, aren’t we?”
    “Totally.” He gave me a strained smile and shrugged. “Why would you even ask?”
    Oh, I don’t know, I thought. Because some invisible wedge has been driven between us. Because, even though we’re sitting in the same car, I feel like you’re miles away. But with the words unwilling to fall from my tongue, all I could do was shrug.
    “Dork.” He reached over and ruffled my hair, a familiar gesture that made me feel a smidge better. He opened his mouth but before the words came out, someone tapped against my window.
    Startled, I looked over my shoulder to find Kim smiling at me. Instantly a slow flame burned through me, starting at my toes and ending at my fingertips. You’d think that some of the intensity would wear off after time, but it never did. My breath still caught in my throat, my fingers still curled into fists to resist the urge to reach for him, and I had trouble blinking for fear of having him out of my sight for even a millisecond.
    A seatbelt unclicked beside me. “See you on the field,” Quentin said. “It