Youkai Bloodlines Series by Courtney Maguire

Kanjin hardly view their servants as human. Even less so when they are different.Asagi is different. Both a man and a woman.In the wake of his failure to protect a boy he saw as a son from their abusive master, Asagi is sold into the house of a young nobleman, Mahiro, who is the opposite of everything Asagi has ever known—gentle, kind, and generous.Mahiro bonds with Asagi and their friendship blooms into a deep and profound love... moreKanjin hardly view their servants as human. Even less so when they are different.Asagi is different. Both a man and a woman.In the wake of his failure to protect a boy he saw as a son from their abusive master, Asagi is sold into the house of a young nobleman, Mahiro, who is the opposite of everything Asagi has ever known—gentle, kind, and generous.Mahiro bonds with Asagi and their friendship blooms into a deep and profound love. But when Asagi is poisoned out of jealousy, Mahiro reveals himself to be youkai, a demon who feeds on blood, and he has no choice but to turn Asagi to save his life.Asagi awakes reborn, strong, and eternally youthful. But the price for Asagi’s new life is high.The blood of the innocent. Just as Asagi’s trust in Mahiro falters, the boy he failed to protect, now a man, reappears.​New master, same threat.With both a literal and proverbial monster at the door, Asagi must decide what it means to be human to protect what he loves most.Content Warnings: physical abuse, sexual abuse (off-page), self-harm, blood, graphic violence less

In Hiro’s world, youkai are a supernatural story used to scare children into obedience, and to keep men out of back alleys and brothels. Until Sakurai Hideyoshi walks through his door with a fantastical tale of a samurai who had killed a thousand men and drank the blood of his enemies, a man that lived in darkness but sought beauty to keep it at bay.A story both terrifying and romantic…and completely ridiculous.Unless it is true... moreIn Hiro’s world, youkai are a supernatural story used to scare children into obedience, and to keep men out of back alleys and brothels. Until Sakurai Hideyoshi walks through his door with a fantastical tale of a samurai who had killed a thousand men and drank the blood of his enemies, a man that lived in darkness but sought beauty to keep it at bay.A story both terrifying and romantic…and completely ridiculous.Unless it is true.Convinced something softer lurks behind Hideyoshi’s hard mask, Hiro follows him home. And discovers the story is real.Only instead of the blood of his enemies, it is innocent blood taken.Hideyoshi tells him never to return. Yet after Hiro’s mother is mortally wounded, Hiro runs back to the one being he knows with the power to save her. When Hideyoshi can’t, Hiro begs him for the next best thing: the power to avenge her.As Hiro becomes youkai, he faces a new threat, something darker, older, and far more dangerous. With Hideyoshi at his side, Hiro must decide what he’s willing to sacrifice--and what he’s willing to do--to protect this new life before he loses everything for a second time. less