Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 101427 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101427 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
“Why?"
"She caught him looking at her notebook while she was researching jazz bands for our date. Watari kept going in and out of the house and when she caught him looking, he made some comment about her great taste in music."
“She knew his name?”
“No. She gave his description and that’s how I knew.”
"She’s sharp?"
"Sharper than any blade I own."
“Good. She’ll need that if she is going to join our family.”
I blinked.
Hiro had said that like she would belong to all of them too.
I hadn’t thought of it like that.
I knew I planned to possess her. That part was never in question. I wanted her in my house. In my bed. On my side. I wanted to protect her, surround her, keep her. But I hadn’t stopped to think about how that would also mean. . .she would be joining my family too.
My inner circle.
Which meant that they may want to look to her for guidance on me. Perhaps, they would even expect things from her. Maybe even feel entitled to parts of her I wasn’t ready to give up.
Her attention.
Her care.
Her presence.
In fact, that was already starting. With this whole topic of the bento boxes, the Claws were practically marching down this hill like I personally betrayed them.
Annoyance surged through my veins.
I didn’t want to share her.
Not her time.
Not her laughter.
Not her cooking.
I knew how it felt to be seen by her, and I didn’t want anyone else having that. Even the idea of her handwriting showing up on someone else’s lunch container made my jaw tight.
She was mine.
But if she was to be my Queen, then. . .she would be a part of the Dragon and all that came with that massive body of men.
And I wasn’t sure I was ready for all that.
Hiro yanked me out of my thoughts. "I know you trust Hiroko, but I did my own test with her assistants and her just in case."
“And what did you think?”
He kept walking, unfazed. "They passed."
Relief cracked through me.
Just slightly.
Because Hiro’s tests weren’t just questions. They were silent dissections. Breath counts. Pulse checks. Eye flicks and micro-muscle twitches. He was a human lie detector, built from trauma and brilliance, and when he said someone passed. . .it was truth.
“Good.” I checked my watch. "We have two hours before the bombs drop. Let’s make sure all traitors are found and get rid of them."
“Can I help with the torture?”
I glanced at that butcher knife. “Of course. You clearly need to get out some aggression.”
“Then, who will you be tonight? Good cop or bad cop?"
A slow sneer crept across my face. "We’re both bad cops tonight, brother."
Another scream echoed through the mist.
This one gurgled.
A last breath being death.
As we came near, the gravel gave way to moss-covered stone. Lights flickered low along the path—red and gold lanterns with kanji etched into the paper.
Ahead, the gate waited. Torii arch. Black iron. Gold trim. Bamboo curving behind.
The wind picked up.
The screams were closer now along with the sound of bamboo creaking.
We turned down the final curve in the path, and the night deepened around us.
To our right, the koi pond stood. Its black surface mirrored the moonlight, broken only by orange fins stirring the water in brief flashes.
A bullfrog croaked once among the tortured men’s wails.
My bamboo greenhouse emerged from the darkness, glowing faintly beneath the moon’s gaze. Its glass walls shimmered. The roof arched low and elegant, the door faced us directly now.
But something was wrong.
My heart pounded.
The door was wide open.
And there were no guards posted outside as usual.
What the fuck?
Behind the bamboo’s swaying shadows, I caught movement like someone was ducking.
I pulled out my guns. “Hiro.”
He didn’t wait for the order.
Just flicked his wrist.
Three Claws surged forward, weapons raised, cutting ahead of us without a word.
Then—gunfire.
Sudden.
Loud.
Close.
Muzzle flashes lit the greenhouse from inside. The bark of bullets shattered glass. Footsteps thundered. Shadows moved inside the bamboo room.
Men were running.
And they weren’t running toward us.
They were trying to get away.
Fuck that.
We all charged forward.
Chapter fifteen
Corpse Circle
Kenji
We hit the threshold, and everyone stopped.
The lollipop fell from Hiro’s mouth. It hit the stone floor with a soft clack, rolling once before resting in a smear of blood.
The air stank of iron and something sweeter like overripe fruit and piss. Death always brought both.
The lights had been shot out, but the moonlight showed us enough.
For a second, I couldn’t move.
Just stared.
Five bodies lay in a perfect circle near the entrance. The perfection of it made it worse. Not one body out of place. Not one limb askew. Not a drop of blood outside the bounds. It was a death painter’s final masterpiece.
In the center of the circle sat a sake cup. Upside down. Empty. As if to say the vow had been revoked.
And all of them were Nyomi’s guards. Men I’d personally chosen to protect her.