Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 154368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 772(@200wpm)___ 617(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 772(@200wpm)___ 617(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
Kenji.
I still jumped a little.
His low chuckle rumbled against my ear, but his arms encircled me with such fierce possession that my breath caught. His muscles were coiled steel beneath hot skin, trembling with barely restrained power as if he'd tear apart anyone who dared try to separate us.
"My little scaredy cat." With his lips, he brushed the sensitive spot below my ear.
Mmmm.
As always, he was so fucking sexy. But today the playfulness was a veneer. Delicate silk wrapping over a samurai's blade.
My voice came out breathless. "I didn't even hear you come in the shower."
Kenji's mouth brushed the shell of my ear. "I wouldn't be the Dragon if you had heard me."
Slowly, I turned in his arms and looked up at him.
Oh shit. . .
Kenji’s eyes weren't human anymore. Black pupils had swallowed the warm brown irises I loved, leaving only obsidian pools that reflected nothing back.
The muscles in his jaw pulsed beneath his skin. His nostrils flared with each breath. This wasn't just anger or violence—this was bloodlust radiating from him in waves so thick I could taste metal on my tongue.
He wasn't just ready to hurt someone. He was already killing them in his mind.
And behind him, rising up through the steam, was the dragon shadow.
Holy shit.
My breath caught.
I'd seen the beastly shadow before. Felt its presence in the room when Kenji's emotions ran high. It usually looked wispy, faded, and similar to smoke.
But not now.
Today, the dragon-shadow was solid black.
Dark as ink.
It hovered over us and took up the entire back of the shower.
And its eyes. . .
They were red embers, glowing.
I'd never seen it like this.
Then the dragon-shadow moved his head and those ember eyes focused on me.
My skin prickled with heat.
It was so terrifying to have his attention.
I pulled my eyes away from the dragon-shadow and back to the man.
Water ran down Kenji's gorgeous face. Steam clung to the tattoos on his muscular chest and arms, and for a split second, I thought I saw even the inked dragons move on his skin, preparing for war.
I blinked and looked back at Kenji. “What’s going on?"
Kenji's jaw tightened. "We've got my father's location."
The words slammed into me.
My chest constricted. My heart kicked into overdrive. Fear flooded my system so fast I felt dizzy. My hands started shaking against his wet skin, and I couldn't stop them.
Stay calm.
I swallowed. "How many people are you taking with you?"
"Forty."
“Can you take more?”
“More would bring too much attention.”
"I need you to take a full military." The words tumbled out of me. "Take everyone. Take all the men. Take the Fangs and the Claws and everyone else."
That mask of death cracked and he smiled. “You want me safe.”
“Of course.”
"I understand, Tora, but where we are going, too many people will bring attention. We're going to have to slip as many as we can in without being noticed."
“Okay. . .”
“You have more questions?”
“Of course but. . .I know you don’t have the time to answer—”
“Ask me anything, Tora. You’re my Heart. It needs to be calm.”
I bit my lip. "At your father’s location. . .how many do you think will be there?"
"I'm not sure at this time."
My stomach dropped. "What if this is a trap?"
"It could be, but we're ready for it. This won't be the first time we've walked into traps. We're ready. We're going to kill them."
"You're. . .confident."
"Of course I'm confident." He smiled. A real smile that reached his eyes. "I have my dragon-shadow with me."
I didn't smile back. I couldn't. Because all I could see was that shadow looming behind him.
Massive.
Dark.
Ready to devour.
Frowning, I looked up at it.
Kenji raised his eyebrows. "You can see it right now?"
"Yeah." I swallowed hard. "He's big. He's taking up the majority of the wall and the shower. And he's dark. Darker than ever. And. . .his eyes look red."
Kenji followed my gaze to the shadow. Then he looked back at me. “Red?”
“Yes. I didn’t even know he could get this dark or his eyes would look that way.”
"Then, my dragon is ready for war too."
I trembled. “Yes.”
Kenji’s smile widened, while my mind screamed at me to beg him not to go.
Yesterday had been so perfect romance with omakase, sensuality immersed within fire play.
I'd felt so close to him.
So connected.
We'd been falling deeper in love with every breath.
And now he was leaving, heading for war.
I'd known this life would be dangerous. I'd known there would be moments like this. But I never realized how terrifying it would feel to stand next to him right now. To see the dragon-shadow writhing behind him.
To know that in a few hours he could be dead.
The pain of this dread was physical. A knife twisting in my chest.
My throat closed up, and I wanted to cry.
Wanted to scream.
Wanted to tell him how much I hated this.
How much I didn't want him to go.