I leaned away and grabbed it. “That kiss shoved me out of reality.”
“Mmmm. Naughty Tiger.”
“Naughty Dragon.” I curved my fingers around the edge of the box. “Did you get this in Paris?”
“Yes. I had it made for you there. It’s something small, but. . .I figured you should open it now because by the time we land on the island, I may be busy with my men.”
“I understand.”
I removed the bow and wrapping.
Next, I lifted the lid.
Inside was an elegant pen.
“Oh wow.” I picked it up. “This is. . .insanely perfect.”
The pen was black amber. Sleek and cool to the touch, but with depth to it. The nib had to be pure gold.
I raised it up in front of me and got a closer look at the nib. It was sculpted into the head of a dragon with tiny ruby eyes. Itsbody coiled around the pen in subtle relief, talons catching the light.
The barrel shimmered.
My breath caught. “This is the most beautiful pen I’ve ever seen in my life. How did you get this made for me?”
“Yes. Commissioned during the trip. Montblanc atelier. They told me it would take weeks. I said, no. She needs it now.”
I imagined the poor person assembling a crew to get this pen crafted before the Dragon returned to pick it up.
I looked down.
A bottle of ink sat nestled inside, deep plum, nearly black, with a satin label. The wax seal was shaped like a dragon’s talon.
Next to that an ivory card was engraved in gold and read:
For every word you bleed onto the page, may you remember who burns behind you.
— K.S.
Oh. God.
My chest squeezed.
I wasn’t ready for that.
My eyes watered as I turned the pen in my hands, careful not to smudge the gold.
I knew Montblanc.
I’d saved for weeks once just to get a limited-edition pen from them. It wasn’t even custom. Just a numbered one in honor of James Baldwin. I still remembered the price tag—more than my rent at the time. I didn’t eat breakfast for a month, wore the same twist-out for four weeks straight, and convinced myself that sacrificing groceries and my hair was worth it.
Because it was.
Writing was my religion.
Butthispen?
It wasn’t a collector’s item.
