We stopped.
Kenji looked at him and they spoke in low, clipped Japanese.
Then I heard a bit of English.
“Bomb placements confirmed.”
My body went cold.
Kenji gave a tight nod, jaw flexed, and murmured something back I couldn’t translate. But I didn’t need to.
Bombs. This war is really going to happen.
Kenji was going to detonate entire pieces of Tokyo.
My stomach clenched so hard I had to force my jaw to stay shut.
The walls of the mansion seemed to tilt for a second, the beauty around me warping as my brain tried to make sense of the brutality beneath it.
This man who had kissed me like I was the only thing tethering him to this world. Who held my hand on a helicopter like a sacred vow. He was preparing to erase parts of a city.
How many innocents would die?
I wanted to ask, but I didn’t get the chance.
More men appeared speaking in Japanese and Kenji’s face grew tense.
What is going on? Is everything okay?
To my right, an older man in white stepped forward. First, he bowed deeply to Kenji and then he turned to me.“Miss Palmer, my name is Sako. I’m the house steward. It’s an honor to serve you.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“May I show you around while the Dragon has his meeting.” He glanced at Kenji for permission.
Kenji gave him a single nod and let go of my hand. “I will see you soon, Tora.”
I swallowed not wanting to be separated but knowing that he had to focus on the war ahead.
And then, just like that, the Dragon slipped back into place.
Gone was the man who had knelt before me like I was a queen. Gone was the lover who had guided me over the bridge with a hand at my back, who kissed the tips of my heels and stroked my ankle like he needed it to breathe.
In his place stood the ferocious beast.
That dragon-shadow rose high against the wall—dark, elegant, and terrifying. His spine straightened into an impossible line. His jaw locked. His hands, which had just been tender and slow, folded behind his back in military stillness.
His men around us snapped to attention, as if they’d felt the shift in air pressure too.
Fuck.
Sako turned toward me and gestured with an elegant hand. “Please follow me, so I can show you to your quarters.”
I hesitated.
Just for a second. My hand still tingled from where Kenji had touched it.
But war was coming.
