And I wasn’t the one holding the match.
So I walked off with Sako and made sure to keep his pace.
Fuck. . .
Ten feet ahead, I glanced over my shoulder.
Kenji was even more surrounded—men murmuring to him in clipped Japanese, their shoulders tense, their eyes full of worry. The Dragon stood motionless, that terrible shadow stretching long and high behind him like a living omen.
But. . .his attention wasn’t on them. . .instead he watched me walk away. . .and even beneath all that ruthless power, all that quiet devastation he was about to unleash on the world, I saw a flicker in his eyes of the man who kissed my feet.
Of the man who called meToralike it was sacred.
What will these next days look like?
Chapter eight
The Dragon’s Lair
Nyomi
Sako moved like ink over water—fluid and precise. His outfit was all white, cut in a traditional Japanese silhouette with sharp shoulders and a high collar, but tailored perfectly.
Not a thread out of place.
Not a wrinkle in sight.
He walked next to me, and we moved through a long glass corridor first, the floors beneath us glowing faintly with embedded light strips.
Wow.
“This way,” Sako said gently, opening a wide black-and-gold paneled door.
The first room we entered was a pool room—not like the ones in hotels or spas. This one had no chlorine sting in the air. Theentire space smelled of jasmine. The carved stone pool was deep and narrow, its water still as glass.
A massive dragon sculpture curled around the back wall.
Steam rose from its nostrils and drifted into the air.
“You are welcome to use this room anytime.” Sako slightly bowed. “It’s cleaned daily.”
I nodded, but my gaze lingered on the dragon.
It looked too lifelike.
Like it might blink.
The next room was a private sauna, tucked behind a hidden door beside the pool. It was all golden wood slats and warm stone benches. Low flute music played from somewhere in the walls.
Sako gestured to it. “The Dragon prefers to sweat alone here after tense meetings.”
“Okay. Noted.”
From there, we passed a lounge with sleek black seating and a wall-length screen.
“This is one of two theaters. This one is for casual viewing. The Dragon’s Roar likes to spend a lot of time here.”
“Really?”
