And what was even odder, the dragon-shadow lifted his head and continued to watch me.
I swallowed. "You're not going to believe me. . .or you might. . .I don’t know. We just had a nice conversation. Perhaps, let’s wait until tomorrow for me to say something crazy."
"What would be crazy?”
My eyes stayed locked on the dragon-shadow. “A lot, Kenji. . .a lot.”
“Tell me.”
I put my gaze on him. “I might as well. You’re stuck with me. I can’t leave you. Trust me on this. You can’t leave me either.”
“I don’t plan on ever going anywhere.”
“Well.” I glanced at the dragon-shadow. “You never know.”
“What’s going on, Tora?”
"I'm looking at. . .what I think of as your. . .dragon-shadow." My voice came out steadier than I felt. "It’s this. I don’t know how to explain it. Shadowy-dragon shaped situation that sometimes rises out of you when you’re intense or angry. Ananimal behind you, but in shadow form. Alright. I know, I sound crazy."
What happened next, shocked me even more.
Silence.
Kenji didn't laugh.
He didn't speak.
But, his spoon slipped from his fingers and clattered against the table.
And the man who controlled an empire—who probably never flinched, never broke, never showed an ounce of surprise to anyone—stared at me with an expression I had never seen on his face.
Behind him, the dragon-shadow—that dark, wispy hovering beast—widened its eyes. For the first time since I'd started seeing it, the shadow wasn't watching me with intensity, possession, rage, or curiosity.
It was shock.
Pure shock.
Oh. . .you didn't know I could see you either?
Chapter seventeen
Shadow Beast
Kenji
Did she really say that?
I stared at my Tiger.
My mind emptied. Every thought I'd ever had vanished like smoke. My chest locked. My lungs forgot how to work.
My spoon was gone.
I didn't remember dropping it. Didn't remember hearing it hit the table. All I knew was that my hands were empty and my chest was full of something I couldn't name.
She sees. . .my dragon. The one my mother saw?
I wanted to speak. Wanted to say her name. Wanted to ask her a thousand questions. But my mouth wouldn't move. My voice had abandoned me.
