I remembered the high. The dizzying, spinning, devastating high of his teeth in my flesh.
"I knew the Dragon would never be fully submissive." Hiroko turned to look at me directly. "Even when I was teaching you, I understood that. A man like him—built for war, raised on violence—he would always have a part of himself that couldn't fully surrender."
The trees grew darker around us.
Denser.
"But I didn't expectthislevel of primal behavior. I didn't expect him to bite you like an animal claiming its mate."
The words hung in the air between us.
"I'm going to tell you a story. And I need you to listen."
“Okay.” My stomach tightened.
"Years ago, I knew a dominatrix. Very experienced. Very skilled. She had been in the lifestyle for over two decades. Knewevery protocol. Every safety measure. Every sign of danger." Hiroko's hands remained folded in her lap. "One day, she took on a new submissive. A doctor. Educated. Refined. Wealthy. He seemed perfect."
The cart continued through the darkness.
The trees pressed closer.
"But over time, something shifted in him. He became obsessed with her. Not just devoted. Consumed. He started biting her during their sessions.”
I widened my eyes.
“He would bite her hard enough to draw blood. In fact. . .he wanted to drink her blood. Said it made him feel closer to her."
I swallowed.
"Then he began collecting pieces of her. Strands of hair. He would eat them right in front of her."
"What?" The word came out before I could stop it.
"Keep in mind that she didn't live with him. Still, he paid extra to come to her home for their sessions and leave.”
“Was that dangerous?”
“It was. I would never do that with any clients. Yet, everything seemed just fine for a year.”
“Okay.”
“But then. . .she started waking up with cuts on her body.”
“Cuts?”
“Small ones. Sores she didn't remember getting." Hiroko's gaze stayed fixed ahead, watching the path. "She thought she was scratching herself in her sleep. Or that something was wrong with her skin."
The golf cart's hum was the only sound.
"This went on for over a year. She had no idea what was happening."
I tensed.
"Until one morning, her assistant came to wake her for an appointment." Hiroko paused.
The silence stretched.
I held out my hands. “What happened?”
