No.
I looked like I WAS someone dangerous.
Zo appeared behind me in the mirror and rested his chin on my shoulder. "There she is."
My throat tightened. Because he wasn't talking about the outfit. He was talking about me. The version of me that had been building since I set foot on this island.
"The Dragon is a lucky man," Zo said quietly. Then he straightened and clapped. "Now let's go before I cry and ruin my eyeliner."
“Yes.” Hiroko sighed. “She’s done. Get the cape so she won’t be cold.”
I looked back at them. “So now can I know what is going on?”
“You’ll know soon.”
Minutes later, we were back outside—Hiroko, her assistants, and me.
The golf cart hummed through the darkness.
Silent, Hiroko sat beside me.
Again, the assistants drove.
The night had deepened—stars scattered across the sky, lanterns glowing along the path, shadows pooling between the trees.
I waited for her to speak.
Finally, she did. "You've done two scenes now successfully. Both tested you and Kenji in different ways."
I nodded.
"But this scene will test you both on thehighestlevel." She turned to look at me. "It's dangerous. The most dangerous element I'll ever work with."
Element?
I started running through the possibilities. Elements. The classical ones. The ones that made up the world.
Water.We'd already done that. The tub. The drowning. His hands holding me under.
Air.Breath control, in a way. The choking. The gasping. The moments when oxygen became a gift he could give or take.
Earth.Dirt. Mud. That didn't make sense. What would an earth scene even look like? Being buried alive? No. That was insane. That wasn't sexy. That was just murder.
Fire.
My whole body rejected the word. My skin tightened. My stomach dropped. Every nerve ending that had been scrubbed clean in that shower suddenly understood WHY they'd been scrubbed clean.
No oils.
No lotions.
Nothing flammable on the skin.
No. . .there’s no way we’re playing with fire tonight. That would be crazy and too dangerous. I’m not ready for that.
"Whatever you see when you walk in," Hiroko said, "remember that you can stop at any time."
I looked at her.
