Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 92392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
“Did I overstep?”
“How could you, Tora? It was your call.”
“Okay.” Some of the tension loosened from my shoulders. “And. . .I assume you already know about the DNA results for the baby twins.”
“I don’t.” His gaze remained on me, and it didn’t even look like he cared about that at all.
What is going on with him?
I swallowed. “The twins are Hiro’s.”
“They’re my nephews?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm.” He continued to watch me in that eerie way, unsettling me.
This unnerving silence ran through the space. Kenji's eyes hadn't moved from my face, steady and unblinking, like he was waiting for me to crack first. And no sound came from him—not an exhalation nor shift of fabric.
The space between us held nothing—no fidgeting, no shifting weight, just him watching me with that same flat, unreadable expression. And the silence pressed on. It was a thick, heavy fog rolling in and settling around us, making it hard to stand tall.
My mouth went dry.
"Thank you, Tora." His voice was calm, but his emotions in our bond were not. They were a hurricane of rage, sadness, and guilt. "We owe our victory to you."
My chest tightened. "You’re angry. I can feel you wanting to hurt someone and. . . I am the only one in the room so. . ."
"Yet, you know I could never hurt you, Tora."
"But you are mad at me. I can feel it. We are. . .bonded. . .Do you feel it too?"
"I felt your emotions through the whole war." He pursed his lips. "Anger. Sadness. Vengeance. Grief."
What?
The overhead light hummed.
I looked away. "Why are you angry with me, Kenji?"
"You may feel my emotions, but you cannot read my thoughts. How could I ever be angry with my Tiger?"
A shiver rolled down my back. "Still. . .you cleared the room. . ."
"I did."
"Why not just have me come to you?"
"Because a king does not summon a queen."
I blinked and turned back to him.
He continued to stare at me. "What was the sacrifice, Tora?"
Oh, no. Not that.
Chapter twenty-six
The Things We Carry
Nyomi
Kenji’s question kept ringing in my head like a bell being struck over and over.
The overhead light stretched thin.
The tile under my feet drifted.
I almost stopped breathing.
Does he know? Is that why he is mad? How could he know? He can't know.
The thoughts came at me in a rush, tripping over one another, none of them finishing before the next one started. My skin went hot. My heart went cold.
Did somebody tell him? Who could have told him? The Silent Ones? Why would they do that?
The bond throbbed under my sternum. I pressed my palm flat over the place it lived.
My other hand went to my stomach.
If he knows. . .
Nausea climbed up the back of my throat.
My eyes watered, but I would not shed tears. I couldn’t. If he didn’t know, I wouldn’t tell him. If he did know, I didn’t want to talk about it. Maybe, I was a selfish coward. Perhaps, I was weak or wrong. . .so wrong. I killed our baby, so he could win a war.
What kind of woman did that make me?
If he knew. . could he forgive me? I’m still not sure I can forgive myself. . .
The bond throbbed again.
His rage.
His sadness.
His guilt.
The three emotions braided together and pressed against the inside of my chest.
My mouth was dry. My tongue stuck. My teeth wanted to chatter. I set my jaw against them.
I looked at him across the tile and did my best not to sneer. “I don’t want to talk about the sacrifice, Kenji."
He watched me and remained silent.
A nervous tremor started in my knees, traveled up the bones of my legs, and settled in my hips.
"Tora. . ."
I turned away. Sweat prickled at my hairline. A drop slid behind my ear and down the side of my throat.
No. I’m not doing this.
I headed off to leave the room, and he watched. When I walked past him, I gave us a wide berth of space so he wouldn’t grab me. My legs moved toward the double doors. I did not know where I was going, just that I was getting my ass out of there.
As I continued, I heard him move fast behind me.
Hurry.
His massive hand closed on my arm.
Fuck.
Slowly, he turned me to face him and then. . .he pulled me against him.
His body was hard everywhere mine was not. His muscular chest was a wall against my cheek. His strong arms wrapped around me before I could set my hands to push him away. His grip held me in.
He inhaled at the crown of my head.
Long.
Slow.
He drank the air off my hair.
Kenji lowered his head, and his mouth found the skin near my ear. He brushed his lips against my flesh and groaned.
The sound vibrated through me.
Tears left my eyes.
I quickly wiped them away.
He inhaled again along my hairline. He dragged his mouth down the side of my throat. His hands opened at my back and then gripped me even harder.