Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 154368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 772(@200wpm)___ 617(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 772(@200wpm)___ 617(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
Somehow, Reo had worn Satoshi down the only way that ever worked.
Consistency.
Loyalty.
Blood spilled in the right places.
So in this moment. . .Satoshi didn’t move because he didn’t trust Reo. He didn’t move because he knew my temper and didn’t think my Roar should be disciplined anymore.
Rin kept the door open.
Kaoru and Yoichi were already gone.
Reluctantly, Satoshi finally stepped forward, slower than the others, eyes never leaving Reo until Rin cleared his throat softly. Once Satoshi went through, the door closed behind them.
Silence settled into the room.
The air changed.
And I put my gaze back on my Roar. “Go ahead. Drown out the pain.”
Chapter four
The Many Faces of Power
Kenji
“Thanks.” Reo lifted his glass again.
This time, he didn’t stop at a sip.
He took a longer swallow, the kind one only took when no one was watching who might mistake it for weakness. And surely, the whiskey worked its way down, easing the tightness in his shoulders.
After Reo swallowed, he exhaled slowly through his nose.
I inclined my head once. “Take another if you want.”
With no hesitation, Reo took the second sip, smaller than the last but deeper than the first, and then he crossed the room and set the glass down on my desk.
To my surprise, he rolled his shoulder once and winced despite himself. Then he looked at me and huffed a breath that might’ve been a laugh. “I forget how heavy your fist is. It’s worse than a steel boulder.”
I didn’t smile.
But something in my chest loosened.
He was still standing.
Still sharp.
Still my Roar.
And that mattered more than anything else in the room.
I didn’t lift the glass to take my first sip.
Instead, I set it aside next to his. It wouldn’t be wise to drink before a surprise visit with the Lion. “My Tiger asked me for permission power.”
“Your Heart asked for that.”
I swallowed.
Reo leaned his head to the side. “What sort of permission power does she want?”
“When she saw the pyre, she demanded I tell her when I make choices like that—before I give the order.”
Reo went still.
Not the stillness of disapproval.
Something else.
His eyebrows lifted—just a fraction—and his gaze cut sideways, away from me, toward nothing in particular. His mouth pressed into a line that wasn't quite a frown.
For a moment, he didn't speak. Then something flickered across his face.
Brief.
Almost imperceptible.
If I didn't know him, I would have missed it entirely. But I did know him. And that flicker looked dangerously close to respect.
Of course you would like that she demanded that.
I frowned. “What?”
Reo picked up the glass. Once he had a nice gulp, he set it back down and smirked. “Your Tiger definitely has sharp teeth.”
“She does.”
“It’s too bad she is unable to use those teeth. At least not yet.”
“She’s new to this world. But the horror of this morning. . .”
“What was your answer to her demand for power?”
“I didn’t answer her.”
He widened his eyes. “You will need to answer her before the day is over.”
“Will I?”
“Yes.”
“I am the Dragon. My silence is enough.”
“And she is your Heart, Kenji. You’ll have to use words with her. Careful. Loving. Respectful words.” Reo shrugged. “That’s of course if you want the bed to be warm tonight and not cold.”
I came close to sneering, but had no one to truly be pissed at. “You think I should give her that much power over me?”
"That's not what she actually wants."
I raised my eyebrows. "Explain."
Reo didn't respond right away.
He turned toward the window, and let one hand press flat against his ribs, right over the clean shirt. The pressure was subtle, but I caught the way his fingers spread wide and tested the damage beneath the fabric.
For a few seconds, Reo stared out at the morning light.
The silence wasn't empty.
Then, Reo turned back to face me and dropped his hand from his ribs. And I knew that the movement cost him. I saw it in the tightness around his eyes, the fraction of a second where his breath caught before he smoothed it away. “She doesn’t want your begging for her permission, Kenji. What she really wants is certainty of not being terrified like that again. She wants some sense of control after all the shock. That's human."
I considered what he was saying.
"She's trying to anchor herself to something that won't move."
I didn't interrupt.
"Your Tiger woke up to a pyre of enemies that is quite normal in our life. Yet. . .for her. . .it is not normal at all. You two have only known each other for a few weeks. She’s had a jagged learning curve as you’ve taken her into war right after the second date. And now the pyre. . .that kind of horror doesn't ask for logic. It demands the illusion of control."
“The illusion?”
“Yes.”
“But do I give her this permission?”
“What do you want to do?”
“I don’t think she can handle it. She doesn’t understand the nuances. Perhaps, many years from now I would agree to discussing some things but. . .her permission? That is not my way.”