Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 104141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Now it was growing.
Lengthening.
Scales appearing.
In fact. . .minute by minute. . .I witnessed the beast go from two feet to four and then six to ten feet.
Now. . .it looked to be close to twenty feet at least. Gigantic and imposing. Very similar to the night when I’d first seen the dragon-shadow at Hiroko’s club in the room with the queening chair.
The large beast flew along his mother's picture first, tenderly circled her face once.
It pressed its shadowy snout against the glass of her frame the way a child pressed its face against a window.
Then the dragon-shadow turned and flew to Kenji’s brother, whom I had to admit had been quite a good-looking man. It was clear that Kenji’s family had quite the handsome DNA.
There, the dragon-shadow hovered in front of my brother-in-law's face.
And the beast grew larger.
I gasped.
Massive wings stretched outward now, wispy and trailing smoke.
The beast rose away from the pictures and hovered over us all.
I looked down at the back of Kenji's neck.
Minutes passed.
Each man took what he needed from the space.
Reo remained at his mother's picture longer than I expected. He stayed on his knees with his hands pressed together in front of his chest. His lips moved continuously. In a language I did not recognize, he was having a deep conversation with his mother and it warmed my heart.
Kaede sat cross-legged in front of his grandfather's frame and smiled sadly. I could tell he was thinking about past happy moments and sitting in them.
Toma lit his family's candles. One for every sibling he had lost, and while he did so he whispered something in the darkness.
Daisuke held Hiro who had stopped sobbing. Instead, they both leaned into each other with their eyes closed and the monks praying around them.
My mind went to the twins.
I glanced toward the curtain opening they had walked through what felt like hours ago, even though it had not been that long.
The heavy curtain swayed.
Did they leave the ballroom entirely?
Or were they somewhere by the bar sitting beside each other in silence?
Were they mad?
Sad?
I did not know, and that unknowing pressed against my ribs the way the picture of their mother must have pressed against theirs.
Hiroko, did I go too far with them?
I watched the curtain sway once more.
My biggest fear was that the twins would never process their trauma and carry her in their bones for the rest of their lives, never letting her out.
Or maybe tonight had opened a door they would walk through in their own time.
Either way. . .it wasn't my decision to force.
I'd done what I could.
I won't push them anymore tonight.
After half an hour, the violinist had eased her melody into a lighter song and my gorgeous helpers arrived in lovely gowns.
They strolled into the grieving space carrying silver trays with folded steaming cloths, small porcelain cups of tea, and sweet little rice cakes with red bean paste.
They moved through the Claws the way nurses moved through a military ward of wounded soldiers.
Silent.
Gentle.
Offering without asking.
One woman pressed a warm cloth gently to Toma's face and he closed his eyes and lowered his shoulders. She held the cloth there until the steam faded and then she replaced it with a fresh one from her tray.
A minute later, Toma hugged her, and she widened her eyes in shock.
Another woman set a cup of tea beside Kaede on the floor and stepped back. Kaede looked at the tea for a long moment. Then he picked it up and drank.
Two women surrounded Hiro and Daisuke, offering the steaming cloths and tea, hugging them and wiping their faces.
I smiled as they happily received the love.
Two more surrounded Reo, doing the same, and even his waitress who held the tray of mac and cheese skewers returned too. There, he sipped tea, munched on the skewers, and sighed as they wiped the dried tears from his face.
Good. You deserve all the love and pampering, Roar.
Finally, Kenji moved against me.
The Dragon gathered himself.
My hand slid from his back as he straightened, and I held my breath because I did not know what state he would be in when he stood. Whether the tears would have made him tender. Or whether they would have made him more furious.
He rose and lifted me with him at the same time. Those strong hands went right under my arms and easily brought me up off the marble.
My feet found the floor.
My heart climbed into my throat.
For one long minute, he just looked at me like he had never seen me before. Like I was the answer to a question that had been ripping him apart.
“Naughty Tiger.” And then he kissed me.
Oh shit.
The space disappeared.
It was such a hungry, intense kiss. Possessive. Demanding in a way that bypassed my mind entirely and went straight to my knees.
My pussy.
His trembling hands moved up to cradle my face. His tongue pushed into my mouth, tasting of cherry sake.