17. Always A Part of Me
17
Always A Part of Me
T HE battery bar was finally charged enough for her to use her phone. Messages and missed calls blew up her notifications. The newsreader’s voice filled Ryu’s office. The officials blamed a radical group from another country, making Ryu scoff as he called someone again. Even though she knew there had been previous attacks on Mageía, it shocked her how violent some people were, and it brought a pit to her stomach.
Roselin raised her knees to her chest. She sat on the living room couch, a warm blanket around her and a steaming cup of tea waiting for her on the table. Her finger pushed on Nadia’s name again. One ring, two rings, and Nadia picked up.
“ROSE!” Nadia screamed.
“Oh my God, are you okay?” Roselin whispered so she wouldn’t disturb Ryu.
“Yes, you?”
“Shaken up, but alright.”
A sniff came through the phone. “Please come home, Rose.”
Her heart ached. “I can’t right now.”
“Is he holding you hostage?” Nadia said in hushed tones.
“What, no! He’s protecting me.” Roselin’s fingers raked through her hair as she glanced at Ryu. “I’ll explain everything later, but things are crazy.”
“Rose, Gale—”
“Gale?”
It stayed quiet for a moment. “We’ve been talking,” Nadia said. “He knows a lot about Ryu—”
Roselin scoffed. “He knows nothing about Ryu, but he probably has a lot to say after Ryu kicked his ass.”
A sigh came from the other side of the phone. “I’m not sure what to do. It’s like I understand Gale’s bad, but he keeps pulling me in.”
Roselin couldn’t judge her too much. After all, she had the same with Ryu, who did his own fair share of illegal things, and he harmed her, too, even though he didn’t mean to. “Please stay away from him and be careful. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“You too,” Nadia said. “I need to go. I still haven’t reached everyone. Come home soon.”
“I will.”
The connection broke off. Groaning, Roselin buried her face in her hands.
“Are you okay?” Ryu asked. She peaked through her fingers. His jaw clenched, and his shoulders strained as he held in his frustration.
“It’s been a roller-coaster. You?”
Ryu averted his eyes, and she could see him trying to take control of his emotions. “Someone is going to drop by in a minute. Would you mind waiting in the bedroom?”
Roselin stood up. “Is something wrong?”
His lips pressed into a thin line, and he stretched his fingers. “We’ll see.”
A scoff pushed past her lips before she could stop herself. Ryu’s eyes darted to her, and she sighed. “It’s been annoying not knowing what’s going on.”
He stepped towards her, taking her chin in his hand, and their lips met. Her legs clenched together. Shit, she wished to be naked with him in bed, not thinking about all the bad things happening in the world.
Ryu pulled away, but she stood on her toes to keep them connected. He grinned against her lips. “Go upstairs, draw something, and I’ll be up.” He smacked her ass, and she did as he said.
She took her sketchbook. The pencil flowed over the paper, and dark clouds slowly covered the page.
“This is ridiculous!” Ryu’s voice thundered through the house. With the door ajar, she slid down the wall, listening to the conversation she wasn’t meant to hear.
“You’re too close to this,” the other person said. She recognised the voice. Mister Visser? Wasn’t he supposed to stay away from Ryu because of their connection?
“Too close?” Ryu said in an even tone, but she heard a small string of anger in his voice. “I want them dead.”
“We all want them dead. Now, call back your shadows. This is why you aren’t on the case,” Mister Visser said. She imagined Ryu’s tight jaw and the shadows dancing around his fingers. “I have someone investigating it.”
“Give me a name.”
“Don’t command me, Ryu.” The conversation paused. “This is bigger than all of us. Our city has seen nothing like this before.”
“How do I prepare?”
Mister Visser mumbled something, but she couldn’t make out the words. Would they notice if she sneaked down the stairs? Her fingers gripped her sketchbook as Roselin waited for any intelligible word to hear. She leaned towards the door opening.
“Keep a close eye on her and watch your own back, too. The kid is insane,” Mister Visser said through his teeth. Who were they talking about? Shit, she wanted to be in this conversation.
“Are you sure it was him?” Ryu asked.
A brief pause. Roselin held her breath.
“Wrong friends,” Mister Visser said, along with some mumbling.
“We should have done something about this group before—”
“We couldn’t,” Mister Visser interrupted Ryu as they returned to hushed voices.
The room stayed quiet, and so did she. Her rapid heartbeat pounding in her ear drowned out the silence. Footsteps on the stairs made her jump up. Roselin sat in the corner chair with her notebook in her lap.
“My darling Rose.” Ryu smiled as he walked in, but tension still stiffed his body. Standing in front of her, he bowed down to kiss her lips.
“You’re tense.” She stroked his chest. Her fingers found his zipper, and she opened his pants. “Let me help.”
She slid onto her knees, freeing his cock, and her tongue glided across his length. His fingers dug into her hair. A sharp breath left him as she took his dick into her mouth. His muscles relaxed, his soft moans filling her ears like music. Her nipples hardened. Drool dripped past her lips as she tasted the pre-cum. He pushed himself deeper into her throat, guiding her until satisfaction. It didn’t take long for him to fill her mouth with his cum, and she swallowed every last drop. When she grinned up at him, the twinkle had returned in his eyes.
His phone vibrated, taking them out of the moment, and Roselin pouted. He read the message, his face telling her he wasn’t happy. “I’m sorry darling, I need to leave.” He kissed her head.
“But it’s late.” The sun had gone under a while ago.
“I know. However, and especially with everything that happened today, I still have a security company to run.”
She clenched her hands together. She wanted to mention the police, but they were useless at this point.
Ryu stroked her cheek until the frown on her face disappeared. “I’ll let someone bring dinner up. You should rest.”
Like clockwork, Roselin yawned.
“Go shower. Tomorrow, I’m all yours.” He kissed the crown of her head and went downstairs.
The warm water stream forced her muscles to relax. Ryu’s moans still echoed in her ears. She let her fingers slide down, finding her clit, and rubbing soft circles. A sharp gasp left her. The tension in her shoulders and neck finally released.
It was well into the morning when Roselin woke up again. As she stood up, her head spun, and she decided it would be a stay-in-bed day. Ryu checked in on her and brought her lunch, but the promise that he’d be all hers today was broken by his phone constantly going off. At least Hugo was out of the hospital with minor injuries; he’d been unlucky enough to be near the tram when it exploded.
“Rose.”
Startled, she jerked on the bed, a shriek leaving her mouth. The pencil rolled out of her hand.
Ryu leaned against the doorpost, grinning at her with a twinkle in his eye.
“You scared me.”
“I see.” He walked towards her. “You know, you look exceptionally cute when you concentrate.”
“How long have you been standing there?”
“A while. It was peaceful.” He held her gaze, his finger caressing her jaw. “I want to do something with you.”
“Oh really, Mister Botan,” she said, rising to her feet and kissing him.
“Not what I meant.” He smiled against the skin of her neck. “We have an appointment in an hour, and afterwards, I’ll cook for you.” Ryu kissed her cheek.
“You mean like a date?” She beamed, but he didn’t answer.
“Go and put on something… nice, but maybe formal-looking.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Okay.”
She picked out a dress with dark tights and black heels, her hair pinned to the side. Ryu clicked his tongue as she walked down the stairs. Three chairs stood in the middle of the area, with a small table next to it. On the table lay bamboo sticks with needles and ink, and she tilted her head.
“It’s for Tebori. Those are Nomi,” Ryu said, taking her hand as her brows drew closer together. “My tattoos are sacred, and so are those of my brothers in my clan.”
“You have brothers?” she asked, and Ryu laughed.
“Not in a relative kind of way,” he said, her lips forming an O. “We prevent others from seeing the tattoos unless they’re in our clan.” He paused, kissing her temple. “Or our lovers and loved ones.”
“So you never wear t-shirts or shorts?”
Ryu’s laugh echoed through the room again. “No, except when I’m in private or with you.”
She looked at the sharp needles. “I don’t quite understand why you’re telling me this.” Ryu had stolen her heart, but that didn’t mean she was getting painful ink to join his clan.
His arm snaked around her waist, her back against his chest. “Because I want you to be included in this. I would like you to draw me a rose.”
“I’m not tattooing you!”
“No, you’re not. But the Driver will copy your design.” Ryu smiled. “You’re part of my tree of life. Whether you’ll stay by my side or decide you want to live above the surface, I won’t ever forget you, my keeper of ethics.”
She stood on her toes again. Ryu’s tongue slipped into her mouth, and her fingers found his hair. “I guess I’ll get my sketchbook,” she breathed against his lips.
Soon, a perfect rose with thorny vines intertwined with each other appeared on the page. Ryu sat bare-chested, waiting for her design, with the Driver next to him. His hands moved, saying something in sign language, and the Driver reacted to Ryu with a laugh.
She handed the Driver her drawing, and he gave her a slight nod as Ryu leaned back in the chair.
Small pieces of scented wood incense burned, the soothing fragrance filling her nose. The needle pierced Ryu’s skin, but he didn’t move a muscle, his face as calm as ever. Her fingers snaked around his hand. He might not need the support, but she did.
Roselin watched the ink colouring his skin above his heart, and she felt Ryu’s eyes watching her. He squeezed her hand, her eyes jerking to his. “You need to breathe,” Ryu told her. A breath she didn’t know she held escaped her lips. From the corner of her eye, she saw the Driver grinning.
After this, she’d be forever connected to him, and somehow, Roselin was fine with it. Although the nerves fluttered around in her stomach.
“They’re gorgeous,” Roselin said when the Driver had finished. Both Ryu and the Driver laughed again, and she stuck out her tongue at them.
The Driver picked up his stuff and bowed his head to them. Ryu bowed back, and she followed his lead, granting her another smile from the Driver. Roselin watched the Driver leave, her hand resting on Ryu’s chest, keeping him in place. The moment the door closed, she hopped on his lap. Her hunger for Ryu only grew more every second, and now she needed to fill it.
Their lips met in a passionate kiss, her fingers buried in his hair. His hand cupped her breast, igniting more flames inside of her. She tried to wiggle off her tights and panties, but Ryu stopped her. “I was going to make you dinner.”
“You still are, but I need to satisfy this hunger first.” She covered his mouth with her lips to shut him up.
Ryu ripped through her panties, destroying her clothes once again. But right now, she didn’t care. The itch needed to be scratched before she lost her mind and exploded in the burning heat.
A gasp escaped her as he guided himself inside her. His name wanted to leave her, but the only sound coming from her was a groan of pleasure. Her breasts rubbed against his chest, their skin touching in all the good ways. Wanting more—no, needing more—she picked up her pace. Her breath grew quicker.
It didn’t take long before everything in her body tingled, and her muscles had a mind of their own. “Yes,” was all she managed to say as she came on his cock. Quick, dirty, and intimate, just as she needed. Ryu’s breath sounded heavy in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine, and she clenched around him once more. She felt him swell inside her before his cum coated her walls.
Ryu picked her up from his lap and kissed her temple. “Go clean up. I’m making you dinner.” He smiled against her skin before biting her bottom lip.
Roselin didn’t let him tell her twice. Ryu, cooking? That was a sight she longed to see. But when she was all dressed up and entered the kitchen, Ryu wasn’t there. Tilting her head, Roselin followed her nose. She knocked on the ajar door leading to a room next to the kitchen. “Ryu?”
“Come in,” Ryu answered.
In the middle of the space appeared some kind of firepit with a pan hanging from the ceiling. Pillows encircled the cooking set-up, with Ryu sitting on one of them.
“Smells good,” she said, her brows furrowed in confusion. Ryu ushered her over without looking at her, and she sat beside him on a soft pillow that was more comfortable than she expected. The scent coming from the pan with dumplings, rice on a stick, and vegetables made her mouth water. Her stomach spontaneously rumbled. Ryu grinned, wrapping his arm around her waist.
The food tickled her taste buds, activating a whole other level of pleasure. “Oh, my—you never told me you could cook like this.” She couldn’t stop eating more while Ryu watched her with a smirk.
Her heart fluttered, and Roselin tried to push down any doubt and fear. The meal was excellent, but questions kept flooding her mind. So much had happened—people lost their loved ones—and she sat with Ryu, enjoying a peaceful dinner. Nadia’s warning rang in her ears.
Was she able to ignore what Ryu did for a living? Or, more so, his side job? Could she live with someone who killed, even though it might have helped the people of the city? What if he made a mistake and murdered someone innocent? And what if it cost her own life due to the enemies he had?
Ryu was right about one thing. Whatever happened, whatever decision she chose, they’d crashed into each other’s life and wouldn’t ever forget each other.