Chapter 12 Even When It Burned
Chapter twelve
Even When It Burned
Nyomi
I raised my eyebrows.
Behind him came Reo, and behind Reo, the Fangs filed in.
I straightened on my stool, but I didn't move away from Hiro. We were close—shoulders almost touching, the sketchpad open between us, colored pencils scattered across the counter.
Kenji's eyes swept the scene one more time. His gaze moved from me to Hiro. Lingered on the lack of space between us. Then came back to me.
And I saw two things in his expression at once.
Jealousy—a flicker of possessiveness, that quiet mine he never had to say out loud.
And warmth.
Genuine warmth.
Like a man who was annoyed that his brother and his woman were so close, but also deeply, secretly happy about it.
He wants us to love each other, I realized. Even if it drives him crazy.
Kenji breathed in slowly, taking in the kitchen. The prep stations. The sample dishes. The sketchpad full of cocktail designs. The remnants of our taste-testing scattered across multiple plates.
Then my eyes moved to Reo.
And my stomach dropped.
Bruises darkened his jaw. His nose looked swollen, and he moved carefully, like a man trying to hide that his ribs hurt.
Hiro is right. Kenji fucked up his ribs.
The old Nyomi—the one who existed before this morning, before Hiro's lesson about death and mirrors and what pyres meant to men who lived in this world—would have reacted.
Would have gasped.
Would have turned to Kenji with accusation in her eyes and loudly demanded to know what happened.
But I wasn't that Nyomi anymore.
So, I stayed quiet.
And when the rest of the Fangs filed in behind Reo—all of them looking a little roughed up, a little tired, a little like men who had just done hard work—I was even more glad I'd kept my mouth closed.
This is their world. I’m the student. Not the teacher.
Reo's nose twitched.
His head turned slowly toward the prep station. Toward the plate of mac and cheese croquettes—golden and crispy, still sitting where I'd left them. And suddenly. . .Reo drifted toward them like a man hypnotized. “What do we have here?”
"No." Hiro's voice rang out. "Don't touch anything. Have some respect. The Tiger is testing samples."
I smirked at the audacity of Hiro after he’d just been stealing samples earlier.
Reo's hand hovered over the plate. His expression was completely serious. "Well. . .as the Roar, I must make sure that all dishes are safe for the Dragon and his men."
Hiro rolled his eyes. "You smell the cheese."
Reo's serious mask cracked. "Aww. So there is cheese in there."
I did my best to not laugh.
Reo turned to me and those bruised eyes became hopeful. "May I?"
I looked at him—really looked at him. The bruises. The swollen nose. The careful way he held himself. Whatever had happened this morning, it had been hard on him.
And he was still here.
Still smiling.
Still trying to steal cheese.
This is who they are.
"Of course." I winked. "Take all you want. It is your job after all."
Hiro's jaw dropped. "Really?”
“Yes. Really.” I shrugged.
“I had to fight just to get a taste."
"But, Reo has to make sure there's no poison."
“Exactly.” Reo didn't wait for further permission. He grabbed a croquette with his bruised hand and popped it into his mouth.
His eyes closed, and he groaned.
Kenji blinked.
One of the Fangs snickered.
"Well. . ." Reo grabbed another one. "I will surely need a further assessment."
"Told you," Hiro muttered. "The man has a problem with cheese."
Reo ignored him completely, already reaching for a third.
I laughed—and caught Kenji watching me.
In this moment, there was no dragon-shadow.
Just him.
And his eyes lingered on me with an intensity that sent a shiver down my spine—a shiver of warmth, not fear. I found myself drawn into that gaze, into the depth of emotion that swirled there.
"You've been busy," he finally said.
"Hiro and I were planning the cocktail party."
"I can see that." His gaze moved over the prep stations again. The scattered ingredients. The half-eaten samples. Then back to me. "Did you eat breakfast?"
"No. I was too focused on coming up with everything."
"Good."
"Good?"
"I'm taking you away from here. We need to spend some time together. Just us."
My heart fluttered. "Okay."
His voice softened, just barely. "We should talk."
Something in the way he said it made my chest bloom with heat, as if he'd reached inside and touched my heart directly with his fingertips.
My breath caught.
This wasn't fear. This was a delicious certainty that whatever storm was coming, he wanted me weathering it in his arms, against his heart, where I belonged.
“Sounds good.” I slid off my stool and turned to Hiro.
He stood too with a knowing smile on his face. "Go. Our job is done here. The cocktail party is going to be a success."
"Thank you." I stepped toward him. "For everything today. The lesson. The honesty. The—"
"The laughing at you?"
"Especially that."
He laughed some more, and I pulled him into a hug.
Not a quick one.
A real one.
The kind that said I see you and thank you and you're my family now all at once.
Hiro's arms tightened around me briefly, and then he leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Remember. Knight in shining armor. Anything you need."
"I remember."
“And don’t give my brother shit about Reo.”
“I won’t.”
He released me and stepped back.
I turned toward Kenji and saw that his expression had turned hard. "Hiro."
Hiro raised an eyebrow. "Yes, brother?"
"Next time you're around my Tiger. . ." Kenji's eyes dropped pointedly to Hiro's bare chest. "Wear a shirt."
Hiro looked down at himself. Then back up at Kenji. A grin spread across his face.
"Why?" He flexed his arms deliberately. "Afraid she'll realize she picked the wrong brother?"
Reo choked on his fifth croquette.
One of the Fangs snorted.
Thankfully, Kenji’s face turned to reluctant amusement. It was the look of a man who wanted to kill his brother but also loved him too much to actually do it.
When I got to Kenji, he placed his hand on the small of my back.
Hiro remained where he was and gave him a respectful bow. “However, I will wear a shirt from now on.”
That amusement remained on Kenji’s face. “Thank you.”
“It’s just that I happened to bump into her.”
Kenji steered me toward the door. “I doubt that. I’m sure you tracked my Tiger down to aggravate her about this party.”
I laughed as he guided me out of the kitchen. Hiro's triumphant cackle followed us into the hallway.
The door swung shut behind us.
And then it was just us. The noise of the kitchen faded. The chaos. The laughter. The brothers and their endless competition.
Just me and the Dragon.
His hand stayed on my back as we walked, and I let myself lean into him—into his warmth, his steadiness, the solid presence of him beside me.
"Your brother is impossible," I said.
"I'm aware."
"I love him."
"I know." He moved his hand from my back, grabbed my hand, and then closed his fingers around mine. "So do I. Unfortunately."
We walked in silence for a moment.
The hallway stretched before us. Sunlight streamed through the windows, and thank God that smell of the pyre was gone.
I looked at him. "Where are we going?"
"Somewhere private."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting." He glanced down at me, and his expression softened. "I missed you today."
“Me too.”
“As I said before. . .we should talk.”
“We should.” I swallowed and didn't know what else to say. So, I just held his hand tighter and let him lead me forward.
Whatever came next—the conversation, the talk he wanted to have, whatever burden he was carrying—I would face it with him.
Because that's what you did for the people you loved.
You carried it together.
Even when it burned.
Especially when it burned.
We walked a few more steps in comfortable silence.
Then he glanced my way. "Also."
“Yeah?”
“I’ve got a little surprise.”
“Oh really? What sort of surprise?”
“A hot one.”
I blinked.
What the hell did that mean?