Chapter 30 The Power of Blood
Chapter thirty
The Power of Blood
Kenji
Once Nyomi and I finished dressing, we were ready for the tradition.
Nyomi stood in the center of the room.
I went over and pulled out both of my guns from the belt. Silver. Custom-made. The metal gleamed in the low light, polished to a mirror finish. I'd chosen silver specifically because it showed everything.
Every scratch.
Every mark.
Every drop of my Tiger’s blood.
The two servants stepped forward and held their hands out. I placed one gun in each of their palms, and they held them steady between us.
Hiro held the knife, crossed to Nyomi, and gave it to her.
I looked at her. "Are you ready?"
She stared at the knife. “Yes.”
“Give me the knife and your hand."
She let out a long breath and then extended her hand toward me. Palm up. Her skin was smooth and warm, and I could see her pulse jumping at her wrist.
Hiro spoke, “Be careful with our Tiger.”
“I’m close to stabbing you with this knife.”
“You would never.” Hiro winked at me. “You love me too much.”
“Unfortunately.” I brought the blade to her fingertip. “Ready, Tora?”
She swallowed. “Yes.”
The point pressed against her skin. I pushed further and watched the way the flesh dimpled under the pressure. Her breath hitched, and I looked up at her face. "It'll only hurt for a second."
She nodded.
I pricked her finger. The blade was sharp enough that it went in clean, and blood welled up immediately—bright red and absolutely beautiful.
Mmmm.
My cock jumped in my pants.
I'd always known I had a thing for blood. For violence. For the thin line between pain and pleasure. But seeing Nyomi's blood on her fingertip made this primal awareness rise up in my chest.
I wanted to lick the blood off her skin.
Wanted to taste her.
Wanted to mark my skin with it the way she was about to mark our guns.
I licked my lips.
Nyomi squeezed her finger, and more blood dripped out. A fat drop ran down the side of her hand, and I had to force myself to focus.
Hiro pointed. “Put a line of your blood on top of the gun.”
She stepped toward the first servant. "Do I say anything?"
I shook my head. “You don’t have to, Tora. Your giving the blood is enough.”
Hiro frowned. “Your mother always said something. She should say something too.”
I sighed.
“Then, I’ll say something.” She took a breath. Her eyes locked on mine, and I saw everything in them. The fear. The love. The desperate hope that I would come back to her.
"I love you, Kenji." Her voice was steady despite the tremor I could see in her hands. "And I want you to stay safe, and don't be reckless. If it's too much, if it's too hard, if it's a trap—get the fuck out of there. Come back to me."
The words warmed my heart. “I will, Tora.”
“I wish you all the protection in the world and that your enemies die by your hands today.” She pressed her finger to the top of my gun.
Hiro smiled.
The blood smeared across the silver in a thin red line. She dragged her finger from the barrel to the grip, leaving a trail that glistened wetly in the light.
Then she moved to the second gun and did the same.
“Perfect, Tora.”
When she pulled her hand back, I went over and took the guns from the servants. The metal was cool in my palms, and I looked down at the blood on top of them.
It was darker now.
Already starting to oxidize.
The red turned deeper. Richer. It sat on the silver like a brand, and I could see every detail. The way it pooled slightly at the edges. The way it caught the light.
She stepped back.
“Thank you.” Smiling, I brought the first gun close to my mouth and blew on it. My breath disturbed the surface of the blood, and I watched it ripple.
I blew again.
Softer this time.
Drying the blood and sealing it.
And I felt the power in this moment.
The power of love.
The power of protection.
Nyomi's blood on my guns meant that a piece of her was going with me into the Yoshiwara Depths. A piece of her would be there when I pulled the trigger. A piece of her would help me come home.
Hiro stepped forward, handed his guns to the servants, and looked at his guns. "I'm next."
“Okay.” Nyomi put her gaze on his guns. "You're my brother and I love you too."
Hiro's head snapped up, and he looked at her like she'd just handed him every treasure he ever desired.
"Hiro. . .just like Kenji. . .I need you to be just as safe.
I want you, Kenji, and Reo to have each other's backs.
Y'all are important to me. It will break my heart if anything happened to you three.” Her bottom lip quivered.
“Please come back safely. Again, do not be reckless.
I'm cooking for you tonight. Don't forget about dinner. "
Hiro's smile was softer than I'd ever seen it. "I'll never miss that dinner party for the world. You understand me? Even if I become a ghost."
Nyomi's eyes narrowed. "You're not coming as a ghost. You're coming as a human being. Bring your ass back."
Hiro laughed. A real laugh that shook his shoulders and made him look younger. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, and I watched my brother hug my woman like she was the most important person in his life.
And. . .against all possessiveness. . .I smiled.
When he let her go, she went over to his guns and squeezed her finger again. Blood was still dripping from the wound, and she didn't bother wiping it away. She just pressed her finger to the top of Hiro's first gun and smeared the blood across the silver.
Then the second.
Hiro took the guns from the servants and stared down at them. His expression was unreadable, but I saw the way his hands tightened around the grips. The way his jaw tensed.
A second later, he brought the guns to his mouth and blew on them.
Once.
Twice.
Drying the blood.
Reo stepped forward. He handed his guns to the servants and looked at Nyomi with an expression I couldn't quite read. "I'm honored that you're going to do this for me."
"No. I’m the one that’s honored. You’re the Roar after all."
Reo fucking blushed.
I rolled my eyes. “Stop making my Roar soft, Tora. I’m supposed to take him into war.”
“Sorry.” Smirking, she squeezed more blood from her finger. The wound was still open, and the blood came easily now. She smeared it across the top of Reo's guns.
One.
Then the other.
The red stood out stark against the silver.
“Thank you.” Reo took the guns, blew on them, and then watched the blood dry with the same focus he brought to everything else.
Nyomi looked at him. "You're a powerhouse, and the smartest person in this room."
Hiro huffed.
Nyomi kept going. "I love you too, Reo."
Reo's mouth opened slightly. Surprise flickered across his face.
"I care for you just as much as I care for them."
Reo nodded slowly.
"Be the competent Roar that you are. Think steps ahead. If you get feelings, if you feel edgy about anything—get all of y'all out of there."
Reo stood. He tucked his guns back into his holster and gave Nyomi a small bow—formal and respectful. "I will bring them home. I promise."
Then he turned and left.
Hiro followed him out.
The servants filed out too.
The room went quiet.
I looked at Nyomi. Her finger was still bleeding. Drops fell onto the white carpet.
I could see the fear in her eyes. The worry. The terror that she was trying so hard to hide. But I also knew we had to go.
I crossed the room and pulled her into my arms one last time. She fit against me perfectly.
"I'm coming back, Tora. I swear it."
She nodded against my chest.
Hiro called from the hallway. “We can’t delay this anymore, Kenji.”
Frowning, I kissed the top of her head and then I let her go. “I love you, Tora.”
“I love you too, Kenji.”
I didn’t want to leave, yet I dragged myself to the door, stopped, and looked back at her one more time.
Goddamn it.
She was standing in the middle of the room.
Alone.
Beautiful.
Terrified.
And still dripping blood onto the white carpet.
I wanted to fix the wound, clean her finger, bandage it, and then kiss her one more time.
But now was not the time to heal.
It was only the time for war.
I turned and left.
We had the power of her blood and the power of our revenge.
I just hoped that was enough.