Chapter 31 The Fangs
Chapter thirty-one
The Fangs
Nyomi
I stood there in the middle of the bedroom and closed my eyes.
My hands started to shake, and I couldn't stop the image playing in my head. It showed a dark room with concrete walls.
The three of them—Kenji, Hiro, Reo—walked into the room shoulder to shoulder.
Gunfire blasted them immediately.
Hiro's body jerked backward. His knees hit the floor before the rest of him followed. Reo spun, caught two bullets in the chest, and went down with his eyes still open.
And Kenji. . .the love of my life. . .he stood the longest, yet still. . .bullets tore through him. His mouth moved. No sound came out, but I knew what he was saying. He was saying my name.
Please God no. . .
And as Kenji died, the dragon-shadow erupted from his back. Black smoke and fury, clawing at the air, trying to shield what was already gone. It opened its mouth and didn’t let out a roar.
Instead, it whimpered.
Then it evaporated, dissolved like ink in water, and Kenji's body hit the ground.
No. No. No.
I shook my head and forced my eyes open.
That didn’t happen. Focus on the present.
I looked around the bedroom, took it in, and pressed my hand against my chest, right above my heart. It hammered beneath my palm.
God, please.
I didn't have fancy words or any scripture memorized. Just the raw, ugly prayer of a woman who had just put blood on guns and sent three men to war.
Protect them, please. You are all powerful. Bring them back to me. All of them.
Something warm seeped between my fingers.
I looked down.
Blood soaked through the fabric of my shirt in a slow, dark bloom right over my heart. I didn't wipe it off. I pressed my hand harder into it and held it there, sealing the prayer beneath my palm.
Kenji was walking into a potential trap. Hiro was going with him. Reo was still recovering from injuries. And I'd just sent them off with my blood smeared on their guns in a ritual of protection that might not mean anything at all.
I wanted to scream.
Wanted to run after them.
Wanted to beg them not to go.
But I didn't.
Because that wasn't what they needed from me right now.
I took a breath, let it fill my lungs slowly, and then I released it.
My mind kept spinning. I needed to talk to someone. Hiroko. Deja. Nika. Zo. Anyone who could help me understand if there was something else I could do. Something more than just standing here shaking.
I’ll ask Hiroko. She’ll help.
Still, I wished I'd said more to Kenji before he left.
Wished I'd told him how terrified I was.
Wished I'd made him promise to come back.
But I couldn't think about that nor let myself imagine that the shower might have been the last time I ever touched him. Or even more that this room would be the last time I heard Hiro laugh or saw Reo's intelligent smile.
No. They’re going to be fine.
Sighing, I went into the bathroom and cleaned up my finger, grabbing the Band-aids from the side drawer. Once the wound had been tended to, I went back into the closet and pulled out comfortable, stretchy black pants. Next, I found a long-sleeve black shirt.
It wasn’t until I finished dressing that I realized I was mirroring them.
I looked at myself in the mirror. My braids were still damp from the shower. My eyes looked too wide and full of fear.
But I lifted my chin.
Be strong. You can do this. You’ve got the easiest job in all of this, so get it together.
A knock sounded at the door.
I turned. "Come in."
The door opened, and all four Fangs walked in.
Kaoru entered first. Tall and slender with that heartbreak-handsome face and long pink hair that fell past his shoulders. He wore all black today. Black tactical pants, black long-sleeve shirt that fit close to his muscular body.
I could also see his custom Colt .45’s in the holsters at his hip. The guns gleamed pink against the dark fabric.
Of course Kaoru would have pink guns.
Yoichi followed. Bald head gleaming in the light, all black as well. His designer jacket was unbuttoned at the chest, showing the silver wolf tooth charm hanging low.
The rifle case was slung over one shoulder, and I could see another handgun holstered at his side.
Then Rin entered. He was the only one not dressed in black. It was as if he’d received the memo and told the messenger to kiss his royal ass.
As usual, he wore all white. Crisp ivory shirt, vanilla pants, his hair pulled back in that long braided ponytail that reached his waist.
He looked like royalty and. . .of course. . . completely bored.
But what caught my attention was the large sword strapped to his back. The handle rose over his shoulder, and I could see the edge of the sheath. It was massive. Longer than any sword I'd ever seen in person and gold.
Satoshi came last and stood by the door in a military posture. He’d gotten the memo and wore all black tactical gear.
That jet-black hair was buzzed close at the sides but longer on top, combed flat and neat. His jaw was tight, and his hand kept going to his neck, scratching.
I sighed.
We really need to do something about that allergy.
This was the first time I'd seen the Fangs look so hard. . .and more dangerous than usual.
I blinked. "What's going on? Why aren’t y’all heading off with Kenji?"
Kaoru raised his eyebrows. "Didn't the Dragon tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“We are your detail for the day."
"No." I tensed. "I want you all to go with him and protect them.”
“He wanted you to be protected.”
Goddamn it, Kenji.
I frowned. “No. . .Kenji didn't get a chance to tell me."
He was too busy making me moan. Fuck. What else didn’t he say?
I placed my hands on my hips. “Why leave all the Fangs with me? I could see two, but all of you. What am I missing?”
Kaoru and Satoshi exchanged a glance. Then they both looked back at me.
I quirked my brows. “What’s up, guys?”
"The Dragon is being safe. . .just in case the Fox is luring them off the island." Kaoru shrugged. "And. . .”
“What?”
“And the true trap is that the Fox is really coming to the island to get you.”
What the fuck?!
My body reacted before my mind could catch up. My heart started racing. My hands went cold. The terror I'd been trying to push down came flooding back.
But I was standing in front of four armed men who were here to protect me. I couldn't fall apart.
Stay strong. We're not going to show them that we're terrified. Stay strong.
I took a breath and forced my voice to stay steady. "Who went with Kenji, besides Hiro and Reo?"
Satoshi spoke this time. "The Claws are with him."
A small bit of relief came. The Claws were capable and deadly. If anyone could protect Kenji and Hiro, it was them.
Satoshi scratched behind his neck. "The Roar's men are with them too along with Kenji's top soldiers."
I nodded.
"And Hiroko with a team of men."
My thoughts screeched to a halt.
What the fuck? Why the fuck is Hiroko going? Holy shit.
But I didn't say it. Just nodded like it made perfect sense.
Yet, the pit of dread within me deepened.
They must be going somewhere that she is familiar with or. . .someone she knows is involved and she has some opening.
Whatever the reasoning for taking Hiroko, I knew Kenji and Reo would have thought it through.
Goddamn it. Now I have to say a prayer for her too.
"Alright." I cleared my throat. "Thank you for being here."
Kaoru's smile widened. "It’s our pleasure. You are the Dragon’s Heart."
Yoichi checked his watch. “We should go.”
“Okay.”
I started walking toward the door. They fell into formation around me without being asked.
When we stepped out into the hallway, I stopped.
There were five more men waiting outside. All in black tactical gear. All armed. They stood at attention when they saw us, and I realized this was additional security. Kenji had left me with nine armed and deadly men.
I continued on.
The Fangs didn't even acknowledge them and just kept moving.
We headed toward the stairs, and the formation shifted. Yoichi got on my right. Kaoru went to my left. Rin and Satoshi remained behind me.
The five additional men fanned out further back.
As we moved through the hallway, I caught Yoichi lifting the silver fang charm to his lips. He kissed it once, and then let it drop back against his chest.
I smiled. "Is the wolf fang a lucky charm?"
Yoichi glanced at me. "It is lucky, among other things, but more important. . .it isn't a wolf fang."
"Then what is it?"
"A fox fang."
I blinked. "A fox's fang can be that big?"
"Well. . ." He adjusted the rifle case on his shoulder. "This isn't an ordinary fox."
"What sort of fox is it?"
"A kitsune."
The word triggered fun memories, and suddenly I was twelve years old again, curled up on the couch with my laptop, falling down a rabbit hole of Japanese mythology after watching some anime I was way too young for.
Kitsune.
Fox spirits.
Shapeshifters that could take human form and lived for hundreds, sometimes thousands of years.
The older the kitsune, the more tails it grew, up to nine, and the more powerful it became.
Some were tricksters who loved chaos and mischief.
Others were guardians, protectors of families and sacred places.
They could create illusions so real you'd swear you were living in a different world, manipulate fire, bend perception, and make you see things that were never there.
The celestial ones, the zenko, served the god Inari and were divine.
The wild ones, the yako, were dangerous and unpredictable, the kind that showed up in your life, turned everything upside down, and left you wondering what was ever real in the first place.
And in every story, they were impossibly beautiful in human form. The kind of beauty that felt like a trap because it usually was.
I looked at Yoichi. Bald head. Sharp jaw. The calm, patient stillness of a man who never seemed rushed by anything.
Huh.
I smiled. "How were you able to get a kitsune fang?"
He winked. "It's a family heirloom."
Interesting.
We continued on and I couldn’t get the idea of kitsunes out of my head.