Chapter 9
Chapter nine
Control and Consequences
Kenji
I had to remember that my Tiger did not understand our world. She was clearly still learning. The fact that she’d chosen to take care of Hiroko’s slave was the evidence of that.
And while I knew Hiroko was probably in some spirit world watching and happy that Nyomi did it, even Hiroko’s ghost knew the consequences that would come. . .and shivered.
Nyomi took in all the Claws, and the slave knelt at Nyomi's feet. “Holy fucking shit! You all didn’t just come to impress. You came to make my heart explode. I may need to go to the hospital.”
The twins snickered.
Daisuke had the fucking audacity to blush.
“Everyone looks incredible!” She turned her gaze to me and lust flashed within those pretty eyes.
Mmmm.
She gave me a heart-shattering smile that made my cock jump once again. “But first, I want to say thank you to the Dragon for allowing this event to happen in the first place. Without him, we would not be here.”
That statement slid between my ribs and settled right next to my heart.
I did my best to keep my face neutral and gave her a nod. “Thank you for putting this all together. We appreciate you, Tora.”
“You should.” She turned back to the Claws, and I looked at the fucking slave. He’d gotten closer to her, pressed his cheek against her thigh, and was now nuzzling it with his eyes half-closed.
Rage crept up my spine in a hot, liquid wave. It pooled at the base of my skull, throbbing and spreading across my temples. It was fire eating through paper. Every nerve in my body locked into a single, screaming impulse.
“So I need to. . .” Nyomi glanced down at the slave briefly, gently placed her hand on his head, and pushed him back a few inches.
He obeyed, yet kept his gaze on her.
She lifted her view to the Claws. “So I need to—”
“Hold on. We want to say something first.” Hiro stepped forward and tapped his cane on the floor.
She chuckled. "Okay, Hiro. I’ll let you hurry up and speak since you clearly have a Chicago Players Ball to attend. I can’t believe you double booked on this important night.”
Smirking, Hiro adjusted his fur coat. “I don’t know what that ball is, but I bet everyone looks good there.”
“Damn right they do.”
“If you keep being nice like this, I may even let you wear my fur coat.”
“Then, I’ll make sure to be on my best behavior.”
“Mmmm.” Hiro flashed those diamond fangs. “Don’t be too good this evening. Promise me. We’ll be wicked together.”
“Promise.” Nyomi snapped her fingers. “I see you are trying to win this contest, but you’ve got serious competition. Thankfully, I have six trophies because I knew you all would show out.”
“Ha!” Hiro pointed at me. “I told you that there would be prizes.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Anyway.” Hiro cleared his throat. “We want to say thank you for what you’ve done. This space looks amazing. I know the food and drinks will be incredible. We all appreciate everything—”
“This space?” She looked around. “Oh. You all think this is where the party is going to be?”
The Claws bobbed their heads.
“Come on now.” She chuckled. “It’s just fucking candles in here. This is where you were all supposed to wait. I wanted to see your faces when we walked in.”
“Really?” Toma smiled. “There’s more?”
“Of course.”
Kaede shrugged. “But, we would have been happy with this.”
“Hell no. Not for the Claws.” She wagged her finger. “You must be honored. Right?”
And surprisingly, they didn’t nod, speak, or even move. They just stood there like orphaned boys who had never had a birthday party in their childhoods or had even been invited to an event worth speaking of.
Nyomi continued, “If we’re celebrating the Claws, then we have to go big or fucking go home. Seriously. I spent all day working on this with different teams.”
Even Hiro stood there speechless, appearing afraid to talk because he might cry or something.
It made me uncomfortable to see their hearts on display like this, so much that I turned away and put my gaze back on the goddamn slave who continued to simply watch my Tiger and nuzzle against her.
My jaw tightened. My hands stayed loose at my sides, my breathing even, my posture relaxed. To anyone watching, I was simply standing there—calm, unbothered, mildly curious about whatever Nyomi had planned for the evening.
Inside, I was calculating how many of the slave’s bones I could break before she turned around.
As if my Roar could still read my energy, Reo's mouth thinned by a fraction.
“Alright.” Nyomi held up one finger. "Give me a minute. Several hours ago, I came up with this idea and had them build something. I want to check and make sure everything is ready. I'll be right back."
She started to turn, and the slave shifted to follow—already rising to his knees and preparing to crawl after her like the faithful little pet Hiroko had trained him to be.
I held out my hand. "No, Tora. I'll hold him while you go check."
Nyomi turned back around and looked at me.
I continued to keep my expression neutral, easy, almost bored. "So he's not crawling back and forth. He’s had a hard enough day. You go check. I've got him."
For one heartbeat, I could see a little doubt flicker in her eyes.
“Trust me, Tora.”
Then she smiled and held out the leash.
I took it, making sure our fingers brushed during the exchange. The chain was still warm from her grip.
"Thanks, Kenji, and please be nice."
“Dragons are always nice.”
She frowned. “Well. . .be even nicer.”
“Yes, Tora.” I held her gaze a beat longer than necessary, letting her see nothing but patience, sweetness, and calm.
She eyed me for a second, turned, and walked toward the double doors. Those sexy heels clicked.
Toma opened the door for her but made sure not to peek in.
She disappeared inside.
Toma closed the door behind her and stood in front like a sentry. Daisuke came over too, creating a human wall.
Reo quickly went to the other door and shut it, making sure he could see both entrances.
Hiro pulled out a knife from under his fur coat and came closer.
The rest of the Claws’ expressions shifted to menace as they stalked forward too.
Fast, I leaned over, wrapping the chain around the slave’s neck, and yanked him up until his knees were an inch off the ground, snapping the slave's head back with a vicious jerk that compressed the chain tightly against his windpipe. His eyes blew wide.
A strangled gasp ripped from his throat as the metal links dug into flesh.
"You have my grievances for Hiroko." I crouched low, bringing my face level with the slave's. "I am truly sorry. Whatever your arrangement, whatever she asked of you—I understand. She was a formidable woman, and you served her well."
His lips were turning blue.
Tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. The veins in his neck pushed up the fabric.
I pulled the chain a fraction tighter. His hands clawed at the collar. Those fingers scrabbled uselessly against metal.
"But this is my Tiger." I sneered. "Don't fucking touch her anymore tonight. Not her leg. Not her hand. Not even the hem of her dress. You keep your eyes on the floor and your body three feet from hers at all times."
His mouth opened and closed.
No sound came out.
"And once this party is over, you let her know that you'll be someone else's slave. I don’t know the process.
Request a transfer. Find another mistress.
I don't fucking care how you frame it—gratitude, personal growth, a spiritual goddamn awakening—but you remove yourself from her service. Permanently."
I leaned even closer. Close enough that he could see the death that lived within my eyes.
The fire.
The bloodshed.
Him and his family burning and withering into smoke and dust.
And then I bared my teeth. "Nod if you understand."
He frantically nodded.
The chain rattled with the force of it.
Toma's voice cut through the room. "She's at the door trying to turn the knob."
I released the chain.
The slave crumpled forward, gasping, sucking air in raggedly, and wheezing.
The door handle loudly rattled as Toma held it still.
Hiro and the Claws melted back into position.
“Keep your mouth shut about what happened.” I stood smoothly, adjusting the leather leash in my hand as if I'd simply been holding it the entire time.
“Be a good little doggy.” Hiro winked at the slave and returned the knife to its place under the fur coat.
Daisuke resumed his relaxed lean against the wall, Hiro examined his cane. Reo picked at a nonexistent thread on his sleeve.
Toma let the handle go.
By the time the door handle turned, we were exactly as she'd left us.
Still, Nyomi stepped through with her brows creased. She looked at the handle, then back at us. "What was up with the door? I couldn't get it open for a second."
Reo shrugged. "Must be jammed. The island humidity makes the frames swell at times. I’ll make sure maintenance takes a look at it."
"Hmm." She scanned the room.
I witnessed the moment she went from playful Tiger to journalist mode. Those sharp, beautiful eyes swept across each face. She lingered on Toma's too-casual posture. On Hiro's sudden interest in his cane. On the way neither twin quite met her gaze.
Then she looked at me.
I gave her nothing. A slight smile. Warm eyes. The leash resting comfortably in my open palm.
She didn't buy it. I could see the gears turning behind her expression, the calculations running in real time. I was quickly learning that Nyomi could smell bullshit from three rooms away.
Then she looked down at the slave.
Although he was back in that pathetic doggy position, his whole body vibrated with fine, continuous shudders—the kind that came from adrenaline and oxygen deprivation and a terror so fresh it hadn't finished settling into his bones.
His eyes were fixed on the floor. His hands were clasped tight in his lap to hide their shaking.
She looked back up at me and frowned. She knew something had happened. She knew my men were covering. But she was too classy to call it out in front of everyone.
Hmmm.
She strolled over and reached for the leash.
I handed it back to her.
Our fingers touched again.
This time, she whispered, “Naughty Dragon.”
And because she had my heart, soul, and body clenched within her little fists, my cock reacted, jerking in my pants and growing hard with each second.
I kept my voice low. “Punish me later, Tora.”
She blinked.
A wicked smirk spread across my face.
“Don’t worry. I will.” She stepped back and cleared her throat. "I hope you all enjoy this party."
Hiro gave her a bow. “We will.”
The Claws bowed too.
"We all worked very hard to give you a good time, so be extra nice to the staff."
The twins bobbed their heads.
“We’ll be good.” One twin pulled the trigger on his machine gun.
Bubbles spilled out at her.
Nyomi widened her eyes, laughed, and batted a few bubbles away. “Oh my God. Judging the contest is going to be so hard.”
Hiro quirked his brows. “Who else is judging?”
“You’ll see.” A sly smile curved her lips. "Also, since there's so much good food and drinks, I invited some of the single women on the island to help introduce the drinks and celebrate with us."
“Oh really?” Toma straightened.
Reo's mouth twitched.
Even Daisuke lifted an eyebrow with unmistakable interest. “Single women. Interesting.”
God, I love her.
"Let's go." She gestured toward the double doors.
The slave crawled on her left, giving her the three feet of space that I’d nicely requested of him.
On the right, I took her hand. Even though she might have been annoyed with me for whatever she thought I did to him, she threaded her fingers through mine.
Reo moved ahead and gripped the door handle. He looked back at Nyomi, who gave him a nod. Then he pulled the door open.
Light poured through the doorway—warm, golden, impossible—and the sound hit us a half-second later. Jazz music. Laughter. The low hum of a world that had been built just for us, hidden behind these walls, waiting.
But that wasn’t what made me stop walking.
It was what she’d had built in the center of the ballroom.
Holy fuck! TORA!
I actually gasped.
Loudly.
And even though it was loud, no one could hear it over the Claws shrieking, gasping, cheering, and fucking going berserk as they rushed in.
Even Hiro was fucking hooting and hollering.
Oh God! Why would she do that? Now the Fangs are going to want a fucking party! This is never going to end!