26. A What?
26
A What?
“ W here’d you go?” she asked with swollen eyes. It had been the second time Ryu had slipped away from her last night, and she hadn’t gotten much sleep because she’d sat up, worried about where he had gone in the middle of the night.
“I have something to show you.”
Eira was shocked by his excitement. “What?”
“It’s a surprise.”
After what happened yesterday and him being out all through the night, she wasn’t sure where this could go, so she decided to remind him about the last surprise that had ended with her being flown over the ocean. “I didn’t like the first one.”
“This one, I think you’ll like,” he assured her with a certain smirk.
“Ryu …”
“Yes,” he answered, grumbling, knowing something bothered her.
“Did you …? Did you …?” She couldn’t even bear to say it.
“No,” Ryu answered honestly, seeming to read her mind.
She let relief flood her for only a moment before he continued.
“But it wasn’t from lack of trying. He was already dead when I got there.” Leaving no pretenses that he would have done it, his savage voice held no hint of remorse. “I would have made him the third death for you.”
Eira swallowed with her eyes practically bulging out of her head. “ Third ?”
“Sorry—” Ryu quickly spoke to correct himself. “I meant second.”
“Oh.” Eira didn’t know if he was telling the truth or not, but he had to have been because no one besides Kenji had turned up dead.
Yet …
Getting a headache from her ruthless dragon and her traitorous thoughts, she supposed a speech about not killing was in order. But it was Ryu, which meant there was a one percent chance of him actually listening.
Sadness at the thought of the old man who had given her that flower filled her. She couldn’t believe he had tried to hurt her, but something gnawed at her. “Do you think he knew it was harmful?”
It was obvious by Ryu’s expression that he found the question odd. “The way I found him dead tells me he did.”
“Oh,” she whispered in defeat, understanding how he had perished. “You don’t think someone else might try something, too?”
“No, I don’t think so.” He thoughtfully shook his head. “Our people are peaceful. I know, with Kenshi and the old man, it might not seem like it, but we are.”
Only because Ryu was so certain did Eira relax. Everyone was much nicer here on Kasumi Island, that much was true.
Instead of pressing further, she wanted to move on from the depressing topic. “So, what’s the surpri—” The sound of yelling coming through the door made her pause.
“Fuck,” he exasperated before running off.
What the—
She ran after him, as it seemed his surprise was downstairs and, in fact, backfiring. The screaming got louder with each step she took down the giant staircase and toward the foyer, and she thought she recognized the voice for a moment.
Is that …?
No, it couldn’t be.
Could it?
“Who the hell are you?” Tatsu was heard screaming.
The old man spat back right at his face, “Well, who the hell are you?”
“Yeah, we know who we are , but who are you?” the old lady backed her husband.
“ This is my house !” Tatsu roared at the loons. “Now, for the last time, who the hell are yo—”
Oh my God —
“Grandmother!” Eira somehow got past Ryu and jumped into her grandmother’s arms to make sure it wasn’t an illusion.
“Hey, honey, nice to see you, but I’m kinda in the middle of something.” She patted her before squaring up with Tatsu again.
Ryu coughed, getting all their attention, while the regret on his face was visible. “These are Eira’s grandparents, and this is my father, Tatsu.”
“You have a lovely home, Tatsu.” Grandmother beamed, doing a full one-eighty now with the introductions that clearly sent Ryu’s father over the edge.
Grandfather didn’t help his attitude by picking up an expensive chachki.
Tatsu’s mouth dropped open at the audacity, then it thinned into a firm line before he snatched the item out of the grubby hands and set the precious item carefully back in its place. He then focused his frustrations on the source of his new problem. His son.
“How in the hell did you get them over here? It’s impossibl—” It was obvious the moment he said it, he figured out how. With anger and disgust, he cursed the name, “Itako.”
They all watched him storm off toward the front door.
“Where are you going?” Ryu dared to ask the obvious.
“She’s going to undo what she has done,” Tatsu promised.
His son scratched his head. “I don’t think it works like that.”
“Watch me,” his father said, slamming the door shut with finality.
Grandmother wasted no time once he was gone. “What’s up his butt?”
Ryu simply pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly debating his life choices.
Seeing his patience was wearing thin, Eira decided to change the subject. “How did you get here?” She was still so in shock at seeing them that it felt almost like a dream. The way Ryu had explained it, it was impossible, just like Tatsu had said.
“We got here by boat. A very small one, I might add,” Grandmother noted, displeased. “But how in the world did you get here?”
Eira looked over at Ryu, stunned by the question. “ You haven’t told them yet ?” she whispered to him, but obviously, not so well.
“Told us what?” they asked in not so deaf unison. Even Grandfather, who had picked up the chachki again with Tatsu gone, had gotten closer, clearly wanting to know the secret. It was funny how he could choose what he wanted to hear and what he didn’t.
“Grandmother, Grandfather …” she choked out before finally croaking out Ryu’s secret with his nodded approval. “Ryu’s a dragon.”
The precious item in Grandfather’s hand went crashing to the floor. “ A what ?”