Page 60 of Whispers of the Dragon
“Have you seen Eira today?” Ryu asked Yuri with urgency.
She sensed his concern, so her sweet tone tried to calm him. “I came to her room earlier, but she said she was tired and sent me away.”
Ryu rubbed his temple, still concerned. “And your father?”
“I saw him earlier in the library, but at the moment, I’m not sure.” Her concern was evident now. “Is everything all right, Ryu?”
No, it wasn’t, but how was he supposed to tell Kage’s daughter about her father’s betrayal?
“I just need to speak with him—it’s urgent.” When he turned to leave, Ryu caught a glimpse of something. “What is that?”
“What is—” Yuri stopped when her hand was grabbed by Ryu, who looked upon her fingers up close.
“Why do you have this ring?” he questioned and could sense her surprise that he knew it had been Eira’s. There were many things he had collected for his future mate over the course of his life, and he could recall each one. This one in particular was one of his favorite finds. Eira had yet to even wear anything like it, and now he was starting to possibly understand why.
“Oh, um, Eira gifted it for me,” she quickly explained with a rising heart rate. “I can’t believe you noticed it. She has so many things.” She trailed off as her hand began to be squeezed. “Ryu … you’re hurting me.”
He didn’t even notice that he was squeezing the hand in his like a vice as everything began to click into place.
“What a fool I have been,” he whispered harshly. Then, yanking her closer, he could see the slight excitement yet fear that flashed in her eyes.
Using his other hand to hold her chin, the excitement on her features only grew, as it was clear the moment she had been waiting for had finally come …
But then, suddenly, his hand became as firm as the grip he had on her hand.
“How didn’t I see what a jealous, vindictive snake you are before this very moment?”
“I-I …” The act she tried to continue only lasted a moment longer before she could see in his eyes that there would be no changing his mind—he saw right through her. And with that, the mask began to slip as sweetness faded into her true form. “You have been a fool to fall for an outsider, Ryu.”
“Tell me: was it your father who came up with the idea to kill her?”
“Depends,” she spat venomously through his grip. “Which time? The flower or the perfume?”
The grip on her face tightened even more as he slipped the ring off her finger with a force that showed he could keep thepromise he was about to give. “If Eira’s dead, there’s no hope for you in this life or the next.”
“You wouldn’t dare hurt a Kai and a family member of this royal palace!” She hysterically laughed until she trailed off slowly.
And that was when she realized her mistake too late.
“You, Yuri”—Ryu’s grip tightened, becoming painful to his victim—“are no family of mine.”
Kage was a man of habit, and Ryu knew exactly where to find him. An eerie feeling of déjà vu flashed when Ryu saw Kage doing his meditation exercises, which he continued at Ryu’s approach.
Kage merely stared straight ahead, not even bothering to acknowledge his friend’s presence.
Oh, how Ryu wished he could go back to earlier this morning before he had known of the gut-wrenching betrayal and stay there, but Ryu wasn’t so lucky.
He began to circle his sensei, the teacher whom, until today, he had trusted with his life. Sorrow and fury had his dragon balking at being restrained, wanting to be given full rein on the man who had broken his trust.
“I want to thank you, Kage …”
Kage momentarily paused then resumed his fluid movements as Ryu continued.
“I never could fully understand why the males in my family had to bear the burden of having our brides chosen for us.” Ryu walked around his friend who had turned foe. “And why the fate of our island rested on marrying these women. But if we couldn’tfind her, we would lose our dragon heritage forever. I don’t know if my other male ancestors felt the same way, but I was resentful.
“I admit there were a few of the women in the village I could have settled for, and I resented having the choice made for me. However, thanks to you, I no longer feel that resentment. The prophecy ensured I and my ancestors couldn’t be manipulated by others, to prevent evil from entering the dragon line.”
Kage made a disgusted sound as he proceeded with his exercise regime. “Your line is weak. The dragon holds so much power, yet never once has it been used to benefit the island. Everyone should be made to fear us, to pay homage to you. Instead, you protect them. Our people still are working as hard as my parents did. We could be rich while our people would never have to work another day.”
