Page 136 of The Dragon 1
Hiro exhaled like a volcano letting go of a tremor and then he stopped fighting.
But his body still shook; fists clenched, blood dripping from his cuffs, from his face, from the corner of his mouth.
His chest rose and fell like a beast barely held back by rope.
The men holding him grunted. One of them flexed his shoulder, clearly aching from Hiro’s thrashing.
I turned back to my father. “This has gone far enough.”
I drew in a breath, chest hot and tight with restraint. Then I stepped forward just enough for my voice to carry through the room.
“I’m here, Father.” I said it clearly. Flat. Cold.“So tell me—what the fuck do you want?”
He didn’t look at Hiro.
Didn’t look at Nura.
Only at me.
And in that moment, I understood—this wasn’t just about control.
This was about a show.
“I call. You come. That has always been our way.” He rattled the chain.
Nura shivered.
He scowled at me. “What kept you tonight?”
“What do you want, Father?”
“Careful, son.”
“You’ve dragged my brother in here. Stripped and chained his date to your fucking bedside. All of my patience is gone—”
“Still, you must find it.”
“Father—”
“You’re wondering why she’s here?” My father tilted his head toward Nura. “It’s because of love. Your brother’s. Yours. All of you are bleeding over your soft spots.”
I took a step forward.
One of the guards cocked his weapon, I paused my hand twitching near my belt.
I could kill four of them before they fired.
Reo could handle four too.
But we wouldn’t get all of them, especially not with Nura in the middle of it all.
I forced my voice to stay calm. “Let her go. . .please, Father.”
“Not yet.” He rattled the chain again. “She’s a lesson.”
“She’s a guest.” I spoke through gritted teeth. “And you’ve humiliated her for no fucking reason.”
“She’s a liability. She walked beside a Claw. Smiled at the wrong man. Now we see what that costs.”
