The twins rose from their seats.
I pointed at them. “Sit down. Let’s allow the Fangs to have their moment.”
Toma quirked his brows. “At our party?”
“Don’t worry.” Hiro leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “We’ll kill them later. Kenji, I hope you have good replacements for the Fangs.”
“No one is murdering anyone.” Kenji tightened his grip on my hand. “Everyone fucking behave for my Tiger.”
The Claws grumbled.
I looked up and saw that the dragon-shadow had stopped inspecting the huge claw. Now, it just hung there suspended over all of us. That long body undulated gently in the air. Those golden eyes tracked all the new guests.
Kenji's hand slid under the table and found my thigh. His palm was warm, heavy, and possessive. “This temporary dragon tattoo on your thigh is a nice touch.”
I covered his hand with mine. “I knew you would think so.”
“How do I convince you to ink that on permanently?”
“Diamonds. Lots of them.”
He laughed and brushed the shell of my ear with his mouth. “I’ll make sure to give you a treasure chest of diamonds in the morning.”
“Deal.” I turned back and watched Kaoru’s girlfriends struggle with dragging the wagon to our table.
“I can’t believe him.” I shook my head and looked at Kenji. “If he told me I had to pull a wagon in heels. . .I would have broken up with his assexpeditiously.”
Kenji chuckled.
I turned back to Kaoru.
“Thank you for having us, Nyomi!” Kaoru lifted his cigarette holder above his head in a slow theatrical salute.
Yoichi came next with Satoshi. Yoichi crossed beneath the doorway and his hand drifted to that silver fang charm at his throat. He looked up at the claw and the smallest smile lifted one side of his mouth, like he'd recognized something the rest of us couldn't see.
Satoshi stepped in beside him and did what soldiers do. His eyes mapped every talon, every fracture in the plaster, and every line of stress in the ceiling as if making sure the clawed structure did not provide any true threat.
Both kept it simple with black tuxedos cut tight at the waist and elegant top hats. However, Yoichi’s lapels were heavy with white fur and that silver fang charm hung at his throat.
When they all got to the table, the men smiled—Kaoru, Yoichi, and Satoshi.
Oh.
Where I thought Hiro’s added grill dazzled, the Fangs had taken the idea to the next level. They bared these long crystal fangs at us. At the tips were rubies as if they were sparkling with blood.
I nodded. “Nice touch.”
“We knew you would love it.” Kaoru’s wagon stopped at the edge of our table. And to my utter shock, his girlfriends went to the side, bent at the waist, and reached up for him.
Oh no.
They wrapped their arms under his and lifted.
Kaoru was ahugeman. Thick muscular thighs, broad shoulders, heavy frame stuffed into all that black satin.
The two women braced their feet wide in those heels, leaned back, andgruntedas they hoisted him off the wagon.
One of them lost her footing for a half-second. Her finger-waved hair shifted and she had to readjust her grip on him.
