Skewers of marbled wagyu rested on the side, waiting to kiss the heat. A small iron pot simmered next to them. I caught the aroma of miso and tamari.
This has to be special for her.
I drew in a breath of the sea air, of the smoke from the grill, and of the faint earthy scent rising from the freshly turned soil at my feet.
She has to feel like a queen.
I wanted her to walk down the path tonight and see the candles already lit, the chef already plating, the wine alreadypoured, and know without me having to say it that she was being received the way a Dragon received his Tiger when he asked her to give him her soul.
I yearned for her to feel held before I needed her to bleed.
A breeze moved through the trees behind me. I could hear the soft hush of leaves. Somewhere down the path, a bird called once and went quiet.
The sky kept bleeding.
I lifted my eyes to the east.
The moon was not there yet. However, the blue was deepening and there were now faint pinpricks of stars beginning to assert themselves through the dying gold.
Soon.
The wheels of a cart sounded on the gravel path behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder.
The cart stopped at the edge of the clearing. Reo sat in the front next to the driver. Hiro sat in back.
And now for the other thing. Time to get this DNA test finalized.
I headed that way.
My men followed and began to get in their own carts—one in front and another in the back.
A minute later, I climbed in and sat next to my brother.
Hiro stared at the pit. Then, he looked back at me and confusion twisted on his face. “There’s a hole in the ground next to a romantic table.”
“Really? I hadn’t noticed that.”
Reo snickered in front of us.
“Then, there are robes and flowers.” Hiro shook his head. “What is that about?”
Our cart moved forward.
Hiro continued to watch me. “I just don't get what your kink is.”
The driver took us away from the pit and to the east of the island where the clinic resided.
"Last time, you were sleeping on a table, bound to her with all these tools." He pointed behind us. "And now you're going to wine and dine her and then have sex with her in thedirt?"
I looked forward. “Reo, how are the preparations for tomorrow?”
“On track.” Reo pulled out his notebook. "Two hundred masks are complete. The Scales' set is finished and packed. The Fangs' set has been delivered to their quarters. The Claws picked theirs up an hour ago and fussed about their design."
Hiro rolled his eyes. “We didn’t fuss. We just have standards.”
"The three of us have unique masks." Reo tapped a line in the notebook. "They’re in the war room."
