“Anyway.” Hiro cleared his throat. “We want to say thank you for what you’ve done. This space looks amazing. I know the food and drinks will be incredible. We all appreciate everything—”
“Thisspace?” She looked around. “Oh. You all think this is where the party is going to be?”
The Claws bobbed their heads.
“Come on now.” She chuckled. “It’s just fucking candles in here. This is where you were all supposed to wait. I wanted to see your faces when we walked in.”
“Really?” Toma smiled. “There’s more?”
“Of course.”
Kaede shrugged. “But, we would have been happy with this.”
“Hell no. Not for the Claws.” She wagged her finger. “You must be honored. Right?”
And surprisingly, they didn’t nod, speak, or even move. They just stood there like orphaned boys who had never had a birthday party in their childhoods or had even been invited to an event worth speaking of.
Nyomi continued, “If we’re celebrating theClaws,then we have to go big or fucking go home. Seriously. I spent all day working on this with different teams.”
Even Hiro stood there speechless, appearing afraid to talk because he might cry or something.
It made me uncomfortable to see their hearts on display like this, so much that I turned away and put my gaze back on the goddamn slave who continued to simply watch my Tiger and nuzzle against her.
My jaw tightened. My hands stayed loose at my sides, my breathing even, my posture relaxed. To anyone watching, I was simply standing there—calm, unbothered, mildly curious about whatever Nyomi had planned for the evening.
Inside, I was calculating how many of the slave’s bones I could break before she turned around.
As if my Roar could still read my energy, Reo's mouth thinned by a fraction.
“Alright.” Nyomi held up one finger. "Give me a minute. Several hours ago, I came up with this idea and had them build something. I want to check and make sure everything is ready. I'll be right back."
She started to turn, and the slave shifted to follow—already rising to his knees and preparing to crawl after her like the faithful little pet Hiroko had trained him to be.
I held out my hand. "No, Tora. I'll hold him while you go check."
Nyomi turned back around and looked at me.
I continued to keep my expression neutral, easy, almost bored. "So he's not crawling back and forth. He’s had a hard enough day. You go check. I've got him."
For one heartbeat, I could see a little doubt flicker in her eyes.
“Trust me, Tora.”
Then she smiled and held out the leash.
I took it, making sure our fingers brushed during the exchange. The chain was still warm from her grip.
"Thanks, Kenji, and please be nice."
“Dragons are always nice.”
She frowned. “Well. . .be even nicer.”
“Yes, Tora.” I held her gaze a beat longer than necessary, letting her see nothing but patience, sweetness, and calm.
She eyed me for a second, turned, and walked toward the double doors. Those sexy heels clicked.
Toma opened the door for her but made sure not to peek in.
