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Pay up, or face the consequences.
A mix of shame and defiance crossed Kenzo’s expression. He had to have known he crossed a line by not revealing the truth to Ichiro, but the kid couldn’t help himself.
“Look, I don’t want any trouble.” Ben swallowed hard and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’ll get you the money as soon as I can, I promise.”
“Kenzo, get down!” I barked out just as the man withdrew his hand and gulped the red crystal down.
Amazingly, my cousin listened. Most likely because the selfish brat valued his life more than his pride, or perhaps because he was too stunned to argue.
The shopkeeper’s pupils dilated, and his eyes glowed like embers in a dying fire. A swirling vortex of unfathomable energy grew in each of his palms.
The crack of snapping wood echoed through the store as nearby objects burst into flames under the searing heat of the magical blaze. A massive fireball erupted from the shopkeeper’s raised hands, illuminating everything in its path with an infernal light.
My lips curled into a predatory smile as I absorbed the fireball’s impact, my dragon-hardened skin shielding me from harm. My back burned like the flames of Hell as Jou’s essence emerged from my tattoo, a phantom specter enveloping my body in a fiery, otherworldly aura. Power surged through my veins and crackled under my skin in a web of crimson light.
With a thunderous roar, I unleashed a counter-attack, and my dragon lunged forward.
Ben attempted to evade, but his movements were that of an amateur, feeble and inadequate. The dragon’s claws sliced through the man’s pitiful defenses, leaving deep, crimson gashes across his chest.
A cry of anguish tore from his lips as he staggered backward, his eyes wide with terror. He was finding out the hard way that pyrocrystals were no match for a real dragon.
With my dragon poised for another strike, I closed the distance between us, a primal hunger fueling my steps. My fangs elongated with malicious intent, ready to deliver the final, devastating blow.
“Please, no more.” Ben’s voice shook with desperation, and his flames fizzled into smoke.
The scent of fear permeated the air, mingling with the pungent fumes of urine.
I paused, momentarily captivated by the terror that radiated from my prey. My instincts warred with a shred of lingering compassion, but my dragon’s dominance prevailed. He thirsted for blood.
Surging forward, I pinned Ben against the wall by his throat. My lips pulled back from my fangs as I eyed the man’s pulsing veins. “You shouldn’t borrow money you have no intention of repaying. Be grateful we’re not taking more.”
A wretched cry escaped Ben’s mouth before he fainted.
I dropped the broken man and loomed over him, my chest heaving as I wrestled control back from the dragon. The intoxicating scent of blood lingered in the air and rendered the task near impossible.
Dismissing the man on the floor with a final flick of its tail, Jou swirled back around my body and reabsorbed into the tattoo that covered most of my back.
Kenzo smirked, apparently satisfied with the outcome, but his eyes narrowed at me as if to say he could have handled the situation himself. Except his reckless behavior had potentially put us all in danger, jeopardizing our business and our lives.
As we left the pawnshop and walked toward the car, a storm brewed beneath my composed exterior. Was using Joubunaryuo’s powers the best way to handle that situation?
The fear in the debtor’s eyes haunted me, reminding me of the consequences that came with wielding such a lethal weapon, and the life I couldn’t escape. The familiar weight of guilt settled in my chest.
No matter how much I struggled internally against my family’s corrupt ways, in the end, I always found myself dragged back into the darkness. A darkness I craved as much as I loathed.
Was securing my place within the Sato family truly worth sacrificing my integrity?
How long could I walk this razor’s edge before it slashed me to pieces?
CHAPTER 4
Bree
After plopping the mop back into the yellow bucket, I wheeled the ancient contraption over to the wall and stuck my head in Frankie’s office. Although, it was more of an oversized closet than an office. There was enough room for a desk, a small fridge, and not much else.
“Hey Frankie, I have to bail Rissa out again. She promised three cleanings to make up for it. Don’t let me forget to cash in, okay?”
My boss chuckled and glanced at me over her bright pink reading glasses. She was like the fifty-something-year-old woman who refused to get bifocals even though she desperately needed them. Except she was fae so she would never need them. “Not that you’ll need the reminder, but sure thing, kid. Oh, and next time? Try sayin’ no.”
