Page 173 of Dragon 7

All I knew was that inside Kenji’s huge arms, my soul rose, and my healing was beginning and. . .my fractured pieces were starting to shift toward one another as my spirit stretched toward our future.

Chapter twenty-eight

The Hollow Feeling

Nyomi

When I opened my eyes the next morning, incense drifted through the dimly lit bedroom. The warm smoke curled above the bed in twirling ribbons and sandalwood filled my nose.

I spotted the small clay burner on a low table near the window, and its ember glowed red under a thin gray line of smoke.

The mattress under me stretched huge across the room. Kenji's arm lay possessively across my waist. His body wrapped around mine from behind and held me tight. His calm breaths skittered across the crown of my head.

I listened to him breathe, and then I sank back into sleep.

Hours later, I woke again to sunlight and in a new position with my head against Kenji’s chest. His heart thumped a melody into my ears. Faint sandalwood still hung in the air. Birds sang outside the window. Tokyo’s melodic city hum ran under the birds.

I opened my eyes and slowly leaned my head back.

Kenji was watching me. His head rested on the pillow, and his mouth was curved into a satisfied smile. “Good morning, Tora.”

I yawned. “Good morning, Dragon.”

Love moved through our bond first. It felt so good to feel his warmth in the middle of my chest.

I widened my eyes. “Mmm. I still feel your emotions through our bond.”

“And what do you feel, Tora?”

I smiled. “You love me so much.”

“I do.”

“And what do you feel from me with our bond?”

“Absolute, endless love. Healing. Comforting. Protective love.” He breathed me in. “The sort of love. . .I never knew existed.”

“Me too.”

Then, under his love, his rage arrived too, swirling around the bond. I tensed. His rage sat coiled inside him. It was a poisonous snake on a warm rock, waiting for vengeance. I struggled to hold both at once, and I suspected I always would.

Kenji studied me. “Did you sleep well?”

“I did.”

“Good.” Kenji lifted his hand and slid his knuckles down the side of my face. His touch traced from my temple to the edge of my jaw, and his thumb brushed the corner of my mouth. Then his palm settled at the curve of my neck. His fingers stretched into my braids, and the warmth of him spread down to my collarbone.

I leaned into his hand. “Will this be our mornings from now on?”

“Most of the time.” He kept his hand there for a few seconds. His fingers stayed in my braids, and his thumb kept stroking the corner of my mouth. But his gaze darkened as he glanced at the scratches from Kiko. “You’ve killed someone for the first time.”

“I did.”

“How do you feel, Tora?”

“Hollow. Is that normal?”

“Yes.”