Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
A part of Ryu’s eyes gentled in understanding, but the fire still roared. “Do not ever think I would not believe you over anyone else in this life. Our bond would have told me you were telling the truth, you know.”
“Really?” Eira asked, shocked it would have been that easy. “So, you’d know if I ever lied to you?”
Ryu stalked closer now, like a dragon stalking his prey, before he nodded with a devilish smile. “Yes.”
“Oh.” Eira’s stomach fluttered at the way he looked at her as if he wanted to eat her. “That’s good to know.”
“And one more thing.” Ryu tipped her chin up to hold her eyes to his—she always looked away from the dragon roaring inside, but not this time. This time, he was determined she’d face the monster. “If I ever catch you trying to leave this island again without me, I will chain you to this bed forever.”
Nodding, she knew it might have sounded like he was only joking, but she knew her fated mate was not.
Only when he was certain she understood did he claim her mouth in a searing kiss that promised he would hold true to his words.
Hoping to be let off easy, she tried to go for the door. “Okay, well, I’m going to go make sure—”
Ryu simply shook his head, startling her to a screeching halt. “I’m not done with you, darling.”
Eira cleared her throat, slightly startled for what was to come. Ryu had promised her that his dragon wouldn’t eat her when they made love, but it was hard to believe when it seemed his scales were still fighting to come out from under the surface.
Lazily, Ryu sat down on the edge of the bed, giving her another demand in his husky voice. “Now, undress.”
With the way the dragon looked at her now, her clothes practically wanted to fall off her body on their own, so she figured …
Oh, what the hell.
See You in the Next Life
Epilogue One
“You wanted to see me?” Tatsu remarked when he entered the room.
Eira had been staring at the beautiful, smoky black vase with golden veins she had been mesmerized by the moment she had first seen it. “Yes.” She held on to the cloth-wrapped package that sat in her hands with slight fear. Not wanting to prolong the guilt any longer, she decided to get on with it. “There’s something I’ve been needing to show you.”
He looked at her with a raised brow. “Yes?”
Slowly, Eira unwrapped the package to reveal the necklace of his late wife’s that had been broken. The shattered look on his face matched the item that only broke her heart in the same amount of pieces. There had been no time to fix it, and without Yuri, she had no one to trust in fixing it now.
“I’m sorry I didn’t wear it on our wedding day.”
“I wondered why you didn’t, but I only thought you didn’t think it suited you. But, Eira … what in the world happened to it?”
Her fear grew. She had known he’d be furious. Luckily, she didn’t have to lie about her being the one to break it anymore.
“When Yuri took it upstairs to put it away, it broke in her care. She said it was an accident, and even though some things have come to light about her, I’m sure that it was.”
“Oh, Eira …” Tatsu carefully took it out of her hands to inspect it closer. “This was no accident.”
“It wasn’t?” she asked in disbelief, unbelieving Yuri, no matter how truly evil her colors, was capable of doing that to a belonging of Tatsu’s late wife’s.
But alas …
“No, this was destroyed on purpose and with such hate,” he said with disgust.
“So”—Eira bit her lip, not knowing what to think—“you’re not mad at me?”
“Of course not,” he soothed her fears.
Relieved of any guilt, Eira took a deep breath. “Can you fix it?”
“It might not look the same as it did before, but I should be able to,” he said, still inspecting it.
“Oh.” Sadness filled her that the piece couldn’t be brought back to its former glory. “That’s a shame.”
Putting the shattered necklace in his pocket, he pointed to the vase Eira had been looking at when he had come in. “Did Ryu ever tell you the story about this vase?”
Eira simply shook her head. “Just that his mother picked it out.”
“That she did,” he agreed, picking it up himself. He spun the delicate glass in his hands to reveal the gold veins that spanned across all sides. “The day Ryu found out about his mother’s illness, he broke it. Much like the necklace, it was no accident and done with powerful emotions. I admit I was quite mad at him for doing it, even though he was young. I expected more—no, too much—out of my son,” he corrected himself. “And before my Kana passed from this life, she repaired it.”