Page 135 of The Dragon 1

But he wasn’t.

He was powerful because he had nothing left to lose.

I kept my voice steady. “Let Hiro and Nura go. Your problem is with me.”

“You know this thing’s name?” He looked down at Nura. “Did you know your brother was dating this? Skin as dark as night. No hair. I’m told she is one of our packagers—”

“Let Hiro and Nura go—”

“When did your brother become so odd that he would congregate with something like this? An animal.”

Hiro snarled.

It wasn’t a sound humans made.

He thrashed so hard that one of the men gripping his arm nearly lost his hold.

The gurney rattled under the force of it.

Blood sprayed from his mouth as his teeth snapped in the direction of the man above him.

The barrel of the gun pressed harder against his temple. The man holding it didn’t even blink.

“I swear to every god—” Hiro growled. “If you don’t move that gun, I’ll chew your fucking hand off!”

The sixth man holding his leg cursed as Hiro’s foot kicked violently. One of the handcuffs twisted at his wrist—metal biting deep, skin breaking open—but he didn’t flinch from the pain.

Hiro was pure violence now.

All feral instinct.

He wasn’t trying to break free for himself.

His eyes were locked on Nura.

She hadn’t moved.

But I saw her tremble harder now. The glint of tears renewed in her eyes.

Her lips were parted—like she wanted to speak, to beg, to say his name—but couldn’t.

Her body was still kneeling.

Still chained.

But the spirit inside her was starting to slip away.

I couldn’t let that happen. “Hiro.”

My brother didn’t hear me. He was too far gone—snarling and yanking, trying to pull the gurney itself off its hinges.

“Hiro!” I barked it louder now voice like steel cracking across the room. “Stand down! I’ll fix this!”

Hiro’s gaze snapped to mine.

For one terrifying second, I thought he might not listen. But something in my face must’ve cut through the fury or maybe it was something in my tone. Maybe the use of the wordstand—a soldier’s order.

A brother’s plea.