Page 19 of The Dragon 1

“Then, call me Nyomi.”

“I like that name.”

“I’m glad you do but is there something wrong?”

“Yes, there is something wrong.”

“What?”

His gaze swept over me. “Have you ever heard of the story,When the Dragon Swallowed the Moon?”

“No.”

“It’s an old tale. Rare. Only a few copies exist now and most have been locked away or lost to time.”

Against my will, my curiosity piqued. “Okay.”

“In it, a very powerful man had a plan to conquer the world and he wasn’t just any regular man. He could transform into a dragon.”

“So, a dragon shifter?”

Kenji nodded. “His every step to conquer the world had been greatly calculated. Every ally chosen. In fact, in his mind, all of his enemies were already buried.”

His voice lowered. “Then, he saw her. . .”

I quirked my brows. “Her?”

“A woman that changed it all. The beast inside him stirred. And he lost direction.”

My mouth parted.

“He’d never been distracted before. Never questioned his next step but when she came, he suddenly didn’t know whether to kneel or run.”

For some reason, those last three words echoed in my head.

Kneel or run.

We stood there in silence and the tale he’d spoken wrapped itself around my mind like silk dipped in smoke.

And then suddenly, I saw it.

Not him.

Not me.

Not us.

But the story, unfolding in my mind.

A massive dragon, perched on a cliff of black stone, coiled in shadow—his body glittering with ember-lined scales, large wings tucked tight behind him.

Below him, she walked, completely unaware—a woman with skin like onyx. Her afro crown caught the light of the full moon.

She wasn’t even trying to be seen.

But the dragon saw her anyway. Saw the curve of her spine, the way her bare shoulders kissed the wind. Saw the calm in her gaze, the sharpness in her mouth.

And the hunger inside him—the one forged for war and dominance—sputtered.