Page 76 of The Dragon 1

My heart wouldn’t slow down.

After several minutes, we came to a stop at the top of the hill and in front of a vast path leading to a massive courtyard.

The chauffeur moved first, slipping from the vehicle with that same grace I’d seen before.

The door opened.

“Ms. Palmer,” he bowed. “You’ve arrived.”

“Thank you.” I stepped out.

The scent of cedar and rain-kissed stone lingered in the air.

Moonlight bathed everything. The courtyard stretched before me, resembling a private kingdom—wide stone paths, raked gravel patterns, and lush moss curling around rock gardens.

The only sound was the distant trickle of water from a bamboo fountain, its rhythmictricklebreaking the silence with a pulse-like beat. It echoed against my chest, grounding me in a space where time seemed to stretch wide and tender.

Suddenly, two men emerged from the shadows at the courtyard’s edge.

I froze.

Who are they?

They walked toward me.

One was heartbreakingly beautiful, tall and lean. Long pink hair framed his face. Something about his eyes felt wicked yet I couldn’t explain why.

He stopped in front of me. “Good evening, Ms. Palmer. My name is Kaoru.”

I blinked. “Nice to meet you.”

The other man got to me next. He was broader and bald headed. His jacket was open just enough to show a silver wolf tooth charm resting against his chest.

He didn’t speak.

I raised my eyebrows. “And. . .what is your name?”

The bald-headed guy didn’t respond.

Kaoru pointed at him. “This is Yoichi.”

“Nice to mee you, Yoichi.”

He remained silent.

O-kay. . .

Kaoru tucked some of his pink hair behind his ear. “We were told you brought gifts.”

“Oh yes,” I began to go back to the car.

Yoichi stopped me. “No.”

I backed up.

He went into the car and took them out.

Seconds later, both gifts were cradled in his arms. Kaoru stepped closer and let his fingers graze the edge of each gift. “Hmmm.”