Page 56 of Dragon 7

I knew I had to get it together and rise. “How the fuck. . .am I going to control you?”

My dragon-shadow lowered its great head toward me.

Wispy smoke left its huge nostrils and breathed hot across my face.

I felt no fear of it, only awe and the thunder of my own blood.

And all the hope that with him. . .with him. . .I could fucking win this goddamn war!

Then the beast turned, slow, toward the dark where they had carried Nyomi, and to my fucking shock, a low sound built deep in the dragon-shadow’s chest, climbing, gathering, booming until it tore the night open with the beast’s dark, deranged voice. "WAR!"

Chapter nine

Now Comes the Power

Nyomi

The weight of my own eyelids pinned me somewhere between sleep and unconsciousness.

I floated in darkness, until finally, Deja's voice cut through the black. "Ladies, keep that pussy in those panties, if you have a set goal."

Huh?

Several women shrieked.

Others chuckled.

I struggled with opening my eyes, but couldn’t.

What kind of dream is this?

I lay still, and more feminine conversation settled over me. But at least my senses were slowly returning. I could feel my chest rising and falling, and my hands rested on a soft, thin blanket.

Cold air ran across my forehead.

The smell of antiseptic and burnt incense layered over each other like two songs playing at once.

I’m not dead. Right? But where am I?

Then Deja kept going. "If you want marriage, make sure he marries you before he gets that pussy. If you want a down payment on a house, he doesn't get the pussy until the bank confirms that the shit is paid. Fuck, if you just want a nice bag, don't bring that pussy out until the bag is dangling from your shoulder."

Yep. Definitely not dead because this is surely not heaven, and I doubt it is hell.

A new voice rose from somewhere on the right. The accent was Japanese. The tone polite. "What if he doesn't have the money right now? I am secretly dating someone. . .his name is Masaru. My father doesn't like him because he is not where he needs to be. But I want to help him grow."

"And this is what I mean." Deja's voice climbed. "I'm with your daddy on this. Why are some women so obsessed with helping a man grow? Like damn, bitch. Get some plants or start a fucking garden."

Tons of women laughed.

But where am I? And how is Deja here? Wouldn’t she be off the island?

The last thing I remembered was the forest, the red robes, the torchlights, the Death Guardian crouched over Kenji while he writhed in the dirt, and hooded figures carrying me away.

And now Deja's giving a TED Talk on how to get a man to pay your mortgage.

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

The world swam back to me. A wood ceiling ran low above me with bamboo beams running across it. A lantern hung on a hook. The light was a soft gold, and it ached in my eyes.