Page 48 of Echoes of Eternity

I shot to my feet and slammed my heel down on his nuts, making him contort in pain, turning away from the car while trying to scramble over his body to get to the driver’s side door. But he was too big, his body blocking me from opening the door wide enough for me to get inside.

Another set of arms grabbed me and I bit down, hard, making him roar in pain.

The moment my feet hit the ground, I attempted to sprint, only to be met with a fist to the face, stunning me for a moment.

The next goon locked my arms behind me anddragged me toward Kaito’s father who was still leaning against one of the vehicles with a glint in his eye.

“I do like this new version of you, Mae. It makes my cock stir to see such fight in you.”

Disgusting.

“Be careful what you ask for, you might find said cock cut off and thrown off the freeway. After all, women have learned a thing or two throughout the centuries too… and we like to teach each other new skills,” I smirked back with false bravado. I was at a disadvantage, and I knew it.

“If Kaito dies, you’re welcome to another Takehide,” he winked. “Sons are a dime a dozen, especially with a young womb like yours.”

I curled my lip as he cackled.

Desperation surged through me while I surveyed the wreckage. My heart raced, realizing that the situation was slipping further out of control. The Yakuza leader’s back was turned, focused entirely on the battle that continued to rage before us as if there was a purpose to his stare. Was he still imbuing magic somehow?

A thought struck me. It was a slim chance, but it was the only one I had.

I scanned the immediate area for anything that might help, and my gaze landed on a nearby metal rod, half-buried under debris. It wasn’t much, but in the chaos of battle, it was something.

I needed to find a way to make this goon loosenhis hold on me.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll figure a way out of your grasp?” I taunted him.

He scoffed, quirking an eyebrow with doubt. “Not likely with you standing here in your bra. You’re not going to do me like you did Enatsu, over there.”

“Pfft. I can choke you with my bra and you wouldn’t even see it coming,” I challenged.

Come on. Take the bait. I’m sure you’re just as dirty as?—

His nostrils flared, weighing whether my bluff was a real threat or not.

I looked over my shoulder and raised an eyebrow, pretending to assess his threat.

Just like a male, he took the bait and slipped his hand along the skin of my back toward the clasp of my bra. And just like a male, he struggled with it enough for me to whip around and distract him with my bare breasts. His jaw dropped, attention stolen by my flesh, right as I threw all my weight into the punch to his temple.

I had to do a little leap to reach but I smiled with satisfaction as he went down like a tree, with my bra still in his grasp.

I moved quickly, my heart pounding in a deafening staccato while I grabbed the rod and approached the Yakuza leader.

He chanted in a guttural language, his power crackling as he maintained his control over the spell. His arrogance was a glaring weakness, just like his son. With the rod gripped tightly in my hands, I rolled my shoulders and hid behind one of the nearby cars.

“What the hell happened to Tatsuno?”

“Why does he have a bra in his hand?”

“Fuck! Where’s the girl?”

I drew nearer and I could see the dark energy swirling around the leader, his concentration unbroken. I raised the metal rod and, with all the force I could muster, swung it at the asshole’s head. The rod connected with a resounding clang, sending him staggering to the side. The spell’s energy wavered, and for a moment, Kaito’s dragon form flickered.

The old creep roared in fury, turning to face me with a look of disbelief and rage. “You dare!” he bellowed, his voice thick with anger. “You think you can stop me?”

Ignoring his threats, I pressed forward, swinging the rod again at his nose, spraying speckles of warm blood onto my naked chest. The leader tried to defend himself, but the impact of the blows was disrupting his concentration. The dark magic that had transformed my ex was beginning to falter, and the energy around them starting to destabilize.

“Grab her weapon!” one of the guys yelled.

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