Page 86 of Emperor of Lust

“When I was eight,” he begins quietly, “a man came up to me on the playground where I was with my nanny. He told me he had a present for me, and he handed me an iPod.” He pauses, his jawworking as he relives the memory, each word coming out slowly, like extracting a splinter. “It was full of all this cool music, and I wasecstatic. But it was our secret, he said. I couldn’t tell anyone about it, or it would be taken away.”

My chest tightens as I listen, seeing the little boy in him.

“So I stayed quiet about it,” he continues, his voice darkening with deep bitterness. “I kept it in my jacket pocket. That night, when my parents and I went out for pizza, I brought it with me.” He lets out a hollow laugh. “Except… It wasn’t just an iPod. It was a tracker. You see, because my mom was Kir’s sister, there was always this threat hovering in the background. When we went places, it was always with an escort, using multiple cars to confuse anyone who might be trying to follow.” His eyes level with mine. “And that’s how the men who killed my parents knew exactly where we were, which car to hit. I led themright to us.”

The breath leaves my body as my face crumples. “Damian…” I choke, my heart breaking for him.

“I fucked up, Hana.” His voice cracks, his dark eyes full of raw, unhealed pain. “I got my parents killed.”

I reach for him, my hands moving to his chest, but he shakes his head, turning away.

“Damian, you were just a kid,” I whisper, my voice gentle. “How could you have known?”

His jaw clenches, anguish flashing across his face. “Our family was Bratva-connected, Hana. I should have guessed. I blinked, I let my guard down, and because of that,they died.” His voice drops to a whisper. “I’ve never told a soul about that iPod. Not even Kir.”

The silence stretches out, each second filled with the weight of our shared secrets, our broken pasts. He meets my gaze, his vulnerability raw and exposed. “There you go,” he says, his voice rough. “That’s your leverage on me. We’re even. I have no hold over you.”

I reach up, cupping his face in my hands, feeling the rough stubble against my palms.

“Yes, you do,” I whisper as I pull him down and press my lips to his, my darkness finding a strange, twisted comfort in his.

And for the first time in years… I feel free.

25

DAMIAN

Kyoto feels…differenttonight.

Maybe it’s not the city itself. Or the house.

Maybe it’s her.

We’re all back at the Mori estate, celebrating Sota Akiyama’s seventh-seventh birthday. Well, almost all. Kir and Isaak are busy with something in New York. But I would guess that Kir’s gift, astunning1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 Fastback—green, just like in the movieBullitt, which is Sota’s favorite, apparently—makes up for him not being here.

I watch Hana from one of the garden patios as she moves through the family gathering. There’s a light in her tonight. Something softer, and it’s messing with my head.

Takeshi’s loud laugh cuts through the low hum of conversation. Kenzo is arguing lightheartedly with Mal over something I can’t hear, and Freya and Annika are gabbing excitedly with a red-faced Kai across the patio. But all I really notice is Hana. She’s a vision.

And Ihatethat I sound like some idiot teenager with a crush, but there it is.

She laughs, her head tilting as she leans in to tell Sota something. He laughs too, and she squeezes his hand. She’s all softness and fire, and I’m drinking her in like I might never get to see her again. Maybe like I’m seeing her for the very first time.

The weird thing is, I feel at peace.

“So is this what you do now?” Freya’s voice pulls me back to the here and now. “Just stand there and stare at her like a creep?” She smirks, her eyes glinting. She laughs as I flip her off.

“Creep, huh?”

She snickers. “Not really. More like lovesick puppy.” She arches a brow. “You know, if you’re in this deep, you might just want to…oh, I don’t know…tell her.”

I roll my eyes. “Pro tip: you have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She scoffs, grinning. “Oh, for sure. I mean, what do I know? Not like you’re standing here staring at her like a junior high crush.”

She gives me a look, daring me to deny it, but I don’t give her the satisfaction. Instead, I just sigh, shaking my head as she grins.

Then she leans in, her voice dropping. “By the way, I traced that number you gave me for Edward Radcliff.”

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