Page 58 of The Oni's Heart

“You can’t just—” he started, but I interrupted him, my lips curling into a sly smile.

“I can do whatever I want, demon. And if you’re going to be stuck with me, you’ll have to learn to deal with it.”

His face twisted in confusion, in disbelief, but I wasn’t backing down. Not this time.

“I think you’ve underestimated me,” I added, my tone low, dangerous.

For a moment, there was silence between us. Then, the Oni’s posture shifted. He still seethed with anger, but it was tempered now, as if he were recalibrating. Trying to figure out what just happened.

“I don’t know what game you’re playing, but you’ll regret this,” he growled, but there was something different in his voice. Something that made me realize that, for the first time, the Oni wasn’t so sure of himself.

Good.

Because for once, I was.

Epilogue

TATSUYA

The mountain was quiet. Too quiet. It had been our home for months now, a place to hide, to breathe, and to keep our distance from the world that wanted to tear us apart. But even the solitude was becoming suffocating.

Momoi was pregnant now—far too young to bear the burden of the things she didn’t understand, the things we had dragged her into. I should have protected her from it all, but I hadn’t. The Oni’s rage still burned in my veins, but even as I tried to control it, he wanted her. He wanted hermorenow. And that fact, along with her growing belly, made everything feel... as if it was teetering on the edge of a cliff, ready to break.

We had to go to the city today.

Momoi had food cravings, and she had a way of making me feel unable to say no. I wasn’t proud of the fact that we needed to go into that chaotic mess, but shewantedsomething, and there was no chance in hell I’d disappoint her. Not now. Not ever.

But as always, the moment we left the safety of the mountain and entered the bustle of the city, the Oni started to stir.

“Do we really have to do this?” I muttered, trying to focus on the task at hand.

"Of course we do," the Oni growled from the recesses of my mind. “I’ll make sure she gets what she wants. No one stands in our way.”

“You’re not taking over,” I snapped. “We’ve discussed this. We’re here forfood, not bloodshed.”

The Oni’s voice rumbled darkly within me. “They think they can cross our path? I’ll tear them to pieces.”

I gritted my teeth, but before I could stop him, I felt my body shift, a dangerous growl reverberating through my chest. His power surged, and we were already on the move, eyes scanning for anyone who looked as if they might get in our way.

We found trouble, naturally.

Some men, probably thinking they were being tough, tried to approach us—probably for money or some kind of territory play. It was always the same. But this time, the Oni didn’t wait.

The moment they got too close, something inside me snapped. I felt the familiar rush of power, the dark hunger that rose like a tidal wave. My body—ourbody—shuddered, a violent tremor that cracked through my bones, as though my skin was being stretched, torn apart, and remade.

My spine contorted in a way it shouldn’t, the muscles in my arms and chest bulging as though something inside me was trying to break free. My vision blurred for a moment, and then everything sharpened. My fingers twisted into claws, nails extending into black talons as my body grew, skin darkening to a grotesque, deep red. The flesh stretched unnaturally over my bones, the outline of the Oni’s terrifying form taking hold of me like a nightmare emerging from my own skin.

My spine cracked again, longer and more twisted, and before I knew it, I was no longerTatsuya. The Oni stood in his full, terrifying form—a massive, towering, hulking demon with darkeyes full of rage and hunger. A low growl rumbled deep within me, vibrating through the air.

The men, who’d been thinking of confrontation, froze, their faces drained of color. They were already dead, but I didn’t care. I didn’t care about anything except the satisfaction of tearing them apart.

With a snarl, I charged, every movement now a fluid, predatory action. My body was no longer mine—Iwas no longer in control. The Oni had taken over.

I wasn’t even aware of what happened next. There was no thought, no reason, just the brutal satisfaction of ripping through the men, leaving nothing but a trail of mangled bodies and blood splattered on the sidewalk behind. I was a monster, a force of destruction, and I relished it.

The Oni's laughter echoed in my mind, mocking the fleeting remnants of Tatsuya’s consciousness. "Pathetic," he hissed. "You can’t stop me. You never could."

My heart pounded, guilt sweeping over me, but there was nothing I could do.

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