Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 104141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
“Aww.” Toma batted his lashes. “Daisuke is a lovable psycho.”
The twins chuckled.
The violin’s tune drifted higher, teasing our ears.
Then she tipped activated charcoal into the glass.
I let out a long sigh. "Activated charcoal for what you buried young."
Daisuke’s jaw tightened.
The black powder swirled and sank through the gold similar to a shadow falling through fire.
Hiro whispered, “Damn. This is just as pretty as Daisuke too.”
Everyone chuckled.
Daisuke blushed.
"Now for the highlight of this drink.” A new helper produced a glass dome and a pipe of pale hinoki wood.
Daisuke quirked his brows.
She struck a match, and the hinoki caught. Smoke poured out—thick, white, and perfumed.
Now Kenji and Reo came closer, truly intrigued with where this was going.
She capped the dome over the glass, trapping the smoke inside. Every wisp curled and held.
“Are you all ready?” I lifted a bubble wand from the cart.
“Fuck yes!” Hiro yelled. “Let’s see what you’re about to do, Tora.”
I dipped the wand in clear liquid, then held the wand above the sealed dome.
My helper cracked the dome an inch, and the smoke pooled into the wand, forming a perfect bubble.
“Oh shit.” Daisuke blinked.
I placed the bubble on the rim of the glass. It was fat, full of smoke, and the color of a storm cloud.
"And hinoki smoke." I looked down at the bubble trembling on the surface. "Sacred wood. The essence of your veil. Because you have lived behind one your whole life, yet. . .tonight you stepped through it."
My other helpers were already setting up the other glasses with their own bubble wands.
I brought the bubble topped drink to Daisuke. "The Hinoki Veil. I hope you love it."
“I love everything about this.” Daisuke stepped forward and swallowed. “Thank you.”
I handed it to him. "By the way, I love your dress."
A small smile pulled at Daisuke’s black-painted mouth. “I knew you would.”
He slowly lifted the glass.
The bubble trembled.
Every Claw stilled.
“I feel special.” Daisuke looked at the bubble for one long breath and then he began to drink.
Instantly, the bubble burst.
Smoke bloomed. It rose along his face, climbing in thick white ribbons that twisted around his throat and crawled along his jaw.
“Yes.” I clapped.
Smoke wrapped around his cheeks and even threaded through the candy red waves of his hair, making Daisuke look like he was actually covered in a smoky veil. Sheer and shifting. Hiding him for several perfect seconds and then revealing him again.
His eyes glowed within it.
Hiro grinned. “Beautiful.”
“That’s quite the magic trick!” Reo ran his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t think you could top yourself, but you have.”
“Thank you.” I bowed. “I get it from my mother who always had to throw parties for my father and the affluent people in New York. Her goal was always to have showstoppers.”
The words left my mouth before I had checked them.
Did I just say. . .I get it from my mother?
That damn sentence landed in my chest almost knocking the wind out of me.
I’d dedicated most of my adulthood to not being like her. She was a woman who obsessed over peony arrangements for my father's dinner guests just to feel like she earned his love.
I had always hated her for not knowing her own worth and staying dedicated to my father even now after all the truth about his adultery and nastiness.
Yet. . .she had known how to throw a party and even taught me which fork went where, which flower opened at night, which song to play when men needed to soften and which to play when the women needed to feel powerful.
And here I was presenting her lessons without even knowing it.
My eyes burned.
I blinked it back and cleared my throat. “Alright. Let’s drink.”
Everyone else raised their glasses. Every smoke bubble trembled as they began to drink. And soon, one by one, the bubbles burst and smoky veils settled over everyone’s face, hiding us for several seconds.
I chuckled.
Others joined me in the laughter.
The violin shifted into a mischievous rhythm with elegant, yet unpredictable notes fluttering from its strings.
My twin helpers arrived with their carts for the final drink. The identical twins wore blushing pink dresses. The silk hit them mid-calf and moved when they did. Embroidered flowers curled up their sides in sparkling silver thread—tiny chrysanthemums, spiraling roses, and blooming tulips.
Long strands of pearls dropped from their necks to their waists. Their jet-black hair was parted and finger-waved. A single pink feather sat tucked behind each of their right ears.
They were exquisite.
I checked Aki and Yuki who held the most wicked grins.
Calm down, boys.
I headed over to my twin helpers. “Now we have our final drink, which is—”
“Can we get some names?” Aki lifted his head.
Yuki followed. “I also would love to know the names of these beautiful women.”
I gestured to my helpers. “This is Katsumi and Natsumi.”
“You two are breathtaking.” Aki bowed.
“And delicious.” Yuki winked.