Page 170 of Savage Throne
Never did I imagine that one day, Duck would use those lessons against me.
The thought further gnawed at my mind as I observed him now. His fingers moved deftly, snapping another dumpling from the tray with the casual precision of a soldier loading bullets into a chamber.
And yet, his eyes flicked toward Monique’s empty throne more often than I liked.
Do you miss her presence too? Remember. You cannot have her. She is not for you.
I checked Hu who sat with this unnerving stillness. His gaze was on me as he held his chopsticks lightly.
When I quirked my brows, his fingers shifted over them with the subtle control of a man who knew exactly how to wield and throw them with lethal accuracy.
You too?
Song and I had taught him that skill, back when we believed discipline and precision were the keys to survival. We’d drilled Hu relentlessly until he could strike a sparrow with one chopstick mid-flight.
Again, I hadn’t considered then what it might feel like to sit across from Hu, knowing he could drive one of those chopsticks into my throat before I even had time to draw my blade.
Fucking ungrateful kids.
But it wasn’t Chen, Hu, or Duck that truly unsettled me.
Surprisingly, it was Monique’s ladies-in-waiting that had me on edge. Even Song monitored them.
The three gorgeous Black women sat further down the table, seemingly engrossed in their plates, their chopsticks darting between bowls of steaming noodles and lacquered fish. They laughed softly at each other’s murmured comments, presenting the picture of absolute feminine elegance.
Bullshit. I know eager killers—even the ones who smell like perfume.
The women’s energy was unmistakable. It radiated off them in waves—an aggressive hunger, not for food, but formyblood.
They weren’t just eating.
They were preparing, as though every bite was fuel for the storm they were eager to unleash. Their movements were sharp, purposeful, and their eyes scanned my side with thinly veiled hostility.
In fact, they looked at my men like predators weighing the worth of their prey.
Hmmm.
While I appreciated their fire, it also annoyed me.
This was supposed to be a feast—a moment of triumph.
Instead, it felt like the edge of a blade poised to draw my blood at the slightest provocation. And even more, I didn’t think anyone would be an easy kill to teach Lei a lesson when he returned.
There are no lambs to slaughter here. Only wolves.
I grabbed another dumpling and ate it.
Starved, angry wolves with dripping canines.
I let out a long breath.
Lei’s audacity had shifted my carefully planned out chessboard, leaving my moves scattered like pieces after a clumsy hand had swept them aside.
Usually, I could predict him and the others easily.
Tonight. . .his decision to storm the pavilion and take Monique away from me, had been unthinkable.
Un-fucking-predictable!
