Emperor of Havoc: Chapter 6

The walls of my father’s office feel like they’re closing in as the door shuts behind me. Nina is back in her room—or more likely cuddling Furrcules, because he’s a snuggle-slut like that.

Ryu and his men have taken Avgustin’s remains and the gruesome cooler away and are probably doubling up security around the perimeter in the wake of Takeshi’s visit.

He’s gone, too, of course. But the darkness he’s left behind is still clinging to everything like a cloying black mist. Despite telling me he could when I was a kid, Ryu can’t actually read minds. But he could still tell that something had massively thrown me off before he left, and it wasn’t just Takeshi’s insane demand, or the cooler full of Avgustin.

Papa walks over to the bar cart, splashing vodka over ice into two glasses. He hands one to me before he sinks into the couch across from the leather chair I’ve thrown myself into. He’s calm, of course. Always is, even when I’m unraveling.

“There’s no way in hell you’re actually entertaining this,” I sign, my motions sharp and angry. My father doesn’t so much as flinch. His gray eyes, hard as steel, rest on me with the kind of patience that only makes my anger burn more hotly.

He leans back in the couch. His fingers tap against the armrest, deliberate and controlled.

“Takeshi Mori.” I spell the name like a curse word. I’m fighting to remain steady, to look composed like Papa, not like I’m about to down this whole drink and then throw the glass through the window.

It was him the whole fucking time. Kaiju.

The masked man who visited my bedroom the other night, and fingered me, and made me come, and touched me like no one else ever has, and sprayed his cum across my ass, and then had me lick his fingers clean, was Takeshi fucking Mori.

The enemy.

A monster.

It makes me want to scream, throw up, explode, or all three, in whatever order possible.

“You can’t really expect me to go through with this.”

Papa doesn’t answer right away. He just studies me, his gaze razor sharp, dissecting me like I’m one of the enemies he’s always two steps ahead of.

“He’s dangerous,” I motion, my eyes pleading. “He’s a fucking psychopath. He’s unstable. And he’s…” My throat tightens.

He’s the man who pinned me to my bed and whispered filthy things in my ear that I’ve tried to forget and failed.

“And?” Kolya prompts, his voice a low growl. “He’s powerful, Koshka. He⁠—”

“Please don’t use cute nicknames to placate me right now. I’m not a fucking child.”

A small smile curls my father’s lips, but he nods slowly.

“I wasn’t trying to ‘placate’ you, daughter,” he says quietly. “Just habit, apologies. I agree, he’s unpredictable, but that might be exactly what we need.”

“What we need?” I sign, incredulous. “You’re talking about handing me over to a lunatic. A man who…” I shake my head. “A man who would sooner burn the world down than play by the rules.”

Papa leans forward slowly, deliberately, resting his forearms on his knees. For the first time tonight I see a flicker of something in his eyes that isn’t cold calculation. “You’re right,” he says evenly. “Takeshi Mori is a lunatic. But he’s a lunatic with something to prove. If he’s proving it on our side, that makes him controllable.”

I snort. “Controllable? Did you see the way he walked in here tonight? He doesn’t bow to anyone, least of all us.”

Kolya smirks dangerously. “Not yet, no.”

I stare at him, my pulse pounding. I’ve always known my father was a master strategist, but this… This is madness, even though a small, traitorous part of me understands his rationale. Marrying Takeshi would end the Cold War between the Ishida-kai and the Mori-kai and stabilize the delicate balance of power in Tokyo’s underworld. And it would secure my place as the leader of the Ishida-kai.

It would also chain me to a man who has already torn me apart in ways I can’t admit to anyone.

“This isn’t just about the Mori-kai,” Papa says, interrupting my spiraling thoughts. “It’s about you. You’re my heir, Katarina. This world…” He gestures vaguely, his expression tightening briefly. “This world is not kind to women who lead alone. You know that. The captains know that. If you want their loyalty, you need to give them something they can’t question. A husband. Even if he’s an obvious lunatic and an even more obvious puppet.”

“I don’t need a husband to lead,” I sign viciously.

“No,” he agrees calmly. “You don’t. But you need one if you want to be followed without question.” He sighs. “This thing we don’t like to talk about… It’s still going to happen, Koshka,” he says quietly.

This time, I like that he used my nickname.

“You have the best doctors on earth working with you,” I sign. “You’re going to be fine.”

“Goddamn right I am,” he grins. “But, this tumor on my spine… It’s complex, and the doctors have cautioned me as such. I’m not dying, Katarina. But I may be incapacitated for longer than we’d like. If that happens, this empire cannot be left without someone helming the wheel. That someone needs to be you. And the realities of our world dictate that you won’t be able to do it alone.”

I look away, my gaze landing on the bookshelves lining the walls, on the heavy curtains drawn tight over the windows, anywhere but on Papa. He’s right, and it infuriates me. I’ve spent my entire life fighting to prove myself and earn my place at the table. And now, it still comes down to this. To needing a man.

“Why him?” I sign finally, my brow furrowed. “Why not someone else? Someone less…unhinged.”

“Because he’s a perfect wildcard,” Kolya says simply. “He’s dangerous, yes, but also strategic. He’s already proven that tonight. You marrying him would do more than end the war. It would keep our enemies guessing. No one would dare move against us if they thought the Mori-kai were in our corner. Much as I loathe to admit it, they’re arguably the second most powerful family in this city.”

I shake my head, swallowing the lump in my throat. “This isn’t pretend, Papa. It’s my life. My future. You’re asking me to attach myself to a man who…” I trail off, unable to find the words.

“It is pretend,” Papa growls. “You’re smart enough to know that. This isn’t about love or commitment. It’s about power. You play your role, he plays his. That’s all.”

I look away. “If he tries to fucking touch me…” I sign angrily.

Papa’s eyes narrow slightly. “He won’t lay a goddamn finger on you, I promise you that,” he hisses.

Except he already has, I think. Three of them.

I rise from my chair, the anger bubbling inside me threatening to spill over.

“I need to think about this,” I sign stiffly.

“You know I love you, right?” Papa says quietly.

I nod glumly.

“Don’t ever forget it, Koshka.”

He doesn’t stop me as I turn on my heel and leave the room, the door shutting behind me with a heavy thud.

The hallways of the estate feel oppressively narrow as I make my way to my room. Furrcules is already curled up at the foot of my bed, his striped fuzzy belly rising and falling with each slumbering breath. I smirk when I see the scraps of meat littering the floor.

Yeah, Nina was definitely in here earlier, buying his love and getting some quality cuddles in with steak tips.

I pick up the bits, toss them, then sit on the edge of the mattress, my mind a storm of emotions I can’t sort through.

Kaiju is Takeshi Mori. Takeshi is Kaiju.

Fuck. Me.

The man who chased me through the shadows, who touched me in ways I can’t forget…

Is the man who now wants to claim me as his wife.

I press my hands to my face, trying to steady my breathing.

I’ve faced enemies before. Men twice my size, armed to the teeth. But this is different. This isn’t a fight I can win with a blade or a gun. This is something deeper, darker.

And I don’t know if I’m ready for it. At all.