Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 112567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 563(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 563(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
We continued on.
I looked at him. “Do you come here to train a lot?”
“We do. At least once every four months.”
“Why?”
Lei gazed my way. “This is a place of tranquility for the Four Aces. It’s where we find peace amidst chaos.”
“So it’s like a retreat too?”
“It is. Plus, the idea is that spiritual and mental growth can happen once we unplug and spend time among nature.” There was an aura of respect in his voice. “My father once meditated here for 30 days straight, without any contact from the outside world. It was here he learned the Azure Dragon’s Spiral.”
A shiver of intrigue ran down my spine. “What’s that?”
“A dangerous move.”
“Will you show me what it looks like one day?”
Without uttering a single word, he released my hand. In the next moment, his body was a whirlwind of motion. Lei spun around three times rapidly, his movements fluid yet powerful.
Holy shit!
The last spin concluded in a powerful punch that sliced through the air, followed by a high-flying leap that ended with a kick. The power of his movement sent a violent gust of wind rushing towards me.
I staggered back. “Well damn.”
He landed back on his feet. His chest heaved. “That’s Azure Dragon’s Spiral.”
I blinked.
The demonstration lasted several seconds, yet it would be etched into my mind forever.
I swallowed. “I’m totally impressed.”
“Yeah?” He walked back over to me.
“Hell yes.”
He took my hand, wrapping it in his warmth. “What’s funny is that my father came up with that move but struggles with defending it.”
“So. . .you’re going to use that against him in the battle?”
He moved his gaze up to the sky where two black crows soared. “Yes. That’s the plan.”
Then, he guided me away. Yet, every few steps he glanced up at the crows again and again.
He has to go through so much this week. This is so fucked up.
A pang of guilt gnawed at my insides.
It was hard to reconcile the tenderness of this moment with the brutal honesty that I had delivered several minutes ago.
Did I go too far?
I had forced Lei to confront a painful reality—the need to let go of Chanel’s body. And though every word had been true, the guilt of pushing him still clawed at me.
Did I do right by him, Mama? Wouldn’t you have told me to say something to him about it?
Of course she didn’t answer.
Still, I wondered to myself.
Who was I to impose such an ultimatum?
I’d known Lei for such a short time, and yet, I had disrupted his world, shattered his odd coping mechanism, and forced him to face his loss in a healthier way.
But it was right, wasn’t it?
He was basically gripping onto a ghost, unable to move forward. Chanel’s body wasn’t a lifeline but an anchor, pulling him into a bottomless abyss of grief.
She deserved peace.
He deserved peace.
And I just wanted him to heal. To find his way back to life. And if that made me the villain in his story, then. . .so be it.
Fuck it.
I had come to care for this man more deeply than I had thought possible.
Therefore, I held onto my guilt about pushing him. Granted, it was a bitter pill to swallow but swallow it I would. Because Lei needed more than a person to tell him yes, all the time. He needed a friend, a confidante, someone who would pull him back from the edge, not help push him over.
And I was determined to be that for him, regardless of the cost.
Lei squeezed my hand, bringing me back to the present moment. “What’s on your mind?”
I took a deep breath and looked up at him, meeting his gaze. “I’m just. . .worried about you. And the battle coming up.”
His expression was unreadable. “It’s going to be tough. But I have to do this. For Chanel, for my family, for my people.”
“I know, and I’ll be here for you. Through everything.”
He smiled at me. “That would be much better than your apparently kicking my ass for harming Banks.”
I grinned. “I was serious about that.”
He laughed. “I knew you were.”
However, I don’t know how I would ever kick your ass.
We walked on in silence for a few moments, taking in the sights and sounds of the camp. The air was filled with the scent of cooking fires and the sound of laughter and chatter.
Peace washed over me.
I’m glad that we worked it out, and that I could stay.
I still had to talk to Banks, tell him about dad, and figure out the funeral arrangements. Also, I had to deliver the news to my sisters too.
Pressure swelled in my chest.
I pushed as much as I could away and focused on the present moment.
Lei led me forward. “And this is our space for the next days.”
“Okay.” I checked it out.
Of course Lei’s tent would be bigger and wider than everyone else’s. The huge blue structure contrasted with the rocky terrain of Mount Utopia.