Demon Warriors 4: Takeo by Lynn Hagen

move on him in all the years they had known each other. Takeo had only taken what Kamiko had so obviously thrown in his direction.
    Maybe they weren’t even mates. Maybe Takeo was just trying to justify fucking him. Maybe—Kamiko inhaled sharply, trying to get air past the lump building in his throat. Maybe Takeo never wanted him at all.
    When Takeo walked to the side of the building and started toward a shadow, Kamiko spun around and took off running back down the street. He knew he only had moments to escape. Takeo was faster than he was. The man was only slowed by his surprise.
    Kamiko could hear Takeo shouting at him as he ran as fast as his feet would carry him. He had no idea where he was going as he cut around buildings and sprinted down alleyways. He just wanted to get away from the heartbreaking knowledge that Takeo didn’t want him, not really.
    Kamiko ran around a corner and straight into a hard, fleshy wall.
    He fell back onto the ground on his ass with a loud grunt. Damn, his ass hurt. Kamiko looked up, ready to either apologize for running into someone or chew them out for not looking where they were going—it all depended on their size.
    When he saw the cold, lifeless eyes staring back down at him, Kamiko decided running was better than anything. He scrambled to his feet and took off in the other direction, praying with all of his might that his feet were faster than the man he ran into.
    Kamiko had never been so glad to see anyone in his life as he was when he spotted Takeo running down the street toward him. He promised himself he’d be good and never cut his hair again or do anything to make Takeo mad if he could just reach the safety of Takeo’s arms.
    Takeo was just a car length away when Kamiko felt a hand come down on his shoulder. Takeo shouted his name, rage filling his face.
    Kamiko reached out for Takeo—and then Takeo was gone.
    Kamiko’s screams filled the air around him until he couldn’t hear anything else.

    * * * *

    Panahasi materialized down to the streets to see Takeo tearing Serenity City apart with his bare hands. He had heard the anguished cry from his warrior, a cry so profound, so heart wrenchingly pain filled that he could do nothing else but answer its call.
    Takeo was tearing through the city, hell-bent on destroying it.
    Panahasi had never seen a look of such agony as he did when he locked eyes with Takeo. The concept of loving someone that much was foreign to Panahasi, but he had to help.
    “Tell me why you destroy your own city.” He had a feeling he knew when he didn’t see Kamiko by the warrior’s side. This was bad.
    “He took him!” Takeo’s voice was gruff, anguished, and broken.
    “Constantine took him.”
    Panahasi knew that he would lose Takeo to the dark side if they didn’t find his mate. The man had been close once already. It was when Panahasi had first gone after Takeo for his training. The man’s eyes were void of any emotion, numb shells.
    As they were now.
    The look of pain was gone, and Panahasi knew that soon, Takeo’s mind would be as well. He had been the hardest one to train. Takeo had lived a life that not many survived. Baku was not a place to raise a family. It was a place to send the damned. He still wasn’t sure how Takeo had ended up living there, but he was amazed to this day that Takeo had been sane.
    That wouldn’t hold true if the warriors didn’t get Kamiko back.
    “Do you have any idea where Constantine might have taken him?”
    Takeo’s eyes landed on Panahasi. They were lifeless as Takeo’s head slowly moved back and forth. He could tell that they were running out of time. Takeo was slipping fast.
    As badly as Panahasi longed for a mate, if this was the result, he wasn’t sure he wanted to find him. To see Takeo that dedicated to Kamiko was surreal. He’d seen some of the other warriors find their mates, but it wasn’t anything close to this. Takeo had bound his very soul to Kamiko.
    “We need to see the keeper. More