Taken by the Yokai King

Aiko Tanaka finds solace in order. Her lonely night shifts at a Tokyo convenience store are predictable, meticulously organized, and safe. Or so she thinks. Her quiet world shatters when brutal Yakuza thugs corner her, claiming her territory—and her—as their own.

But before they can drag her into the city's dark underbelly, an even greater darkness intervenes.

Enter Kaito Ishikawa. He is impossibly handsome, terrifyingly powerful, and not entirely human. He is the heir to the Ishikawa-gumi, a Yakuza clan that rules not with guns, but with the monstrous spirits of Japanese folklore—the Yokai. And Kaito? He is their King, bound by duty, ancient blood pacts... and a political engagement meant to secure his clan's future.

He dispatches Aiko's attackers with chilling, demonic power, revealing a glimpse of the monster beneath his perfect suit. But salvation comes at a price. Having witnessed his true nature, and now marked by his enemies, Aiko is a dangerous loose end.

Defying his obligations, Kaito doesn't offer her a choice. He claims her. He forces her from her old life and into his secret, luxurious safe house—a gilded cage where he can keep her protected, hidden, and under his complete control, a secret that could destroy his alliances if revealed.

Trapped with the cold, possessive Yokai King, Aiko fears she's traded one prison for another. He is her captor, her protector, a creature of shadow and violence who belongs to another. But as they live under the same roof, the forced proximity ignites a spark neither expected. She sees glimpses of the honorable, wounded man beneath the ruthless leader, and he finds himself drawn to the quiet human girl who isn't afraid of the monster he truly is—even as his betrothed waits in the wings.

Caught between a brewing supernatural war, a dangerous political landscape, and an impossible, forbidden attraction, Aiko must navigate a world where desire is as deadly as the demons. Can she survive being taken—and secretly loved—by the Yokai King? Or will their forbidden passion bring ruin upon them both?