Matching Dragons Chinese Zodiac Romance Series Book 6 (4 page)

She wrenched backward and he permitted her. After stuffing her free hand through the other sleeve of her dress, she buttoned the bodice, concealing her plump breasts.

He hadn’t made the best first impression. Staring at her chest now certainly wasn’t helping. “Because I was attracted to you? Is that such a crime?” He lifted one brow.

Instead of answering him, her lips parted and she sighed, shuffling backward. Huh, so she didn’t have a sassy retort for that. Maybe she wasn’t as crazy as he’d deemed her.

“I didn’t ask you to hit on me, okay?” Her lips pressed thin and she swallowed thickly. “I have other things I need to think about right now.”

He eased onto his elbows, enjoying watching her emotions unfold. What a bizarre female. She claimed she didn’t want him to seduce her, yet her sweet arousal enticed him. “I wouldn’t have if you hadn’t been interested.”

“Me?” Her eyes flashed a bright, pearly silver. “You—”

“I scented how much you desired me.” He grinned at her darkening blush. Her brows drew together slightly as though she studied him, trying to determine just what he was.

Good luck with that. A bell rang, its chiming echoing in the distance. He jumped to his feet. Must be the call to work. “Well, come on, partner.” Tugging on the chain, he strode through the door, Kadence trailing behind him.

“Cocky bastard,” Kadence hissed under her breath. Lok glanced to the side and she caught a hint of a smile on his lips.

Damn. Guess she could add heightened hearing to the list of his inhuman senses. What was he? Her experience with the supernatural beings of the Jade Emperor’s world was limited, so she had no clue where to even begin guessing. The only thing she was certain of was that his pretense of weakness was just that—an act.

Lok was something powerful, all right. So why had he joined the Lotus League? What was his deal?

Don’t care
. Her wrist tugged forward as the chain reached the end of its length. Kadence groaned and hurried to match her strides to his insanely long ones. Hopefully, the housekeeper would put an end to this nonsense.

They entered what appeared to be a dining room. A dozen other beings sat at a large wooden table. They were dressed in the same plain gray uniforms, likely servants too. Lok pulled out a chair and swept his hand for her to sit. Whatever. She strolled to a seat several chairs away and plunked her ass down there. Just because she was chained to him didn’t mean she had to spend a second longer in his presence than was necessary.

The housekeeper marched into the room, announcing in a no-nonsense voice, “Good morning, staff. Your assignments are on the board.” She pointed to the wall behind her. A handwritten list had been scrawled in chalk across the slate board. “If there are no questions, that will be all.” She strode from the room before Kadence had even opened her mouth. Dammit.

Lok leaned back in his chair, peering around the woman beside her to send Kadence a smirk.

Yeah, yeah. No tattling to the teacher
. She plucked a muffin from the pile on the table and picked at the dried blueberries. As she sank her teeth into the muffin, her wrist yanked backward. “What the hell?”

“Time to get to work.”

Glaring at the smug grin on Lok’s face, she snapped, “I’m still eating.”

“No one else is.”

A glimpse around the room revealed he was right. “Fine.” She tossed aside her muffin and shot to her feet. Lok made for the door, the chain swinging between them. Good thing he’d apparently studied the blackboard and knew where they were headed, because she hadn’t.

He led her down the corridor and stopped at a closet. After digging inside, he produced cleaning supplies. “Here ya go.”

“Uh, no.” She wrinkled her nose at the gloves, cleaner, and toilet bowl brush he offered.

“What part of penance didn’t you understand?” His raised brow grated on her nerves.

“I didn’t come here to scrub—” Oh crap. The twinkle in his eye sparkled in victory. He’d gotten her to reveal her true intentions. “We’re not even on the toilet scrubbing list, are we?”

He lifted and dropped his shoulder, his eyes gleaming triumphantly.

She folded her arms and glared while he put away the cleaning supplies. “Why do you even care?”

“Don’t return without your partner
. Ring a bell?” He cocked his head at her. “If you don’t return with me, I can’t become a Lotus.”

“Why would you even want to?” She blew out an exasperated puff of air. “I don’t buy your whole wimpy persona.” Her admiration dipped along those gloriously ripped biceps. No way was he as weak as he portrayed himself to be.

He stiffened, folding his arms across his broad chest, making his biceps flex even more enticingly. “Why would you say that?”

She shot him a raised brow that screamed,
Honestly?

“Okay, fine.” Uncrossing his arms, he exhaled a sigh. “Share with me and I’ll share with you.”

“Sorry. I’m really not that curious.” She twisted, taking one step away. The chain yanked, whirling her back around. “Seriously?” Groaning, she glowered harder at him.

“Try me. You might find yourself in need of an ally.”

Hell. She swallowed hard. Did he read minds too? No, if he did, he would’ve seen Mel in her thoughts. He’d know her plans.

“Not interested, pal.”

“I disagree.” He inclined his head, scrutinizing her.
Studying me for weaknesses?

“If I wanted a partner, I certainly wouldn’t choose you.” His eyes flickered. Yeah, ouch. If she stung him deeply enough with her words, he might unfasten this blasted chain.

“If you wouldn’t mind…” She dangled her wrist. “I have somewhere to be.”

He studied her wrist, then lifted his gaze to hers. “No.”

She scowled. “Why the hell not?”

“Because I still need you, and I can’t risk you running off without me. So either let me in, or we can spend the next century scrubbing toilets together.”

Century… Mel didn’t have that long. Screw him. That was absolutely blackmail.

And she had no choice but to comply.

Or at least, to pretend.

“Fine.” She narrowed her eyes. “I need an audience with Han Xiangzi. That’s why I’m here. Think you can help me by playing lookout?” The last thing she needed was to get caught by the housekeeper.

“What do you seek with the Immortal?”

“It’s private.”

“No.” He jerked on the chain, tumbling her forward against his chest. One hand spanned her back while the fingers of his other curled under her chin, lifting her gaze to his. “I won’t help you unless you let me in.”

The swirl in his eyes and the warm caress of his breath made his words seem far more intimate. A shiver fluttered across her skin, causing her to tremble. His grasp tightened, his large hand sliding around her waist, fingertips resting dangerously close to her breast. She ran her tongue along her bottom lip, breaths coming heavy.

What was it about this man that drew her in, spun her until she was dizzy, and yet refused to release its death grip on her senses? Damn, she did want to know his story. What stopped a man so strong from utilizing his power?

But she didn’t have that luxury.

“I’m going to make a trade with him.” The truth slipped from her lips, as though Lok’s heated presence had coaxed it from her.

Instead of acting grateful that she’d opened up, he stiffened. A tense, almost desperate anger rolled off him. “Trade what?”

“That’s none of your business.” She pushed off him, heart racing at this change in Lok’s mood.

Why the hell did he care so much?

***

No
. His feral instincts thrashed inside his chest, threatening to break free. To scoop Kadence into his arms, spread his wings, and carry her off to…

Where the fuck would he go? The second Lok transformed, a legion of dragons would be on his trail. They would hunt him until they descended upon him and carried out their punishment.

My death.

He whipped his head to the side, inhaling and exhaling through his nose, forcing his jaw to unclench. Perhaps Kadence referred to something else. The likelihood of her grasping what was inside her was small.

If she knew how powerful she truly was, she would have burned through this chain.

Right. Should I tell her? No
. She likely wouldn’t believe him anyway.

What else could she offer one of the Eight Immortals?

Her virtue? Kadence was no timid virgin. What then? More importantly, what did she seek in return?

The Eight Immortals collected many treasures. Talismans, enchanted objects. Whatever Kadence sought had to be of great value, something she couldn’t procure elsewhere.

Otherwise, she’d risked a hell of a lot for nothing.

“Okay, fine.” She blew out a long breath and perched her hands on her hips. “If you let me take care of this and don’t get in my way, I’ll go back to the League with you.”

That was too easy, but he would take her offer. For now. “Deal.”

Her brows shot up, then her eyes narrowed. He didn’t expect her to trust him, yet. But he would do everything he could to earn her respect.

“Just like that?”

He shrugged. “Why not.”

“Okay.” She scanned the landscape. “Any idea where to find him?”

He jerked his chin toward the ruins on top of the hill. “Rumor has it Han spends most of his time in the temple.” Mourning the loss of his beloved. Han Xiangzi was famous for being a master musician—the flute in particular—and had once played his magical flute for the daughter of the East Sea Dragon King. They’d fallen in love, but one day, she’d stopped coming to listen to him play. Her father had disapproved of the match, locking his daughter in an underwater prison.

Though Han had tried, he’d failed to rescue her. Broken-hearted, he’d snapped his flute in half and spent his days meditating in the temple. So what could Kadence possibly offer him in trade?

They trekked to the crumbling stone ruins atop the crested hill. Lok halted outside the door to the sole intact chamber. “I’ll wait here.”

“Thank you.” Kadence’s brows drew together at his offer, but she seemed to accept it, slipping inside.

Either she was still naïve about his abilities, or she didn’t care that he intended to eavesdrop. He leaned against the wall, listening.

“I can get her back for you.” The certainty in Kadence’s proposition carried toward him.

“How? None have been able to free her.”

“Leave that part to me. All I ask in return is a vial of her blood.”

A stone dropped into the pit of his stomach.
Dragon blood.
What the fuck did Kadence want with that? And why go to such lengths to attain it? She was right to seek out the dragon princess, though. She was one of the few dragons stuck in a permanent location. Tales of the princess’s imprisonment spread everywhere. Rescuing her was one of those “many have tried and all have failed” kind of deals. Yet he didn’t doubt Kadence’s success. She didn’t seem the type to accept failure.

Except when it comes to me
. Bloody Lotus League test.

Dragon blood was damned hard to come by, especially since dragons didn’t exactly broadcast their whereabouts. When they did venture into the human realm, they were experts at concealing their true nature. Hell, in a century of blending in with the humans, Lok hadn’t crossed paths with any of his kin.
Exactly how I plan to keep it until I clear my name.

“Yes, of course, anything.” The Immortal hastily agreed, a bright eagerness in his tone revealing to Lok he believed in Kadence’s abilities. Or he was just desperate.

Kadence strolled from the temple, a curve quirking her lips. The smile vanished as she faced him.

“Well?” He shuffled his feet, feigning boredom despite the pounding in his veins. Kadence required dragon blood for some purpose, and he would’ve gladly offered her his, but doing so would require him to transform.

That would put both their lives at risk.

More than diving to the bottom of the ocean and stealing away a Dragon King’s daughter?

Lok swallowed hard, rolling back his shoulders. She’d better have one hell of a plan.

Anticipation fired through Kadence’s body, making her limbs restless. The Immortal had eagerly agreed to her plan. Hadn’t even asked for details, really. He’d just handed her the key to his office and resumed his meditation.