Shifters of Grrr 1 (55 page)

Except to Sheng.

No denying that, while this seemed like a dream, the spirit animals cloaking each of Sheng’s friends were real. As she’d come to accept the spirit inside herself, she’d begun to perceive the spirits inside them too. Monkey was super clever, witty, and intellectual, possessing an insanely detailed memory. Never lacking in confidence, Mei was someone Lucy admired. Mei claimed her Monkey resembled a Chinese golden monkey. Its long golden fur and blue face were pretty adorable, not that Lucy told Mei. No need to add to the woman’s already inflated ego.

That girl was a freakin’ genius. When Mei had shown Lucy her blood under a microscope, she’d been speechless. Chosen blood was human, but the white blood cells contained a red inclusion that resembled half of the
yin-yang
symbol—like a tiny comma. The red blood cells were darker than normal and outlined with light pink. Mei had said the inclusion pointed to their abnormal, super immunity, while the dark-hued red cells indicated increased hemoglobin—and therefore healing ability. More thorough testing usually uncovered a host of other phenomena that made the Chosen definite candidates for attaining lifelong lab-rat status.

Halfway across the rafters, Lucy hooked her ankles through a bar and hung upside down for a quick rest. She’d never been to a hospital and only visited the doctors her dad picked. She’d chalked up his choice of doctors to Chinese superstition, but it made perfect sense. A regular doctor would have flagged the hell out of her blood work.

Thinking about her dad reminded her of the vaccine created from Chosen blood. Her heart clenched at the knowledge she might have been able to save both her parents. They were beyond saving now, but others weren’t. If there existed the slightest chance she could help even one person, she had to try. She had to find her place among this
Kongsi
.

She craned her neck and studied the other super-human specimens below. Kassian was not only the bulkiest man here, his Ox, when cloaking, towered over the rest of them. Its massive body, adorned by two curved horns and a fierce scowl, sent shivers spiraling through her. She’d never considered an ox to be a particularly dangerous creature, but when facing Kassian’s Ox, she trembled in fear.

As intimidating as the Ox was, Fang’s Rat was the one creature she’d never pick to encounter in a dark alley. It wasn’t a cute little rodent. More like a rodent on steroids bitten by a zombie. Protracted, razor-sharp fangs composed the focal point of a vicious face. Paired with its lethal claws, it was no wonder Rabbit shied from Rat.

She snagged her arm through one monkey bar and gritted her teeth as she swung from bar to bar across the length of the room. The pool’s gentle currents flowed beneath her. As she rounded the last bar, she latched onto the wall and climbed down, her muscles trembling from the exertion. Relief passed through her the second her feet landed on the tiled floor.

“Good. Faster than last time.” Sheng inclined his head before moving on to consult with Kassian, who was lifting weights at the bench press.

Just like that, Sheng dismissed her as he had every day for the past two weeks. The first time, she’d almost opened her mouth to ask what she’d done wrong.

Had she gone too far in her stance on the Jade Emperor’s barbaric methods and insulted the deep sense of honor ingrained in Sheng? A knife of remorse twisted in her stomach at her impious outburst, but her views remained the same. Still, her instincts demanded she stay and figure this out. She had nothing to go back to, anyway.

Wrapping a towel around her waist, she headed for the showers. Their routine hadn’t strayed any other day, so she sucked up her disappointment and prepared for another meditation session with Mei. After, they would head to the lab and manufacture more vials of the vaccine. Each night, they loaded them onto the ship at the dockyard.

As she rounded the corner, she bumped into a solid male chest.

Sheng. Her breath caught in her throat. She spread her fingers across those firm pecs. That familiar chest. Even as she peeked upward, confirming she’d smacked into him, her instincts screamed to back away.

He didn’t like her touching him. He’d made that crystal clear. Each time he greeted the others, with a bro-hug to the guys and a kiss for Mei, he passed over her as though she were invisible. So much for Mei’s admission. Apparently, not touching Lucy didn’t qualify as sheer torment for Sheng.
I must not fit into his circle.

She wrenched her fingers away, taking one step back. “Sorry. Didn’t see you there.” She trained her gaze on the floor.

“I was waiting for you.”

Her head whipped up.
Waiting for me?
Damn, her heart sped, racing.

“I’d like a word with Rabbit.”

Oh. That.

“Yeah…” She chewed her bottom lip, backing away. “Rabbit doesn’t really feel comfortable around Tiger.”
Duh. Way to point out the obvious, Luce.

“If we’re going to work together, Rabbit has to start.”

Her throat tightened as the essence she associated with Rabbit skittered around inside her, searching for a place to hide. “O-okay.” She sensed the poor creature cringing. But, why? Because Tiger was a predator? She found Sheng intimidating, true, but also, oh so very magnetic. Rabbit must feel the same pull she did. So if the spirit insisted on hiding…maybe it had something to hide?

Sheng stalked toward her, interrupting her train of thought. His was the one spirit animal she hadn’t observed yet. She’d snuck glimpses of those glinting, pale, blue-gray irises earlier, but she couldn’t picture the entirety of Tiger in her mind.

She breathed in through her nose and exhaled through her mouth, doing her best to calm Rabbit. Didn’t help that, as Sheng closed in on her, heated blood drummed through her veins.

They’d be so much better off if she wasn’t struck by her attraction to him. By his strong, sexy jaw she yearned to graze with her teeth. By those dark, impenetrable eyes.

He paused a foot from her, holding out his hand, palm up. His gaze pierced her as he inclined his head for her to cloak.

Rabbit scrambled inside her. She’d never been able to force it out, but the others had, with patient murmurs, convinced the spirit to show itself.

Sheng expected her to take charge.

“You’re the Master. The spirit has joined with you to aid you. It does not control you. You must dominate it.”

She nodded, licking her lips. He was right. Mei had reiterated that fact over and over, pounding it into her head. Lucy had to learn to harness the Rabbit. The spirit would never assume control of her body, but she could call upon its strength to add to hers.

“Come out,
tùzi
.” She closed her eyes, searching within herself for Rabbit’s favorite hiding place. There. A blur of white. She snagged the beast by its ears and brought it to her chest, cradling it, calming it.

Once Rabbit eased, she opened her eyes, extending her hand to meet Sheng’s. White fur sprang atop her skin as Rabbit cloaked her. She bit her lip, anxious for him to make the next move.

His flesh blurred. Tiger’s black claws, outlined by white toes, blended into focus.

Tiger reached for Rabbit.

The second Sheng made contact, Rabbit started, bolting straight back into its cage.

“Fuck.” Sheng slammed his fist against the wall, tossing his head and cursing again.

Lucy shrank back, equally alarmed as Rabbit by the arrow of Sheng’s disappointment. Would she ever stop letting him down? As if it weren’t bad enough she didn’t host the Dragon, she couldn’t even master the spirit she did host. What if she never learned to control her spirit like the others? Would they kick her out? She blinked back the tears stinging her eyes. Crying wouldn’t fix this. She steeled her resolve. She’d
make
Rabbit do what she wanted.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, but he didn’t acknowledge her apology, instead pacing between the two walls of the corridor. “What am I doing wrong? I’m trying, really I am.” Glancing at him, she braced for his censure. Sheng didn’t sugarcoat anything.

He leaned his forearms against the wall. His head hung from slumped shoulders. As he twisted his face to her, thick shaggy locks obscured all but the darkest slashes of his eyes. “It’s time for more drastic measures.” The detached conviction in his voice made her shudder.

His words slapped her like a threat.

But to herself or him?

***

Sheng brushed past Lucy. He had no answer for her. It was as much a failing of the Tiger as the Rabbit. Had something happened with their previous hosts? The relationship between these two spirits was the most complicated he’d ever encountered.

Sure, it’d taken some convincing for stubborn Ox to join him, and Rat had possessed its misgivings, but none had held out for this bloody long.

Was it Lucy? Did she, whether consciously or not, hold Rabbit back?

Damn. He scrubbed his hand across his jaw. Didn’t really matter. He had to force Rabbit out the only way he knew how.

By sacrificing himself.

After Lucy left for home, he switched out of his workout clothes, donning leather pants, a black t-shirt, and a leather jacket. He took the elevator down to the garage.

Halfway to his bike, Ox intercepted him. “Where the hell are you going, mate?” Kassian folded his arms, massive biceps bulging.

“Out.”

“Out where?”

Stubborn ass. “What’s it look like? Out for a ride.”

Ox stepped in front of him as Sheng tried to pass. “I can’t let you do this. There are other ways. One of them is called
time
.”

He grimaced. “In case you haven’t noticed, we don’t have any of that left.” The Matchmaker had been grinding his ass the past week, bitching about his lack of progress with Lucy.

“Let me come with you. Better yet, I’ll knock you out myself.” His friend fisted his hands in front of his chest, cracking his knuckles. “Been itching to do that for a long time.”

Sheng fought against smiling. “Doesn’t work that way and you know it. You can’t do to me what I need. What she needs.” He shook his head at Ox’s raised fists and placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Trail me if you must but, when I get to her apartment, you’d better be bloody far away, you hear me? That’s an order. ʼCause if I get fucked up for no reason, I’m coming after you.”

“Aye, boss.” Ox stepped aside, letting Sheng pass.

He threw one leg over the side of his bike, revving the engine until the tires squealed before speeding away. As he zipped through the streets, Tiger kept one tiny spark of awareness trained on Ox.

Kassian wouldn’t disobey him. He literally couldn’t, not after Sheng had enforced the command with the strength of the Tiger. Still, he refused to risk Rabbit detecting even a hint of the others. He needed the spirit desperate.

He twisted through the streets, a blast of negative energy whipping over him as he crossed the line into enemy territory.

Ever since Chicken’s death, his
Kongsi
hadn’t attempted to combat the stronger, better-equipped Ghee Hin…unless they had a particular hankering for violence or the enemy stepped over their boundary lines and required a reminder. The turf wars between their two
Kongsi
extended over a century. It wasn’t about to end peacefully.

No reason to engage the enemy in a full-out war. Yet. Small guerilla-style skirmishes composed most of their encounters. That, and a shitload of cock-flapping posturing when they met in daylight.

Tonight, he risked everything for one golden-eyed enchantress. Hell, he’d risk far more than that to ensure Rabbit was his.

Because then, so would be Lucy.

He rolled his bike to a halt in the alley behind the Ghee Hin headquarters on the north coast of the island and switched off the lights as the purr of the motor faded. Shadows crept over the wall opposite the opulent, modern mansion. He had no proof of anything nefarious, but the
yāoguài
—demons—who escaped from
Dìyù
—Hell—congregated on Ghee Hin territory. When he’d brought the issue before the Council, those fuckwads claimed Snake had permission from Horse Face and Ox Head—the two sentinels of
Dìyù
—to draw the demons here for execution.

The arrangement would be fine and dandy if their numbers didn’t appear to be
growing
.

He grinned into the darkness, slipping the collar off Tiger. The beast pounced forward, gracing him with night vision. The dark blurs suddenly stood out in stark relief, brightening.

Fuck yeah. He loved Tiger.

From the right, four
yāoguài
slithered in his direction like snakes disturbed from a nest. The shadowy figures morphed from translucent to solid, serpentine forms each time they flashed in and out of substantiality. A glowing orange eye here. A baring of fangs there. They were damned quick, snapping from one location to another and circling in on him.

Three on his left made to close off the circle, slinking behind him.

Tiger chuffed a warning growl, its claws flexing in anticipation of the first kill.

Sheng was outnumbered, and that’s how he’d planned it, but he wouldn’t simply roll over and let them have at him. He’d let Tiger get in a few kills first. By blasting those suckers back to
Dìyù
, he’d foil their attempts to gain immortality and ensure they didn’t harm anyone in the human world again.