Trancing the Tiger (Chinese Zodiac Romance Series Book 1) (33 page)

Chapter 26

Lucy stepped into the hallway. A stream of curses blasted from Sheng’s mouth. The cloaking of Tiger flared around him and he slammed his fist on the table.

She peered closer. He was speaking with someone on a tablet.

Not one person, an entire group of people. The noise on the other end was as deafening as Sheng’s roaring.

She inched backward, thankful he hadn’t yet noticed her presence, and slid behind the doorway, bracing her fingers on the frame to peek at the screen. Rabbit’s talents came in handy yet again, strengthening her resolve that the Dragon didn’t belong to her. That she was a
Shèhúnzéi
like her dad.

Wow. The small tie to her father made her heart ache. At the same time, the responsibility weighed down her shoulders. How much she wished he were here to guide her.

You must find the one who can.
Her dad’s words echoed in her mind. Right. He’d given her this task because he’d had faith she could handle it.

To whom did the Dragon belong?

While most of the faces on the other side of the screen were familiar to her, some she’d never met before.
Must be the Elders.
Beside Snake sat Boar and
that
man.

An energy twitched inside her as she glanced at him. Like before, she couldn’t shake the notion that something about him was familiar.

“Enough!” A commanding feminine voice rose above the others and everyone complied, quieting. Sounded like the Matchmaker.

Lucy’s hands gripped the wall. This woman determined her fate. Even more, she and Sheng discussed Lucy’s future without even including her.

Damn them both.

“You will not harm her in any way, do you understand? Or you will never see her again.” Sheng’s possessive growl spiraled into her, fluttering her insides. Until she registered the source of his protectiveness.

Harm me?

She’d been right about the inkling that those intruders on the island might not have been sent to capture her.

But to kill her.

Why did the Council sanction such actions when she was supposed to be one of them? Did the rumor of her hosting the Dragon put a target on her back?

“Li.” The Matchmaker’s voice pitched low, soothing. “I promise no one will harm her. To aid her, we must examine her. You must bring her in.”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he spun from the tablet, pacing a few feet away. “I can’t do that, not without a guarantee.”

Lucy leaned farther forward to scan the Matchmaker’s expression and determine whether or not she told the truth. Her body bent at an awkward angle as her muscles strained to maintain her balance.

The Matchmaker deferred to an older man in the center. He boasted more wrinkles than an elephant, but intelligence gleamed in his eyes. Instead of answering, he dipped a paintbrush into a pot of ink and scribbled on a parchment. After blowing on the ink to dry it, he offered up the scroll for those around him to read. They nodded, and he displayed it to the Matchmaker and Sheng. Without waiting for Sheng’s agreement, the wrinkled man rolled the paper, dropped a glop of hot wax onto it, and sealed the scroll.

What did he write on the parchment to secure her protection? The answer eluded her, because the Matchmaker spoke next. “Bring her in, Li.”

Without responding, he switched off the monitor. The weight of their discussion sank into the room.

He stared at the blank screen. “Come out, Lucy.”

She jolted upright. He’d detected her? Damn. Slipping her foot around the corner, she inched out of her hiding spot.

“What was written on the scroll?” No point in pretending she hadn’t eavesdropped.

“A curse. A pretty nasty one.” He shrugged. “If anyone harms you, resulting in your death, well, let’s just say there’d be an awful mess to clean up.” He lifted his head and a malicious grin tugged at his lips. “And that’s after I’m finished with them.”

“A curse?” She wrinkled her nose. “Hardly seems like good insurance.”

“That’s the Council for you.” He leaned against the wall and sighed, combing his hands through his hair.

She shuffled her feet in the awkward silence. “Are you really going to take me in?”

“I don’t have a choice. Neither do you.” His reply was matter-of-fact, devoid of any emotion.

“When do we leave?”

“Right now.”

The immediacy slammed into her, constricting her throat. She’d hoped for more time with Sheng, but she didn’t even have that. These people might ignore that pathetic curse and kill her anyway. Realistically, Sheng wouldn’t be able to fight them. Unless she found a way to hand off the Dragon to its destined owner first. Her mind wracked through her memories, searching for an image, any face which might match the Dragon.

Him.

The moment she settled upon the man’s features, not a doubt in her mind remained the Dragon was his destiny. She’d never even allowed herself to entertain the idea before because, well, she hadn’t been desperate.

And this smacked of desperation.

Because once Sheng realized what she intended to do, he was going to hate her.

Forever.

***

Sheng refused to look at Lucy. Half of him fought to obey the Council’s command, the other half argued to flee with her. To hide away where the Council would never discover them.

Where would that place his destiny? Hers? The world had gone to shit, and they might be the only force standing between the Plague God and the utter destruction of the human race.

If that wasn’t enough of a burden, Tiger urged him to obey. He’d been gifted the spirit for this purpose. Discarding it would mean subjecting Tiger to a lifetime without meaning. Doubtless, the spirit would grow restless and might even drag Sheng to the edge of insanity.

Tiger had waited so damn long for the Dragon, it wasn’t willing to give up. But maybe Lucy had a point about the spirit animal not belonging to her. Somehow, she’d acquired two spirits… Perhaps there was a way to un-acquire one of them? If she was a Spirit Thief, the Elders might be able to guide her.

Whether the Council was the best option, Sheng couldn’t be certain. He could, however, protect her long enough to determine if they actually possessed any answers…and didn’t just hope to kill Lucy to get the Dragon out.

He clenched his jaw. Those bloody bureaucrats. If anyone removed the Dragon from Lucy, they’d better do it with the fucking precision of a brain surgeon, because no way in hell would he watch what happened to Chicken happen to Lucy.

After showering, he dressed and snared Lucy’s hand to guide her out the door. So much for another night spent in her arms.

The emotions between them were as perplexing as their entwined fates. He should have tried harder to be hands off. Should have stuck to his initial resolve. She remained his family and that would never change. What had changed was the depth and direction of his emotions concerning her.

The fact that he’d fallen for her. Damn. He suppressed a grin. Yep, he’d fallen in love with her.

In the hotel lobby, he hired a car to take them to the Council Chambers.

He didn’t speak and neither did Lucy. Her inquisitive mouth remained shut, though she must’ve had a million questions perched on her tongue.

Just envisioning her tongue caused his head to angle toward her and his focus to stray to those soft lips. Fuck, how he wanted to taste her. He ground his jaw as he forced his stare out the window. More important things ought to be on his mind.

Like how to keep her alive.

After they’d arrived at the temple, a monk directed them into a waiting room. “The Council has taken a respite. They will reconvene in forty-five minutes.” The monk closed the doors, leaving him and Lucy in the small room together. Alone.

He set his phone alarm for forty minutes. Damn, he desired her. So desperately his entire body shook with the effort to not become aroused.

Evidently, she didn’t suffer the same because she went straight for the closed doors.

“What are you doing? We have to wait here.” He stepped in front of her, throwing an arm out to block her path.

“Little girl’s room, okay?”

“Fuck, no.” He narrowed his stare on her. “This whole place is crawling with people who might intend you harm. If you want to live, you won’t leave my side.”

She arched a brow at him. “I’ll only be gone a second. If you must, you can escort me.”

He wanted to kiss the smirk off her face until her body melded into his where he could keep her safe forever.

Instead, he hauled open the door for her and followed behind. Tearing his gaze from the sexy sway of her ass, he assessed the wide corridor, ensuring no one was about to leap out at them. As she slipped into the restroom, he tried to follow.

She held up a hand and blocked him. “Really? I’ll be fine.”

“Be
quick
,” he emphasized, not liking her being out of his sight for even a second. No evil minions had jumped out at them so far, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t try. That shitty curse only covered the actual person who did Lucy harm, not the one who’d issued the command.

Which made any underlings one thing.

Expendable.

***

Once inside the restroom, Lucy rushed to the window. Relief puffed her chest. No bars caged her in. Shucking her shoes, she climbed onto the ledge and braced herself in the window frame.

This had better work.

Closing her eyes, she inhaled and sought the Dragon. The most superior ability of this particular spirit?

It could
fly
.

“Show me your Master.” She dug down deep, raising the Dragon up and out to cloak her. The beast honed in on an energy in the alcove to the northwest, on the opposite side of the courtyard.

Bingo.

Releasing her grip on the stone window frame, she fanned her arms.

“Lucy!” Sheng growled behind her.

Guess she’d taken too long, but he was too late.

She leapt off the ledge. Her body fell until the Dragon’s wings flapped and she evened out. A few more flaps, and she soared.

Angling her body, she focused on her target and glided to him. She landed on her feet, the Dragon’s spirit pulsing as she approached the one it sought.

“Delun.” She smiled.

“D-dragon?” The man sputtered and gawked at her.

The roar thundering behind them came from Tiger, a warning bell that time was running out.

If Sheng reached them, he would stop her.

Without wasting a minute to explain her purpose, she strode to the head of the Ghee Hin, pressed one hand against his chest, over his heart, and wrapped the other around his neck. The best way to confirm she was also a Spirit Thief was to put her powers to the test.

Opening her mouth, she tilted her head back and seized Dragon’s essence. Dragon didn’t resist as she released the spirit from her body.

Just like my dad.
She
was
a Spirit Thief and
this
was the task he’d given her.

Dragon’s essence drifted from her, smoky blue tendrils wisping toward Delun. He stood rock still, like a statue, but his heart pounded beneath her fingertips.

Rabbit surged forth beneath Dragon, filling the space Dragon vacated. The spirit cloaked her as she broke apart from Delun.

A tingling seized her muscles, jerking them with electrical pulses and making her double over. The zaps faded until just her left ear twitched. She squeezed the lobe. As she lowered her hand, she caught sight of her nails. Her
silver
nails.

Whoa. The crimson polish from Dragon had given way to Rabbit’s natural hue. She combed her fingers through her hair, unable to find any trace of feathers. Instead, her long, light-brown locks shimmered in her hands with silvery highlights.

Delun reared back then hunched, throwing out his arm to brace against a pillar. Lifting a trembling hand in front of him, he studied the cloaking of Dragon, then raised dark, questioning eyes to pierce her. The sharp angles of his face morphed, broadening into devastatingly masculine edges. One red-gold feather on each side of his head adorned his long ebony hair. The fabric of his navy suit stretched taut. Even more muscular bulk joined the man’s already brawny frame.

Lucy inclined her head and smiled, examining how Dragon floated over Delun as though gleeful. Sharp fangs gleamed from its parted—almost smiling—mouth.

An enormous Chinese Dragon, the beast’s body resembled that of a snake—long and thin—with two taloned feet at the front and two where its body narrowed into a flared tail. Pairs of brilliant red-gold plumes adorned its lionesque head and shot forth from its elbows and knees.

Dragon folded its leathery wings. Not all Chinese Dragons could fly but, because of the spirit’s rank, the Jade Emperor had bestowed this Dragon with unique powers. Flying. Creating rain. And breathing fire.

Delun grinned, a wickedly sexy smile. “How did you discover it was meant for me?”

“It chose you. Just like Rabbit chose me.” She lowered her voice, increasing her serious tone. “You don’t have to listen to Snake anymore. You can rise above him. The Dragon gives you the strength.”

He stared again at his hand, his lips parted in awe.