Rematch

by Rachael Slate

  He took one step forward, his long stride bringing them close. “What kind of girl are you?”

  The deep timbre of his accented voice sent ripples down her spine, shooting pings of anticipation into her core. She moistened her lips. No doubt about it, she longed to taste him again. To feel his hard body pressed against hers. “The kind who earned herself a promotion?”

  He shook his head and eased back. “Why do you wish to be a thief, hmm? Surely, there are better occupations for someone with your clever wit?”

  “Is that meant to be a compliment? Or a reprimand?”

  “A little of both.”

  She smiled at him and tapped her nails along the top of the counter beside the case with the jade box. “You call me a thief, but that’s not what I am.”

  “Then what are you?”

  She took a step back as he claimed one forward. The lip of the counter behind her pressed into her back. He moved as though he was stalking her. Prowling, circling, testing.

  This was her chance to plead her case. “When the Red Death hit, I lost my brother.” She paused, waiting for his soft murmur of condolence, but he didn’t speak. Instead, he’d gone hard again, like a statue morphing from fluid to stone.

  “You asked what I am. I’m a fighter.”

  His lips pressed thin. “There is nothing for you to fight here. Get back to dusting.” He spun on his heel and stormed from the room.

  The shame squeezed the air from his lungs. Bent over, Li struggled to rasp in a breath. A tremor seized his body, the spasms traveling down his arms and through his hands. He lifted his head and caught a glimpse of what he’d done in the gilded mirror hanging in the corridor. Though he’d give everything to view the haggard beggar, a handsome, robust male scowled back at him. Every damn day, his reflection tormented him. The price of his vanity…had been the world.

  The gods sent Wen to him, so he would never, not for one instant, be able to ignore his disgrace.

  Her brother. Fisting his hand, he lunged forward and slammed it into the mirror, punching a hole straight through the marble behind it. He pulled his hand back, coated in dust, and flexed his fingers. No pain radiated through his body. The gift had once been a blessing, but now it was a curse.

  He experienced no discomfort, while so many in the world suffered torment. Loss. Death—the Red Death. A plague that had decimated a third of the population in each major city it struck. Most of the Western world had fallen victim, while the governments in Asia struggled to keep the disease from crossing their borders. What they didn’t realize was the plague would continue to spread until those who had freed the Plague God to wreak this havoc were stopped. That burdensome task fell upon the Chosen—twelve human hosts of the spirit animals of the Chinese Zodiac.

  It wasn’t Li’s place to prevent this horror, but with his gift, he might have saved hundreds or thousands of lives. Just as he had during the numerous times the Plague God had been unleashed—the Bubonic Plague, the Black Death, and countless other pandemics. He recalled them all, had aided the victims of each. Except for the Red Death. He ought to be glad the gods had sent him Wen. He didn’t deserve to ever forget.

  “Whoa.” A clack of footsteps halted in the corridor behind him. Wen.

  He dropped his head. Yep, definitely sent to torment him. Although, her persistence bore more semblance to the Matchmaker than any god he knew.

  “Feel better? ’Cause punching stuff usually makes me feel better.”

  He twisted around. She observed him with those keen cat-like eyes, hands perched on her hips.

  “What do you want?” Perhaps if he were belligerent more and kissed her less, he’d find some peace.

  “Actually, the question is, what do you want?” She tilted her head, her dark, red-streaked hair falling to the side. He fisted his hand to stop the urge to run his fingers through those silken locks.

  “Oh come on.” She flashed him a bright smile. “You must wish for something, right? Another box? A talisman perhaps?” Her gaze meandered along his body, heating his flesh. “Aren’t you supposed to have a crutch?” She scrunched her nose. “Did someone take it?”

  “What? No.” He scowled. She played with him with far too much familiarity. “I desire nothing, and I won’t be needing your services.”

  She sauntered forward, swaying her hips in an enticing fashion. He swallowed hard as she neared and her scent, like peach nectar, taunted his nostrils. “Why don’t I believe you?” She flicked her hair over her shoulder and lowered her voice to a murmur. “I’m discreet. I promise, no matter what it is, my lips are sealed.” Her warm palms slid along the lapels of his jacket.

  Damn, why did he let her? Every time she touched him, it was as though she worked a spell on him, leaving him incapable of pulling back.

  Her offer seduced him. It shouldn’t have, but it did. As though it would be simple to reverse this. Sure, he could ask Wen to waltz into another immortal’s lair and steal a healing elixir, but their collections were as guarded as his.

  No soul, mortal or immortal, no being, earthly or supernatural, would make it out undetected. Or in one piece. Besides, it wouldn’t fix his problem. He refused to allow the spark of hope of Wen’s thiefly success blind him to the risk of sending her into danger.

  He’d vowed never to succumb to temptation again.

  Even if she danced in front of him with sparkling green eyes.

  He glanced down at those fucking succulent lips and his will disintegrated. “Would they be, though? Those pretty lips. Hmm?” He bent forward and nipped at her silken flesh. As he glided his tongue along the seam, she parted her mouth, flicking her tongue out to greet his.

  She sucked on his bottom lip and gave him a sharp bite. “Yes, they would.”

  Temptress. He resisted the reciprocal smile tugging at his mouth. “This is serious. You may have played thief in the Matchmaker’s sandbox, but you don’t know what the gods are capable of.”

  “Sandbox?” She laughed. “Is that what you think her training program is like, because believe me, it’s not child’s play.”

  “Is that why you failed?” He cocked a brow.

  She pursed her lips. “There were…circumstances.”

  “Like what?” he coaxed, but she didn’t answer him. “Oh, I see. You demand answers from me, yet you’re not willing to disclose your résumé?”

  “Okay, fine.” A puff escaped her lips. “I made a mistake. One I won’t make again.”

  “That’s all?”

  A shrug. “Yep. That’s it.”

  Yet, his gut told him it wasn’t. There was definitely more.

  “Let me prove myself to you, and the Matchmaker might give me another chance at becoming a Lotus.”

  “This is what you wish?”

  “With all my heart.” She tilted her chin up, conviction sparking in her eyes.

  “Why? How did she recruit you, bring you into this,” he swept his arm out, “world—the world of the Jade Emperor?”

  “My grandmother was Chinese. She raised me…and my brother.” Pain flashed in her eyes for a moment but she blinked it away. “Every night, she told us stories about the myths, but it wasn’t until the Matchmaker showed up on my doorstep that I believed them. Who knew you were real, eh?” She winked and gave his arm a playful shove.

  He caught her wrist and extended his fingers to stretch her palm to his. Her hand was small and fragile. Like the bubble of hope she carried. But she didn’t realize…no dreams blossomed in this place. “I doubt the Matchmaker will permit you this chance. In my experience, she doesn’t send servants here lightly.”

  The rosy hue drained from her cheeks. “What do you mean?”

  “You asked if I kept them here, like prisoners.” He dropped her hand and flexed his fist. “I don’t. They’re here because there’s nowhere else for them to be. They’re outcasts. Like you and me.”

  “Oh.” Vulnerability flickered in her eyes as though he’d peeled back the cloak of bravado she wore like armor.
<
br />   Outcasts. He almost wished to swallow back his words, but this was for the best. The quicker she accepted her fate, the sooner she’d let him be.

  “Well, they’re not as persistent as I am.” She leaned forward and her fingers drew a lazy line down his chest. Damn, she’d bounced back. “Tell me how I can convince you I can do this.”

  He seized her wrist and plucked off her hand. “No. That is my answer.”

  “No? Why not?”

  Best to cut off her hope. “What I have lost, no one can retrieve for me.”

  ***

  Wen watched Li walk away from her. Again. The man seemed to enjoy that. Playing hot and cold. Asking her to share, then clamming up when his turn came. Well, if he wouldn’t tell her what he desired, she’d have to discover it for herself. Lotus were more than thieves. Spies, mercenaries, seductresses. She would employ every trick in the Matchmaker’s handbook. Once she stole back whatever it was Li craved, the Matchmaker would have to deem her worthy.

  She refused to stay here and join his band of outcasts. It was great of him to open his home to these people, but she wasn’t one of them. Her destiny, her purpose, was to fight against the Red Death and the monsters who’d unleashed the Plague God. To claim revenge for Matthew’s death.

  Wen roamed down the corridor in the opposite direction Li had gone. His chamber would be a good place to start. She dug around inside her mind for everything her grandmother had told her about this immortal. He supposedly possessed two enchanted objects—his crutch and his gourd. Neither of which were in his collections room, therefore, they must be in his chamber. Right?

  If they weren’t there…they were missing.

  As she jogged up the staircase toward Li’s chamber, a flash of light caught her eye. Odd. Veering toward the glint, she padded in the direction of the balcony overlooking the garden. A metal disk zipped through the air, catching the sunlight. She leaned over the railing, peering down into the garden.

  A huge, black beast leapt out from behind the bushes and caught the disk in its mouth. The creature was as dark as midnight, with a long, curled tail and pointed ears like a wolf’s. The dog-like animal bounded to Li’s side. He scrubbed its ears and wrestled the creature to the ground, rolling around with the canine. His deep chuckling echoed from below.

  Huh. Apparently he wasn’t sour and surly with everyone in his household. This glimpse was the first hint he possessed a lighter side. What would it feel like, to be the one to make him laugh? She shouldn’t care—she wasn’t staying long enough to find out—but his laughter caused a smile to play on her lips regardless. Watching him here like this made her that much more curious about the rigid, solemn shell he exposed to the world, and what really lay beneath it.

  They rolled over, Li onto his back, and he lifted his head in her direction.

  She shot backward, pressing against a column to hide from his view. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins. He hadn’t caught her spying, had he?

  “Care to join us, Wen?”

  Crap. That was definitely smugness coating his tone.

  Straightening her shoulders, she marched to the balustrade, planted her hands on the cool stone, and leapt over the side. She landed in a crouch beside Li’s sandal-clad feet and rose, notching her chin. Just as she was about to wipe the smirk off his face with a sassy retort, the dog creature barreled into her, knocking her onto her ass.

  Its long, slick tongue slathered her face in doggy drool. “Woo, hey. Nice puppy.” She shielded her face from its spa treatment and laughed as its fur tickled her skin.

  “All right, that’s enough, boy.” Li chuckled and hauled the furry canine off her. “Wen, meet Tiangou.”

  “A pleasure.”

  Li offered his hand, and as she grasped his firm, warm hand in hers, a tingling sparked along her skin. He lifted her to her feet as though she were a flower. Plucking her gently, careful not to break her. A long time had passed since anyone cared whether she got broken. Her older brother Matthew had been the only one who’d watched out for her. Without him, she was alone.

  Yet with Li, she didn’t feel isolated. Maybe because he was alone too.

  He released her hand and she clasped hers together, wishing he’d held on a second longer. “Just so you know, I wasn’t spying on you and your,” she twirled her fingers through the air, “ah, dog.”

  “Tiangou isn’t my dog. He is a resident here.” At the snap of his fingers, Tiangou heeled to his side, sat, and thumped its long tail on the ground.

  “Hmm.” She twisted to assess the enormous dog. The beast’s head matched the height of Li’s shoulders. “What did he do to land in this place?”

  Li ran his hands through Tiangou’s fur, along his back. “He has a penchant for trying to eat the sun whenever there’s an eclipse and it’s garnered him a few enemies in Heaven. He’s safer here.”

  Safe. Li murmured the word, his deep accent comforting like a rolling ocean wave. Her nails dug into her palms. He might be rough around the edges, his belligerent reputation questionable, but this man was a protector. A white knight providing shelter for those who had nowhere else to turn. He embodied everything she sought to become as a Lotus. They had more in common than she’d allowed herself to see.

  Warmth brushed her fingers. She glanced to the side. Li’s hand closed around hers, sending tiny flares firing through her veins.

  He cleared his throat. “Would you like to meet the rest of the residents?”

  “Would I ever.” She flashed him a smile and linked her fingers through his.

  Li led her on a tour of the estate, introducing her to the dozens of beings exiled on his island. Mythological beasts, fierce warriors, magical beings. All outcasts, displaced from the other realms. He ruled over them with strict discipline, but she didn’t blame him. After all, these entities hadn’t earned their positions here for doing good deeds. He gave greater freedoms to those who exhibited good behavior. Kept a tighter rein on those who didn’t.

  Most of his all-male staff were friendly, but a few did gape at her…which made sense, considering she was the sole female on this island. The question was…why? Aside from his obvious resistance to being charming, why didn’t Li have female servants? He could seduce any woman he desired…if he deigned to put in the effort. She sighed and followed Li back to her chamber. Another mystery to add to the shroud surrounding her new boss.

  “Well, this is the end of our tour.” Li leaned against her door, his intense stare pegged on her.

  “Thanks.” Her chest tightened. After spending the afternoon together, she’d forgotten she was a prisoner here. That she ought to be calculating how to earn her freedom. “I guess I should get back to dusting.”

  He nodded and pushed off her door. “Yes, and I have other business to attend to.” Li paused at her side, stroked his hand through her hair, and bent forward to inhale, his lips against her cheek. She braced for his kiss, but instead he straightened, dropped his hand, and strode down the corridor.

  Damn. She blinked and searched for her focus. Find what Li desires. Earn your Lotus status.

  The only room he didn’t show her on their tour was his own. She’d learned a lot about him, but not what object she could steal to prove herself to him and the Matchmaker.

  Arriving at his door, she twisted the knob and it clicked open. Nice. After sneaking inside, she slid the door shut behind her. The room was like him. Dark. Mysterious. Neatly controlled.

  On the far right wall, vast assortments of leather-bound books were tidily arranged on shelves adorning either side of a large fireplace. Two cozy armchairs faced each other, but she didn’t get the impression Li did much entertaining. She’d wondered how he spent his free time, and this was the answer. The man read. A lot.

  She wandered to the bookcases, scanning the titles for anything that might be of use. Unlike his collections chamber, no glass cases were on display in this room. If he kept his talismans here, they were hidden from view.

  Or again, missing.

/>   Wen meandered to his bed. The large four poster bed appeared so inviting. Just like Li’s arms. She trailed her fingertips down one post and leaned her cheek on the wood. Shoulders hunching, she sighed.

  Click.

  She jolted, a bead of sweat trickling down her spine as the doorknob twisted. She could not get caught snooping.

  Where to hide? She scanned the chamber. The barren room contained little furniture. Nothing to hide behind. Okay, then. No hiding.

  Wen smoothed one hand down her skirt and ran the other through her hair. The door creaked open and in walked a short, lanky Chinese man. One she hadn’t met on the tour. His eyes widened as he took in her presence and his lips parted as though to speak, but no sounds escaped.

  She flashed him a smile. He continued to gape. Well, this was awkward. Unless the man was a mute? At least then, he couldn’t report her snooping to his Master.

  “Uh, sorry m-miss,” he stuttered, holding up the duster and mop in his hands.

  Darn. There went the hope of his silence. He tilted his head at her provocative pose against the bedpost. Right. She straightened and removed her hand, patting the wood. “I was just finishing up myself.” She plucked the feather duster from the long pocket of her skirt and attempted to fluff it.

  “Uh-huh.” He nodded, but kept staring.

  “Is there a problem, Chen?” A deep voice questioned from the doorway. Crap. Li.

  Wen pasted on her best innocent smile. Li shouldered past the servant, but halted as he spotted her.

  “Hi.” She twirled the feather duster in the air.

  “Hello, Wen. Are you lost?” He took a step toward her.

  “Nope.”

  “Is there an emergency?” Another step.

  She forced the smile. “No.”

  “Then I guess I don’t need to inquire why you’re in my chamber?” His cool tone hinted of displeasure, but oh, his eyes. They darkened as though begging her to counter his conclusion—spying again. “Chen, leave us.” Without glancing back, he waved the servant off and closed the distance between them. His intense gaze assessed her, searing a path like a heated caress, until he paused on the feather duster. “Cleaning?”