He took a long drink and set it down. A droplet of blood clung to his bottom lip, stirring her lust. She leaned forward and licked the blood away, eliciting a groan of pleasure from her lover. Her eyelids fluttered as she leaned back to savor the coppery taste.
“Don’t worry, Wei Yen,” she heard Zao say, “I’ll take care of it for you.”
She nodded, her anger appeased for the moment. Revenge seemed within her grasp. “Good. When it comes time to kill the bitch, I’ll do it myself.”
Chapter Six
When the Green Dragon intermixes with the White Tigress, immortality is achieved.
‑‑ Madame Lin from The White Tigress Manual
A little girl was screaming. Tenzin saw her from where he looked through the window. She writhed and kicked, struggling like a fish on a line against the two women who tried to hold her down. One woman held the girl’s upper body while the second held her legs together and was trying to pull off her little slippers.
The girl shrieked and pulled back only to be gripped in place. The second woman yanked off her slippers. A flash of a knife, and the girl screamed as her foot was sliced.
Tenzin lunged, tried to pull the girl away, but the people were like shadows slipping through his hands.
A woman shrieked. Tenzin’s gaze yanked to the girl’s foot. The flesh sealed up as they watched, becoming whole, uncut. Both women screamed again, and all arms released the girl. She fell to the floor and scrambled to her feet. The women didn’t try to catch her when she darted out of the room.
Her cries followed her down the corridor as she slipped into darkness…
Tenzin opened his eyes and sat bolt upright. His chest heaved as if he’d been the one crying and screaming. His thigh muscles were tight and the soles of his feet burned as if he’d been running.
The images and sounds from his dream spiraled through his mind. His gaze darted this way and that, as if he could spot the little girl in the room’s interior. Recollection of the previous evening came back to him: The gaming parlor, beautiful Lily, his new teacher who’d brought him to her chambers and pleasured him. He remembered Lily leading him into the tiny guest room and leaving even though he’d ached to ask her to stay with him.
The dream faded to the background of his consciousness, and as his breathing calmed, he became aware of the soft bedding under his back, the bare walls, and carved screen window that let in fresh summer air, daylight and the sounds of birds in the cherry blossoms of the courtyard.
A light sheen of sweat covered his face and chest, and his armpits felt damp. The memory of the little girl continued to haunt him. Her screams seemed to echo in the still chamber as she struggled to escape the adults who tried to bind her feet. In his recent travels, he’d heard of this custom performed on girls born to wealthy families, of the agony they endured to ensure a good marriage. His heart ached for Lily, for what she’d gone through, for her struggle to free herself. The intensity of her distress made every muscle of Tenzin’s body clench.
Yet, her flesh had healed instantly, the hallmark of an immortal. He sighed. Her flesh had healed, but her soul, no doubt, had been scarred.
The only thing he could do was sit and meditate, hoping to diminish the disturbing images before him.
Before he could assume the correct position, a light knock sounded on his door. He threw the covers over his bare groin. “Hello?” His heartbeat rose in anticipation of seeing Lily.
The door opened, and the young woman who’d brought his tea the night before stood there, a tray in her hands and his clothing folded over her arm. She smiled and bowed her head.
He felt a flash of disappointment that it wasn’t Lily. and his cheeks heated at being caught undressed.
The girl shuffled in on her bound feet, set the tray on the small table and straightened, avoiding direct eye contact. She was smaller than Lily, but emitted the same sense of delicate strength. The pink silk blouse she wore contrasted enticingly with her pale skin and waist-length hair.
“Mistress Lily is with the others,” she said in a quiet voice. “They do their exercises each morning.” She paused, her gaze toward the floor. “She…wanted me to give you your clothing and…this.” With a graceful wave of her hand, she indicated a small scroll on the tray, next to the teapot and bowls of food. Then she set his vest and pants over the back of the chair.
“Mistress Lily said you need to discharge more excess yang before she sends for you today.” The woman looked back up at him. Her dark eyes shone, and her skin glowed. She was the picture of vibrant health. “I am to help you, if you wish.” She bowed her head again in practiced modesty.
Tenzin’s heart skidded a bit. “Help…help…me?”
She nodded, still averting his gaze. Apparently, modesty was supposed to be alluring. “Yes. I will bring forth the dragon’s cloud with my touch, if you so desire.”
Sudden heat curled through his groin and sweat broke out in his armpits. He pulled the bedclothes closer over his growing erection. This girl was beautiful and radiated warmth and passion, but he wished again that Lily had been standing there. If she had been, he would have already pulled aside the covers and asked for her next instruction.
“You’re not obliged to accept,” the girl said. “The practice can be done in solitude.”
Relief prickled through his skin. He let out a breath and bowed. “Thank you.”
A shy smile curved her full, dusky lips, though a look akin to disappointment flashed through her dark eyes. She did not, to his distinct relief, appear offended. “You may call on me if you need anything.” She bowed her head again and then retreated before he could say anything else.
When she’d gone, he threw back the cover, dashed over, grabbed the scroll, and recovered himself, as if Fei Liu might return any second. Waiting an extra moment, he carefully unrolled the parchment, catching his breath at the unexpected contents. Drawings showed a man, naked, his penis large and hard, the shaft resting in his hand. The successive drawings showed the stages of self-pleasure, all the way to the release of his seed. In spite of his own excessive experiences, Tenzin felt color flush his cheeks.
The man in the erotic sketches sat, reclined on a bed, legs bent, the soles of his feet pressed together. His eyes were closed, and arrows demonstrated that he took a deep breath with each stroke of his hand.
After one last check at his window to assure he was alone, Tenzin pulled back the covers and assumed the position indicated in the scroll. He closed his eyes and pictured Lily.
Immediately, he felt himself harden.
His breathing deepened as he pictured her violet eyes, her smooth pale skin, and firm breasts. He remembered the way her glossy ebony hair had sifted across her back and brushed his bare thighs, the willowy curve of her waistline when he’d spanned it with his hands, and the tiger tattoo covering her pale skin and bare sex. He relived the way her mouth had felt on his dragon, the way she’d massaged the hard shaft with her lips, swirled her tongue over the head and sucked the droplets that seeped from him. Dragon’s tears, she’d called them. She’d known just how hard or soft to suckle ‑‑ even bite ‑‑ him. Her giving nature had come through in the passionate yet measured way she’d pleasured him, as if she’d been holding back on her own fulfillment in order to maximize his.
Energy flowed freely through his body now; sexual need tingled and pulsed in his dragon and made his yang pearls tighten and swirl with fullness. His breathing became shallow and more rapid.
His hand felt warm and smooth against his fully hard shaft. He remembered the way Lily had knelt before him like a high priestess before a shrine and taken his likpa into her delicate hand. She had touched him with such care and tenderness with both her hands and mouth, as if his phallus were the most precious object. It was this sweet pleasure that inspired him to deepen the strokes against himself now.
The first slide of his palm along his cock made his breath hitch. He paused, telling himself to breathe deeply, in rhythm with his hand. Perhap
s…to direct…the yang flow, but his mind refused to focus.
With his other hand, he cupped his yang sac and squeezed it gently in small circles the way the scroll had instructed.
The thought of Lily’s mouth around his male stem filled his mind. He stroked. Breathed. Stroked again. Squeezed.
In his vision, Lily’s head had bobbed up and down as she swallowed him deeply in her mouth and slid back up again.
Tingling energy intensified in his cock, swirled rapidly in his balls. So many times he’d done this, alone, where no one could hear him or see him. But now, something was different…more real…alive and vivid. He thought of Lily and felt a connection to her. It was as if she were there in the room with him, her energy mingling with his.
He stroked harder. Breathed harder. Squeezed a bit harder. Pleasure shimmered all around the shaft of his cock and in his balls. Wherever his palms touched, sparks of pleasure showered him.
Several short, hard bursts of energy pulsated in his shaft. He sucked in his breath and stiffened. His eyes squeezed shut, and the warm moisture of his seed shot out, coating his hands. Energy continued to pulsate, tingle, and flow, draining bit by bit. He tilted his head back and groaned softly with the release of pressure. Slowly, he became aware again of the room, the birds in the courtyard trees, the breeze rustling the leaves, the sound of soft footfalls…another knock on his door…
His eyes flew open.
“Tenzin ‑‑” Lily’s voice sounded through the door. “ ‑‑ don’t move. I must check you.”
His heart gave a small flipping sensation. He’d wanted to see Lily so much, and now her sudden presence made him anxious.
“Yes,” he called out softly. His chest heaved, the soles of his feet remained pressed together, and he rested in the same position, breathless, his hand still circling his now relieved cock. “Come in.”
Lily wiped her palm against her silk trouser leg, amazed at how damp her skin felt. For some unaccountable reason, she was nervous. There was no reason she should be. How many countless times had she examined a Dragon’s ejaculate for his yang quality?
Was her pulse quickening because deep in her abdomen she felt a growing need to reach that place of exultation she’d reached last night? She swallowed, already feeling weak in the knees at the mere thought of the pulsating Tenzin inspired in her yin pearl. Her hand trembled as she pushed open his door.
Pull yourself together, Lily. It would not do to behave like an adolescent girl just discovering men. Or, at least, what she imagined the discovery of sexual titillation felt like for a pubescent female. Her own initiation had been gruesome, horrible, at a vampire’s hands and fangs. Xu Yu…a monster in human guise. Only an immortal’s slaying knife had ended his filthy reign over her body and soul.
Perhaps her nervousness was due more to that fact that Tenzin had appeared in her dreams last night. She’d fallen right to sleep after she’d left him, more relaxed than she’d felt in a long time despite her imbalance of yin. Her sleep had been a deep, dreamless one, until just before waking. He’d watched her, a little girl, writhing and struggling in her mother’s and auntie’s grips. They’d tried to slice open her feet, induce the infection that would soften the bones, make them pliable so her feet could be bound. Tenzin’s eyes had radiated compassion. He’d reached out, tried to stop the women, but couldn’t touch her…
Lily blinked away the memory of his compassionate face in her dream. She dragged in a deep breath and walked in.
Tenzin was there, naked, on his cot. Sweat glistened on his golden muscles. His chest rose and fell heavily, and small puddles of his thick yang cloud shone on his stomach and chest. His dragon, half hard, lay against one thick, muscular thigh.
A shudder of desire cascaded through her body. With practiced control, however, she crossed the small room and bent over him. He remained in the position shown on the scroll she’d sent, knees bent, the soles of his feet pressed together. The scent of his dragon’s cloud filled the room, roused her hunger for him.
“I did what you instructed, Lily,” he said softly.
She nodded. “I see.” She reached out, gathered some of his seed off his stomach and tested it between her fingertips. The substance was definitely thinner than the evening before. She looked again at his face. His eyes were clearer this morning, less charged with hunger, and he breathed with greater stillness. His yang was definitely more balanced, and he was ready to harvest some of her yin.
She reached for the cloth she’d included on the tray, wet it in a nearby wash basin, and knelt in front him. With gentle strokes, she wiped him clean. Fei Liu must have serviced him well, but she’d failed to clean Tenzin’s seed from his body. A tickle of jealousy nagged her. “Where is Fei Liu? Did she not help you discharge your yang?”
“I was grateful for her willingness to assist me,” Tenzin said softly, “but I declined.” He looked straight into Lily’s eyes, his expression even. “I’m sorry if I offended your hospitality. To be honest…” He paused and cleared his throat. “…I want to practice only with you.”
Her fingers tightened on the cloth, bracing her against the sudden reaction of her yin. It softened, intensifying her already strong response to his male beauty.
He blinked and bowed his head. Color bloomed in his smooth cheeks. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re the teacher. I’m the student. I’ve no right to ‑‑”
“No…it’s all right.” The words were out before she realized what she’d said. She heard her own even tone, an almost flat sound that completely concealed the flush of ridiculous pleasure his request gave her. She blinked again and swallowed. Nervousness made her throat feel thick.
She hadn’t realized until that moment how for granted she’d taken it that Tenzin would let Fei Liu service him. It had never occurred to her for even a moment that he would refuse such a beautiful Tigress as Fei Liu. She appeared to be a young woman of eighteen or nineteen, but her devotion to the Tigress practices had restored her youth, belying her thirty-six years.
She glanced away from Tenzin and distracted herself with cleaning his skin Truthfully, she wanted nothing more than to have him discharge her yin. She hadn’t intended to let him touch her this morning, yet his request for her exclusive touch made her feel…sweet. No man had ever made such a request of Lily before. The Green Dragons who let her Tigresses harvest their yang didn’t seem particular about which woman suckled them or touched them. “You’ve done nothing wrong. If you wish only to practice with me, that is fine.”
Tenzin sat up and leaned in toward her. Those fathomless eyes of his gazed out at her with warmth. “Thank you, Lily.”
She stared back at him a moment longer, trembling. Her jade gate had already begun to open, to expose the delicate yin pearl that no man had touched for so long. Dare she trust him with her most vulnerable part? For a brief second, it occurred to her that maybe she should have him work with Fei Liu. But she dismissed the thought almost immediately, surprised with the rapid surge of possessiveness she felt.
“It’s time to continue our practices,” she murmured before she could change her mind. Tenzin had passed a test that she hadn’t even intended to give him. She rose and set aside the cloth. Turning to face the bed again, she began to undo the top frog closure of her blouse.
She watched Tenzin’s Adam’s apple move up and down as she proceeded to the next closure. Slowly she continued down the front of her blouse until it lay open. She felt more confident now, sure of her powers. Slipping her fingers between the crack, she pushed the opening wider so that the cloth half-covered her bound breasts. She licked her lips at the sensation growing between her legs.
Tenzin’s eyes were fastened on her fingers.
“Would you like to see more?” she asked him in a husky whisper.
Slowly, he nodded, his Adam’s apple once again bobbing.
Lily gave him a teasing smile and let the blouse fall open. She didn’t usually make such a show of undressing, but she couldn’t help wanting to
prolong the appreciative, wide-eyed awe reflected in his eyes as he watched. Just as slowly, teasingly, she unhooked her trousers and let them fall. She stepped out of them and toed off her slippers.
Warmth flushed her cheeks. With a slow, languid movement, she unwrapped the binding cloth around her breasts until they sprang free. She dropped the cloth aside, moved her hands to her breasts and palmed them, then proceeded downward, smoothing her palms over her ribcage and belly and over her hips, her eyes all the while on Tenzin’s reaction. To her great pleasure, sweat beaded on his brow, and his mouth hung open. She suppressed a chuckle, not wanting to sound crude. He didn’t know the teasing wasn’t part of the practice, but something she did because he was such an appreciative audience.
She perched on the bed and slid closer. “You’re going to need to know the language of our practice,” she said.
“Teach me,” he said, his voice barely a whisper.
“I will.” Wanting to prolong the admiration a bit longer, she proceeded to take the pins from her hair, then shoved her fingers into the thick bundle and loosened it from its confinement. She shook her head and felt her locks tumble around her shoulders. She arched her head back, allowing her mane to caress her back and tickle her buttocks, knowing all the while what an enticing picture she presented.
With a final shake of her hair, she drew in a deep breath, her breasts jutting forward with the intake of air. “As you already know, the female is the yin half of our human life force, and the male is yang.”
She bent one knee on the bed and sank down beside Tenzin’s body. “This is your dragon.” So saying, she reached out and brushed her fingertips along his semi-flaccid shaft. In response, his member twitched, and his stomach drew in with a sharp intake of breath.
Ace in the Hole Page 7