“Lily Tan!”
Lily sat bolt upright.
“Lily Tan, show yourself!”
Wei Yen.
Lily closed her grip tighter on the handle of her slayer’s knife and rose slowly to her feet. She retreated from Fei Liu’s bed chamber and followed the sound of Wei Yen’s voice to the courtyard.
“There you are, you murderous bitch.”
Lily looked up, to a nearby rooftop. The lantern she’d lit earlier glowed, reflecting the form of Wei Yen, dressed all in black like a stealth fighter, against the sky.
Wei Yen’s eyes glowed with her lust for Lily’s neck. “I’m certain Zao took great pleasure in killing your precious Tigress.”
Lily stared at Wei Yen and gritted her teeth. She refused to give Wei Yen the satisfaction. “Your Zao is a pile of dust now,” she said softly and indicated the small heap of remains in the center of the courtyard.
Wei Yen didn’t answer immediately, but her unspoken rage filled the air. “You always were a murderous bitch. You deserved every moment of torture you ever received.”
Lily braced herself against the vampire’s barbs. “I didn’t kill your lover. He ran into the sunlight. Perhaps his guilt for what he’d done to an innocent girl.”
“Liar!” The glow of bloodlust in Wei Yen’s eyes intensified. “I see it in your greedy, filthy eyes. You killed him, like you killed my father.”
Lily tightened her grip on her slaying knife, the only defense she really had against Wei Yen. “I would never have killed Xu Yu, but he raped me every night and drank my blood until I was near death. You would have done the same in my position.”
“He was my father, you fucking bitch!” Wei Yen crouched down as if she would jump down into the courtyard.
Cold fear prickled through Lily’s body but then she remembered…she hadn’t yet invited Wei Yen into her home. For a fleeting second, she wished more than anything that Tenzin were here to step between her and Wei Yen. No doubt he would have.
Lily saw Wei Yen’s gaze fall on the knife in her hand. The vampiress let out a shrieking guffaw that spiraled out into the silent night air. No doubt, the sound was a ploy to frighten her, to humiliate and intimidate her and wear down her resolve to defend herself.
Wei Yen’s eyes sparkled with a malevolent light. “Where’s the Tibetan? I might consider leaving you and the rest of yours alone for a trade.”
“I sent him away. You’ll never get your filthy hands on him.” What she’d said was true. She’d never let Wei Yen near him.
For a moment, Wei Yen’s eyes widened, then she cackled again. “Ha! Lying bitch! I’m certain he left on his own. You’d never be enough to satisfy any man. My father felt that way about you.”
Pain shot through Lily’s heart. She nearly staggered at the cruel tone in Wei Yen’s voice. Her hand tightened around her knife.
“Your precious man meat couldn’t have protected you from me anyway.” Wei Yen shook a fist at her. “I was going to go ahead and torture you, kill everyone you love, and leave you alone. But I’d rather just kill you myself.”
Lily’s heart lurched. She held her breath and stared at the murderous expression in the vampire’s eyes. She would have to invite Wei Yen to fight her, otherwise the vampire would terrorize her and kill everyone she loved. There would be nowhere to hide. Nowhere on this earth.
For a brief moment, Lily almost succumbed to the prospect of death. The temptation to die was nearly overwhelming. In mere moments, Wei Yen could overpower Lily, drain her of her life’s blood, and then plunge the knife into one of Lily’s vital organs, so deep that she would definitely die. Even immortals could be killed if stabbed in just the right spot. Centuries of suffering punctuated only by a moment of pleasure and affection here and there had been Lily’s lot for nearly two hundred years. She’d loved Fei Liu and that little bit of sweetness, too, had been ripped from her. Any mortal she dared to bring into her heart she would also have to watch die.
Except for Tenzin. And even he could be killed somehow.
Lily slid one slippered foot forward. The movement was tiny, a mere fraction of an inch. All she had to do was let her slayer’s knife fall from her hand, say a few words to provoke Wei Yen ‑‑ Lily knew exactly the words that would send Wei Yen sailing down from the roof to kill her ‑‑ and offer herself to death.
Something held her back. Or…someone. Her heart sped up. There was one being on this whole earth who would be heartbroken if she died.
Tenzin.
Lily couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t let any more of the people she loved be in danger of Wei Yen’s wrath.
In that moment, Lily realized she had something to live for. Something important.
She took a deep breath. Inwardly she prepared herself to fight. She took one step toward her opponent and sank into an on-guard stance.
Locking gazes with Wei Yen, Lily raised the hand with the knife. “All right, Wei Yen. Go ahead and try.”
Wei Yen’s eyes went wide. She shrieked, glided off the rooftop, and charged. Lily dipped back, avoided Wei Yen’s impact, and whirled around. A foot in Wei Yen’s back sent the vampiress careening into the far wall.
Wei Yen shrieked again and bounced back. She landed on her feet, straightened, then whirled around and charged again.
Lily jumped high and flipped, causing Wei Yen to sail past her. She landed, spun around, and lunged at Wei Yen with the knife. But the vampiress was too fast. She kicked Lily’s wrist so hard her hand flew open, and the knife sailed across the room, clattering to the stones.
Wei Yen bared her fangs and hissed. Her eyes glowed with bloodlust. She barely gave Lily a moment to regroup before she lunged.
The vampiress chopped. Lily blocked and punched. Wei Yen twisted away and kicked, her advances blocked and returned at each pass. One good kick sent Wei Yen crashing against the stone wall of the courtyard.
Wei Yen bounced off the crumbling stones and caught her footing. She shook herself, causing debris to slide off her black outfit. In the next moment, she raised her bloodthirsty glare to Lily. “Just for the challenge, I’ll let you get your knife, bitch,” she ground out.
Before Lily could answer, Wei Yen cackled and glided up onto the roof.
Lily waited in an on-guard stance until it seemed Wei Yen would truly let her go for her knife. With a running start, she did several flips across the courtyard, snatched up her knife then straightened, pushing back her loosened hair as she searched the rooftops. Sweat poured down her skin, and she panted, every muscle tensed and ready, rotating in the center of the courtyard in search of Wei Yen.
A whoosh sounded behind her. Lily whirled just in time to avoid a deadly attack. Wei Yen grunted and sailed at her. One sharp kick to her hand caused the knife to clatter again to the stones. When Wei Yen glided back out of reach, Lily took a running jump. She sailed through the air, defying gravity, and delivered a battery of kicks, the famous, deadly No Shadow Kick that Master Wong had taught Lily.
Wei Yen flew, helpless under the assault, toward the sleeping quarters.
The vampiress landed on her feet, but Lily lunged and battered her in the opposite direction with another No Shadow Kick. Wei Yen staggered back, almost crashing into the doorways of the main hall. Lily used that split second to lunge for her knife; but Wei Yen was behind her and grabbed her ankle.
Lily crashed to the ground. She cried out in pain as something sharp pierced the skin of her calf. Whatever it was tore right through her trousers. Lily looked over her shoulder and saw Wei Yen bent over her leg, fangs sunk into her skin.
Ahhh, the agony! Pain shuttered through her calf around the vampiress’s fangs. Lily tried to shake Wei Yen off of her, but Wei Yen only bit her more deeply. Planting her hands on the ground, Lily used all her strength to inch forward. Pain sliced through her leg as she dragged herself and Wei Yen inches across the floor.
Wei Yen raked sharp nails across the back of Lily’s thigh and then on her back. Lily grunted again and reached for her knife. Anothe
r…inch…and…
Her hand closed around the handle. She pulled in a quick, deep breath and gathered her strength. She took one second to mark the spot with her gaze then, in one swift motion, sat up, raised the knife, and plunged it into Wei Yen’s back, right where her heart was…
“Ahhhh!” Wei Yen’s shriek cut the night. Its echoes spiraled off the rooftops.
Wei Yen released Lily’s leg, and Lily rose up, pushed the knife in deeper and held it down. Wei Yen struggled, pulled her body away, yanking the knife handle from Lily’s grasp. Lily went to lunge again, but the knife was deeply in. Smoke curled up from where the knife sat in the vampiress’s back.
Lily watched, unable to tear her gaze away. In her mind’s eye, she saw Xu Yu, grunting and screaming, flailing at his back, smoke curling from around the blade as he grew weaker and fell into a heap.
Wei Yen’s death cries rang through the air. On her knees, she slumped over, staring at Lily with a nearly lifeless gaze. The glow of bloodlust had been extinguished, and her shoulders sagged. Without another sound, Wei Yen collapsed to the courtyard stones and lay completely still, Lily’s knife protruding from her back.
Lily panted and stared. Her leg and back throbbed with pain. Blood poured from the bite wounds in her calf. Her clothing was shredded, and every muscle in her body screamed from the tension of combat.
She drew herself up into a kneeling position and sat, gasping for breath. Pain shot through her, and she fell over, her palms scraping on the stones. Wei Yen’s body lay close by, emitting the odor of burnt rust.
Lily clenched her teeth against another wave of pain. She’d intended to pull her knife out but couldn’t even lift her hand from the stone on which it rested.
Wei Yen’s…bite. Lily had thought her system completely healed. Apparently not. Her weakened body couldn’t withstand the poison of the vampiress’s anger. Lily’s mind fogged, but her body felt every lick of poison as it curled through her limbs, invaded her blood and internal organs. Her skin burned like a brand wherever Wei Yen had clawed or bitten her.
Lily’s vision blurred, her hands on the stones became pale clouds. The blackness of night crowded in on her, pressing, and a sensation like the iron grip of hands on her throat cut off her air. Wei Yen was choking her? No. The vampiress lay dead. Lily clutched at her throat. No one choked her. She coughed, a spate of wracking convulsions that left her drained.
Must…get…up. She needed to get to her herbs before the poison choked the life out of her internal organs. If the toxins invaded the same part of her that could kill her if it were stabbed…
She pulled in a hard breath and focused, yanked every ounce of strength she had into her leg, to haul herself up. She managed to slide her foot out and plant it, sole down on the cobbles. Push, strain, fight ‑‑
A slice of pain threw her down. She landed on her stomach on the stones.
“Lily!”
The voice was familiar ‑‑ male ‑‑ pushing at the noxious fog enveloping her consciousness. Gentle hands slid underneath her and turned her onto her back. She blinked. The night sky above, dotted with stars…a face…hovering…
Tenzin?
“Lily, you’ve been poisoned. I must draw out the toxins.”
She blinked. Her throat felt thick, as if someone had stuffed a rock into her gullet. A hand pushed her hair back, away from her neck.
“I’m going to feed on you,” he said. Two emerald suns shone out from his face where his eyes should have been. “This is the only way, Lily. Forgive me.”
He bent over her. The heat and darkness of his body covered her. She felt a sting on her neck and then pleasure…sheer pleasure.
The foggy darkness in her brain lightened from black to gray to milky white. A rhythmic tug on the side of her neck sent sparks of bliss cascading through her, as if an orgasm were erupting in every inch of her skin. Each pull of the sweet suction sent another wave of bliss, and she felt as if an invisible hole had opened somewhere inside her through which the poison and pain were draining away.
Her body was floating, inching upward, and Kwan Yin’s golden face smiled down at her.
“Tenzin,” Kwan Yin whispered. “Tenzin.”
Lily smiled back at the goddess of compassion who continued to chant Tenzin’s name in a caressing whisper.
Suddenly, the hot, delicious suction on her neck lifted. She almost cried out from the desolation the cool air on her skin left in its wake. She felt his warm tongue lick the same spot and then hands underneath her. Strong arms lifted her from the stones, and she was floating…no, being carried.
The spicy scent of a man…Tenzin…wafted around her languid body. She felt cleansed and sweetly sleepy as the rhythmic footsteps brought her out of the night air. The aroma of incense enveloped her, and she recognized the herbal scents of her bedchamber.
He lowered her down, and the softness of her bedding met her back. “Rest now, Lily,” she heard him say. The covers came up over her, and she felt his energy around her, beside her. He was holding her hand between both of his.
Don’t leave, Tenzin. She wanted to say the words but couldn’t speak. The bliss she felt made speech impossible.
“I won’t leave you, Lily. I’m here.” He was leaning over, his face hovering within her range of vision. A faint smile curved his lips, and he reached out, smoothing a gentle hand over her brow.
Lily blinked, staring up at him. Had he heard her thought? Perhaps. He could also have sensed what she was feeling because they’d been in Heaven together. Surely their communion in front of Kwan Yin herself had bound their souls together.
She sighed and let her eyelids flutter closed. Tenzin’s caress on her brow was relaxing her, like a potent infusion of sleeping herbs…
Tenzin’s heart thudded as he watched Lily fall asleep. His beautiful Tigress. He brushed the pad of his thumb back and forth across her cheekbone. In spite of her illness, her skin was still soft and firm to his touch. He’d missed touching her so, even though it had only a few days since they’d made love.
He forced himself to lift his hand away. Let her rest now. Once the sedative effect of the feeding wore off, she would be stiff and sore from the aftereffects of the vampire’s poison. Not to mention the emotional effects she’d feel. No doubt, centuries of hatred had built up in the vengeful vampiress and had poisoned Lily through her bites and scratches. He remembered his own depression after his sire had brought him across. In spite of how pleasurable the feeding had been, the vampire’s turbulent emotions, lusts, hatreds and loves… all had entered Tenzin, and it had taken him a long time to process them all.
A cold prickle of forewarning skittered through his veins. What would Lily have to say when she woke up and realized he’d fed on her? Even though he’d done it to save her life, she was a strong-minded woman who associated vampire feeding with nightmarish pain and violation. He’d slipped up when he’d spoken to her after hearing the mind link they now shared. He’d just been so grateful and joyous that she’d not wanted him to leave. He’d have to be careful and ease into telling her of this new bond they shared. It was one thing to have their souls joined, as had happened in Heaven. But the physical links of their minds? How would she feel about that?
He sighed. Well, if that was the case, he’d handle it. Whether Lily wanted it or not, she was his soul mate. It was just better for both of them if she wanted it.
Her delicate hand still lay between both of his. It was barely midnight, but he didn’t dare leave her to go and tell Fen Chow and the women in Plum House that the danger had passed. At least, he believed it had passed. He’d told them to wait until sunrise before venturing to return to the compound.
Which was yet another thing Lily might be furious about. She expected her Tigresses to be in Foshan by now. She’d been too exhausted and ill to realize he was with her, because they hadn’t gotten on a train. When she woke up, her mind would probably be more alert.
Oh, well, he’d handle that too.
* * * * *<
br />
“Tenzin.”
Tenzin blinked. He raised his head from its resting place on his arms at the foot of the bed. Damn, he hadn’t meant to fall asleep.
Lily’s eyes were open.
He sat bolt upright and rose up on his knees.
Their gazes met.
“Tenzin.” Her voice was nearly a whisper. Her raven hair was spread across her pillow, and her pale smooth skin was chalky. She looked nearly drained of life, but a faint smile touched her soft lips.
She blinked again.
A soft rustling carried from the doorway. Tenzin turned and saw Jade. Jade’s eyes were locked hopefully onto Lily.
“She’s awake,” Tenzin said.
Jade’s bruised face broke into a huge smile and her eyes immediately misted. She rushed over and knelt down. “Mistress Lily.”
Lily’s gaze shifted, and she blinked again. “Jade.” Her eyes darted in Tenzin’s direction and back to Jade. “You…are supposed to be in Foshan.”
Jade picked up Lily’s hand. “Forgive me, Mistress Lily.” She held Lily’s hand up to her cheek, and Tenzin admired Jade’s courage. “I begged Tenzin to let us stay nearby. I couldn’t bear to leave you alone. Please, I beg you, don’t be angry with him. He kept his promise. He made sure we were safe in Plum House. He stayed with us the whole time until he went to check on you. We were disobedient, all of us. We would have defied him no matter what.”
Lily sighed. The expression on her drawn features was unreadable.
“Now,” Jade said, letting Lily’s hand down gently onto the bed, “you must have a bath and then healing.”
Tenzin’s heart thumped. “Should I leave?”
To his surprise, Jade turned to him. “You’re her Jade Dragon, aren’t you?”
He shook his head. “No, but I would wish to be.”
Jade bowed her head. “I’m sorry, though I’m certain that the yang of your presence would stimulate Mistress Lily’s healing centers.” She looked hopefully down at Lily. “Wouldn’t it, Mistress Lily?”
Lily closed her eyes. Had Jade meant to corner her this way? All night Lily had dreamed of Tenzin’s fangs in her neck, sipping her blood. Indeed, this was what Tenzin had done when he found her collapsed in the courtyard. She’d been fed on too many times not to realize what was happening to her, even though she’d been nearly unconscious.
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