by Jade Lee
Nathan nodded. “I told you my mother led the temple.”
“Yes, but…But…She’s so young!”
The Tigress Mother smiled, the gentle pull of her lips bowing her mouth in a most feminine display. “How old do you think I am, little cub?” she asked in English. Her voice was velvety smooth, her accent almost negligible.
Tracy swallowed, scrambling to upgrade her estimate. “Um, forty?” But that would mean she’d had Nathan when she was eleven.
“I turned fifty-eight this year.”
Tracy swallowed her knee-jerk “bull hockey,” response. Instead, she simply shook her head. No plastic surgeon was that good. This simply could not be Nathan’s mother. Meanwhile, the Tigress Mother gestured about the room, her wave going first to Nathan’s aunt.
“Tigress Lily is fifty-four,” she said. Tracy gaped.
“Tigress Ting Bo is forty-eight,” she continued. Then one by one, other tigresses stepped forward, each announcing their ages with clear pride.
“Seventy-one.”
“Thirty-four.”
“Twenty-two.”
All appeared younger than their stated ages, some by a little, some by staggering amounts. But none could match the apparent youth or sensuality of the Tigress Mother.
“And you, Tigress Tracy,” she asked after a half dozen had spoken, “what is your calendar age?”
“Twenty-five,” she answered, her voice tiny.
“Ah, the same age as my daughter,” she said as the flour-dusted girl stepped in. The one who looked sixteen.
Cai Ting grimaced. “Mother, please. She has come all the way from the United States, and we haven’t even given her tea. Let her get her bearings.”
“Of course,” Mother Tigress said with a bow. Then she settled herself into the largest, most ornately carved black lacquer chair. A queen in her throne? It would be easy enough to think so, and yet as she sat there, she appeared not so much a queen as a courtesan—gorgeous, sensuous, her every breath an act of mysterious seduction. Then her eyes scanned the crowd. “Attend to your studies,” she said sweetly.
The room quickly emptied of all except for Tracy, Nathan and his mother.
“My brother is at work,” he said. “You’ll meet him tonight.”
Tracy nodded, completely fine with slowing the introductions. “Is there a room where I could freshen up?” she asked. “And where did my luggage go?”
“Nathan will take it to Dragon Stephen’s practice room,” the Tigress Mother answered. “There is a bathing chamber there.”
Tracy opened her mouth to object. She had no intention of practicing anything with anyone just yet. But before she could respond, another gorgeous woman entered the room. She was carrying a silver English tea tray, which she settled carefully—and of course beautifully—upon the low coffee table. In truth, she appeared nothing less, nothing more than anyone else Tracy had met so far—young, beautiful and with a sensuous quality about her that could not be denied.
The difference? She was white. A redhead to be exact, complete with freckles and emerald-green eyes. And as soon as she set the tea tray down, she looked up at Nathan and offered him a full, seductive smile. She said something in Chinese—a greeting no doubt—her voice a husky whisper that felt like claws down Tracy’s spine.
It wasn’t, of course, but Tracy felt her hatred rise even before Nathan’s gaze shuttered closed. Obviously this was the last woman he’d been with. The lover who was just like Tracy, except…Except Nathan did not look even warmly at that woman. He bowed politely to her, then turned to his mother. “I will see to the luggage.”
Tracy was so busy feeling a catty satisfaction at his coldness to the redhead that she missed his words until he exited the room. He was leaving? Abandoning her to his mother and the Irish sea witch?
“Nathan?” She half rose out of her seat, but was stopped by a firm hand on her shoulder. It was the Tigress Mother, pressing her back into her seat. Damn, her hand was strong. Tracy could have fought it off, but politeness kept her from being rude to an elder—no matter how young the woman seemed. Meanwhile, Nathan paused long enough in the archway to send her a wan smile.
“I’ll be in the kitchen with my sister. It is not far.” Then he glanced at his mother. “And you should get to know the head of your order.”
“But…” she began, unsure what she was going to say.
“He is quite correct,” his mother interposed. Her voice was low, almost like a purr, but with a cutting edge to it that grated on Tracy’s nerves. “We must speak to one another as tigresses. No man, not even a tigress’s son, can interfere with that.”
Nathan took the hint. He was dismissed, and so he bowed to his mother and Tracy—completely ignoring the redhead—and then disappeared. Which left Tracy alone to brave the tigresses in their den, so to speak.
She started with the redhead, turning to inspect the woman with a benign smile. Beautiful, of course. Willowy, like everybody else. But there was an emptiness in the woman’s eyes that made Tracy pity her, not hate her. The thought was startling enough that she lost whatever mild greeting she was going to voice. Then the moment was gone as the woman pushed to her feet, bowed reverently to the Tigress Mother and left, as well. Perhaps to run panting after Nathan?
Which left Tracy alone with Nathan’s mother. Except turning to the woman, Tracy couldn’t think of her as a mother. She was a model, a queen and a tigress, all rolled into one. Tracy mustered a semblance of a smile just as the Tigress Mother released a soft, sensuous sigh.
“Please. The tea is designed to soothe one’s nerves after a long journey.”
Tracy nodded slowly, looking at the tea tray, and finally got the hint. Apparently, the Tigress Mother wanted her to serve. But tea service hadn’t been taught in her high school. She would probably do it all wrong. And wasn’t the hostess supposed to serve? Unless this was some weird Chinese custom. Either way, the Tigress Mother was waiting for Tracy to move.
She dutifully shifted to the coffee table. Of course, the only way to settle at the right height was to drop down onto her knees. She did, thankful that her joints didn’t pop as they sometimes did. Then she did her best to pour scalding liquid into tiny cups without splashing or spilling. She was just at the most delicate moment when the Tigress Mother spoke.
“Explain to me the sex you have had with my son, and its effect upon you.”
She didn’t spill. A minor miracle, that. As it was, she carefully set down the teapot to blink stupidly at Nathan’s mother.
“He has told me that you visited the Chamber of a Thousand Swinging Lanterns.”
Tracy swallowed and nodded.
“Describe it to me.”
Tracy opened her mouth, but no sound came out. In the end, she simply closed her eyes, shook her head and lied. “I cannot,” she whispered. “I can hardly remember it.”
The Tigress Mother narrowed her eyes, and her lips curled in disgust. Tracy had never actually seen a person’s lips do that, but curl they did and with utter disdain. “A tigress does not lie,” she said. “Not to herself and certainly not to me. Do you wish to be beautiful? Do you wish to look like me when you are sixty?”
“Of course,” Tracy answered.
“You have much to learn.” She pursed her mouth in a sweet pout. “Stephen can do the initial testing. I fear my son’s mind has not been on his studies.” She leaned forward, taking one of the teacups with an elegant sweep of her hand. “But he has a knack for finding white tigresses. Sandy was his discovery.”
The redhead, Tracy guessed.
The woman’s gaze abruptly sharpened. “You wish to return to heaven?”
Tracy looked down at her cup. She didn’t want to admit it, but yes, she did. Very much so.
“You will begin with Stephen. He knows how to coax a tigress to dance better than any dragon alive.”
Tracy lifted her head. “But I don’t wish to study with him. I like my current partner.”
The Tigress Mother released a
throaty purr of laughter. “You are young, little cub. In this you will be guided by me. My son is not staying.” She pushed to her feet. “He needs to study, and I believe your dragon arrives.”
The electric ZAP car did not make an engine noise, but the crunch of wheels on brick was unmistakable and surprisingly loud in this busy place. Tracy’s gaze leaped to the window, but she couldn’t see anything through the wood lattice. Then she looked back to the Tigress Mother, only to realize that the woman had left.
Chapter 17
STEPHEN CHU WAS NOT handsome. He was too masculine to be labeled anything that soft. He was also dressed in Armani and carried a dozen roses for Tracy. The bouquet of orchids went to the Tigress Mother, passed off reverently as the woman padded away down the hallway.
Then it was Tracy alone again, this time with a ruggedly sculpted Chinese aristocrat, if such things existed in modern China. He stepped forward, offering her the roses. She took them slowly, her smile uncertain. His smile was equally hesitant, but oh so much more charming.
“Miss Williams,” he murmured with a slight bow. “I am so pleased to finally meet you.” His words sent a low thrill down her spine. He knew just how to modulate his voice to the perfect mixture of friendliness and sexuality.
Tracy blinked, unsure how to react. In truth, the man was perfect. The roses were perfect. The entire rustic setting was perfect for a romantic first meeting. But she didn’t want to be attracted to him.
“I had hoped you would come to my home first. I would have let you rest, freshen up, get settled before meeting the Tigress Mother. She can be a bit overwhelming, can’t she?” His expression invited her to confide in him. When she didn’t say anything, he continued with smooth charm. “But no matter. The worst is over now. Everything will get better and beyond better soon enough.”
“Uh, yeah,” she said. “About that…” Her voice trailed away as he waited patiently for her to finish. But she didn’t know what to say. “I…uh…”
“You are confused and overwhelmed. Yesterday you were in Illinois where all made sense. And today…” He stepped forward and gently touched her cheek. It was a familiar gesture, but one she didn’t step away from. And where their skin touched, a tingling began that heated her face. “Today is the beginning of something very different. I understand, Tigress Tracy. I will wait until you are ready. I am just so pleased that you are finally here at the temple.”
She blinked, her words—her thoughts—abruptly blank. He was that suave. And while she stood there looking at him, a student entered the hallway. The woman glanced coyly at Stephen, her manner obviously flirtatious, and Tracy was abruptly surprised by a surge of anger. Stephen was here for her!
Tracy blinked. Except she wasn’t interested in Stephen.
She glanced back at the handsome man, seeing wealth and sophistication in his every breath. Better yet, he barely even noticed the other woman. His focus remained completely on her, and she smiled with feminine satisfaction. No, not feminine—feline. Feline satisfaction so strong she almost purred. So this was how the tigresses got their name. What she felt at this moment was very primal, very animalistic, and yes, very, very catty.
Tracy lifted the roses in her arms and all but shoved them at the other girl. “Can you put these in water please?” she asked, not giving the woman a choice. Then she turned back to Stephen. “Perhaps it would have been better to rest before meeting the Tigress Mother. She is a bit more than I expected.”
He grinned. “My first meeting with her was horrible. I spilled the tea all over my pants and she had me stand around in my underwear while they were cleaned.”
Tracy felt her eyebrows rise. “How old were you?”
He shrugged. “Fifteen. She was my, um, birthday present from my father.”
It took a moment for her to understand exactly what kind of present he meant. “Must have been some kind of birthday,” she drawled.
Stephen’s mouth curved into a slow, seductive smile. “Oooooooh, yeah.”
Tracy was equal parts intrigued and shocked. Who gave a tigress to a teenage boy? But before she could speak, he focused all his very potent attention back on her.
“Do you want to clean up before dinner? My chef has prepared the most perfect American meal for you, but there will be Chinese delicacies, as well. Anything your heart desires—”
“Whoa!” Tracy said, holding up her hand. “Your chef?”
He looked charmingly befuddled. “Of course. A new tigress is something to celebrate,” he murmured.
Tracy looked at him, trying to sort through her conflicting thoughts. There was little air in the narrow hallway, so she could smell the man’s cologne clearly. It was dark, carnal, and…and perhaps it wasn’t cologne after all. It was his own scent—as strongly masculine as the Tigress Mother’s femininity. And damn if Tracy didn’t feel a moistening deep in her core. She didn’t want to be interested in this man. She didn’t want to be charmed by his good looks, his obvious money, and most of all, the way he set her at ease. But she was charmed. She was also curious. Did he kiss like Nathan? Were all dragons this magnetic?
She lifted her gaze to his and without conscious decision, she licked her lips in enticement. His eyes widened and his nostrils flared. Tracy had a split second to be shocked by her own behavior before Stephen closed the distance between their mouths.
He kissed her. He pressed his mouth to hers, teasing her with his lips, stroking her with his tongue, and yes, he did those same little nips that Nathan did. But Stephen had his own style—more possessive, more demanding. He took what he wanted from her lips, silently daring her to match his fervor taste for taste.
She didn’t refuse. She wanted to. Her thoughts were on Nathan, and yet her body was running the show. She returned the kiss, her inner tigress roaring to life as she abruptly shoved her hands in his hair and held him close. They were fused—mouth-to-mouth—fighting, eating, consuming one another without thought as to where they were or what they were doing. It was an act of the body devoid of mind, and yet it was so powerfully primal that she didn’t stop.
His hands were on her shirt, and if it had been a blouse, she was sure it would have been on the floor. But she was wearing a collared T-shirt, the one with her brother’s high-school name embroidered on the front, and it would not come off without being stripped over her head. Which meant they had to stop kissing. Which meant…
She broke away, jerking her shirt from his hands. Tracy stumbled backward, her breath coming in gasps. Gawd, they were in the hallway! And she had been a breath away from mating on the floor with him!
He swallowed and drew a shaky hand across his mouth. “My God,” he whispered. “You are incredible!”
She shook her head, not even knowing what she meant by it.
“It’s true then,” he continued. “You are a virgin. You must be. No one has—”
“Stop it! Just stop it!” she gasped.
Stephen swallowed and slowly straightened. He smoothed out his tie, readjusted his pants. She could see the bulge there despite the perfect tailoring. He was shaken, his movements betraying an anxiety she guessed he rarely showed. But in his eyes she saw an insatiable hunger—dark and predatory. It scared the hell out of her. Not because he so obviously wanted her, but because she felt an answering cry inside her. The lust had nothing to do with her mind, but everything to do with power calling to power—male energy reaching for female—and she hated it.
“I don’t even know you,” she panted.
“Tigress training is not about knowing one another,” he answered, his voice slowly readjusting from a husky rasp back to smoother, more cultured tones. “It is about power mixing, mating and—”
“Heaven. Yeah, I know. I’ve been there.”
“And you can go back,” he coaxed, stepping up before her again. Thankfully, he didn’t touch her. “With me, we can both go back to heaven many times. This I know.” He took a deep breath. “The hardest part will be keeping your virginity intact. That must be
the reason you are so strong.”
“No.” She forced the words out quickly before she changed her mind. “I’m not an animal. No offense, but it’s not what I want. It’s strong, really strong, but I’m not a beast to be controlled by lust.” She looked up at him and saw him staring at her in dumbfounded shock. Then he closed his mouth, bowing his head slightly in acknowledgment.
“I forgot you are new to this. Such power…” He shook his head. “You are quite right. We must first get to know each other. Talk. You can attend some classes. Then we will speak again.”
She was tempted. Lord, how she was tempted. But primal power without emotion? Without a mind guiding it? “No,” she repeated. “I…I’m not doing any of this.”
He nodded, his eyes canted down. “As you wish,” he said. His tone and body posture said he was bowing to her wishes, but Tracy knew it was a lie. He was waiting, stalking, biding his time until the right moment to strike. And God help her, her belly tightened at the thought. Stalked by a rich, handsome man? How awesome was that?
“I…I think I’m going to the kitchen now. I think I need something to eat.”
He nodded again. “An excellent idea. And I shall find Nathan. He and I have some business to discuss.”
Tracy felt her breath trap in her chest. “Business?”
“Nothing important. I’m sure you have enough to handle right now without trying to sort through the complex financial matters of the temple.”
In other words, she shouldn’t worry her pretty head about it. Of course, he was right. She had no business poking her nose into their finances. Still, she stayed in the hallway, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot as she tried to make sense of her thoroughly alien environment. “Nathan never mentioned anything about you and the business side of the temple.”
Stephen shrugged. “I support the temple in a variety of ways. Up until now, my financial support has been relatively modest.”