Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire

by Kerrelyn Sparks

  That was the way it needed to stay. He had to work alone. A partner would slow him down. Make him feel responsible. Make him . . . feel. Feelings would make him weak. And weakness would make him fail.

  “Tenzen!” Rajiv called over one of his uncles. “Will you take Jia to her room?”

  The princess’s eyes blazed with anger, and she aimed a molten-gold glare at Russell. “See what you’ve done? I’ll be a prisoner!”

  Tenzen took hold of her arm, and she shook him off. “I know the way.” With a lift of her chin, she started across the courtyard.

  Her dignified exit was somewhat marred by the squishing sound of her wet boot, but even so, Russell was impressed by her refusal to appear defeated. Was she really a prisoner? He winced at the sight of her uncle and two guards following close behind her.

  “Jia, thank God you’re back!” J.L. Wang grinned at her as he approached. “Are you all right?”

  Russell’s eyes narrowed. J.L. was the vampire she’d called her friend, using his full name, Jin Long. As a former special agent for the FBI, J.L. had fit right into MacKay Security and Investigation. Officially, he was head of security for the West Coast Coven, headquartered in his hometown of San Francisco. But recently, he spent most of his time in China, where his knowledge of Chinese was helping the good Vamps in their fight against Master Han.

  Jia lifted a hand in greeting, then marched right past J.L. without a word. As J.L.’s smile faded, a pang of satisfaction reverberated in Russell’s chest.

  J.L. jogged over to Rajiv and Russell. “What happened?”

  “Russell found her and brought her back,” Rajiv replied.

  “Thank you.” J.L. gave Russell a quick smile. “We were worried about her.”

  Russell’s hands curled into fists. “Then why weren’t you with her? You call yourself her friend but leave her alone to face danger?”

  J.L. stiffened. “What’s gotten into you?”

  “She wasn’t alone,” Rajiv explained. “At least not at first. My brother’s wife has recently given birth to twins. Jia offered to be our emissary to deliver gifts and assist with the care of the babies. She set off a week ago with a small caravan. Five guards. Just across the border in Thailand, she managed to sneak away in the middle of the night. The guards searched for her but couldn’t find her. So they rushed on to my brother’s village, and he called tonight with the news that she was missing.”

  “We were about to search for her,” J.L. added. “Where did you find her?”

  Russell shifted his weight. He wasn’t sure if these guys knew about Jia’s plan to assassinate Master Han. Even though he should warn them, he found himself strangely reluctant to tattle on her. “I’m not sure. Someplace in northern Myanmar.”

  J.L.’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Master Han has a camp there.”

  Russell shrugged. “He has camps all over.”

  “Was Han there?” Rajiv demanded. “Was she trying to kill him?”

  So they knew. Russell sighed. “Yes, she tried and came damned close to succeeding.”

  J.L. sucked in a hissing breath.

  Rajiv grimaced. “I strictly forbade her to go anywhere near Han or his camps.”

  J.L. shook his head. “She’s too impetuous. She’ll get herself killed.”

  A surge of anger shot through Russell. “At least she’s doing something! She had the courage to go after him, which is more than I can say for the two of you!”

  Rajiv’s eyes flashed with anger. “If you know where Han is, tell me and I’ll gladly kill him. I promised Jia I would avenge her family. And since you found her, you must have been near Han, too. Why didn’t you kill him?”

  Russell’s jaw shifted as he ground his teeth.

  “Do you think we’re doing nothing here?” J.L. glared at him. “In the last two months, we’ve attacked six of Han’s camps and taken his supersoldiers. They’re in the clinic now, being changed back to normal.”

  “We’ve whittled Han’s army down to three hundred and twenty,” Rajiv added.

  Russell scoffed. “Instead of saving soldiers, we need to kill Han. Once the head is dead, the body will wither away.”

  “Then the next time you see Han, call us,” J.L. growled. “We’re on the same side, dammit.”

  Russell stepped back to teleport away. “Later.”

  “Wait!” J.L. held up a hand. “We need to know more. Is Han still in Myanmar?”

  “He left.” Russell scowled. “There’s no telling where he is now. And he had the dragon boy with him.”

  “Xiao Fang?” Rajiv asked. “Is he all right?”

  “He appeared to be.”

  “Let me get you a sat phone,” J.L. said. “The next time you see Han—”

  “I have a phone.”

  “But the charge—”

  “It’s fine.” Russell visualized his underground lair, ready to teleport there. Our secret hideout, the princess had called it. Was it true what she had said? “Is she really a prisoner?”

  Rajiv glanced in the direction of the houses next to the courtyard. Jia had disappeared down one of the narrow alleys. “She’s exaggerating. She’s free to go about Tiger Town as she wishes.”

  Tiger Town was small. Russell tamped down on the anger that still sizzled inside him. How dare they keep down a fighting spirit like hers?

  “If she still wants to visit the were-tigers in Thailand, I’ll teleport her there,” J.L. offered.

  Russell snorted. Did the fools think she wanted to babysit? She was probably sharpening her knives right now and planning her escape. She had one thing on her mind—killing Han.

  And he needed to beat her to it. Russell teleported away.

  Jia slid the bolt across her door. The last thing she needed now was someone barging in while she checked on her hidden stash of weapons. She dashed across the dark room and opened the shutters to the back window. It had been overcast in Myanmar, but here in the Yunnan province of China, the sky was clear. Countless stars and a quarter-moon shone through the window. With her excellent night vision, there was enough light for her to see.

  As the granddaughter of the late Grand Tiger, she’d lived in Tiger Town since the age of eight, moving there after the deaths of her parents and brother. She’d been trained in all the intricacies of courtly life and its elaborate ceremonies, but here in the privacy of her room, she’d always maintained a Spartan existence. As long as her family cried out for vengeance, she couldn’t afford to grow soft.

  Her room took up half of a building situated on the bluff overlooking the beach and Mekong River. Down by the river, she could see lights in the windows of houses and stores built up on stilts. Most of the villagers of Tiger Town lived along the river and worked as fishermen or merchants. Up here on the bluff, the royal residences and guesthouses sat next to the courtyard and palace.

  Her sensitive hearing caught the sound of a boot scraping along the stone alleyway outside her door. The guards were still there. Dammit. How dare that vampire bring her back to Tiger Town? She’d clearly told him anywhere but here.

  She darted over to her wooden chest and dug beneath the embroidery supplies to find her hidden stash of knives. Still there, thank God. Apparently Rajiv hadn’t ordered her room to be searched when he’d learned she was missing.

  After pulling out the leather parcel, she untied the strings to unroll it on the floor. Ten perfectly balanced knives lay in a row, their handles nestled into narrow pockets, their blades gleaming in the moonlight. She retrieved a knife from each of her boots and a third one that was lashed to her calf underneath her trousers. She lifted her baggy pants higher to uncover the short, emergency dagger strapped to her thigh.

  With a snort, she added the four knives to her collection. The vampire had made a mistake not searching her for more weapons, although the thought of his hands roaming up her legs made her pause. Such strong hands. She only had to close her eyes to remember his rock-hard chest against her back, the scrape of his whiskers along her cheek, and
the bold way he had stared into her eyes. What an intense, exciting . . .

  “Bastard.” It didn’t matter how strong or handsome he was. He’d betrayed her. And then he’d turned away from her like he didn’t care. The cold, heartless worm. He was definitely not one of the good Vamps.

  She hurried over to the delicate folding screen that partitioned off the section of the room she used for her bedroom. A gift from her grandfather, the screen was comprised of squares that each showed a different landscape painting. She folded it to the side to make the back wall visible. A length of white silk was rolled up like a shade near the ceiling. She untied the cord, and with a whoosh, the silk unfurled down the wall. The outline of a man had been painted in black on the white silk. She planted a few books along the hem to keep the silk banner stretched taut against the wooden wall.

  After a quick run back to her stash of knives, she grabbed one and twisted toward the silk banner, letting the knife fly. Thunk. A direct hit to the man’s heart.

  “Try to stop me again, vampire, and this one will be for you.” She hurled another knife, and it lodged in the man’s head.

  She winced. Not his handsome face. With a groan, she turned away from the silk banner. His name was Russell. The best tracker in the world. Don’t think about him. But what if he was searching for Han right now? What if he found Han and killed him, stealing the vengeance she’d promised her family? How could she live with herself if she failed the mission she’d spent thirteen years preparing for?

  Dammit, he needed to let her work with him. It didn’t matter if he was a cold, heartless worm of a vampire, not when he represented her best chance at actually completing her mission. And surviving it.

  She shuddered as the memory of tonight’s fiasco flooded her mind. Not only had she failed to kill Han but she’d also panicked when the soldiers had come after her. Never had she experienced so many men intent on killing her. And how could she blame them? She’d killed two of them.

  Her knees buckled, and she collapsed on the floor next to the trunk. For more than half of her life she’d dreamed of avenging her family. In her mind she’d always envisioned it as a lofty, noble quest and imagined herself a noble warrior.

  But because of her, two men had died. They had families.

  Tears stung her eyes. I had family, too! She reached into the trunk for the red silk bag that held her most prized possession. Carefully she removed the two ornate, cufflike bracelets made of hammered gold and decorated with inlaid jade. Her father had given them to her mother as a wedding present. They were all she had left of her parents.

  Taking a deep breath, she clasped the bracelets onto her wrists. “I will avenge you, I promise.” She would kill Han. Even if he had a hundred soldiers guarding him, she would plow right through them. Nothing would stop her.

  Not even Russell.

  A knock sounded at her door, and she leaped to her feet.

  “Jia!” Rajiv called out. “Can we talk a moment?”

  “Just a second!” She grabbed the knives and jammed them into the chest, hurriedly throwing a half-finished embroidery project on top, then closing the lid. She ran to the screen and stretched it out across the room to cover up the silk banner she’d used for target practice.

  She unbolted the door and cracked it. “Yes?”

  Rajiv pushed the door open and entered. “We didn’t get a chance to talk earlier. And I thought you might be hungry.”

  She was starving. For the last few days her rations had been a pouch of dried beef, nuts, and berries. Her mouth watered as she watched a maidservant enter, carrying a tray of rice, soup, and fresh steamed buns. Another servant brought a tray containing a teapot and two small porcelain cups.

  The servants set the trays on a low table, then bowed.

  “Thank you,” Rajiv told the women. “Could you light the candles, please? And bring the gifts that came today.”

  “Yes, Your Eminence,” the women murmured and left.

  “Gifts?” Jia asked.

  “I’ll explain later.” Rajiv looked her over. “Are you all right? Did any harm come to you?”

  “I’m fine.”

  He frowned at her. “Do I have to tell you how much you frightened us? And how angry I am that you disobeyed—” He halted when one of the servants returned with a lantern and long narrow stick.

  Jia was grateful her cousin wasn’t going to reprimand her in front of a servant, but even so, it irked her that she should be in trouble at all. If a male were-tiger had taken off like she had to accomplish a dangerous mission, he would have been commended for his bravery.

  “Let’s have some tea.” She sat cross-legged on one side of the low table and poured tea into the two small cups. She held one out to her cousin. “Please enjoy.”

  Rajiv sat and took a sip, remaining silent as the servant went about the room, using the long stick to light all four candles. “Thank you.” He nodded at the servant as she bowed and left.

  The guards outside closed the door.

  “How long will I have guards?” Jia asked.

  “That’s up to you.” Rajiv gave her an annoyed look. “How long will you persist in this foolish notion that you can single-handedly avenge your family?”

  Jia dug her spoon into the bowl of rice. “My parents and brother deserve to be avenged.”

  “I’m not arguing that.” Rajiv refilled his cup with tea. “They’re my family, too. And I understand how you feel. Lord Qing killed my parents—”

  “And you got your vengeance. I helped you, remember?” Jia stuffed some rice into her mouth. “If you don’t want me doing this on my own, then help me!”

  Rajiv sighed. “I promised Grandfather I would keep you safe.”

  “I have nine lives. I’m prepared to lose a few to see justice done.”

  “Are you?” Rajiv gave her a wry look. “Just because we can come back from eight deaths, it doesn’t make each of those deaths less painful. I know this from experience.”

  Jia winced. No doubt Rajiv was telling the truth. He was on his second life after dying from a fatal cobra bite as a teenager. She recalled the panic she’d felt earlier when the soldiers had chased after her. The possibility of multiple stab and gunshot wounds had terrified her.

  She pulled a steamed bun apart and handed half of it to her cousin. “I’m sorry I made you worry.”

  Rajiv nodded and took a bite out of the bun. “You’re wearing your mother’s bracelets. I always liked those.”

  “They help to keep me motivated.”

  He groaned. “How can I convince you to give this up? I promised you I would avenge your family. Tenzen and Rinzen have also promised. Your father was their brother.”

  “Then what are we waiting for?” She stuffed her half of the bun into her mouth. “Let’s go!”

  “When we go, you will not be with us. I will not risk your life.”

  She swallowed hard. “That should be my choice. I’m fully prepared for this, Rajiv. I have trained for years. Lend me a few soldiers so I can get on with it.”

  He sighed. “I’ve explained this before. Han has thirty camps, and he teleports from one to another. He can change location in a second. Meanwhile, it would take you a week to move to the next one, with no guarantee that he would be there—”

  “I found him tonight.”

  “A lucky break. He just happened to be at the camp you found.” Rajiv gave her a curious look. “How did you find his camp?”

  “Before we left for your brother’s village in Thailand, you showed me the way on the giant map in your office. And you have all of Han’s campsites marked. When I saw how close I would be to his camp in Myanmar, I knew I had to try it. Once I was close, I caught his vampire scent, and it led me straight to his camp.”

  Rajiv shook his head. “I hate to think what could have happened to you if Russell hadn’t been there.”

  Jia made a sour face. “I don’t need his help.”

  “We do need his help. He can find Han faster than any of u
s.”

  Jia shrugged and ate some soup. Her sense of smell was excellent. She’d find Han by herself.

  Rajiv watched her, frowning. “How am I going to keep you out of trouble?”

  A knock sounded at the door, then a maidservant slipped inside. “I brought the gifts, Your Eminence.”

  “Set them down by Lady Jia, please.” Rajiv motioned to the floor.

  Jia smoothed her hand over the two bolts of beautifully embroidered silk, one red and one gold. “Who sent these?” She fingered the ornately carved wooden box that sat on top of the bolts of fabric. When she lifted the lid and peered inside, she gasped at the sight of an antique gold and jade hair ornament. It was worth a small fortune. “Why was this sent here?”

  The maidservant smiled. “They are lovely betrothal gifts, don’t you think?”

  “Wh-what?”

  “Your betrothed must be very wealthy,” she added.

  “My what?” Jia slammed the box shut.

  “You may leave us now,” Rajiv told the maidservant. As she hurried out the door, he gave Jia a sheepish look. “I can explain—”

  “Is this how you plan to keep me out of trouble?” Jia demanded, her voice rising. “Am I a problem you can solve by marrying me off?”

  Rajiv winced. “I would never make you do anything you didn’t want to—”

  “Oh, that’s big of you!” She jumped to her feet. “How dare you!”

  “Sit down and let me explain.” When she remained standing, he scowled at her. “Sit!”

  She sat with a huff, glaring at him.

  “I was as shocked as you are when the packages arrived,” Rajiv began. “I had no idea Grandfather had arranged your betrothal. He died so suddenly, he never had a chance to tell me—”

  “He never told me!” Jia clenched her hands into fists. “Why would he do this and not tell me?”

  “He may have thought you were too young at the time.” Rajiv sighed. “I looked through the correspondence this afternoon, and apparently, Grandfather made the arrangements eleven years ago.”

  “I was only ten!”