by Kali Willows
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Double Dragon’s Blood
Copyright © 2015 by Kali Willows
ISBN: 978-1-61333-797-4
Cover art by Kali Willows
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC
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www.decadentpublishing.com
Double Dragon’s Blood
By
Kali Willows
Includes:
Dragon’s Bond
Double Dragon Seduction
Dragon Temptation
Dragon’s Breath
Double Dragon’s Blood Series Preamble:
A brief introduction to elemental influences in Chinese culture is vital to demonstrate the intended origins of the Double Dragon’s Blood lineage and each character’s personality traits in the series. Especially in light of them all being parahuman entities, all born in “Year of the Dragon.”
Do you ever wonder how you’ve come to be who you are? May believe it goes beyond the simple genetics that result in blue eyes, or brown, skin tone, height and medical predispositions. Most can easily trace back that unique red hair, or long dark lashes to a biological family member who has passed down the chromosomal gift of esthetics.
What about your persevering nature, easy going attitude, or perhaps your fierce determination? The majority of people can identify these attributes to learned behavior through parenting, sibling and other familiar persuasions in our lives.
Nature vs. nurture is the great debate, especially here in western society. In some cultures, however, they attribute some virtues or traits to exterior stimuli, such as certain deities they worship, astrological forces, or elemental influences that they believe gives rise to the more dominant or distinctive mannerisms of people.
I have always had a profound interest and admiration for Chinese culture. The beauty of their beliefs of the five elements and how they impact all aspects of our beings is supported through centuries of literature and teachings. This is not a cultural lesson per se, but rather references to how these characters came to life on the pages of these books.
In every story I write, I research and implement aspects that appear relevant to the storyline and character development. This series, even more specifically so, was driven by cultural beliefs that I value dearly.
I hope you enjoy each of these stories, even half as much as I loved writing them.
Dragon’s Bond
A 1 Night Stand Story
By
Kali Willows
~DEDICATION~
To Constance & Caroline; for every great story, there has to be a great beginning with incredible friends. Here’s to our continued adventures. Much love,
Kali
Chapter One
October 24, 1952
Madame Evangeline,
Only once, have I tasted the sweetness of divine passion, and it cost me my soul and my brother’s life. That night will haunt me forever. Since devastation struck, by the fate and shame my selfish desire brought upon my family, I have rejected the love I pine for.
It is with a heavy heart I confess, my will wanes, but I can never have her again. My ache for my beloved grows with each day that passes. Although this request will never diminish my desire for her, it is my hope, to at least alleviate the torment of my lust that lingers, so that I may move forward and release my sins of the past.
I left China for my job to begin a new life here in San Francisco. Perhaps, if I indulge in the arms of another woman for a single night, I can at last move on. After great consideration of a close friend’s suggestion, I seek your help, to be matched for a 1Night Stand. My only request is for a woman with jade green eyes. It is the one trait of her eternal beauty I wish I could admire a final time.
Kindest Regards,
Shen Li
“You said you know Madame Eve?”
“I said, she helped me out once.” Gershom winked one ice blue eye. “I think you’re doing the right thing, Shen. It’s time to move forward with your life.” The grizzled man hobbled along, leaning heavily on his cane, as they made their way down the sidewalk. “Yes, I’ve thought a lot about it.” Shen patted the pocket of his single-breasted jacket that shielded the letter he had procrastinated mailing. “Excuse me for a moment please, Gershom.” Drops of heavy rain beaded down his hat and weighty overcoat as he approached the tall, red metal box.
Paused in front of the mailbox, he closed his eyes and gathered his courage. The distant rumble of thunder filled the air.
“Come on, come on. The builder is waiting for the blueprints,” his impatient colleague prompted.
“Yes, I will be right there.” He opened his eyes and dropped the rain-smudged letter into the mail slot. I can’t change it now. I hope Gershom knows what he’s talking about. Embrace your destiny, Shen.
***
“Okay, doll. I have the design proposal you submitted for the new hotel in Vegas. We have a meeting with the architect next week then we can apply for permits and finally deal with all that other red tape.” Priscilla flipped through her notebook as she spoke.
“Must we discuss business now?” Lien raised her brows in surprise at her friend’s comment.
“Sorry, old habits. You know?”
“Your habits I have become all too familiar with. You work too hard.”
“True.” Priscilla sighed and tucked her book and pencil into her handbag. “My friend and interior designer here has been putting up with my obsession of building my second hotel for too long now, Tiffany.” She winked at the hairdresser.
“Yes, ma’am.” The lady nodded as she combed through Lien’s wet hair.
“Lien, I hope this cockamamie plan is gonna work.”
“It has to, Priscilla. I can’t bear another night without him. At the very least, I must try to give him peace.” Clinging to the armrests of the salon chair, she flinched as the clippings of her locks fell down her shoulders.
“This is such a drastic change for you.”
“My first haircut ever, but it won’t be too short.”
“Your hair was down to your waist.”
“I just want to look glamorous, like the starlets in Hollywood.”
“It will be exquisite. Tiffany does divine work.” Priscilla smoothed her pin curls.
“I have such butterflies dancing in my belly.”
“Listen, honey, I don’t want to see you get your heart broken.” Her friend took a seat in the adjacent chair.
“It can’t hurt any more than it has already.” Tears stung her eyes.
“To be so forward like this, with a man….” Priscilla whispered, glancing over her shoulder at the row of women chatting under the hairdryers.
“I realize it’s not proper for a woman to pursue a man, but I compromised my virtue a long time ago.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Lien bit her bottom lip and glanced up at the hairdresser’s reflection.
The stylist smiled and stepped back. “Excuse me, Miss Long. I need to check on the permanent wave I’m doing in the back. I won’t be but a moment.” Tiffany patted her on the shoulder before scampering off.
“What haven’t you told me, Lien? I thought we were best friends.”
“It’s not a part of my life I’m proud of.”
“Young love? Is that when you and Shen…hmmm?” Priscilla crossed her arms.
“With him, it was love, but it was forbidden.”
“You mean, there was someone else before him?”
Lien shrugged and sank into her seat.
“You don’t have to worry. I won’t think less of you. I’m not uptight like those old biddies.” She motioned to the row of prestigious ladies in curlers.
“I know, but that isn’t why I’ve kept it to myself. It’s a very different culture in China.” Lien’s chest tightened. She straightened and sucked in a deep breath. “My parents were very poor and wanted a better life for me, and for them.”
“Yes?”
“They sold me to a man in my village with money and power.”
Priscilla gasped. “Sold? That’s just barbaric.”
“He already had two wives. I was to be his concubine.”
“He was married? Oh, my word.” Priscilla clapped her hand over her mouth.
“I realize it is not common knowledge in this country. But it is a way of life in China and offers the woman economic security.”
“She gives herself for money?”
“For a better life.” In fact, she’d welcomed the reprieve from poverty—never thought of any other way.
“Did you love him? How old were you?”
“He was a kind man, but much older than I. I did not love him as a wife would. I was just seventeen.”
“Oh, honey, I had no idea. So, how did Shen fit into all of this?”
“His family held a much higher social status than mine. One sunny morning, when I had gone to the market to shop, I bumped into these handsome twins. They were clumsy and bashful, tripping over their own feet as they made their way over to introduce themselves.” She picked at the sleeve of her salon smock, unsure how she felt at sharing these details with another for the first time. “Identical twins?”
“Yes, with the most remarkable green eyes.”
“Like yours?”
“Similar, but theirs held an innocence that caught my attention. Tenderness and humility.” Lien smoothed her fingers through her hair. “It was love at first sight.”
“You fell in love with both of them?” Priscilla’s brows knitted.
“No, just Shen.”
“How can you fall in love with one when they were identical?”
Lien glanced up at the intricate white ceiling tiles as the pleasurable memories flooded through her mind. “The amber flecks in his green eyes mesmerized me. His shoulder-length black hair, his broad shoulders, and squared jaw. Exactly like his brother, but somehow…I can’t explain it. He was the one I was drawn to.”
“So, you were all hot and bothered by him, but you were…otherwise engaged?”
“That is correct. I slipped away whenever I could and spent time with the brothers. We took long walks through the forest, talked about anything and everything. I was so afraid we’d be discovered, but I couldn’t keep away from them…from him.”
“Please tell me you are about to get to the juicy part. I’m dyin’ here, doll.” Priscilla rested her elbows on her thighs and her face in her palms.
“My feelings for Shen grew until, one evening, the urge to go to him was so strong, I waited until everyone in the house was asleep and snuck away to his home. I found him in his family’s garden, watching the moon.”
“Then what happened?”
Lien glanced at the hairdresser who lingered by the sinks, chatting with a shampoo girl. “We made plans to run away to America together. We made love. It was the most beautiful experience of my life. I knew then we were meant to be together.”
“Wow.” Priscilla settled back into her chair. “What’s so bad about that?”
“We were discovered.” And she’d been dragged back to her home, but those humiliating details would stay her own.
“How awful!”
“And his brother died.”
Priscilla’s cheeks paled. “Oh, my God, how?”
“He had been ill.” The memory sent icy tendrils over her skin. “After his brother’s death, word of our indiscretion got around the village. Shen’s parents forbade him to ever see me again.”
“Did your—I don’t know what to call him.”
“His name was Bolin.”
“Did Bolin find out about you and Shen?”
“In a small village, there is no such thing as a well-kept secret. When his first wife found out about my indiscretion, she planned to have me sold and shipped to the cotton mills. Bolin took mercy on me. He gave me money and sent me away. I eventually made my way to America where I used the funds to attend college to pursue my dreams of interior design.”
“Sounds like a gentle soul.”
“I will forever be grateful for his kindness and his clemency.”
“If anyone around here found out about tonight, or your past, the scandal would follow you everywhere.”
“I am told the 1Night Stand service is discreet, and I trust you to keep my secrets.”
“But still….” Priscilla continued with a hushed voice.
“My mind is made up. I need to do this. Nothing else worked.”
“If he hasn’t spoken to you in all this time, what makes you think this will be any different? Didn’t he refuse to see you?”
“He left for America shortly after Ling died. All my letters were returned, unopened. I went to his sister and explained, and she pled my case, but to no avail. In my heart, I feel this is the right thing. He will know, too, when we meet again.”
“Perhaps, because you are both in a new city, it will ease the burden.” Her friend arranged her thick tulle petticoat and pink polka-dot dress over her crossed legs.
“That is my hope. Gershom suggested this.”
“What did he tell you, anyway?”
“When we were going over the plans for the new hotel together, he told me to write a letter to Madame Evangeline, and to make sure I told her I came here from China and that my eyes are jade, and she would know what to do.”
“How do you know he is your match for the night?”
“Gershom said to trust him.”
“And, so…you do? Just like that?”
“I can’t explain it, but, yes, I do. He was so sincere and wanted to help. Even though we have worked together for two months, he respected my wish and still hasn’t told Shen I’m here.”
“You, my dear, are either the bravest or craziest friend I’ve ever had.”
“The jury is still out on that.” She laughed.
Tiffany hesitated, several feet away. “Are you ready for me, Miss Long?”
“Of course, thank you.” She nodded, and the hairdresser returned to trimming her hair.
“I’ve always wanted a bouffant hairdo.” She shrugged her shoulders, eager to change the topic.
“He may not even recognize you.” Priscilla grinned. “As soon as we’re done, we have to meet Betty, the dressmaker. She needs one more fitting for tonight.”
“Another one? I thought my dress for the date was already finished.”
Priscilla reached into her handbag, plucked out a lighter and cigarette, and lit it with a deep inhale. “She wants to be sure it fits just right.”
***
Standing in the lobby of Priscilla’s hotel, Lien twirled in her outfit and waited for her friend’s opinion.
“You are gorgeous.” Priscilla brushed a tear from her cheek.
“Thank you for all your help. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”
“My pleasure, I ju
st wanna see you happy, doll.” Priscilla patted her arm and glanced down at her wristwatch.
“Excuse me, Ms. Black?” An older gentleman in a burgundy uniform approached.
“Yes, Alfred, what is it?” Priscilla spun around and faced the concierge.
“There is an urgent call for you, a Mr. Gershom Stone.”
Priscilla bit her lower lip. “Yes, yes, I will be right there.” She shooed the man away with a frantic wave of her hand.
“Gershom?” Lien stared at her. “Why would he call you?”
“Uh….” She choked on a deep inhale of her cigarette. “He put in a bid for the job on building the next hotel.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, just went down the wrong tube.” She rubbed her chest and extinguished her smoke in the ashtray on the desk behind her.
“How did he know about it? We haven’t sent out the notice yet.”
Priscilla said, “Um, I sent him a letter to invite him to submit a tender. He is the most renowned architect in the city. You said so yourself.”
“I did?”
“You will be late if we keep chattin’. Is that what you want?” She huffed.
“Late?” Lien glanced to the grandfather clock in the corner of the lobby. Quarter to six already?
“Your taxi is outside the door. It is already paid for.”
“Did you get it?”
“Oh, yes, here.” Priscilla collected it from the desk and handed Lien the item from the flower shop. “Why did you want this?”
“Madame Evangeline said in her letter to carry a purple orchid so he will know I am his date when I approach him in the restaurant.”
“Subtle, yet sophisticated. I like it.”
“Orchids. I love them.” Lien sniffed back the building tears.
“All right, be on your way before you ruin your makeup.” Her friend draped the ginger mink shawl around Lien’s shoulders and escorted her to the exit. “Have fun.” She held up her crossed fingers as Lien headed out the revolving door.
