Reining Him In (Chinese Zodiac Romance Series Book 5)

by Rachael Slate

  Right. Of course, his boss lady. The Matchmaker knew everything. He grimaced at the Lotus tat on his inner left wrist. How was he supposed to face his boss and beg for her help in completing the mission she’d assigned him?

  Protect the Queen.

  He’d totally and utterly fucking failed.

  His last chance to save the woman he loved was to go crawling to the Matchmaker with his tail between his legs.

  Man, this sucked.

  If he’d learned one thing about himself from Daji, it was he’d do anything for her. He’d relinquish every ounce of what he considered to be pivotal. His pride, his self-reliance, his thirst for freedom.

  He’d surrender everything to hold Daji in his arms once again.

  “Let’s pay her a visit.” He hopped to his feet, Ryden copying him.

  “Get changed and meet us at the garage.” Ryden wrinkled his nose at Price’s clothes.

  Hmm yeah. His shirt was torn, his pants muddied, and who the fuck knew what was coating his boots. He probably stank like Hell too.

  After a quick shower and change of clothes, he met his brother at the underground garage. Ryden hopped into the driver’s seat of a sports car, and Naya slid in beside him. Price climbed into the backseat, wiping his sweaty palms on his thighs.

  Nervous didn’t begin to describe the spikes of anxiety pulsing through his muscles. The box pressed against his side. A reminder of the Matchmaker’s hand in this.

  If he’d failed, it was her fault. If the box had worked, Dì Xīn wouldn’t have hurt Daji, and she wouldn’t have grown too weak to leave Dìyù.

  Right?

  He cleared his throat, and his mind, as they pulled up to the whitewashed Council Chambers.

  His feet trudged as if lead lined his boots while he followed Ryden and Naya up the steps. The orange-robed monk guarding the two gilded doors bowed his shaven head and opened the doors for them.

  Abrasive incense struck his nostrils, stinging them with its sickly sweetness. The memory of Daji’s palace rushed into his mind, but he stamped it down.

  Soon, he’d go home. With Daji.

  A mousy-haired female hurried toward them, a clipboard in her hands. “Oh yes, she’s expecting you, but can only fit you in for a few minutes.”

  His fist tightened at his side. She’d damn well better fit them in for as long as it took to get answers. This was her screw-up, too.

  He prowled forward, right on the intern’s heels, up the stairs. She halted at the entry to an office, jolting as she spun and faced his chest. “This way.”

  He stormed past her outswept arm, the rage and frustration building in him so hot he barely contained it.

  “Yes, what is it?” the Matchmaker hummed from the far desk, not raising her head. Her focus was glued to the stack of papers in front of her.

  “I think you know.” He bit down on the nasty insults on the tip of his tongue. She was still his boss, and he’d seen her pissed before.

  She angled her face toward Naya. “Congratulations on your throne.”

  Seriously?

  “Ah, thank you, Matchmaker.” Naya inclined her head, then shifted her feet and peered anxiously at Ryden.

  “We’re here about Daji.” Ryden seized a step forward.

  The Matchmaker set aside the sheet she was studying and folded her long, red-nailed hands on the desktop. “What do you expect me to do about that situation?”

  “Situation?” Price’s tone pricked high.

  Ryden grabbed his arm and squeezed, shaking his head.

  “She’s dead. It’s not a situation, it’s a…a…” He couldn’t form the right words to describe how his heart had been wrenched from his chest. How he couldn’t draw in a deep breath.

  How he was dying without her. “I love her.”

  The Matchmaker blinked those obsidian eyes at him. “If you truly did love her, you shouldn’t have let her slip through your fingers. You failed her, Mr. Wentworth, not I. Claim responsibility for your shortcomings.” She tsked. “Everyone craves love, but no one takes responsibility for it. If she’s gone, it’s your fault. You didn’t fight hard enough for her.”

  He stiffened, Horse not liking her tone. Her little speech sounded personal. Had the Matchmaker ever been in love? He’d never contemplated it before, and even now the notion seemed ridiculous. She was as spindly as a sea urchin and he couldn’t picture her ever spreading her legs for any man.

  His thoughts switched to Daji. “I went through Hell for her. Literally.”

  “And still failed,” the Matchmaker droned, tapping her nails on the desk. “I gave you everything. Your soulmate and every tool you required to claim her.”

  His throat tightened. Daji was his soulmate. Of course, that explained everything. Why they fit so perfectly together.

  “Not everything.” He plucked the box from his jacket. “This piece of shit didn’t work. If it had, I might have been able to save her.”

  Instead of flinching, or acting in the least bit surprised or apologetic, she arched one finely-shaped brow. “There’s nothing wrong with the functioning of that box.”

  “There sure as hell is. I opened the box on Dì Xīn and nothing happened.”

  “Then you used it on the wrong person,” a female voice chimed from the doorway. He spun around. Wen?

  A mischievous smirk curved the spritely female’s lips. Her surly Immortal lover, Li, towered behind her. She skipped forward and plucked the box from his hands. A haze cloaked her, feline fangs and gleaming green eyes snarling. Wen shook out her shoulders. “It’s okay, Cat.” She rolled her body and puffed off the rest of the spirit animal’s cloaking. “Cat spent quite a few centuries inside the box. Doesn’t have fond memories. Anyway, I didn’t realize this either, at first, but it’s programmed for whoever is imprisoned inside.” She raised the box, pointing at the bottom and angling it toward him. “See? You switch these symbols around and they form a name.”

  He squinted. There was a name on the bottom of the box. He hadn’t noticed it before, and it wasn’t easy to decipher. The scrawled symbols did seem familiar, though.

  “Naya? Take a look at this.” He pointed to the box.

  She tilted her head and peered at the bottom.

  “Can you read this? Do you see a name?”

  Her pink lips parted and she nodded. “Yes. I do. It says…Nüwa.”

  ***

  Daji strolled through the corridors, smiling at the húli jīng she encountered. Many she’d known in her lifetime.

  When I was alive.

  The notion of being dead hadn’t sunk into her mind yet. How could it, when her heart continued to beat for Price. Her veins thrummed with life while his face passed through her vision, burning into the back of her mind.

  That cocksure grin, those bluest eyes.

  To admit she was dead was to concede defeat. Daji had never done that before.

  She didn’t encounter any of the previous Queens of her race, but even if her suspicions about what happened to them were correct, her own fate might not be the same. At least, she had to cling to the hope that it wouldn’t.

  The hours droned on, blending into one another. How did time pass in this place? Should she pray that it didn’t rush by, faster than in the human realm, so that he wouldn’t suffer her absence long into his immortal life?

  If she could, she would pluck one of these flowers and blow it in a kiss to him from her heavenly realm. To pass a message of her well-being here.

  But if Nüwa was aware of any connection Daji had to her past, she would sever it.

  The goddess was ruthless like that.

  Nüwa might be an ancient being of creation, but the one thing she didn’t comprehend was the nature of love. Though she had created humans, it wasn’t out of any sense of maternal affection. Nüwa had been bored, playing with mud.

  Daji passed into an empty chamber, treading to the balcony overlooking yet another sprawling garden.

  “Well, well,” a feminine tsk pinged from the
right corner.

  “Never thought we’d see you again.”

  Daji spun toward the second voice and gasped.

  My sisters? The tall brunette and shorter blonde female appeared exactly as they had the last time she’d seen them, thousands of years ago. Dressed in a red robe, Jiutou Zhiji Jing was a pheasant spirit, her eyes shining like an autumn lake. Clad in a jade robe, Pipa Jing embodied the spirit of a Chinese lute, and had eyes of liquid silver.

  “Sister.” Jiutou lunged for Daji’s middle.

  She whirled but slammed into Pipa, who seized her wrists.

  Jiutou skidded into the floor, but hopped to her feet and helped Pipa pin Daji against the wall.

  She squirmed beneath their clawed hands, hissing. “Release me.”

  “Why?” Jiutou huffed. “So you can return to your lovely palace, your adoring people?”

  “Yeah, while we’re stuck with her,” Pipa sneered. “Waiting on Nüwa’s every whim.”

  “I wasn’t aware you were imprisoned here,” she wheezed against their tightening grips. “Or that you were unhappy. I’m sorry.”

  “Too little too late, sis.” Pipa jerked on Daji’s arm, dragging her toward the balcony. “I say we toss her off, let her spend the next decade piecing herself back together.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Jiutou sent a swift kick at Daji’s legs, making her stagger.

  Enough. Their threat flooded her with righteous indignation, and power. She wrenched her arm backward, freeing her wrist from Pipa’s grasp, and swung a reciprocal kick out at Jiutou’s legs. The second she broke away, she sprinted for the balcony and leapt atop the banister, perching to face her opponents. “You can try to break me, or you can join me and free yourselves.”

  “Free ourselves?” Pipa swiped the back of her hand across her mouth. “We’re freer than you are. We can leave this place, go anywhere, do anything.”

  Daji frowned. “You’re not prisoners, but I am?”

  Jiutou scrambled to her feet. “Nüwa’s got it in for you, sis. When you assumed the húli jīng throne, you royally pissed her off. She’s been waiting centuries for you to make one mistake, so she could send you here and usurp your throne.”

  Nüwa was no more than an envious child, pouting over the admiration a Queen received and wishing to hoard it for herself. Though she birthed the fox spirits, she, too, was subject to the rituals and traditions enacted by the Jade Emperor. It wasn’t enough for her to be the goddess they worshipped. She sought to be their sovereign also, to claim every scrap of power and adoration. Daji’s heart stuck in her throat, but she managed to whisper, “Usurp?”

  Pipa smirked. “The húli jīng will be welcoming a new Queen.”

  “No.” Daji shook her head. “My heir, Naya, will be Queen.”

  “Tell that to Nüwa,” Jiutou scoffed.

  “I have to warn them,” Daji murmured to herself. If the goddess had her sights set on Daji’s throne, Naya was right in her path. Nüwa wouldn’t show compassion to any obstacles.

  She studied her sisters. How much did she trust them? Did they truly wish her ill?

  No other choice.

  Nüwa would drive her people into slavery. Would agree to a contract with Zhao. Every choice Daji had ever made to ensure the survival of her people would be crushed.

  Nüwa was an immortal goddess, possessing no concept of the fragility of the húli jīng.

  She straightened and hopped off the balcony railing. Her sisters hadn’t meant her harm; otherwise, they would have thrown her off already. Clutching that shred of hope, she glided forward and inclined her head toward them both. “I beg for your help. Nüwa can’t seize the throne. My people will suffer. Please, you are my sisters.”

  The two glanced at each other.

  “Okay.” Pipa blew out her breath. “It sounded like a suck-ass deal anyway. We’re sick of waiting on her. If we help you, we want to be free from her. Like, forever.”

  “I will do everything in my power to ensure that.” Daji bit her cheek. How was she ever to fulfill such a promise?

  “Okay, so tell us what to do.” Jiutou raised one brow.

  “You can go anywhere?”

  “Yeah. Where do you have in mind?”

  A small burst of hope fluttered in her chest. To save her entire race, she would require…her White Knight.

  Price sank onto the sofa in Kek Lok Si’s main living area. The television blared an action movie. The Chosen drifted in and out, heading to train or eat or whatever the hell they did here.

  Frowning, he twisted the box in his hands. He had a weapon to defeat the goddess, but how was he going to get close enough to use it?

  “Hey man.” Ryden plunked his ass beside Price. “Does staring at it give you answers?”

  He flipped him the bird and continued to scowl at the box.

  “Never imagined I’d see you this obsessed.” Ryden eased back, planting his boots on the coffee table. “You sure about her?”

  Of course, his brother would question Price’s sudden change of heart concerning commitment. Truthfully, it freaked him the hell out when he thought about being with one woman forever…

  But an image of Daji would pop into his mind and the anxiety would fade, replaced by desperation to be with her.

  Not any woman. Her. Only her.

  “Yeah, I am.” He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “She’s not just anyone. She’s my soulmate.”

  Soulmate. What a weird word. It didn’t begin to describe how connected he was to her. Their link still pulsed.

  “I get it. I feel the same about Naya, and dude, she’s worried sick about Daji. The húli jīng need a Queen. With Daji gone, it’s affecting them, but I can’t convince Naya to claim the throne.”

  He puffed and cracked his knuckles, then linked his hands behind his head. “I guess we’d better figure out how to get Daji back.”

  “Looks like you’re doing a great job so far,” a feminine voice scoffed from behind the sofa.

  “Yeah, if you’d get your asses off this couch, you might actually save her,” a second, condescending female chimed in.

  He and Ryden jolted, swinging around. Two women he’d never seen before were glaring at him, one with arms crossed, the other with hands perched on her hips, and both glowering, appearing unimpressed.

  “Ah…” He drew his brows together and blinked at them. “Who the hell are you?” He twisted to Ryden. “I figured the Chosen would have better security.”

  As he shifted back to peer at the women, a flicker in the first one’s eyes caught his attention. He squinted, staring harder. They both looked familiar.

  He hadn’t slept with either of them. Thank fuck.

  “You sure he’s the one she meant?” the taller brunette whispered to the shorter blonde.

  He jerked his chin at them, caution thrumming through his tense muscles. “How do you know Daji?”

  Ignoring his question, the other replied, “Not sure what she sees in him. Kind of a loser if you ask me.”

  “Hey.” He shot to his feet and hopped over the side of the couch. “I would take offense at that if I knew who you were.” He crossed his arms and offered them both his most charming grin.

  The blonde stepped forward, tilting her head. “Okay, okay. I get it now.” She elbowed the other, who frowned and poked Price’s chest.

  “I guess.”

  “What’s this? A meat market?” Ryden vaulted over the back of the sofa and stood next to Price.

  “Two for one?” The blonde flocked to prod at Ryden. “Who are you, gorgeous?”

  Figures.

  “What are you doing later?” The brunette smiled. “Are you single?”

  “Actually, he’s madly in love with Daji’s heir,” Price snapped, putting an end to their zealous admiration. “He’s my little brother, Ryden.”

  “Mmm, not so little.” The blonde giggled.

  “You know who I am, but it’s not mutual.”

  “Not that bright, is he,” the brune
tte murmured to the other. “Hon, I hope that beautiful picture has a frame.” She eyed him, one brow arched.

  He narrowed his eyes, but forced back a scowl. “You look familiar. Kind of like Daji.”

  Her cool smirk warmed into a smile. “That’s right. We’re the ones who’ll kick your ass if you break her heart.”

  “We’re her sisters,” the other added.

  Sisters? Another blast from her past she’d omitted?

  “A pleasure to meet you.” Recovering, he swept forward, snared the blonde’s hand, and kissed the top of it.

  “Oh, okay, I like him.” Color flushed her cheeks. “I’m Pipa, she’s Jiutou.”

  He was about to shake Jiutou’s hand, but she snagged it behind her back. “Not going to impress me so easily, babe.”

  Mentioning that Daji had never talked about them wouldn’t place him in their good graces, so he grinned as if he’d heard of them before. Lots of times.

  “Have you seen Daji?” His heart did a somersault.

  “Yep, and she begged us to pay you a visit.” The brunette snorted. “Honestly, I’m not convinced. I mean, Daji’s a prisoner to the goddess Nüwa and you two are kicking it back, watching cheap action flicks?”

  He stiffened. Yeah, it would look like that. “I’ve been trying to get to her.” He cocked his head and studied them. “You can get me there, can’t you.”

  Not a question. They could. They would.

  “We’d like proof first.” Pipa hardened again, pressing her lips together.

  “Proof?”

  “Of your love.” Jiutou met his stare straight on, those russet-hued eyes hard as rocks. “Like I said, she’s our sister.”

  He was warmed by the fact they were looking out for Daji, except they were also keeping him from her.

  Pull it together.

  He’d charmed plenty of women who’d had no intention of ever succumbing. How hard could these two be?

  He flashed them a disarming smile. “Okay, how about this? ‘Love’ wasn’t ever in my vocabulary, until I met her. Daji is the strongest, smartest, most beautiful female I’ve ever met and I am damned lucky she chose me. She’s my soulmate.”

  Jiutou buffed her nails on her sleeve. “Love’s just a word.”

  Tough crowd. Dig deeper. “I went through Hell to be with her and I’d do it again, a thousand times.”