Trancing the Tiger (Chinese Zodiac Romance Series Book 1)

by Rachael Slate

  She snatched it from him and peered at the script. “Li Sheng. Chosen of the Tiger. Kek Lok Si. Huh, and here I assumed you’d provide useful contact information.” Her sultry smirk faded. “If what you say is true, why doesn’t the Jade Emperor intervene?”

  He glanced at her, hedging. “You’re not going to like my answer.”

  She placed a hand on her hip. “Try me.”

  “Yin and yang. Life and death. You can’t have one without the other. Imagine the world population if it’d never been culled back.”

  She gasped, horror in her eyes. “He let this happen? That makes him just as monstrous.” Tossing her hands into the air, she stormed down the path.

  He jogged to catch up, snared her arm, and spun her around. “Hey. It’s hard to accept. I get it. We don’t make the rules. We just enforce them.”

  “Well then, let’s go.” She waved her hands around in the air. “Where is this Plague God hiding?”

  He grimaced. This conversation had belly-flopped. “It’s not that simple. We have to wait for the Jade Emperor to send us the other Chosen.”

  “Why? There are five of us. Can’t we take on one measly Plague God?” Her nose scrunched in that cute little rabbit way of hers.

  Clasping her hand, he softened his tone. “No. From what I’ve read, he’s one twisted motherfucker. He’d chew us up and spit us out before we could even get near him. Five Chosen, alone, isn’t enough to combat his rotten-ass powers. If I had my way, I’d secure all twelve before even going near that son of a bitch.” He curled his finger under her chin. “Despite what the Matchmaker told you, we’re never going to stop smuggling the vaccine. I promise. When Mei discovered she could use the immunity in Chosen blood to engineer a vaccine—”

  “What?” Her eyes widened.

  “Chosen are immune to every virus, including the Red Death. Thanks to Monkey, we have a vaccine we can smug—”

  “My parents died, and this whole time, I had the vaccine in my blood?” Wrenching her hand from his, she violently shook her head.

  “We can still save people, Lucy. When the time comes, we’ll go after the Plague God. Together.”

  “No. I’m tired of waiting. Of standing by and doing nothing while people are dying. I did not come here to be the clean-up crew for some sadistic god’s excuse for massacring innocent people.” A second before she stormed off, tears pooled in her eyes. It was like watching every foundation block he’d carefully assembled come fucking crashing down. A landslide he could do nothing against but brace himself.

  Sometimes, a person had to be torn down before they could be built back up.

  During the next two weeks, Sheng kept his distance from Lucy, ignoring the burning twangs inside his chest. Every day, he steeled himself as her driver pulled up to the temple. She would glide out of the car, unfailingly wearing a slip of cloth he wanted to tug off.

  With his teeth.

  She’d change in the locker rooms while he’d give one last go at a punching bag so, when she emerged, he might feign some semblance of collectedness.

  Today, he threw his last punches as she stepped out in the black tee and pants uniform his Kongsi wore. Except on her, the sleek fabric stretched across her curvy breasts and molded to the sensual sway of her hips, making it damn hard for him to focus on anything else.

  “I’m ready.” She walked toward him, hugging one arm across her body.

  He hadn’t expected her to return after their blow-up, but she did. Whether Rabbit coaxed her or Lucy sought answers for herself, so long as she kept coming back, he counted it as a win.

  Right. He shook himself and snatched his clipboard. All week she’d been improving her times on the obstacle courses. The rock wall and the pool required further progress, though. The Matchmaker kept a strict record of their abilities. Her rigorous plan of physical training as well as meditation, pushed all of them to their limits.

  Whenever and for whatever reason the Council issued a command, they’d be ready. The warrior spirits might be millennia-old, but the host-bond with their human Chosen required a masterful level of control. Which Lucy lacked.

  Each time he’d reported her progress to the Matchmaker, he’d received a serious tongue lashing. He’d yet to pluck this morning’s barbs from his ass. As a result, he grumbled, “Into the pool.” He jerked his head toward the Olympic-sized belly of water in the adjoining room.

  She tugged her t-shirt over her head, revealing the one-piece swimming suit beneath. “Sure, Master.” She’d taken to calling him that, but whenever she uttered the term of respect it never resounded through him like it did with the others.

  Because Lucy rolled her tongue in a sensual manner over the word “Master.”

  Vixen.

  Keeping his hands off her made Tiger fucking whimper in misery, but Sheng required Rabbit’s trust and he hadn’t yet learned enough about Lucy to satisfy his craving. Understanding what made her tick would be his best chance for gaining Rabbit’s fealty.

  Only then would he have a shot at changing her perspective.

  She slipped out of her pants, revealing her sexy ass, and dove into the pool. Sheng forced his focus to his clipboard, clicking his stopwatch and scribbling the time as she completed each lap.

  Panting, she climbed out of the pool and snared a towel from the rack to dry off.

  He pretended not to notice the slick moisture cascading down her body or how luscious she appeared when wet. How it made images pop into his head of making her wet in other ways. Clenching his jaw, he scrawled her last time into the box and jerked his chin toward the rock wall.

  The first time he’d told her to climb, she’d gaped when he’d refused to harness her. They didn’t use ropes. Shouldn’t have to. The spirits within each of them augmented the strength in their bodies.

  They were faster. Stronger. More agile.

  If he’d given her a rope that first day, she would have never learned to trust in her capabilities like she was beginning to.

  Lucy pegged her foot in the first foothold and reached for another.

  Mei hung upside down from the ceiling, coaxing her upward. The rock wall didn’t end at the rafters. The training course continued across the entire length of the ceiling with rods for handles like monkey bars.

  Monkey fucking loved it. Mei would spend her entire day swinging from the rafters if he permitted her.

  Lucy quickened her pace, ushered by Mei’s instructions. The two of them were becoming fast friends. Mei made the most progress with Rabbit. The furry little devil revealed itself to Monkey, and even greeted Ox and Rat.

  But Tiger? Yeah, fuck that. The second he stepped into the room whenever Mei and Lucy were meditating, all he’d catch was the retreating blur of white fur.

  While her assimilation pleased him, it was bloody hard when she wouldn’t cloak for him.

  A few more days, Tiger. He coaxed the beast to settle. Lucy wasn’t there yet, but she would be.

  Soon.

  ***

  Lucy hauled her body up the last hold, arriving at the ceiling.

  Beside her, Mei laughed, hanging upside down from her ankles. “Great job. Let’s swing across.”

  Damn. She hated this wall. The muscles in her hands burned. Her grip was sweaty, uncertain.

  Mei loved climbing, but it was in her nature as Monkey.

  Rabbit would much rather be safe on the ground.

  “Easy, tùzi. We’ll be done soon,” she murmured, still unused to the idea of a spirit inside her. Mei said speaking to them helped even if they never spoke back. Since Rabbit was a timid creature, the more Lucy spoke to it, the more Rabbit showed itself.

  Except to Sheng.

  No denying that, while this seemed like a dream, the spirit animals cloaking each of Sheng’s friends were real. As she’d come to accept the spirit inside herself, she’d begun to perceive the spirits inside them too. Monkey was super clever, witty, and intellectual, possessing an insanely detailed memory. Never lacking in confidence, Mei was s
omeone Lucy admired. Mei claimed her Monkey resembled a Chinese golden monkey. Its long golden fur and blue face were pretty adorable, not that Lucy told Mei. No need to add to the woman’s already inflated ego.

  That girl was a freakin’ genius. When Mei had shown Lucy her blood under a microscope, she’d been speechless. Chosen blood was human, but the white blood cells contained a red inclusion that resembled half of the yin-yang symbol—like a tiny comma. The red blood cells were darker than normal and outlined with light pink. Mei had said the inclusion pointed to their abnormal, super immunity, while the dark-hued red cells indicated increased hemoglobin—and therefore healing ability. More thorough testing usually uncovered a host of other phenomena that made the Chosen definite candidates for attaining lifelong lab-rat status.

  Halfway across the rafters, Lucy hooked her ankles through a bar and hung upside down for a quick rest. She’d never been to a hospital and only visited the doctors her dad picked. She’d chalked up his choice of doctors to Chinese superstition, but it made perfect sense. A regular doctor would have flagged the hell out of her blood work.

  Thinking about her dad reminded her of the vaccine created from Chosen blood. Her heart clenched at the knowledge she might have been able to save both her parents. They were beyond saving now, but others weren’t. If there existed the slightest chance she could help even one person, she had to try. She had to find her place among this Kongsi.

  She craned her neck and studied the other super-human specimens below. Kassian was not only the bulkiest man here, his Ox, when cloaking, towered over the rest of them. Its massive body, adorned by two curved horns and a fierce scowl, sent shivers spiraling through her. She’d never considered an ox to be a particularly dangerous creature, but when facing Kassian’s Ox, she trembled in fear.

  As intimidating as the Ox was, Fang’s Rat was the one creature she’d never pick to encounter in a dark alley. It wasn’t a cute little rodent. More like a rodent on steroids bitten by a zombie. Protracted, razor-sharp fangs composed the focal point of a vicious face. Paired with its lethal claws, it was no wonder Rabbit shied from Rat.

  She snagged her arm through one monkey bar and gritted her teeth as she swung from bar to bar across the length of the room. The pool’s gentle currents flowed beneath her. As she rounded the last bar, she latched onto the wall and climbed down, her muscles trembling from the exertion. Relief passed through her the second her feet landed on the tiled floor.

  “Good. Faster than last time.” Sheng inclined his head before moving on to consult with Kassian, who was lifting weights at the bench press.

  Just like that, Sheng dismissed her as he had every day for the past two weeks. The first time, she’d almost opened her mouth to ask what she’d done wrong.

  Had she gone too far in her stance on the Jade Emperor’s barbaric methods and insulted the deep sense of honor ingrained in Sheng? A knife of remorse twisted in her stomach at her impious outburst, but her views remained the same. Still, her instincts demanded she stay and figure this out. She had nothing to go back to, anyway.

  Wrapping a towel around her waist, she headed for the showers. Their routine hadn’t strayed any other day, so she sucked up her disappointment and prepared for another meditation session with Mei. After, they would head to the lab and manufacture more vials of the vaccine. Each night, they loaded them onto the ship at the dockyard.

  As she rounded the corner, she bumped into a solid male chest.

  Sheng. Her breath caught in her throat. She spread her fingers across those firm pecs. That familiar chest. Even as she peeked upward, confirming she’d smacked into him, her instincts screamed to back away.

  He didn’t like her touching him. He’d made that crystal clear. Each time he greeted the others, with a bro-hug to the guys and a kiss for Mei, he passed over her as though she were invisible. So much for Mei’s admission. Apparently, not touching Lucy didn’t qualify as sheer torment for Sheng. I must not fit into his circle.

  She wrenched her fingers away, taking one step back. “Sorry. Didn’t see you there.” She trained her gaze on the floor.

  “I was waiting for you.”

  Her head whipped up. Waiting for me? Damn, her heart sped, racing.

  “I’d like a word with Rabbit.”

  Oh. That.

  “Yeah…” She chewed her bottom lip, backing away. “Rabbit doesn’t really feel comfortable around Tiger.” Duh. Way to point out the obvious, Luce.

  “If we’re going to work together, Rabbit has to start.”

  Her throat tightened as the essence she associated with Rabbit skittered around inside her, searching for a place to hide. “O-okay.” She sensed the poor creature cringing. But, why? Because Tiger was a predator? She found Sheng intimidating, true, but also, oh so very magnetic. Rabbit must feel the same pull she did. So if the spirit insisted on hiding…maybe it had something to hide?

  Sheng stalked toward her, interrupting her train of thought. His was the one spirit animal she hadn’t observed yet. She’d snuck glimpses of those glinting, pale, blue-gray irises earlier, but she couldn’t picture the entirety of Tiger in her mind.

  She breathed in through her nose and exhaled through her mouth, doing her best to calm Rabbit. Didn’t help that, as Sheng closed in on her, heated blood drummed through her veins.

  They’d be so much better off if she wasn’t struck by her attraction to him. By his strong, sexy jaw she yearned to graze with her teeth. By those dark, impenetrable eyes.

  He paused a foot from her, holding out his hand, palm up. His gaze pierced her as he inclined his head for her to cloak.

  Rabbit scrambled inside her. She’d never been able to force it out, but the others had, with patient murmurs, convinced the spirit to show itself.

  Sheng expected her to take charge.

  “You’re the Master. The spirit has joined with you to aid you. It does not control you. You must dominate it.”

  She nodded, licking her lips. He was right. Mei had reiterated that fact over and over, pounding it into her head. Lucy had to learn to harness the Rabbit. The spirit would never assume control of her body, but she could call upon its strength to add to hers.

  “Come out, tùzi.” She closed her eyes, searching within herself for Rabbit’s favorite hiding place. There. A blur of white. She snagged the beast by its ears and brought it to her chest, cradling it, calming it.

  Once Rabbit eased, she opened her eyes, extending her hand to meet Sheng’s. White fur sprang atop her skin as Rabbit cloaked her. She bit her lip, anxious for him to make the next move.

  His flesh blurred. Tiger’s black claws, outlined by white toes, blended into focus.

  Tiger reached for Rabbit.

  The second Sheng made contact, Rabbit started, bolting straight back into its cage.

  “Fuck.” Sheng slammed his fist against the wall, tossing his head and cursing again.

  Lucy shrank back, equally alarmed as Rabbit by the arrow of Sheng’s disappointment. Would she ever stop letting him down? As if it weren’t bad enough she didn’t host the Dragon, she couldn’t even master the spirit she did host. What if she never learned to control her spirit like the others? Would they kick her out? She blinked back the tears stinging her eyes. Crying wouldn’t fix this. She steeled her resolve. She’d make Rabbit do what she wanted.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, but he didn’t acknowledge her apology, instead pacing between the two walls of the corridor. “What am I doing wrong? I’m trying, really I am.” Glancing at him, she braced for his censure. Sheng didn’t sugarcoat anything.

  He leaned his forearms against the wall. His head hung from slumped shoulders. As he twisted his face to her, thick shaggy locks obscured all but the darkest slashes of his eyes. “It’s time for more drastic measures.” The detached conviction in his voice made her shudder.

  His words slapped her like a threat.

  But to herself or him?

  ***

  Sheng brushed past Lucy. He had no answer f
or her. It was as much a failing of the Tiger as the Rabbit. Had something happened with their previous hosts? The relationship between these two spirits was the most complicated he’d ever encountered.

  Sure, it’d taken some convincing for stubborn Ox to join him, and Rat had possessed its misgivings, but none had held out for this bloody long.

  Was it Lucy? Did she, whether consciously or not, hold Rabbit back?

  Damn. He scrubbed his hand across his jaw. Didn’t really matter. He had to force Rabbit out the only way he knew how.

  By sacrificing himself.

  After Lucy left for home, he switched out of his workout clothes, donning leather pants, a black t-shirt, and a leather jacket. He took the elevator down to the garage.

  Halfway to his bike, Ox intercepted him. “Where the hell are you going, mate?” Kassian folded his arms, massive biceps bulging.

  “Out.”

  “Out where?”

  Stubborn ass. “What’s it look like? Out for a ride.”

  Ox stepped in front of him as Sheng tried to pass. “I can’t let you do this. There are other ways. One of them is called time.”

  He grimaced. “In case you haven’t noticed, we don’t have any of that left.” The Matchmaker had been grinding his ass the past week, bitching about his lack of progress with Lucy.

  “Let me come with you. Better yet, I’ll knock you out myself.” His friend fisted his hands in front of his chest, cracking his knuckles. “Been itching to do that for a long time.”

  Sheng fought against smiling. “Doesn’t work that way and you know it. You can’t do to me what I need. What she needs.” He shook his head at Ox’s raised fists and placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Trail me if you must but, when I get to her apartment, you’d better be bloody far away, you hear me? That’s an order. ʼCause if I get fucked up for no reason, I’m coming after you.”

  “Aye, boss.” Ox stepped aside, letting Sheng pass.

  He threw one leg over the side of his bike, revving the engine until the tires squealed before speeding away. As he zipped through the streets, Tiger kept one tiny spark of awareness trained on Ox.