Trancing the Tiger (Chinese Zodiac Romance Series Book 1)

by Rachael Slate

  His head whipped toward her. “Lucy?”

  “Are you okay?” She squeaked the question; her cheeks flaming. Clearly he was fine. More than fine. Sexy and naked and wet.

  “Stubbed my toe.” His mouth curved in a wicked, beckoning grin, one brow lifting…in invitation?

  She nibbled her lip, her brain telling her to walk away, her body refusing to obey the command.

  “Want something?” His intense, dark gaze stayed trained on her, unwavering as he straightened.

  “I brought your clothes.” Smooth, Luce.

  His chest rumbled as he glanced past her. “Where are they?”

  Shoot. Concerned for him, she’d dropped the bag, and now she looked like a complete idiot. She spun, fleeing the bathroom before she made an even bigger fool of herself. Snatching the bag off the floor, she strode straight back to the bathroom and tossed it inside. Without bothering to peek into the room, she snared the handle and slammed the door.

  That would teach him.

  ***

  Sheng shook his head and chuckled. The aura of Lucy’s innocence had nothing to do with her virginity. She was different from the flashy, brazen women he usually dealt with. Hell, even Monkey boasted an ego the size of, well, Monkey’s head.

  Everything about Lucy was sincere, not fake. Her Rabbit’s nature was timid, but Lucy was strong enough to never back down from him. To call him out on his shit in a way that made him want to be better. For her.

  No woman had ever had that effect on him.

  Maybe that’s what he got for fucking women who were one step up from prostitutes. Women who liked to party hard with rich guys. Who never got where he came from.

  Where he still felt he belonged.

  Sure, he had plenty of money now, thanks to the Kongsi, but he’d never forget the days when he’d gone hungry. When he’d gotten himself beaten up just so he could snatch the thug’s wallet while the asshole was distracted.

  Would Lucy understand those things? He sighed into the warm spray. She might not have come from the streets like he did, but she hadn’t lived a pampered life. That was evident in everything about her. The way she carried herself. Her tell-tale awkward shifting as they’d eaten in that posh restaurant. Her total ignorance of the dirt and leaves in her hair after she’d burrowed into the ground while hiding in the Gardens. Even her lack of interest in the luxurious apartment her uncle provided for her. Last night, she’d curled up in the chair beside him, just because he’d asked her to.

  Yep, Lucy was the furthest thing from high-maintenance he’d ever encountered.

  She’s too good for you.

  At the searing truth stinging his chest, he swallowed hard. Too good. Just like this apartment, these clothes, his padded wallet.

  Even though he’d had to prove with every punch and kick, every rigorous test they’d put him through, that he belonged, that he was deserving of this great privilege, the truth burned a hole through him. They could strip it away. All of it. Sure, Tiger had chosen him. That didn’t mean fuck to the Council. If he didn’t play by their rules, they might off him and wait for Tiger to choose someone else.

  Someone easier to manipulate. More obedient.

  More worthy.

  Run, lad. Run and never look back. Never tell anyone who you really are. The old woman’s Mandarin words haunted his mind. After his family had died in the fire, encouraged by that woman, he’d fled. Never to look back.

  He forced heated air through his lungs, fighting off the shell of insignificance threatening to choke him. He had nothing to fear so long as he did exactly what the Matchmaker and the other Elders told him to do. Stay out of Lucy’s pants and focus on testing her. Until she proves to them she, too, is worthy.

  He switched off the water, grabbed a towel, and dried off. His throat tightened, but he chugged down his trepidations. No, Lucy would be fine. She wasn’t the same as him. Nothing about her declared she wouldn’t be accepted like Ox, Rat, and Monkey had been.

  Just the Rabbit. No one expected Rabbit to lead the way during a battle. Hell, so long as Lucy didn’t get herself killed, her task was considered signed and complete.

  Not so for Tiger. Everyone looked to Sheng to lead. Even more as the days went on and it appeared Dragon would be a no-show. He’d told himself—and Tiger—that Dragon had rejected them because of the host’s personal, shitty issues. But the longer they waited for Dragon’s new host, the harder the excuse became to swallow. In fact, it was fucking lodged in his throat.

  After he dressed, he stared at his reflection in the mirror, searching for the mask of confidence he needed to get through today. And every other bloody day.

  Stepping into the hall, he sniffed to pick up Lucy’s scent and grimaced at the odor of burnt toast.

  Lucy leapt to the toaster in time to snatch the two slices of charred bread. Damn. She waved her hands in the air, hoping to disperse the acrid stench before Sheng detected it.

  “Mmm… Smells great in here.”

  Too late. She stiffened, whirling to spot him leaning against the wall, smirking.

  “I can cook.” The argument huffed from her lips. “It’s this darn toaster. I turned my back for one minute and poof.” She held up the two hockey pucks as evidence.

  He stalked toward her, grinning. “Might want to adjust the setting first.” He slipped behind her, making no effort to dance around her and, instead, pressed his body against hers as he flicked the switch from dark to light.

  Her cheeks burned even hotter. That would have, indeed, been the obvious thing to do first, but she’d been more than a little distracted, daydreaming about his kiss.

  “Why don’t you allow me?” Without giving her a chance to respond, he ushered her to the table beside the kitchen, plucked out a chair, and pushed on her shoulders, forcing her to sit. “Oyster omelet sound good?”

  She barely managed a nod as she gawked at him. He rolled up his sleeves, winked at her then dug around in the fridge. None of her few boyfriends had ever cooked for her. Not that Sheng was her boyfriend…

  Then again, what was he? She didn’t exactly grind against every attractive man who invited her to do so.

  Stop putting labels on everything. She hadn’t ventured here to lose her identity in a relationship.

  Mom. Dad.

  The reminder stung her chest. To forget about them, even for a minute, would be an enormous betrayal. Every smile or ounce of pleasure felt wrong when people continued to suffer. To die.

  Her fists clenched in her lap. She’d handed Sheng the Rabbit last night and she was mostly confident she could do so again… Unless Rabbit had only peeked its nose out of its den because Tiger had been too injured to detect whatever Rabbit was hiding?

  Man, she hoped not.

  She shoved aside her insecurities. Time for Sheng to uphold his end of their bargain.

  Give me the Rabbit and I’ll hand you justice. His words vibrated inside her mind.

  Her fingers twisted in her skirt. The blue and pink pattern of the batik fabric—a vibrant, floral cloth—reminded her of a dress her mother used to wear. “You made me a promise. Do you remember?”

  He stopped whisking the contents inside the metal bowl in front of him. His hair fell into his eyes as he considered her. “I always keep my promises. I’ll take you to the Matchmaker myself. Today.”

  Such conviction in his voice. She winced at how harsh her question had sounded. Of course he was a man of his word. Hadn’t she witnessed evidence of that already a hundred times? The man had honor in spades.

  “Thank you.” Gratitude squeezed her throat. She cleared it and followed a different train of thought. “What happened last night? Who hurt you?”

  Would they be coming back for an encore?

  “Don’t concern yourself.” He shook his head and refocused on his whisking, dismissing the topic.

  Oh, but she wasn’t finished yet. “I would like to know what happened. You came to me. If you didn’t want me to ask questions, you should have gone t
o someone else for help.”

  “Would have undermined my purpose then,” he muttered, but her ears picked it up. Ever since she’d connected with Rabbit that first time, each of her senses had heightened.

  “Undermined?” Her chair screeched across the tiles as she launched out of her seat. Getting up in his face, she demanded, “Undermined?”

  When he didn’t respond, her brain connected the dots. Light-headedness overcame her and her blood pooled in her feet, planting them to the floor.

  Sheng froze, his Adam’s apple stark against his thick throat as he swallowed.

  He definitely hadn’t meant for her to hear that. Because he’d needed her to be the one to heal him.

  “Tell me it isn’t true.” The conclusion rushed out of her mouth. “You did that to yourself?”

  “Not exactly,” he hedged, pouring the batter into the frying pan on the stove.

  While she waited for him to explain, she squeezed and released her hands repeatedly. He cracked the eggs into the batter, whisked the contents, and added in the oysters. Only after he finished cooking did he turn to her.

  “That’s what you meant by ‘drastic measures?’ Hurting yourself?” She frowned and took a few steps back. Done with him. Whatever this was between them, it’d taken a death-dive into unhealthy.

  “Lucy.” He gripped her arm, his jaw clenched, and he rolled out his words, hesitating. “It’s not like that. I only meant to get scraped up. I just didn’t anticipate how many—”

  The image of Sheng jabbing a knife into his side smeared from her mind. Someone else had done this to him.

  “Explain.” She shrugged off his arm, folding hers across her chest. If he were shorter, she’d stare down her nose at him. As it was, she craned her neck to glare at him.

  “Well, technically, I did something I shouldn’t have. I didn’t have permission, even though I’d go back in a heartbeat and eradicate a few more of them.”

  “Of who?”

  “Not who, what.” The timer on the stove beeped, and he diverted his attention to their breakfast. “Go have a seat. I promise I’ll explain.”

  Ushered by the low rumbling of her stomach, she did as he requested.

  With him, apparently nothing was ever going to be what it seemed.

  ***

  Sheng raked his hand through his hair. He hadn’t meant his confession to come out like that. Lucy didn’t know, but he’d been through this difficulty with spirits before. Monkey and Rat had joined him without too much fuss.

  But Ox?

  The stubborn ass had taken Sheng months—in Australia—to break down. Thousands of dollars spent on surfing equipment and at nightclubs while he’d gained the former player’s trust. No one would guess Kassian—who’d since taken vows of purity—had once spent his life partying. Hard.

  And Chicken?

  Don’t go there. Agonizing about his worst failure would lead him back to the dark hellhole it’d taken him far too much strength to climb out of.

  Snake and Boar, he couldn’t be blamed for. Both sides recognized what the divide between them would bring. They’d have to face off, someday, and the one left standing would seize victory.

  In this moment, he couldn’t focus on the ones he didn’t have. Lucy was right in front of him. Rabbit had revealed itself last night, had healed him, and now he only had to prove Tiger’s dominance over the spirit animal to the Matchmaker.

  “Who hurt you?”

  He tensed at her quiet question and plated the rest of their food. “Demons. The Council hasn’t permitted us to hunt them in almost a decade, but we still do on occasion.” When provoked or cornered, but the Elders never condoned them stepping into Horse Face and Ox Head’s jurisdiction without cause. Like he did last night.

  His brain continued to wrack through how to explain his “accidental” mass execution of the yāoguài in Ghee Hin territory.

  “Demons. Like, real demons?”

  “Yep. We call them yāoguài and they inhabit Dìyù—Hell. They’re evil spirits seeking immortality. Mostly through killing people.” He placed the two plates on the table and slumped into the chair next to hers.

  “Why did you fight them by yourself? I would have helped—”

  “No way. They’re dangerous. The more human souls they consume, the bigger they get, like the ones I hadn’t anticipated running into last night.” An image of the two elephant-sized swine-like demons popped into his head. Only with Kassian’s help had he managed to distract them and slash their throats. “They damn near gored me in half.” He chuckled. “It was a fucked-up plan, but it worked, didn’t it? Ox and I killed those motherfuckers, and Rabbit finally came out.”

  “Wait. Ox was there? He could have healed you last night.”

  “Yeah.” He shrugged. “But then I never would have met Rabbit.” He slid his hands onto her shoulders and grinned.

  She rolled her eyes. “You think you’re a real badass, don’t you?”

  He leaned in and purred, “What’s that? You like my ass?” As she blushed, he plucked the carrot from her plate and dangled it in front of her face.

  She opened her mouth as though she would chide him again, but closed it when she spotted the vegetable. “A carrot?” Her cute nose wrinkled as she examined the orange vegetable. “What do you expect me to, oh, mmm…” Rabbit sniffed out the offering, and Lucy munched on that thing as though she’d never tasted anything so delicious.

  His shaft hardened as her white teeth sank into the thick stalk, pink lips wrapped around it, and a moan curling from deep within her throat. He shifted uncomfortably, focusing on anything but her luscious mouth. How warm it would be wrapped around his cock.

  Her laughter broke through. “Well, that was weird.”

  “Not as strange as you might think.” Smiling at her, he pointed to the hunk of rare steak on his plate beside the oyster omelet. “We’re not animals, but the spirits within us do color our preferences.” After slicing into the meat with his knife, he popped a chunk into his mouth. Tiger chuffed in appreciation. “You’re not likely to become a vegetarian or anything, but you’ll probably get some funky cravings.”

  “Great. Like being pregnant?”

  He chuckled at the flush of rose in her cheeks. Was she picturing the same image he was, of their bodies twisted together in ecstasy?

  She cleared her throat. “Am I going to eventually turn into a rabbit?”

  “Nope.” Sheng swallowed another mouthful of bloody meat. “You’re not a rabbit, you’re the host. Like I said before, Rabbit can never control you. You’re the master and can use any of Rabbit’s talents to heighten your own strengths.”

  “Like hiding in the dirt?” She wrinkled her nose. “That hardly qualifies as a superior ability. More like, worst superpower ever.” She twirled the eggs around on her plate.

  He tried to counter her statement, but yeah, he’d assumed the same when he’d first discovered she carried the Rabbit. Forcing himself to search beyond his disappointment, he recalled what he knew about the animal.

  Gentle. Sensitive. Compassionate. Modest. Merciful. Yeah, none of those were all that handy in combat. He scraped at his brain, searching for a tidbit to brighten the mood.

  “Well, you’re quick. One of the swiftest. In the story of the Great Race, the Rabbit was the fourth animal. That’s not bad.”

  “Yeah, but the Tiger came in third.” She wiggled her brows and playfully shoved his arm.

  He laughed along with her, winding his arms around her and dragging her against his chest. After planting a kiss on top of her head, he pulled back and searched her face. “If it’s any consolation, I’m glad you’re here. You might not be the fiercest animal, but you are, by far, not the weakest, either. You’re strong and I promise I’ll help you harness your abilities.”

  She smiled, but it faded. “You really believe we can stop the Red Death?”

  He nodded. “That’s why I’m bringing you to the Matchmaker. She’ll explain everything.”

 
She smelled so good, like a bed of delicate flowers, and he didn’t want to release her from his arms. If he never let her go, he’d never be able to keep her. Getting her to the Matchmaker was the first step in sifting through the bureaucracy separating them.

  The future won out. He untangled from her and they finished their meal in silence. After cleaning up, he texted the others to meet them at the Matchmaker’s.

  Lucy snagged her purse from the kitchen table and made for the door.

  “Nope. We’re not going that way.” He wagged his fingers at her.

  One eyebrow raised, she slipped her hand into his. He led her to the terrace. “I don’t like those cameras. I’m getting you out of here and it’s better your uncle not know about it.”

  A shudder rippled beneath her skin so he hauled her closer, into the crook of his arm.

  “What other way out is there?”

  He winked. “Down.”

  Not giving her the chance to panic, he released her, slipping on Tiger’s cloaking. After he nodded at her to do the same with Rabbit, he slunk to the edge of the rooftop.

  She didn’t join him, so he encouraged her. “You can do it. Trust me. I’ll be right beside you the whole way down.”

  She stared at him but, after a minute, Rabbit’s cloaking surrounded her.

  He made sure not to touch her lest Rabbit decide mid-air to change its mind, but he did tilt his head for her to climb down first. He had to give her credit. Most people would balk at the fifty-foot drop between here and the next ledge, but she set her shoulders and hopped off.

  He leapt a second after her, landing beside her.

  Her eyes were bright with exhilaration as she beamed at him. He grinned back and made for the second ledge, a thirty-foot drop.

  She vaulted onto that one and, before he’d pointed out the next, she’d vaulted over the ledge ahead of him, her fluffy bunny tail disappearing from view.

  She hit the ground before he did. Her chiming laughter made elation bubble inside his chest. Giving Tiger the chance to stretch out, he tossed his head for her to follow him as he sprinted through the crowded streets. With Tiger cloaking him, no human could detect him. Monks or those with pure faith would, but they’d keep a respectable distance from the beast.