By the Horns

by Rachael Slate

  Fuck. That was disgusting. Beneath his peeling skin, a layer of transparent black ooze glistened. Under that crap? Who the hell knew.

  One thing was certain. Xing was more demon than human. Like all demons, he could be killed…right?

  The ones that escaped the eighteen layers of Dìyù—hell—could be sent back with a simple lethal blow. Xing hadn’t been born a demon and his half-human status might complicate things.

  Nat whipped Snake’s tail and its razor-sharp edge slashed Xing’s body, tearing his tailored shirt through to his fake human shell.

  Instead of injuring her opponent, his sneered taunts suggested he seemed to be getting off on it. “A pity you were never the son I wished for. We might have ruled the world together.”

  Oh fuck, no. Xing should have known better than to start on macho bullcrap.

  “Yeah, maybe if you’d had a son instead of a daughter, you wouldn’t be meeting your death today.” Nat swiped her long flowing hair out of her face and glared hard at Xing.

  He scoffed. “You? A pathetic female? No, little Natalie. Even as a Chosen, your feminine sensibilities would never let you do such a thing. You’re just like your mother. Weak.” Xing crooked his fingers, coaxing Nat to attack.

  “I am not weak!” Nat swung Snake’s tail toward Xing.

  Instead of letting the whip raze him, he caught the tip in his clawed hand, his muscles bulging with a strength much greater than he appeared to possess. Oh, shit.

  Nat flipped upside down, head smacking the concrete patio. Xing didn’t stop. He gave Snake’s tail a rough tug, dragging her toward him. He eyed her like the power in Nat would be a most tasty morsel. ‘Cause that was what demons did—suck energy from humans…and other beings.

  Kassian leapt into the air and landed, straddling Snake’s tail to position himself in the middle. He’d been fine with letting Nat handle this, until it became clear that “this” was too much for any one person to handle. “Sorry to interrupt the family reunion, but you’re not laying one fucking demonic hand on Nat.” Ox’s horns dipped to point at Xing.

  “Stay out of this, Ox. This is between a father and his daughter.” Xing dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

  “He’s right, Kassian.” Nat huffed a determined breath. “You shouldn’t be here.” She bucked Snake’s tail, flipping him onto his ass.

  The impact spiraled up his spine and clacked his teeth together. He shook off the buzzing in his ears. “No, you don’t have to do this alone, Natalie.”

  Xing cut in with a low, menacing chuckle. “We’ve already established this, Ox. You’re not fast enough to best me. And unless you’ve brought more of your zoo, you should make your retreat while you still can.”

  Snake curled its razor spikes around the man’s forearm, inching higher and higher for better leverage.

  Xing sneered. He lowered his left arm, but it jerked, resisting. As he glanced at his arm, Snake tugged its tail, and Xing flew off his feet. Kassian stomped on top of him, pinning the man with Ox’s enormous weight.

  “Looks like I didn’t need to charge you that time, eh, mate?”

  Xing squirmed beneath Ox’s hooves, his breaths wheezing as they grew shallow. His demon half might be consuming him, but his human half required oxygen. Kassian squashed Ox’s hoof down on the demon’s throat.

  “Oh, ho ho.” Xing choked a laugh. “You’re going to regret this.”

  Nat rushed to them, fan raised at her side, ready to slash Xing’s throat. “Get off him, Kassian. He’s mine.” She froze like a statue. Arm poised. Fan braced. Just like in Kassian’s vision.

  “No. You can’t be the one to end him, Nat.”

  “You don’t have to protect me from this, Kassian. I know what I’m doing.” Darkness crept into her features, the corner of her mouth curling. Below her, something even more sinister flashed in Xing’s eyes.

  Amusement.

  The pieces of Kassian’s vision clicked together and desperation clutched at his chest. “He wants you to do this, Nat. Look at him. He knows this act will place you on a path…that leads to him.”

  Xing chuckled. “It’s too late. She’s already there.”

  Scales flickered across Nat’s skin—Snake’s cloaking fluttering across her form. Her head twisted to send him a sideways glance, coppery eyes glinting. But was Snake in charge…or was Nat?

  “I have to kill him.” She repeated the phrase in a deadened monotone.

  His heart pounding, his mind raced for a way to pull her out of this. “No, you don’t. Listen to me, Natalie.” He lowered his voice, using the same soothing tone that worked on Ox. “That might be true, if this were only about you. But you can’t do this because of Snake. There are some deeds you can’t return from. You make this kill, and Snake will never trust you, will never join with you. Instead, you’ll become the monster he wants you to be. That’s what my vision was about.”

  She blinked, as though processing his words, and nodded, lowering her trembling hand.

  Xing’s nostrils flared and he opened his mouth. Before the bastard could spew more evil, Ox raised a hoof and stomped it so hard upon Xing’s neck, his spine cracked with a sickening snap. Plucking the fan from Nat’s grasp, Kassian made quick work of slicing off Xing’s head. He tossed the foul head aside with a grimace. She stared at the body for an instant before spinning toward the hotel room.

  Kassian wiped the reddish black blood from the fan on Xing’s shirt. He was glad the bastard was dead. Was glad he’d been the one to do it, that Nat hadn’t succumbed to the monster in his vision.

  A part of him feared that Xing wasn’t really gone. What of the demon half of him? He wouldn’t ever vanish—just be sent back to Dìyù. Kassian could only fucking guess what trickery they got up to in Dìyù.

  None of that mattered, though, because Nat awaited him. She needed him. Whether she would admit it or not.

  Nat’s hands wouldn’t stop shaking. She smoothed them down her pants, gripping her left wrist with her right hand. While she waited for the elevator, she counted her breaths.

  Kassian had killed her father. She should have been the one to do it, but something in Kassian’s words stopped her. For a brief moment, she’d thirsted for the kill. The blood. The power.

  She lowered her hands and stared at them. Had these years of being an assassin doomed her to a fate like her father’s? Deep inside, was she as villainous as he?

  Was evil in her blood too?

  No. She fisted her hands. Kassian, and dammit, even Price, were right. Snake laid low inside her because she hadn’t ever extended the welcome. All she’d shown the spirit was a vengeful, manipulative host. Why should Snake have interacted with her when the spirit knew full well her plan was to use it? Abuse it? Snake wasn’t a weapon she could wield to serve her dark quest. It was a sentient being—a partner—given to her to fulfill a much greater purpose. While eliminating Xing protected humanity, that wasn’t why she’d wanted him dead.

  In the depths of her soul, she’d allowed her anger and pain to justify her blood lust. She’d treated this precious gift no better than its previous host, Zhao.

  She dropped her head and shoulders, sighing. I’m sorry, Snake.

  Perhaps, with time and patience, the spirit would forgive her and maybe even be willing to trust her.

  Xing was dead, yet she didn’t experience the satisfaction she’d always assumed she would, which might be a good thing. However, relief didn’t flood her either.

  Footsteps thudded behind her. Kassian.

  The elevator dinged open and she stepped inside. He followed. The second the doors closed, Kassian enveloped her in his solid embrace. She craved the comfort, but nothing about this had happened how she’d expected.

  “Something doesn’t feel…right.” Xing’s last words echoed, an eerie haunting that screwed with her mind. “What did he mean? He didn’t even put up much of a fight…”

  Kassian squeezed her and kissed the top of her head. “I sure as hell hope he was screwing wi
th us.” He laid his head on top of hers. As the elevator doors opened, she caught sight of Price’s questioning lifted brow.

  She nodded and, slipping her hand into Kassian’s, met Price in the lobby. His eyes crinkled with concern and compassion. Emotions she’d rarely glimpsed from him. He opened his arms. “It’ll be all right, Natalie.”

  She hesitated a second before accepting his hug. Without his help, she wouldn’t have been able to get close to her father and defeat him. They were even now for him shooting her. Whether that meant they could be friends, time would tell.

  After a moment, she slid of out his embrace and addressed the two fox spirits, who appeared…well, bored. “Thank you.” She sent them each a sincere smile. “Without your help, we might not have been successful.”

  “Yeah, anytime.” The shorter one blew a bubble from the gum in her mouth. The taller one tugged on Price’s arm. “Can we go?”

  Price faced Nat and Kassian. “You gonna be okay? Need a ride anywhere?”

  Kassian drew Nat to his side and waved them off. “We’ll be fine. Thanks, mate.”

  His phone beeped. He withdrew it from his pocket and frowned at the text.

  Her stomach knotted. “What is it?”

  “The Matchmaker. She says, ‘Congratulations. Please join the Council at our Chambers to welcome the new host of the Snake.’ ”

  Her stomach did another flip-flop. “She’s not…angry?” Nat had just broken a Lotus rule…

  “Apparently not.” He tucked his phone back into his pocket. “She would never let you near the Chambers if she intended to take Snake from you. Or punish you otherwise.”

  Relief spread through her veins, until she glanced at Kassian’s crossed arms.

  “What about you?” She swallowed hard. “Are you going to stop me?”

  He sighed and rolled his shoulders. “Nope. You’ve earned this.” He winked and a quirk curved one corner of his mouth. “Now…” He dropped his voice to a murmur. “How about we find ourselves a nice room…at a different hotel?”

  Her body tingled and warmth spread through her veins. Sex. With Kassian. Again.

  Her vulnerable state and yearning heart warred against the reasoning of her mind. There wasn’t supposed to be another time. Because then there’d be another. And another. She’d never learn how to refuse him.

  Because she didn’t want to.

  Apparently, her hesitation was enough to dissuade him.

  “Got it.” Kassian backed away from her toward the lobby doors.

  It killed her to let him conclude she didn’t desire him, but it was better this way. He might not be in love with her yet—he hadn’t spoken those words. She’d pretend he didn’t feel them. Chalk it up to lust. It would hurt him less to end things here and now.

  Before he spoke the words he could never take back.

  ***

  After they flew back to Penang, they rented a car. As Kassian stared out the window, the circumstances of their situation sank in. This fling—or whatever the hell this mission had been—was over. The question remained…did she care enough for him to take things further?

  He understood her rejecting his earlier offer of sex. The timing had been wrong and, in Nat’s mind, she must assume their time together was over.

  The hell it was. Hadn’t he proved he’d do anything for her? He’d killed her father for her. Now, she’d been permitted to keep Snake. Her life as a Chosen, with him, was just beginning.

  They pulled to a stop in front of the Council’s Chambers. Sheng, Lucy, Delun, and Fang met them at the doors. Their faces lit up as they spotted him.

  He couldn’t help but grin as he embraced Fang, slapping the man’s back and hauling him off his feet. Fang laughed and wheezed, tapping him back. “I yield, I yield!”

  Kassian chuckled as he set Fang down and heartily shook Delun’s hand. Next, he rushed Sheng, who nudged Lucy aside so Ox could fully embrace Tiger. They both cloaked and roughhoused for a minute, brawling on the stairs and tumbling down them. They landed with a crash on the sidewalk. Laughing, Kassian crawled to all fours, hopped to his feet, and brushed off his clothes.

  “We missed you around here, big man.” Sheng grinned and extended his hand for Lucy, who slipped hers right into it.

  “I see you’re treating our little Rabbit well, boss.” He smiled at Lucy, bent, and kissed her cheek. She returned the gesture, kissing his.

  “All right, all right, that’s enough.” A growl rumbled in Sheng’s throat.

  Kassian backed off. “Hey, just checking if I still got it with the ladies.” He winked at them, then turned back to Nat, who’d stepped out of the car, but adhered to its side. “Come on, Nat.”

  She stopped biting her bottom lip and offered a slim smile as she accepted his hand.

  The others clumped around them, pressing Nat into the center of their constricting group hug. It was a fucking jumbled mess. Hooves, claws, horns, tails, fangs. The spirit animals greeted each other.

  Just as the Kongsi was his family, so were the animals each other’s kin. His chest warmed. Nat belonged here, as part of his family and the Chosen. They would protect her. No harm would come to her as long as he stood guard.

  He’d prove that to her, and then she’d never leave him again…right?

  “Okay!” He grunted and shoved the others off, digging through the bodies for Nat’s hand. “We’ve got a meeting to attend and a new member to welcome. Officially.” The others laughed at his clarification.

  The Council hadn’t been made aware Snake didn’t belong to Zhao any longer. How would their Kongsi explain its presence in Nat instead?

  Delun cleared his throat. “Let me handle this. I’ve had more experience with these fucking bureaucrats than I care to.”

  That suited Kassian. He sent Delun a nod and, gripping Nat’s hand, followed the others inside. The monks led them through the incense-laced corridors and up a set of grand wooden stairs toward the main chamber on the second floor. The two wooden doors were open and, inside, the entire council had gathered, seated in a half-moon around the chamber.

  Including the Matchmaker. At his side, Nat tensed, her gaze landing on the woman. No mistaking the glittery cunning in the Matchmaker’s obsidian eyes as her scrutiny passed over Nat’s hand in Kassian’s.

  Well, fuck her.

  He squeezed Nat’s fingers. Everything would be all right. He’d make damn sure of it. Because now that he had Nat back in his life, he refused to ever let her go.

  Every eye in the room focused on them as they entered. From the center, Turtle, the Council’s head, squinted through his thick, bottle-lens glasses. The small Chinese man’s skin wrinkled like an elephant’s whenever he pursed his lips. Kassian surveyed the other Council members… Wait, eight? He’d thought they were still at seven.

  Eight was an auspicious number for Chinese people. They’d been eight before the Empress had shown her cards. When had they filled her spot?

  “Wen? Shit.” Sheng shifted in front of Fang. The woman seated beside the Matchmaker was new to Kassian, but apparently not to his Kongsi’s leader.

  Wen’s cat-like green eyes passed over them with wide curiosity, until her gaze landed behind Sheng. “Oh, crap.” She gave her head a violent shake, her image morphing into a giant black panther that leapt forward and snarled at Fang.

  Rat’s features shimmered across his face, protracted fangs gleaming as he lunged to hiss at the large cat. Sheng blocked him with an extended arm, holding him back.

  “Enough!” The Matchmaker snapped her fingers. “Cat, return to your seat. Rat, leave.”

  Cat? Could that be the thirteenth Chinese Zodiac, the one whom Rat had betrayed? Shit. What the hell was the Matchmaker thinking, bringing Cat onto the Council? This did not bode well for Fang.

  The panther’s image faded as the woman perched on the edge of her chair, her spine stiff and the shadow of Cat’s claws sinking into the wooden armrests.

  She and Fang stared off as though sharing an unspoken p
romise this feud wasn’t over yet, until Sheng prodded Fang out the door. The second he was out of sight, Sheng spun on the Matchmaker. “You could’ve warned us to leave Rat at home.”

  “You should keep a tighter rein on your Kongsi, but that is also a discussion for another day.” The Matchmaker eased into her seat on Turtle’s right, in between him and Wen. “Shall we begin?”

  Lucy linked hands with Sheng, likely to try to calm that tic in his jaw. Kassian rolled his shoulders and tightened his grip on Nat. Man, that had been tense. On Wen’s other side, Crane cleared his throat. Lü Dongbin, the leader of the Eight Immortals, shot him a raised brow. On Turtle’s left, Kassian spotted Phoenix folding his hands in his lap, while Horse Face and Ox Head, the guardians of the portal to Dìyù, shuffled in their seats.

  Yeah, those two had been doing a lousy job. Kassian scowled as he recalled the demons at the docks…and Nat’s father. Even that motherfucker Zhao. Once this meeting finished, he’d love to have a word with Horse Face and Ox Head. Unfortunately, he held no power here. This was the bureaucratic end of things. Kassian was too far beneath them—a simple warrior.

  He didn’t make up the rules, just enforced them. He glanced at Nat.

  And, on occasion, circumvented them.

  ***

  Kassian’s warm hand squeezed hers, and Nat clung to his reassurance. Now that the Council recovered from that tense encounter between Rat and Cat, all eyes would fall upon her. Despite what he’d probably concluded, her nerves didn’t spiral because of this meeting with the Council. In fact, only one member made her stomach churn.

  The Matchmaker.

  Nat had broken one too many of the woman’s rules. Because of her disobedience, would there be hell to pay? She couldn’t fathom the Matchmaker letting Nat’s infraction slip.

  Delun stepped forward and inclined his head. “Honored Council. We present you the new Chosen host of the Snake.” He extended a flourishing hand toward Nat.