“Xiaodan was a crazy fool who believed he could rule the universe.” The Empress scoffed. “He had no concept of the true value of the Chosen.”
Nat tilted her head. “Enough. Leave Kassian out of this. Send him away, and I will do as you request.”
His stomach twisted. Nat had no intention of fighting their way out. “Nat.” He growled in warning. He didn’t like the direction of this conversation. Not one bloody bit.
She regarded him, steadfast determination in her eyes. “You can do with me as you like, but you will not hurt him.”
“Have it your way.” The Empress snapped her fingers and the invisible restraints jerked him backward.
Toward the doors.
Oh, hell no.
“Argh!” He struggled against the Empress’s invisible bouncer, twisting his shoulders and trying to plant his feet. “Whatever she says, Nat, you don’t have to do this.” He wrenched his hands around an ornate column, gripping tight. Dust fell from the ceiling where the column joined it. Hell, he’d tear down this whole ship before he’d go quietly.
He dug his feet in, straining against the impenetrable resistance. The burning sensation cutting into him threatened to split him in half. Ox cloaked him, lending the strength to hold on and he managed a step forward.
“I said, out!” The Empress thrust her palm up, toward him.
Kassian blasted backward like a hurricane had smacked into him. He landed hard on his back, halfway out the door, head cracking on the ship’s deck.
His ears buzzed over Nat’s shrill cry. “How dare you touch him, you bitch!”
He lifted his head as Nat whipped out Snake’s tail and snapped it around the Empress’s arm. She tugged down, but the Empress held firm, gripping Snake’s tail with her free hand.
The battle became a tug of war—Snake’s tail the rope. The Empress jerked and Nat lurched forward.
Clutching his banged up head, Kassian struggled to his feet.
The Empress dug claw-like nails into Snake’s tail and Nat cried out.
Kassian lunged straight for the Empress, head bowed and arms ready to plow into her.
Zhao leapt from his seat, stepping in front of the Empress, straight into Kassian’s path.
He tackled the motherfucker to the ground and pummeled his face with his fists. Once he’d knocked the bastard out, he glanced up, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and caught a glimpse of Mei. She still leaned against the pillar, seemingly disinterested…but then her pinky finger crooked. He whipped his head around and ducked just in time to miss Boar’s fist.
Kassian rolled off Zhao and hopped to his feet. Bowing his head, he charged Boar, slamming him into the rails of the staircase. Across the room, Nat hissed. He wrestled Boar to the ground and spun toward Nat.
Shit. Zhao had pushed to his feet and loomed above her. That was one hell of a fast recovery. The bastard’s arm lit up like he’d wrapped Christmas lights around it and Nat was facing off against Zhao. Alone.
***
Zhao snarled at Nat. “If you can’t fucking handle Snake, you’ll give it back to me.” His arm was lit with an eerie bluish phosphorescence, his irises spiraling to black pits.
Just like her father. Yet Kassian had killed Xing.
Zhao could be killed too.
Snake coiled inside her as though to hide, but she coaxed it to cloak over her. Scales rose on her skin, but then the wisp of Snake’s essence drifted off Nat.
Toward a gloating Zhao.
No! Nat scrambled for control. How was this even possible? Zhao certainly wasn’t a Spirit Thief. She gritted her teeth and chalked it up to Zhao being Snake’s previous host.
C’mon, Snake. You’re not evil. You don’t have to obey him anymore. I won’t let him hurt you ever again.
She fought for Snake, beseeching with every ounce of her heart. Snake floated from her, dragging her hope with it.
Until suddenly, the spirit’s essence snagged, jerking Zhao forward.
She stumbled back a step, grinning. Yes. Come back to me, Snake.
Warmth spread through Nat’s chest. Almost like the spirit caressed her. Her gut tightened in righteous victory. Snake wasn’t evil, but it had been abused. What the spirit required more than anything was a gentle hand to guide it along the correct path.
Nat’s hand.
The warmth spread, heating her veins. She cried out and fell to her knees. Her hand trembled as she steadied herself. Wait. Her nails. They glistened a coppery hue—a physical sign of her bonding with Snake. Energy buzzed through her, igniting her body with strength.
“Fucking Snake.” Zhao’s smirk narrowed into a sneer of bitter loathing. “You may deem it wise to accept the Snake but, I promise, you will regret this.” He snatched for her arm, but Kassian smacked into his side, sending him flying into the wall several feet away.
Kassian scooped her into his arms just as dozens of winged creatures bearing fangs and claws flocked to the Empress’s side, surrounding her like a royal guard.
Some of the beasts had four legs. Others, four arms. Their eyes glowed red or yellow and their half-corporeal forms suggested most of them were caught between worlds—between Earth and Dìyù.
Cloaking Ox, Kassian stormed the throng like a bowling ball barreling through an alley full of pins. Knocking them aside, he pivoted to leap over them while they struggled to their feet.
As they broke out onto the deck, a light blinded them. He stumbled and dropped Nat.
Her ass hit the ground and Kassian tripped over her, crashing behind her. She shielded her face with her forearm until the bright luminescence dulled.
An object descended out of the sky.
She backed away, crawling next to Kassian’s legs. He lifted her to her feet and tucked her against his side.
The minions groaned at the blinding light.
She squinted, trying to make out what it was. As it lowered, the luminescence faded into a woman’s figure.
The Matchmaker?
A silver glinting framed her form until it blended into the sky behind her. How the hell had she gotten here? Nat craned her neck to search for a helicopter or even Delun, but nope.
The Empress rushed out of the chamber and whirled to a stop in front of the Matchmaker. “Well, well. I didn’t expect you to handle this yourself.”
The Matchmaker planted a manicured, red-nailed hand on her hip. “When you dared to threaten one of my Lotus, you gave me no choice but to intervene.”
The Matchmaker didn’t spare one glance at Nat or Kassian. Nat took the hint, backing away inch by inch and nudging Kassian to do the same.
No one knew for sure what the Matchmaker was, but judging by how even the Empress flinched and stepped backward, the rumors were true. She was one of the most dangerous beings in existence.
And the Empress had just pissed her off.
“Forgive me.” The Empress straightened her shoulders. “I assumed you were too busy with your little love-matching business to concern yourself in this.”
Nat cringed as steam practically billowed off the Matchmaker. Even the Empress’s minions slunk into the shadows.
Yep, the Matchmaker was a badass.
“We will not discuss that here.”
Wait… Discuss what, exactly? Nat frowned and bit her bottom lip.
The Empress waved a placating hand toward Nat. “I have harmed no one. You can ask her yourself. We simply had a discussion.”
The Matchmaker tapped her nails on her hip. “My Lotus are not available for your discussions. Understood?”
The Empress cast a sly smile at Natalie then approached the Matchmaker. “Fine. You can claim her. It matters not. He will never let you have them all.” She closed in and the two women circled each other like serpents poised to strike.
Which one was more powerful? The Empress had some nice tricks up her sleeves, but never seemed to get her hands dirty.
Then again, neither did the Matchmaker.
They halted in their stare-down dance. Ele
ctricity crackled between the Empress’s fingertips, but the Matchmaker leaned in, seeming unfazed. “It is not time for that yet.”
The Empress tilted her head. “No, I suppose not. It would be so much simpler if you would leave the humans be and join with your own kind. Why do you try so hard to protect them? Hmm? There is no redemption for the wicked.” She winked and sashayed back inside the grand room, snapping her fingers for her minions to follow.
Nat opened her mouth to ask what the hell the bitch was talking about, but the Matchmaker snapped, “Natalie, Kassian. Return to Penang.”
“Why don’t you destroy her?” The question shot from Nat’s mouth before she had a chance to stop it.
The Matchmaker faced Nat, a coldness in her eyes Nat had never witnessed. “Do not presume you can fathom what you cannot. Go.”
Yikes. She’d never seen the Matchmaker so ticked off by a simple suggestion. Wouldn’t it solve their problems? Kill the Empress, Zhao, and Boar right here? Stop them right now?
Nat opened her mouth to protest, but Kassian snatched her arm and tugged her away. “She’s right,” he whispered once they strode out of earshot. He guided her into the small boat tethered to the side of the ship.
“She could’ve ended this. Did you see that? How she appeared out of nowhere?” Nat leaned forward. “Among the Lotus, there are rumors about her. What the hell was the Empress talking about, anyway?”
He shrugged and gazed out at the ocean. “There are things at work we have no clue about. If you trust the Matchmaker, you’ll listen to her.”
“Okay, fine.” She huffed and eased into her seat. Their getaway had been too easy. What if the Matchmaker hadn’t shown up? She shivered.
“Hey, come here.” Kassian opened his arms for her to sit on his lap. She climbed onto his legs and snuggled against him. Leaning her head on his chest, she sighed. A close call, but this wasn’t finished yet. Not by a long shot.
“Snake looks good on you.” He lifted a strand of her copper-highlighted hair.
Tension eased from her shoulders, and she slumped. “Thanks. I told you Snake wasn’t evil.”
His smile echoed in his voice. “I’m happy for you.” He planted a kiss on her head and steered the ship back to the dock.
As she hopped out of the boat, a figure appeared in the distance. She squinted. The Matchmaker. How the hell had the woman beaten them back?
Nat’s stomach knotted. This time, there’d be no second chance.
Kassian stepped forward and slid his hand against hers, but she shifted away from him. “I have to go to her.” She resisted stroking his cheek. The more she yearned to touch him, the more she shouldn’t.
Words of farewell stuck in her throat, so she walked away from him without saying anything.
The Matchmaker waited, tapping her long nails against her forearm. “You disobeyed me, Natalie. You used not only your position as a Chosen to drag another into your insubordination, but you also wielded Snake’s powers for your personal vengeance. And then, you got caught by the very ones I have fought to keep you away from.”
Nat cringed while the Matchmaker laid out each of her transgressions. The last gripped her attention, though. Her gut told her something big played out between the Empress and the Matchmaker.
But what mattered right now was, what did the woman have in store for her? She bowed her head. “Forgive me, Matchmaker. We had to stop my father.”
A sigh. “He was the lowest breed of vermin.”
Nat raised her head. The corner of the Matchmaker’s mouth twitched. Huh?
The twitching stopped. “You also slept with Kassian.”
Yikes. How did the woman guess? Crazy-ass powers.
“Yet, you are a Lotus.” The woman’s tone was soft, empathetic almost.
Nat’s shoulders slumped. Yep. There was that.
Compassion lit the Matchmaker’s dark, glittering eyes. “If there were anybody in this world I would break the rules for, it would be you, Natalie.”
A jolt of hope fluttered inside her. “You’re releasing me?”
She cast her stare at the ground. “No. I cannot.”
The hope fizzled and burned, carving a searing path through Nat’s body. Right. She’d never expected anything different. “I understand, Matchmaker.”
“You care for him.”
She shoved down her affection and straightened her shoulders. “My feelings are irrelevant.” She tilted her head toward the envelope in the Matchmaker’s hands. “What’s that?”
“Your next assignment. I trust you are ready?”
She hardened her heart. This was the moment she’d waited for since she’d reunited with Kassian. The moment she’d be torn away from him again. Even though she’d braced the entire time, the pain knocked her like a punch to her windpipe. She fought against staggering and clutching her bleeding heart in her hands.
Instead, she lashed her resolve together like she’d been trained to. She held out her hand and the Matchmaker placed the envelope in it. Nat tore open the seal and tugged out the paper. She scanned its words, processing them.
“I’m a highly trained assassin.” She wrinkled her nose. “This isn’t an assignment. It’s babysitting.”
The Matchmaker raised a finely arched brow. “You broke my rules, Natalie.”
Oh, right. Damn.
***
Kassian stood helpless on the dock as Nat walked away. Just as he’d always feared she would. He carried the hope she’d glance back. That she’d turn from the Matchmaker and run straight into his arms.
She didn’t. She accepted an envelope from the Matchmaker and, after a few minutes of conversation, Natalie left her.
Left him.
He shuffled his feet, watching her leave like a fool. He’d warned himself and had fought against it. Yet he’d still fallen in love with a woman he could never have. Because the Matchmaker already owned her.
Right-o. He fisted his hands and let the anger, the frustration, the helplessness pour through him as he marched toward the woman.
“Yes?” The Matchmaker folded her arms and tapped her long nails on her forearms. A breeze whipped his clothes around him, but not her. Every strand of her long dark hair remained glued in place. Wicked powers.
“You can’t do this. You’re a bloody matchmaker. You’re supposed to fight for love.” Dammit, his voice cracked on the last accusation.
“Are you telling me how to do my job?” A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
She found this amusing? His broken, stampeded heart? Well, fuck her.
He shook his head violently, seeking a path through this mess. “I’m not letting her go.”
The Matchmaker tilted her head. “I never said you had to. She must leave you, yes.” She unfolded one slender arm and swept her hand toward the direction Natalie had gone. “There is no reason you cannot follow her.”
His jaw fell open. What the fuck was the woman suggesting?
“She will not admit to loving you.” The Matchmaker’s voice carried a dry note of warning. “If you believe she does, and you would fight for her love, I will offer you the chance.”
“Chance?” He searched the Matchmaker’s expression. Her calm features suggested she wasn’t jesting.
“Join the Lotus, Kassian.” She flipped her palm over. “But be warned. If Nat does not return your love, you will still be mine.” She closed her hand into a fist. “Forever.”
Oh, hell. He’d never considered joining the League. The Chosen at Kek Lok Si were his family.
So was Nat.
Sheng would kill him for doing this.
And what about the monks? Ox’s visions? “Will I lose the visions?”
“Why would you presume that?”
Aha, so she knew about them. “The monks said I must live a life of purity to keep them.”
Her eyes flashed. “What is more pure than love?”
He blinked. All this time, he’d believed giving up on love was the truest path, but he’d been w
rong. Embracing his love for Nat was his path.
“Of course, you must pass the tests first.” The Matchmaker inclined her head. “If you fail, your soul will be forfeit. A minor detail.” Her lips curved in mischief. “What say you? Will you fight for your love?”
Nat stormed down the corridor, her foul mood ripening with each stride. Though she’d fought against it, she’d woken up this morning—and every morning for the past week—with tears streaking her face. She might control her waking moments but, in her sleep, her heart mourned Kassian. Swiping at her right eye, she fought back the ache in her heart.
It didn’t help that the Matchmaker punished her with the worst assignment in the universe.
Training new inductees.
This mission was barely a step up from babysitting. These pathetic men and women would bitch and groan while she strung them through rigorous tests. What fun.
New members were accepted once a year at this training camp. Anyone who tried to join and failed didn’t come out the other side with a few bumps and bruises. Because of the confidential nature of their business, failures got downgraded. Badly. Shipped off to menial positions in the houses of the immortals.
Or worse.
She shuddered. No one who’d been sent away ever returned to elaborate on what the “worse” was.
She reached the steel doors. According to the manifest, she had seven students. Seven wannabe assassins. They weren’t all humans, though. Gracing the list were a fox spirit, a shape shifter, as well as one male marked “undeclared.” She tapped her fingernail beside the box. Well, she’d find out on the other side of these doors. She hauled one open and detected the grunting and panting of men and women in training. Good. The sooner they learned to push their bodies beyond their limits, the better.
The shuffling muffled to a halt as she stepped to the center of the room. “If you would please join me, we’ll go over some basic introductory notes.”
She pointed to the mats. The fox spirit dropped from where she’d been hanging upside down from the ceiling.
The clink of metal on metal indicated the two lifting free weights had set them aside.
By the Horns Page 27
