by Anna Edwards
“This sword is the one that severed the head of Wang’s favorite general. It was given to the Zhànshì family for their loyal service and the honor they brought to the Yi Shu. I’m hereby taking it back from them. There is no honor in what Lia has done. She has placed us all in danger. Some of our beliefs might be old, but in our world there is no place for a female warrior. Our women must be protected and loved. It is not their role to fight battles that scar even the strongest of our men. Sexist this may be, but it’s not a belief I’m willing to change.” Gaozu places the sword down on his chair and looks toward Lia. “Your punishment should be death for your betrayal, but you’ve earned your right to live by taking the life of a Jīn. However, I won’t allow you to remain here any longer. You are hereby banished from all land controlled by the Yi Shu.” Gaozu points to a couple of guards. “You two, take her away. Arrange for her belongings to be collected from her home, escort her to the edge of San Francisco, and leave her there. She’s never to return.”
I spin around on the platform to face Gaozu. I want to scream no, and tell him I’m going with her, but when he looks at me, his face is a blank mask, betraying nothing, and I remain silent. I’m not a Yi Shu by blood, only by a favor. I might be a general, one of the highest ranking men here, but to them, I’m the blond demon and only tolerated here because of a prophecy. My life would be forfeit if I showed dissension in front of our leader. Lia’s life is saved, but mine won’t be the same. Silence is the price for my betrayal.
My anger hasn’t died down at all as I watch my general’s remains lowered into the ground. In the coffin with him are the treasures he needs to take his soul into the next life, and once a year on the Qingming festival, we’ll return here to bless him. It’s the least I can do for a man who showed as much loyalty to my vision as he did. I will avenge his death. It consumes me. I dream of the boy I will rip limb from limb until there is nothing left. He’ll not be afforded a respectful funeral like this. His soul will wander forever poor and in suffering—I will make sure of it.
I say one final blessing for my general and walk away to leave his family to their private grief. I have work to do, a raid to end all raids to plan. I’m done with the Yi Shu. It’s time to end this war.
I make my way back to my home, an ornate house protected by my elite guards. It’s a place for me to relax and be worshiped by the people I choose to surround myself with. A servant boy crawls to my feet as I walk in through the front door, and taking the shoes I’ve been wearing, he disappears with them. I don’t know where they’re stored—I don’t need to. Another boy appears. He’s walking strangely, and I know why. He was given as spoils to a couple of my men last night after he ruined one of my jackets. It was his punishment. I raise an eyebrow at him as he holds his hands out to take the jacket I’m currently wearing.
“I hope you learned your lesson,” I remind him of his mistake.
“I did, gracious leader. I will ensure it doesn’t happen again.” He repeatedly bows, and I throw my jacket at him.
“Good.” He’s lucky to get any words from me. I don’t normally speak to insignificant people like the slaves I keep for my own personal entertainment.
Striding through the corridors of my house, I pass pictures of my greatest victories, inscriptions of my mottos, and plans for my great, new world that adorn the walls. I surround myself with depictions of my dominion as a daily reminder to everyone of just how powerful I truly am.
After days of anger and mourning, I need replenishment to my soul. I click my fingers at one of the slaves.
“Have a woman brought to my bedroom at once.”
He bows his head and scurries away to fulfill my request.
My dick hardens at the thought. I need to fuck, long and hard. I need to hear screams of pain, and I won’t stop until the whore the man chooses is half dead as I come hard inside her. A perfect ending.
“Gracious Leader.” One of my guards greets me at my door, a piece of paper in his hand.
“What is it?” I scowl.
“We’ve just received this. I think you’ll want to read it urgently. It concerns the boy who killed our general.”
I snatch it from him not wanting to waste another moment. I open it and read:
Zhàn has been outcast from the Yi Shu.
He was an imposter, Lia Zhànshì.
A woman dressed as a man.
A female but a murderer all the same.
Her punishment is banishment.
Search the area around the Golden Gate.
She’ll be there later today.
There’s no indication as to who wrote the document. I don’t recognize the handwriting. It could be a trap. I need to act carefully and not allow my need for revenge to take over. Besides, a woman killing my general is preposterous. The Yi Shu wimp I had executed must have been lying to me. Fuck, I should have made his death more painful.
“Has anyone checked this out?”
The guard nods. “There was a meeting called at the Yi Shu main compound this morning. The boy called Zhàn was unmasked as a girl during it. Gaozu banished her.”
“But she was the one who killed our general?”
“It’s the reason she received banishment and not death. It would seem their rules are not too dissimilar to ours when it comes to honor in their faction. By killing our general she saved her life.”
“It does,” I agree.
I stroke at my chin. A girl killed my general—I don’t want that to get out. I’ll have to deny what the Yi Shu are reporting and denounce them as liars. But now this girl is banished and on her own. She’s vulnerable and fair game. I’m going to capture her, bring her into my lair, and make her wish she had been executed by the Yi Shu.
“Bring me my car. We’re going to the Golden Gate. I’ve got a present to collect.”
I don’t think my heart could beat any faster than it is at the moment. Is this a completely stupid idea? Am I putting myself into a dangerous situation I might not return from? I just have to hope everything works out all right. I know Jaxon is angry and upset. I knew when I decided on this course of action that he’d be unable to come with me. In spite of the love between us, he is bound to the Yi Shu for the life they’ve given him. Jaxon is still conflicted by his past even if he says it’s forgotten. He betrayed Gaozu by falling in love with me and not reporting my deception, and so he has no choice now but to remain at the side of the Yi Shu leader.
The sounds of distant cars has the hair standing up on my arms. I’ve been sitting by the Golden Gate Bridge for the last hour wondering what to do. I’ve no money and only a few belongings with me. I’m dressed as a woman in a long summer dress with my hair down. I couldn’t bear to look in the mirror I was offered before being marched out of the compound. I couldn’t stand seeing myself as a woman and witness the fight I’ve lost within me.
At least I still have my life, not that Gaozu ever intended to execute me for being a woman. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, sneaking away to see him and tell him the truth. My public denouncement and shaming at the meeting was my idea. For my plan to work, I need to make sure everyone knows my true identity.
Looking around, I search for a place to hide. There’s little here, but an aperture in the rocky cliffs gives me a chance. Leaving my bags where they are, I try to press myself as far into the gap as possible. I know who’ll be coming for me. I’m not stupid. I have nothing to protect me now…except my honor.
Several cars pull up, and a few men get out. I can’t see their faces from where I’m hidden, but I can hear their voices, and I don’t recognize anyone.
Keep faith in his love, Lia.
Keep faith in your skills.
I’d kill for my sword, right now. To be honest, I wouldn’t mind having the use of any weapon I can get my hands on, but I’ve nothing. The scarf wrapped around my neck is the only thing I have to defend myself in a fight.
“Keep searching, I know she’s here, somewhere.”
I freeze,
crouching down farther when I hear the venom in the voice.
“I want her taken alive.”
You had to do this.
It was the only way to save your family, to save Jaxon.
Sacrifices have to be made.
Why the hell did I reveal myself to Gaozu? I was an idiot. He might never have found out, but then I was putting others in danger, especially Jaxon. The Yi Shu would have gone to any lengths to protect Zhàn—I couldn’t allow that to happen. My life, no matter who I’ve killed, is not worth more than anyone else’s.
You can do it.
The voices grow louder and louder, the footsteps heavier as the men come my way. I push my lips tightly together, so not even the sound of my breath can give me away.
Someone help me.
Jaxon.
“She’s here,” someone shouts. I peek out and see a man wearing Jīn Long colors, bearing down on my hiding place. There’s only one thing left to do—run. If I can get to the water, maybe I can outswim them and reach safety. I quickly leave my hiding space and race across the open space toward the water. I don’t make it, though. A strong hand grabs my hair and swings me around. I’m pulled back and slammed painfully into a hard muscular chest. I don’t need to be told who the man staring down at me is. With flaring nostrils and the look of the devil on his face, I know this is Wang. He has me. I try desperately to struggle, to escape him, but it’s futile. I’m a rabbit caught in his trap.
“Lia Zhànshì.” My name rolls off his tongue like it’s poison to him. “I thought you’d be bigger with maybe a little more muscle. There’s nothing to you. The Yi Shu were foolish not to realize you were a girl all along.”
“And your general was a fool to think I would be an easy fight.” My mouth speaks before my brain has a chance to catch up with it.
Wang cracks his neck to the side before he pulls me closer to him, so my toes are barely touching the ground.
“I’m going to make sure you pay for that,” he says threateningly.
He throws me to the ground, and I’m immediately up and running again. But his guards surround me before I can get anywhere. Wang stands watching as I look for an escape route from the circle his men have made around me.
“You will come with me. You will do as I say. You’ll accept your punishment like the soldier you pretended to be. Even though you are a woman.”
“I’ll do nothing of the sort. You’ll have to kill me.”
“Death is an honor you don’t deserve.” Wang curls up his lip, and my stomach sinks at the intentions I see lurking behind his expression.
You can do this. Honor guides you.
“I’ll take my own life then.” I bend down and pick up a rock from the ground. “If I smash this in the right place against my nose, my death will be instant.”
Wang steps forward, the assembled group parting to make way for him.
“Death might come easy for you. But what about your family? Your father, your mother, and little sister…Lán isn’t it? She’s pretty. Come with me now, and they’ll live. Accept your fate, Lia Zhànshì.”
The stone falls from my hand. Not my sister. No, I’ll do anything to keep Wang as far away from her as possible. I’m defeated and must accept my fate.
I collapse to the ground and allow myself to be dragged to a car.
“Wait,” Wang orders.
I’m pulled up by my hair and thrown across the hood of the vehicle, so I’m face down with my body held in place. I was certain this was coming, but I’m not sure I can bear it now. I knew when they got hold of me that sex would be used as punishment. Death usually comes swift for a man in our world, but for a woman, it’s agonizingly slow and degrading. My hair is pulled back and wrapped around a man’s hand. I can’t move with the two other men on either side of me, pinning my arms to the hood, but I don’t need to turn my head to know it’s Wang behind me.
“This insipid little thing supposedly killed our great general. Her punishment should be instant death, but to be strong enough to kill our general, she must have a fighter’s spirit. Her death must be long, more drawn out, more degrading, and more sickening than the general’s. I hereby take Lia Zhànshì as my concubine. I’ll show her the very depths of my depravity.”
My skirts are pulled up as several of the guards cheer on. My underwear is ripped from my body. Bile rises into my throat. I’m going to vomit all over the hood, but it’s then my training kicks in, and I’m reminded of my vows of loyalty. A deep breath centers me as Wang violently thrusts his cock inside my unready and unwilling body. I don’t feel any pain, though. I don’t give him the screams he wants, or the pleas to stop. I give him nothing but silence and allow my mind to drift through the planes of its existence to my stolen moments with Jaxon.
I choose this duty.
My honor is intact.
My love is sealed forever.
I will survive this.
The darkness will not destroy me.
It was already there inside me.
Wang continues to thrust in and out of my core. He grips my hair tighter, pulling on the strands to get a response from me, but he doesn’t even elicit a small whimper. Silence descends in the air among the men. These Jīn Long are demons who seek a woman’s pain rather than her pleasure—they long for the screams and the tears, but in me, they get nothing. I’m a serene being at the moment. My hair is pulled harder, so I’m being arched backward. The movement jerks my back, causing the only pain I’ve felt since my punishment started. I still don’t give them any sounds, though.
Wang slams me down, hard, against the hood of the car and continues to bury himself deep, emptying himself of his poison within me. I ignore the sensations as he pulls out and turns me around. He dips his hand between my legs before pulling it away and showing me the mixture of blood and cum covering his fingers. I give no reaction. My body will heal. It will remember Jaxon and recover. He’s imprinted on my soul and will never be removed no matter what happens to me now.
Wang shakes his head, his jaw ticking with the fury cascading through him at my lack of reaction.
“So strong. I see you’ve been taught well. Hiding inside your head when the time comes for punishment and death is a well-known technique. But focusing on a life in which only happiness exists won’t save you. I’ll break you in the end.”
Wang curls his hand into a fist and sends it hard into my cheek. Pain ricochets through my whole body. The urge to scream out in anger is overwhelming, but I keep my lips tight together. I’ll not give him my pain…never ever. Another fist follows the first, and I slump down the hood of the car onto the ground where two more kicks to my aching body follow.
“Scream for me, Lia, scream long and loud,” Wang shouts in fury, but I remain silent on the ground, staring up at the blue sky filled with birds flying around and unaware of what is happening below them. “Scream, scream, scream.” Wang reins down more kicks and blows to my body. I don’t feel anything break, just bruises forming. He dips his fingers inside me again and fetches out more of the blood and cum mixture. He brings it to my face and smears it all over my cheek. “Give me your reaction.”
I give him nothing, except a small smile. I know my plan is working. I’ve sacrificed myself today, but the Yi Shu will have their victory.
He grabs me by the hair, pulling me closer to him, and his spit covers my face as he snarls out his warning.
“I’m going to enjoy breaking you, Lia Zhànshì.”
It’s meant to terrify me but does nothing of the sort,
No, Wang, it’s I who’ll enjoy breaking you.
I’ll enjoy killing you.
I’ll enjoy ending this war.
A final punch comes hard into my face, and darkness envelops me.
The trap is set.
“You wanted to see me?” I bow low to Gaozu where he sits at his desk.
His office is sparsely decorated compared to other rooms in the compound. A simple picture hangs on his wall. I know it’s a picture of his a
ncestral home back in China. It’s little more than a run-down hut—his family has come far.
“Take a seat,” Gaozu orders and I comply.
It’s been a few days since Lia was unmasked and forced to leave. I’ve no idea where she is or if I’ll ever see her again. My heart and head ache, but I’ve been throwing myself into work to try to forget. I’m working with a new selection of recruits, but none have the skills of Lia. Gaozu was wrong to cast her out, not that I’ll ever tell him my views. He owns me and always will.
“Is there anything wrong?” I question, hoping this is a work related meeting and not one to discuss my betrayal of him.
I know I’m being punished by being separated from Lia, but I can’t help thinking there will be more torture to come.
“I wanted an update on the recruits. I fear another attack soon, and we need to make sure we’re ready.”
I relax a little in my chair, knowing it’s not going to be about Lia.
“They are doing well, sir. I believe we’re ready. I’m even thinking maybe we should start planning an attack ourselves and put an end to this, once and for all.”
Gaozu leans back in his chair his long arms folded across his chest. He’s in a business suit today rather than the traditional Chinese dress that he tends to favor. It looks strange on him, but I know it means he has meetings with the business world outside the Yi Shu.
“To attack without provocation is against our nature. We fight only for our protection.”
“We do, but we always seem one step behind the Jīn Long. Maybe we could take the fight to them for once. We could end this now and release our men back to their families and a normal way of life. I’ve already received reports of some businesses within our district that are suffering because the skilled workers they require are no longer available. The families are trying their best, but they do not have the necessary expertise, and it is growing more and more likely that there will be no positions remaining for our men when they do return home.” I know I’m being outspoken, and at present, I should be keeping my head down, but I can’t ignore the stories I’ve been hearing.
