Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire

by Kerrelyn Sparks

  This vampire had a rough, primitive look about him. His khaki pants were torn in a few places. His knee-length brown coat was old and shabby. Dark stubble shaded his square jaw. Some of his hair had come loose from his short ponytail, and he’d hooked the strands behind his ears. At first, his hair appeared brown, but the longer she stared, the more she detected light copper streaks that gleamed in the golden lamplight. American, maybe? Or British?

  Why was he in China? What did he want from her? Was he hungry and expected to feed from her? She lifted her knife and took another step back.

  “Don’t—”

  Kerplunk. Her foot plopped into cool water up to her shin. She quickly regained her balance and moved her foot back onto dry land. Unfortunately, some water had seeped into her ankle-high hiking boot. Damn, she hated wet socks.

  “Told you not to move,” he muttered.

  She glared at him. “You could have warned me about the lake.”

  “It’s not a lake. And I don’t explain myself.” He gave her an annoyed look that made her blink at the intensity of it.

  He was angry with her? More than angry. His brown eyes seethed with controlled rage. Great. She’d been kidnapped by a pissed-off vampire.

  He moved away from the light, and soon, he’d lit two more lamps.

  She pivoted to look around, her sodden leather boot squishing as she moved. They were definitely underground. The walls were solid rock, and part of the ceiling high overhead was stone. The rest of the ceiling was a tangled mass of earth and tree roots. In places, long strands of green ivy dangled down into the cave.

  As far as she could tell, they were just below the surface. Tiny cracks here and there let in damp, fresh air, and brilliant green moss clung to the tree roots and rock ceiling.

  She was standing on the sandy shore of an underground stream. On the far side of the stream, she spotted a narrow strand of sand, then a smooth wall of rock. No exit there. The cave was narrow and long, following the path of the stream. It was a beautiful place, what with the green moss and tendrils of ivy overhead, and the soothing sound of moving water.

  To the right, where the cave’s ceiling was solid rock, she spotted a dark alcove. Inside were some wooden crates, set side by side to form a rectangle. Stacked on top were several open sleeping bags and a blanket. His bed.

  This was his home. She glanced back at him. He was levitating up to a tree root with gnarly stems that protruded like fingers. There, he hooked the leather slings of his crossbow and quiver of arrows. He dropped neatly to the ground, then walked a few steps to a foldout camp table.

  He emptied the deep pockets of his coat, placing four knives, a phone, two handguns, and extra ammunition on the table. Then he unbuckled a sword belt and set his sheathed sword on the table. Apparently he wasn’t worried about her attacking, for he was completely disarming himself.

  She pivoted once more to examine his home. He had quite a collection of camping gear: oil lanterns, two ice chests, two foldout tables. He’d built a makeshift bookcase with cinder blocks and planks of wood. Neatly folded clothing was stacked on the bottom two shelves. The top shelf held an assortment of books and electronic gadgets. How did he power them? A thick wire snaked up the rock wall and disappeared among some tree roots. Interesting. His cave might not be as primitive as she’d first thought.

  Far to the right, past his bedroom, the underground stream disappeared into a rock tunnel. He’d situated an old-fashioned tin bathtub on the sandy shore with a spigot that extended over the water. Hanging from a hook rammed into the rock ceiling was a large bucket with a long chain. His version of a shower, she assumed. Close by there was a foldout wooden rack where he’d stretched out his laundry to dry. For a guy who lived in a cave, he appeared to be rather neat and tidy.

  “Who are you?” His deep voice rumbled behind her, tingling the skin at the back of her neck.

  She turned and her jaw dropped. He’d taken off his bulky coat and tossed it on the table. That one move had transformed him from an anonymous hobo into a gorgeous superhero. His dark green T-shirt stretched over incredibly wide shoulders. The worn, faded material clung to every contour of his muscled chest and abdomen before tapering to his narrow hips. He folded his arms over his chest, and she thought his sleeves might rip from failing to accommodate the size of his biceps.

  The tingle on her neck skittered down her spine. It wasn’t just his muscles that were affecting her. It was something more. His presence. It seemed to fill the cave and, worse, fill her senses, leaving her with no doubt that this man was powerful, intelligent, and perhaps even dangerous.

  She swallowed hard. “Who are you?”

  “You know what I am.”

  “A vampire, yes. But I haven’t figured out yet if you’re one of the good ones.”

  “Neither have I.” His mouth twisted with a wry look. “I take it you’ve met the good ones?”

  She nodded. “Jin Long, Dou Gal, Angus, and some others. Do you know them?”

  “Yes. How do you know them?”

  She ignored his question. “Then you’re on their side?”

  “Only when it suits me.” He pulled a bottle of blood from an ice chest and opened it. “I won’t feed from you, if that’s what you’re worried about.” He took a long drink.

  That was good news. She sheathed her knife.

  He set the bottle down and frowned at her. “You pissed me off.”

  Her hand shot back to the handle of her knife.

  He snorted. “I’m not going to hurt you. Not after going to the trouble of saving your pretty ass.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “I have excellent aim, so I suggest you rephrase that.”

  He finished his bottle, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “You’re right. ‘Pretty’ was an insult. I’d say your ass is damned beautiful—” When she pulled her knife from its sheath, he scoffed. “I rescued you, and you’re going to kill me? You should be thanking me.”

  She pointed the weapon at him. “You brought me here against my will.”

  “Would you prefer I take you back? I could drop you off at Han’s camp and let them capture you.” He took a step toward her, his scowl deepening. “What the hell were you thinking, taking on a dozen supersoldiers single-handedly? Are you trying to get yourself killed? Don’t you have family somewhere worried about you?”

  The vision of her mutilated family flitted through her mind once more. With an inward groan, she lowered her arm. “Just tell me where the exit is, and I’ll be on my way.”

  “There is no exit. I teleport you in or out.”

  And he would control where they went? She motioned to the stream. “I’ll follow the water. I’m sure it surfaces at some point.”

  “Yes, after going through a rock tunnel for a mile or so. Your body would emerge eventually. Dead.”

  Jia bit her lip, her gaze wandering to the stream where it disappeared into the tunnel. If she drowned, she wouldn’t have to worry about being hacked to pieces. Her skin pebbled with goose bumps as she imagined those last terrifying moments when she would run out of air—

  “What the hell?” he whispered, and she turned to face him. “You’re considering it, aren’t you? You’re suicidal.” He strode toward her.

  She lifted her knife. “Stay back!”

  He vanished. Before she could even react, he grabbed her from behind. His left arm encircled her rib cage and pulled her hard against his chest. His right hand wrenched the knife from her hand and tossed it aside.

  So incredibly fast. And strong. Self-doubt crept into her mind once again, reminding her how difficult it was going to be to kill Master Han on her own. As a vampire, Han was just as strong and fast as this one who was pinning her against his rock-hard chest.

  “Release me.” Her breath caught as his hand groped along her belted waist.

  “Any more knives? Do I need to frisk you?”

  “Let me go!”

  “I will. Eventually.” His chin grazed the top of her head. “
I haven’t decided yet what to do with you.”

  She swallowed hard. There was no way she could overpower this man. And even if she did, where could she go? The only way out of this cave was the stream. And death.

  His cheek slid along her hair till she felt his breath, hot against her ear. Hot? Shouldn’t a vampire be cold? His whiskered jaw scraped across her cheek. She tilted her head away from him, but that only served to give him better access to her throat. He buried his nose in the crook of her neck, and she shuddered.

  “You have the scent of a shifter.” With his right hand, he took hold of her jaw and turned her face toward him. “And the golden eyes of a tiger.”

  Her gaze met his, and for a few seconds she forgot to breathe. His stare was bold and fierce, as if he was trying to look into her soul. His eyes were not solid brown, as she’d thought, but hazel, with shards of gold and green shimmering among the brown.

  There was something so . . . sincere about his eyes and expression. Instinctively, she felt he was solid and honest. A man who said and did what he felt was right and never apologized for it.

  His gaze lowered to her mouth, then returned to her eyes. “Shall I teleport you back to Tiger Town?”

  “No!” She pulled away, surprised for a second that he let her go. “I can’t go back there. Anywhere but there.”

  He smirked. “So you admit that is your home.”

  “Yes, but I can’t go back before my mission is done.”

  “Your family must be worried sick—”

  “My family is dead! My parents and brother, hacked to pieces by Master Han. I won’t stop until I’ve killed him.”

  The vampire stiffened. “You will not kill Han.”

  “I will! I swore I would avenge my family—”

  “You’re not killing Han!” the vampire yelled. “I am!”

  Jia paused a moment, stunned by the vampire’s words and the ferocious look on his face. “Why do you want—”

  “I don’t explain myself,” he growled and took a step toward her. “I was so close to killing Han tonight. I had a clear shot at his neck, and you ruined it.”

  She stepped back. “You—”

  “Two years of tracking that bastard, and you screwed it up!”

  She winced. No wonder he was pissed. “I didn’t know.”

  “You know nothing about warfare! You can’t attack his guards first. He just teleports away.”

  “I realize that now. I’ll do better next—”

  “There is no next time for you. Killing Han is my job, and you will stay out of it!”

  Jia’s breath caught when she realized who this vampire must be. How many times had she heard Jin Long and her cousin complain about him? Angus kept sending them on missions to find him, and somehow, he always eluded them.

  What was his name? He seemed like a legend, the way people gossiped about him. Some said he was dangerous; others called him a hero. According to her cousin, he’d cut the tracking chip out of his arm and disappeared two years ago, vowing to kill Master Han. A few times, when Rajiv and Jin Long had found themselves surrounded by Han’s soldiers, this vampire had miraculously appeared and rescued them.

  Just like he’d rescued her tonight. “I know who you are. You’re the—the—”

  “The deserter?” he growled. “Do they say I’m crazy?”

  “No! Of course not.” She winced inwardly. This was not the time to admit that Rajiv called him “The Crazy One.” And Jin Long claimed he was a loose cannon. She searched her mind for something good they’d said about him. “They say you’re the best tracker in the world.”

  He stared at her a moment, then looked away, shifting his weight as if he didn’t know how to respond.

  He’s not used to compliments, she thought, and her heart softened. What a lonesome man he had to be. But so wonderfully dedicated to his cause. She inhaled sharply as an idea popped into her mind. “I know what to do. We’ll work together!”

  He blinked. “No.”

  “Yes!” It was a brilliant solution, so brilliant that she felt a surge of confidence that she could easily convince him. “It’s perfect! We have the same goal, so all we have to do is team up to defeat our common foe.”

  “Hell, no.”

  “In fact, I think fate has brought us together for this purpose.”

  He hesitated, a stunned look on his face.

  Yes! He was coming around. The more she thought about this new idea, the more excited she became. She’d always known it would be difficult to kill Han, but when she’d asked her uncles, Rinzen and Tenzen, to help her, they had refused. And then, to make matters worse, they’d reported her plan to her cousin, and Rajiv had forbidden her to go. Vengeance should be left to the male were-tigers, Rajiv had told her. As the resident princess in Tiger Town, it was her job to play hostess and perform the tea ceremony for their visitors. She’d been sorely tempted to tell Rajiv what he could do with the ceremonial teapot.

  “As a vampire, you can do all the levitating and teleporting,” she continued. “And I’ll do whatever needs to be done during the day. I can even guard you while you’re in your death-sleep.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t need a guard. No one knows about this place.”

  “I know.”

  He snorted. “You have no idea where we are.”

  “That’s even better! No one should know the location of our secret hideout.”

  “Our hideout?”

  “Yes!” She grinned, delighted that he was agreeing. “And you needn’t worry that I won’t pull my weight. I know martial arts, and you’ve seen how well I throw knives.”

  “I work alone.”

  She waved a dismissive hand. “I realize you’re stuck in a rut over that, but it’s time for you to be daring enough to try something new. We have to be bold in order to succeed.”

  He gave her an incredulous look. “Are you calling me a coward?”

  “Of course not. I’m just saying we’ll be more efficient as a team. Take tonight, for example. If I had known your plans ahead of time, I wouldn’t have interfered.” She gave him an encouraging smile. “We should start right now tracking down Master Han. You know where his camps are, right? Let’s go!”

  “I think we should go.” The vampire grabbed hold of her arms.

  Yes! They were a team! “Shouldn’t you arm yourself—” She stopped when everything went black.

  When her feet hit solid ground, she pulled away from him and looked around her. Oh, God, no.

  They were in the courtyard of Tiger Town. Torches lit up the perimeter, and dozens of armed male were-tigers were standing nearby. They all stared at her in shock. Her heart sank in dismay.

  “Jia!” Rajiv ran toward her. “Where have you been?”

  “What have you done?” she hissed at the vampire. “I told you not to bring me here.”

  Rajiv stopped in front of her. “Jia, what happened? You left seven days ago to see my brother in Thailand, and then today I get a call from him that you never arrived! I was about to send out search parties for you.”

  The vampire smirked. “I thought you might be worried about her.”

  “Russell!” Rajiv shook his hand. “Thank you for bringing back my cousin.”

  Russell? So that was the vampire’s name. Jia glared at him. It could take her weeks to find Han again. And now that Rajiv knew what she was up to, she’d have a hard time escaping Tiger Town.

  “Cousin?” Russell gave her a wary look. “You’re in the royal family?”

  She was royally pissed. Before she could answer, Rajiv cut in.

  “She’s our resident princess,” he explained. “We are indebted to you for bringing her back safely.”

  Russell’s face went cold. Without looking at her, he muttered, “I’ll be going then.”

  “You’re leaving me here?” Anger spiked in her chest. “We have the same goal. I thought you understood me. I thought I could trust you.”

  His mouth thinned. “You thought wrong.”
>
  She pulled her arm back and slapped him hard across the face.

  Chapter Two

  Russell shifted his jaw to make sure it still worked. She was damned strong for a princess. And damned angry.

  He turned away from her accusing glare. No matter what she thought, he’d done the right thing. The woman had family, royal family, and they were relieved to have her safely home. Her plan to go after Han was clearly suicidal. The bastard had hundreds of supersoldiers. She’d never manage to kill him on her own.

  That’s why she wanted to team up with you. With a dismissive snort, he ignored the inner voice. No doubt it had hurt like hell when she’d lost her parents and brother, but her need for vengeance could never take precedence over his. Vengeance was all that he had left. She still had family. And friends. Still had a home and a future. There was no need for her to suffer anymore.

  And that was the big difference between them. He didn’t give a shit if he suffered or died. He’d endured enough pain that his cold, undead heart had grown immune to it.

  When Angus and his buddies had found him three years ago in Master Han’s cave in Thailand, they’d wakened him from a vampire coma. It had been unnerving to discover he’d joined the ranks of the Undead, but he’d adjusted quickly. After all, being a vampire put him on equal footing with the villain who had attacked him. It made revenge possible. And that gave him a reason to live.

  Russell had no memory of how he’d ended up in a vampire coma, but he’d been found in Han’s cave with Han’s tattoo of ownership on his right wrist. It could only mean that Han had attacked him, sucked him dry, then stashed him away for thirty-nine freakin’ years.

  Russell’s theory had been confirmed when he’d met Han and the bastard had declared that Russell belonged to him. Russell had known then and there that Han had to die. But if possible, he had one question to ask Master Han before killing him. Why? Why did you leave me there for thirty-nine years?

  During that time, Russell had lost everything. Unlike Jia, he had nothing left to lose. There was no family, no home, no future. Nothing and no one.