Thank you, I tell the bird as it flies away.
“Let’s go home.” Han grabs my arm. “I hope you learned your lesson, that you can trust me.”
I nod my head, my shoulders slumped as if I have surrendered. But inside I am filled with hope. I will escape. I am dragon.
And I am not alone.
Chapter Six
The following day, Jia initiated Plan D. Since she was finding it too difficult to escape the guards, she would convince her cousin to call them off. She spent the day in the palace, playing the role of the delighted bride-to-be. For hours, she worked in the kitchen, helping the cooks, pestering them with questions, and practicing elaborate dishes to impress the prince. Then she brought the red and gold silk, neatly folded, to the court seamstresses and asked for their assistance in making the most beautiful wedding gown ever.
The women twittered with excitement as they discussed different patterns and headpieces. Jia pretended to be enthralled by it all, and soon, the whole of Tiger Town was gossiping about her betrothed’s upcoming visit. When the next gift arrived by courier, everyone gathered around to see what the prince had sent her. A lovely pearl necklace. Jia ended up having to put it on for everyone to see. All the villagers agreed that the prince would fall madly in love with their princess the second he saw her.
Jia endured all the talk with a plastered smile on her face. She could barely eat a bite all day, but the court ladies interpreted that as wedding jitters. In truth, the prospect of marriage to a total stranger was making her stomach churn. And the repercussions if she turned him down were making her head ache.
Back in her room, she took the necklace off. Her mission remained unchanged. Escape, find, and destroy Han. Finding and killing Han would be a challenge, but the escape part would be easy if Rajiv called off the guards.
Unfortunately by that evening, the guards were still there. After dinner, Tenzen and Rinzen taught a martial arts class in the courtyard, so Jia decided to join them. The class was mixed gender now, but when Jia had begun the class at the age of eight, she’d been the only female. Her grandfather had allowed it, thinking the physical activity and focus would help her recover from her grief. He hadn’t realized she’d started formulating her plan for revenge.
Her uncles considered her more of an assistant now than a student, so she helped them. Anything to convince Rajiv that she was so content with her life right now that she no longer planned to escape.
There was one new student whom she enjoyed teaching, a seven-year-old mortal named Norjee. She could relate to the boy, since, like her, he’d witnessed death and destruction at a young age. He’d been adopted by his aunt Neona, one of the warrior women of Beyul-La, and her new husband, Zoltan. The family was living here in Tiger Town, since Beyul-La had been destroyed.
According to Neona, Norjee felt responsible for the kidnapping of his dragon friend, Xiao Fang. Since Norjee had inherited the gift of communicating with winged creatures, he and Xiao Fang had become close, calling each other brother. Norjee’s guilt rested heavily on his young shoulders, making him fiercely determined to master martial arts so he could help rescue his friend. Jia assured him that Xiao Fang had looked healthy when she’d seen him two nights ago. Even though she gave Norjee an encouraging smile, inside she also nursed some guilt. Because of her failure to kill Han, the dragon boy was still captive.
Even more reason she had to succeed. She glanced over her shoulder to see if the guards were still at the edge of the courtyard. They were. Since it was now dark, torches had been set up around the perimeter of the courtyard. Parents were congregated in small groups, chatting with each other and watching their children practice. Just as she spotted Norjee’s parents, he landed a roundhouse kick to her hip.
“Oof!” She jumped back, and Norjee grinned at her.
She smiled back. “Show-off. That’s what I get for not paying attention.”
He stiffened suddenly, his grin disappearing as he scanned the sky overhead.
“Norjee? We were talking about paying attention.”
He didn’t seem to hear her. He pivoted, looking frantically about.
“Norjee, what’s wrong?”
“The owl! I hear the owl!” He ran across the courtyard just as an owl swooped down and landed on top of one of the tiger statues that guarded the stairs leading up to the palace.
Jia followed him, and soon his parents joined them.
Neona reached out to softly stroke the bird’s wing. “It’s my mother’s owl. He’s found us.”
“He’s come a long way,” Zoltan said.
The owl cocked his head, concentrating on Norjee.
After a moment, Norjee glanced at his parents. “He says Master Han brought Xiao Fang to Beyul-La last night.”
“What happened?” Neona asked, and her son turned back to the owl.
Jia ran over to her uncles to ask them to stop the class and bring Rajiv and Jin Long. Soon everyone was gathered around the tiger statue, waiting to hear the news.
“The owl is weary from his long journey,” Norjee said. “He has gone without food since last night.”
“I’ll bring him something,” Jia offered and rushed up the stairs to the palace. In the kitchen, she tossed some rice and boiled chicken legs in a wooden bowl, hoping the owl wouldn’t mind his meat cooked. As she ran back, she realized she hadn’t been followed. Her guards had remained with the crowd around Norjee.
“I hope this will be all right.” She set the bowl on a step, and the owl fluttered down to peck at it.
Apparently, Norjee had already related the owl’s story, for some of the men were asking him questions.
“You say Xiao Fang doesn’t know where he is being held?” Jin Long asked.
Norjee shook his head. “He told the owl it was underground, but he didn’t know where.”
“None of the thirty camps that we know about are underground,” Rajiv said. “This must be a new place.”
“I’ll try calling Russell.” Jin Long pulled out a sat phone. “If he still has the same number.”
“Xiao Fang is going to ask the birds nearby to spread the word about him,” Norjee said, his eyes bright with excitement. “When the news reaches here, I’ll be able to tell you where he is!”
“This is wonderful!” Neona hugged her son. “Then we’ll be able to go rescue him.”
“I can go with you, right?” Norjee asked.
Neona exchanged a worried look with her husband, and Zoltan shook his head.
“It would be a battle against Master Han—” Zoltan began.
“But I have to go!” Norjee cried.
While Norjee’s parents tried to dissuade him and Rajiv asked him more questions, the whole scene became loud and chaotic. Villagers were excited about this new way to locate the dragon shifter, but they worried about going to war against Master Han. Jia’s guards were in the midst of it all, arguing with their neighbors and forgetting to watch her.
Slowly she backed away, debating whether she should flee. If she stayed here and the news arrived about Han’s location, the were-tiger men and Vamps would go to fight him. The last time they’d battled Master Han, she hadn’t been allowed to participate. Chances were they still wouldn’t let her fight. No, if she was going kill Han, she’d have to do it on her own. Now.
She ran to her house and changed into her hunting clothes and boots. Her heart racing, she strapped on her knives and slipped on her backpack. She peeked out the front door, half expecting her guards to be there again.
They weren’t! Headed north, she sprinted along the bluff till she found the path that wound down to the riverbank. All she had to do was cross the river in her uncles’ canoe, and she would be on her way to finally completing her mission.
Russell was hidden on a high bluff, watching camp number twelve, when he felt a buzzing in his pocket. The sat phone? It had been two months since he’d last received a call. He pulled it out and whispered, “What?”
“Russell? This is J.L. Som
ething’s come up at Tiger Town. I thought . . .”
His words faded as Russell stiffened with alarm. Had something happened to Jia? Had she escaped? Was she wandering about the forest alone? Or had she attempted to repel down that cliff again and fallen? A vision leaped into his head—Jia lying on the ground with broken bones, blood seeping from her head.
Not my problem, he told himself, but the vision kept replaying in his mind. “I’ll be right there.”
Two seconds later, he materialized in the courtyard of Tiger Town. Immediately, he scanned the noisy crowd, looking for Jia. He spotted her guards, Rajiv, J.L., Zoltan, and Neona. The townspeople were jabbering about birds and the dragon shifter. No mention of Jia. No sight of her, either.
J.L. waved him over, so he strode toward the tiger statues that guarded the stairs to the palace.
“We have news,” J.L. began, motioning to an owl that was eating from a bowl on the stairs. “This is Queen Nima’s owl from Beyul-La. It saw Master Han and Xiao Fang last night. Han was showing the boy how the valley is destroyed and trying to convince him that the warrior women and all the dragons are dead.”
So the news had nothing to do with Jia. Russell didn’t want to acknowledge the relief that swept through him. Instead, he concentrated on what J.L. had just said. “Han is trying hard to gain the boy’s trust. That’s a good sign. It means the boy is resisting.”
Neona grimaced. “It was cruel of Han to tell Xiao Fang that all the other dragons are dead. Thank God the owl was there to tell him the truth.”
“So the dragon shifter can communicate with birds?” Russell asked.
“Yes,” Zoltan replied and motioned to a young boy. “Norjee can, too. He’s the one who gave us the information from the owl.”
“Xiao Fang said he and Han are in a new camp, one that is entirely underground,” J.L. added. “He’s going to ask the nearby birds to spread the news of his location, and hopefully, that news will eventually reach us here.”
A bird grapevine? Russell wasn’t sure it would work. It wasn’t like the birds could relay the latitude and longitude. Their directions might end up somewhat vague in translation. Still, it was worth a shot. “You say Han has gone underground?”
“Yes,” J.L. replied. “No idea where.”
“If we could just find the general area,” Rajiv said, “then my uncles could sniff him out. They can pick up a vampire’s scent from three miles away.”
“I’ll do some eavesdropping,” Russell offered. “Maybe I can figure out the location of this new camp. See you later.” After the others thanked him, he strode back through the crowd.
He was going to have to step up his game. If the Vamps and were-tigers discovered Han’s location first, they would attack, and he might miss his chance at killing Han himself. There were others equally determined to kill Han. Like Jia.
He scanned the crowd once more. Where the hell was she? He moved to the top of the stairs that led down to the riverbank. From here, he could see her house at the edge of the bluff. No rope hanging from the window. No movement on the riverbank or among the houses on the river. Everyone was behind him in the courtyard.
A movement caught his eye. To the north and barely discernible, there was a canoe crossing the river. One occupant. It had to be her. A strange spurt of pride erupted in his chest, and he smiled. Jia had done it. She’d managed her escape. Clever, courageous girl.
Foolish girl. His smile faded. How did she think she was going to find Han on her own? How could she endanger herself when she had family and a whole town who loved her? Why couldn’t she be happy playing princess? A betrothed princess.
He glanced back at Rajiv. One word and he could end Jia’s great escape. His chest tightened at the thought of disappointing her once again.
But he couldn’t let her do this. He would talk to her, convince her to go back on her own. Then she wouldn’t have to endure the humiliation of being caught and dragged home. He focused on the far side of the river, selecting a place to teleport. No doubt she would be angry when he appeared. She might even slap him.
A little pain was worth it if he could keep her safe.
The thought gave him a small shock. Why did he care what happened to her? What was this woman doing to him that she occupied his thoughts so much?
He shook his head. She’s not my problem.
Her canoe reached the shore.
“Dammit,” he muttered and teleported.
Jia was a few feet away, her back turned to him as she heaved the canoe up onto dry land. Her boots had gotten wet when she’d disembarked, and now they squished with every step she took. On her back, she had a pack with a bedroll strapped to the bottom. Her long hair was braided and swayed each time she gave the canoe a tug.
“Going somewhere?”
With a squeak, she spun around to face him. “Russell!” She pressed a hand to her chest. “Good God, you scared me.” She took a deep breath, then her eyes widened and she eased back a few steps. “Don’t you dare . . .”
He moved toward her. “What?”
She held up a hand to stop him. “Don’t come any closer. I know not to trust you now. I won’t let you teleport me back home.”
“Then get back in the canoe and paddle yourself home.”
“I will not! I’m heading west, and you won’t stop me.”
“I can—”
“No!” Her eyes simmered with anger. “I’ve come too far. So help me, if you stop me now, I will shift and rip you to pieces.”
“You can shift now?” Russell glanced up at the moon that was less than half full.
She glowered at him. “I’ll shift in two and a half weeks. And then I’ll hunt you down. You won’t be able to hide from me. I’ll track you down and—”
“Wait.” Russell held up a hand. “Can you really track a vampire by his scent?”
“Yes.” She lifted her chin. “I can track just as well as my uncles. I can do everything the men do, but they won’t let me.”
Russell winced. “I’m sure it must be frustrating—”
“You have no idea. There’s no one telling you what to do. You’re . . .” Her eyes shimmered with tears. “You’re free.”
Free? Didn’t she realize his obsession was like a prison? He couldn’t be free until he killed Han. “Jia.” He stepped toward her. “They’ll be worried sick about you. You can’t endanger yourself. You’re a princess.”
Her eyes flashed. “Don’t call me that.”
“For God’s sake, Jia, you have family that loves you. Don’t you know how fortunate you are? I would give any—” He stopped midword, not wanting to think about all the people he’d lost.
She gave him an entreating look. “If you understand the importance of family, then let me do this.”
He swallowed hard. “And the wedding? Have you forgotten you’re engaged?”
“I’ll decide if I want to do that later. For now, I’m doing what I have to. Just like you.”
He walked away a few steps, considering what to do. If he took her back, he would hate himself almost as much as she would. But he couldn’t let her venture off on her own. If something happened to her, how could he live with that? He already had the guilt of so many deaths on his shoulders. How could he handle another death, especially when it was her—an innocent, brave, and beautiful young woman whose only crime was that she loved her family too much to let their deaths go unpunished?
Take her with you, an inner voice urged him. No. He shook his head. It would be a disaster. She would make him . . . care. You already do.
No! He rejected that immediately. No more thoughts about feelings. He had no feelings. His heart was dead. He lived only to kill Han. He needed to track the bastard down in whatever hole he was hiding in—
He stiffened with a sudden idea and spun toward her. “You can sniff out a vampire?”
“Yes.” She shrugged. “But only if I’m within a few miles of him.”
“What if he’s underground?”
“If he’s not surrounded by tons of rock, I should be able to.” She tilted her head, watching him warily. “What are you thinking?”
“You might . . . be useful.”
Her eyes widened. “Then you’ll team up with me? We can be partners?”
“Maybe.” He held up a hand to keep her from getting too excited. “I’m not sure if this is a good idea. Your cousin would want to kill me.”
“I won’t let him.” Jia strode toward him, a smile blossoming on her face. “Can we start tonight?”
“I need to test your abilities first.”
She nodded. “I can do it.”
“That remains to be seen. I’ll teleport you three miles away from my secret hideout. Then I’ll go there and wait one hour. If you don’t find me, the deal is off. I’ll find you and teleport you home.”
She winced. “And if I do find you?”
“We’ll be a team.”
Her grin returned full force. “I’ll find you. You’ll see.”
He had to be out of his freakin’ mind. Russell reached for her to teleport, but she surprised him by throwing her arms around his neck and nuzzling her face against his chest.
“What are you doing?” He grabbed her by the upper arms and tried to ease her back, but she tightened her grip around his neck.
“I have to know your scent.” She rubbed her nose against his shirt. “Lean over, please.”
He leaned forward slightly, and she buried her nose in the crook of his neck. Her fingers delved into his hair, loosening the strands from the ponytail so she could get a good sniff.
“I can’t track down any old vampire I might detect,” she whispered against his neck. “It has to be you.”
His hands tightened on her arms. Already his groin was reacting. How on earth was he going to work with this woman, a betrothed princess, when he longed to hold her in his arms?
Her breath was warm and sweet against his neck. All he had to do was turn his head and he could kiss her. Would she let him? Would she curl up against him like a tiger kitten and purr?
He shoved that thought away. This was business. Only business.
Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire Page 7
