Matching Dragons Chinese Zodiac Romance Series Book 6 (14 page)

Time has been kind to you, gorgeous. Oh, yeah
.

She moistened her lips, tingling spreading from her toes to her core.

Yeah, he had “bad boy, stay away at all costs” written across every lickable inch of him.

He met her stare straight on. “The Matchmaker. She said you would help me.”

Ling bit down a curse. Only that woman would be so meddlesome as to send an Immortal her way. She’d worked hard to build up her reputation as being the best supplier to the beings in the Jade Emperor’s world, but Immortals were clients she refused to serve.

Yet, the stone was important. She’d already managed to collect three other pieces. With this one, she’d be halfway to possessing all eight of them. Surely, she could put aside her trepidations and trade with Cao. The sacrifice would be worth it.

The fate of the world teetered on an even more precarious cliff now that the Red Death—a nasty plague—had done its job, dividing the lines between the humans and those of the Jade Emperor’s world. Some evil people had unleashed the Plague God and, in turn, the Red Death, several years ago. The pandemic had killed millions, effectively plowing the field and clearing the way for a new world.

One Ling would do anything to prevent from rising.

Except reveal her true nature. She’d been born a Chosen, a human host paired with one of the twelve spirit animals of the Chinese Zodiac—the Sheep. The Supreme Ruler of the Universe, the Jade Emperor, tasked the Chosen with restoring the balance of
yin
and
yang
to the world.

While she’d become friends with many of the other Chosen—Tiger, Rabbit, Ox, Snake, and Horse—the Matchmaker was the only person aware that Ling carried the Sheep. When she was little, the woman had instructed Ling to conceal her identity until the right moment. Although the waiting sucked, she had faith in the Matchmaker. The only other entities Ling trusted were Sheep and her
nǎinai
—her grandmother.

This small rock, and the others like it, just might hold the power to turn the tide. Her hunch was an untried theory, but if the Matchmaker had sent her this Immortal, then maybe Ling was on the right track.

Maybe her plan would work.

“What do you want in exchange?” She braced for the usual, impossible requests. Finding a cure for cancer, robbing a dragon’s lair, and her personal favorite—locating the peaches of immortality. Yeah, right. Like she would be looking for that tree anytime soon.

Not even if they paid me in chocolate.

He raked one hand through those unruly locks and her own hands itched with the desire to help him in the task. “I need to find someone.”

Oh.
She frowned. “Okay, sure. That shouldn’t be too hard.” With her resources and talent, there were few people she couldn’t locate. “Who do you want to find?”

He exhaled low and deep. “My—Wait, do you smell that?” He sniffed the air, eyes growing wide, and snatched her hand.

Before she could stop him, he dragged her up the stairs and down the narrow aisle. Just as they passed through the door, he wrapped his arms around her, sheltering her with his large body.

A shockwave flung them to the ground outside, booming through her bones and ringing in her ears. They smacked into the hard cement, Cao’s body cushioning her fall.

Smoke filtered into her nostrils while flames heated her back. Dazed, she lifted her head to gape at her grandmother’s shop.

Crumbling walls. Searing flames.

No. No, no.

The tiny shop had imploded, the remnants collapsing onto themselves.

With her grandmother still inside.

*****

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