Shifting the Night Away (67 page)

Seven

Li scanned Wen’s room, but the spirit was not inside. Neither was Wen.

Several men yelled from the gardens below. He vaulted off the balcony and flashed through the maze of plants with his gift of supernatural speed. The escalating clatter of shouting men originated from the far side of the gardens.

He skidded to a halt beside one column. A dozen of his servants closed in on Wen, bearing household weapons of destruction. Rakes. Axes. A fire extinguisher.

Bloody hell. Wen snapped back at the angry men, but they continued to advance on her.

A deep and primal instinct surged inside him. No way in
Dìyù
would they touch Wen.

Li stormed forward, ready to annihilate them for daring to threaten her. “Enough. Leave her be or I will have your heads.”

“Master, please.” Chen, one of his long-time servants stepped forward. The man raised an unsteady hand and pointed, not at Wen, but behind her.

Oh shit.

“We must kill the beast before it feasts upon us all.”

“Aye!”

More cries of agreement arose from the gathering crowd.

Cat had disobeyed him once again. He grasped the key around his neck.

“Cat won’t hurt anyone, I promise.” Wen fastened her green, pleading gaze on him. “Please, make them stop. They’re scaring Cat.”

“You don’t mean to tell us the beast is the one frightened, miss.” One gardener scoffed.

“Enough.” Li sliced his hand through the air, silencing them, and strode through the throng toward Wen.

She straightened her shoulders as he approached, notching her chin. “Cat won’t hurt them.”

“Begone with you. Back to your tasks.” At his command, his servants shuffled away. They knew better than to question their Master.

Unlike Wen.

“You cannot make such promises, little mortal.” He folded his arms. “The beast is powerful. You are fragile and in need of protection.”

She planted her hands on her hips, accentuating those lush curves. His body stirred, aching for one more sweet taste.

“I can protect myself.”

“I’m sure you can.” A smile tugged at his lips.

“Don’t patronize me.” An angry huff blew from her mouth. “I may be a lowly mortal to you, but even I can see what you can’t.”

He cocked his head, intrigued by every second he spent in her presence. “What is that?”

“Everyone deserves a second chance.” She spun on her heel and marched to the beast’s side.

A second chance? Hope sparked inside his chest, a yearning that Wen might perceive the same worth inside him.

She wouldn’t, because it wasn’t there.

“What do you propose?” He refused to agree to anything which might place her in danger, yet he couldn’t argue the beast intended her harm. It had plenty of opportunity to devour Wen and had not done so yet.

“Let me train it.” She lifted and dropped her shoulders. “I’ll take full responsibility for Cat. Please, let it be free.”

Her imploring eyes were impossible to deny. He too, had experienced the same sensation of pity for the creature. Cat could never leave his island. There was nowhere else in Heaven or on Earth for the beast.

Which meant, if Cat stayed, Wen would stay here too.

***

Li stared at her, hard, as though attempting to penetrate Wen’s defenses. To find a weakness in her.

Well, he wouldn’t. She met his gaze straight on.

“You do realize, once you’ve given the beast freedom, you can’t take it away.” He folded his hands behind his back and glanced sideways at her. “You can’t leave it, or this place.”

Right. Her breath stuck in her lungs. That would mean no more Lotus duty for her.

Would it be so bad? Stuck on this tropical island with a gorgeous man and a magical beast? It would be an adventure of a lifetime. What about her brother? About avenging the world? Living here would be like forgetting about the suffering…

Like hiding.

Her mind churned over the possibilities. Cat bent forward and licked her palm. As a Lotus, she had the potential to aid hundreds of souls. Here, she could make a difference to one.

Vengeance had driven her to join the Lotus League, but who was to say Cat wouldn’t be her key to retribution? Li possessed a vast collection of talismans for her to “borrow.” Once she trained Cat, well, the spirit would make one badass sidekick.

With Cat and Li, she’d found not one, but two beings to grow to love. Just as Matthew had wished for her.

It was an enormous risk, but her heart gave her the answer. “Yes. I’ll stay.”

“You’ll give up your dream of becoming a Lotus?” He lifted one brow. Like he didn’t want her to say no.

She didn’t want to, either. “Yes.”

“I’ll inform the Matchmaker of your decision.”

The decision pooled like cement in her gut, but sometimes, hard choices meant sacrifice.

He stalked toward her, a wicked glint in his eye that made the cement in her stomach liquefy, fluttering bubbles of air bursting through and lightening the weight. When he reached her, he trailed his fingertips down her arm, sending spiking shivers of anticipation firing beneath her skin.

He leaned in, his warm breath fanning across her neck. “What am I going to do with you, now that you’re mine?”

She moaned and closed her eyes.

“You are going to remove your hands from my Lotus.” A cool feminine voice raked across her skin like a diamond cutting through glass. What the hell?

They both whirled around and faced the Matchmaker.

“I didn’t summon you.” A tic worked in Li’s jaw.

She glided past him to stand next to Wen. “No, but you’ve caused quite a commotion here.” She glanced at Wen, her calculating gaze assessing. “Haven’t, you, Wen?”

Wen blinked at the woman. Why was she here?

“You as well,
sayang
.” The Matchmaker beckoned for Cat using the term of endearment, and the spirit rubbed its head against the woman’s manicured hand. “Are you certain?” She spoke to the beast, and whatever their conversation was about, it passed over her head. Judging by Li’s hard expression, it surpassed his too.

“Very well then.” The Matchmaker concluded with a nod. “Wen, Cat and I have a proposition for you.”

“Oh-okay.” She gripped her left wrist in her right hand.

The Matchmaker’s heels clacked on the stones as she strolled to a bush and bent to smell a pink blossom. “Cat was banished from Heaven, and forbidden from the Earth, many years ago. Cat isn’t the malicious creature the Council has deemed it.” She released the flower and glanced at them over her shoulder. “I promised the spirit my aid. Are you aware of the Chosen?”

“The Twelve Zodiacs?” Wen studied her with augmenting intrigue.

“Yes, well, through another series of unfortunate events, Cat was not given a place among the years as they were. More than that, they were each paired with a human host and given the responsibility of fighting for the balance of the Earth.”

“Okay, but what does this have to do with Cat?”

“Cat cannot leave here…by itself.” The Matchmaker plucked the flower and sauntered to Wen, then laced the flower behind Wen’s ear. “It is a spirit, like the others. It can be…paired.”

“With me?”

“Indeed. Cat has long searched for a compatible host. The panther who marked you,” she waved toward Wen’s scars, “did so at Cat’s request. Today, you have proven yourself worthy.”

Li cleared his throat. “The Jade Emperor pairs the Chosen spirits, Matchmaker. I’m not sure he would do the same for Cat.”

“True, Li Tieguai, but he is not the only one with the ability to manipulate a spirit.”

The hairs on the back of her neck spiked. What was the Matchmaker suggesting? How many tricks did she have up her silk sleeves?

“Yes or no, Wen. I must have your answer.”

She fingered the petals of the blossom in her hair. “If I agree to this, what will it mean for me?”

“Aside from assuming Cat’s wondrous powers, you would be welcomed into my Lotus League. And…I am in need of a great ally on the Council.”

Holy crap, that was one crazy promotion. From dusting vases to a place on the Council of Elders? Could the Matchmaker even pull it off?

Wen bit down on her lip. Duh, what a question. The woman was as powerful as she was mysterious.

And always, calculating.

“You placed me here so I would meet Cat.”

Those obsidian eyes glinted with cunning. “Yes. You were marked. I wasn’t certain, of course, until Cat claimed you. Until you claimed Cat. Your willingness to defend and protect the spirit proves you are worthy of hosting it.”

Worthy? A few minutes ago, she’d agreed to stay here and train Cat not to eat the gardeners. Now, the Matchmaker proposed whisking her off to a seat on the Council of Elders.

Away from Li.

Her heart tugged in opposite directions. She’d craved redemption, but with Li, she’d yearned for something more.

Love.

She wrinkled her nose at the foolish idea. Li hadn’t ever offered love to her. He’d only pushed her away. Maybe he’d be glad to be rid of her at last. She’d caused him no end of grief since her arrival.

“You will, of course, remain here while you learn to bond with the spirit. It is better to keep this in secret.” The Matchmaker winked.

“How is this even possible? Did the Jade Emperor sanction—”

“I have my methods.” She snapped her fingers and two figures strolled forward from around the corner. A man and woman, holding hands. “Meet my Chosen.”

Behind her, Cat let out a low mewl. A greeting?

The approaching man pegged her with his intense stare, a familiarity in the glint of his dark eyes setting her at ease. An instant later, he vanished as a giant, gray-striped tiger took his form. Like a hologram flipping, the image of the man disappeared into that of the creature.

Cat leapt forward, slowing as it advanced toward the Tiger. The two large felines treaded closer to one another, not making eye contact, but finally nearing enough to bump noses in a feline greeting. The black panther was slightly smaller than the enormous tiger, but they were both powerful, giant cats.

Whatever had happened at the Great Race, these two spirits weren’t enemies.

Wen’s gaze whipped to the woman and she hoped like hell that wasn’t Rat.

Her fears eased as the woman’s image shifted into the form of an enormous white rabbit.

Cat left Tiger to greet Rabbit, but the bunny shied from the large feline and adhered to the Tiger’s side. Wasn’t Tiger also a predator?

Odd. The relationship between the couple must transcend their spirits’ natural instincts.

The man uncloaked the Tiger and the woman copied him. “I’m Sheng, and this is Lucy. I can’t help you, but she can.” He gave her a reassuring nudge forward, his hand coming to rest on the small of her back. The intimacy of their relationship was almost tangible.

“Hi.” Lucy tucked a strand of her silver-streaked brown hair behind her ear and stuck out her hand.

“Hello. I’m Wen.” She shook Lucy’s hand, assessing the woman. Her golden eyes were kind, soft. Gentle. Could she really do what they claimed?

This whole situation seemed fantastical, but then again, she was living on a magical island with an immortal who’d kissed her like a man on the edge of death.

Wen shook herself and focused on Lucy. “How exactly are you going to put Cat inside me?”

Lucy glanced at Sheng, who nodded. “That’s the easy part. I’m a
Shèhúnzéi.
A Spirit Thief.”

Behind her, a low whistle. Wen twisted to catch Li staring at the pair, his brows drawn together in deep bewilderment.

“Oh, that’s right. Li Sheng, meet your ancestor, Li Tieguai.” The Matchmaker’s extended arm swept between the two men.

The fluttering in her stomach sank. No wonder Sheng had seemed familiar to her. Those intense eyes. That broad-shouldered confidence.

The two men regarded each other with caution, like two alphas who’d stumbled into each other’s territories. Awkward didn’t begin to describe this situation.

“Wow. Your ancestor, Sheng.” Lucy beamed and stuck her hand out toward Li, but the immortal stared at it as though he didn’t know what a handshake was.

The shock must be too much. After all, Li had to be Sheng’s great, great, great, whatever number of greats, yet they appeared nearly the same age. Each of the twelve Chosen was selected from the descendants of the Eight Immortals, but Li froze as if he’d never contemplated the notion of his lineage.

Lucy edged closer to Sheng, claiming the space at his side in a united stand against the world. The longing to do the same with Li pulsed through Wen, but could anyone break through the hard shell of his demons?

Could she?