By the Horns (25 page)

She was angry at him and he was frustrated with her. Their emotions heightened their arousal, but the tension sure as hell would explode between them later if they didn’t hash out their conflict before this kiss went further.

He drew back from her sweet mouth and locked his gaze with hers. “I didn’t set you up, but you’re right. I did want you to fail. I need to keep you safe, but I can’t protect you from Snake.”

The words were hard to draw out, like stitches embedded in his skin. He flinched as he plucked them, yet the pressure in his chest eased.

Her small body trembled against him while her warm pants brushed across his skin. She writhed, but he held firm. They would see an end to this.

“That talk about me being part of the Chosen, your family, that was bullshit.” She blinked as moisture glistened in her eyes.

Yeah, he was a bastard for giving her a false gift and snatching it back. He hated hurting her, yet the pain returned to him tenfold. “I meant it when I said it. Just like I mean this now. You
are
my family, Nat. With or without Snake, you are
mine
.”

A war waged in her cocoa eyes, matching the one engaged inside his heart. How could he let go of what he believed he wanted, and shoot for the one thing he’d never dreamed he could have?

He didn’t fucking know, but one thing was certain. Nat felt right in his arms. The connection they’d shared years earlier was stronger than ever. Although they’d grown separately, they’d followed the same damn path.

Not apart, but together. Parallel. The idea of losing her was a sacrifice he refused to make. His resolve wavered. Had he done the right thing by outing her to the Matchmaker? Part of him wished he could eat his words.

“Tell me what you want. I swear to you, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.” Hell, if she told him to rescind his statement, he would. If she asked him to march into the Matchmaker’s bedroom and wake her in the middle of the night, he would.

For one more moment in her arms, he’d forfeit everything.

Right here, right now, he’d protect her. He’d keep her safe. Maybe they could figure out a way to prevent Snake’s evil from tarnishing Nat.

The threat of Zhao faded into the background.

Her luscious scent. Her sweet lips and soft body. He understood what Sheng had felt with Lucy. Why he’d risked everything to be with her.

Because Kassian would do the same for Nat.

Her breath left her body on a shudder. “You say so now, but I know you, Kassian. You’ll sing a different tune in the morning. You never wanted me to have Snake.” She shoved his chest and he backed off.

Was she right? Had he let the moment carry him away? Shit. He raked one hand through his hair. No, being with Nat didn’t feel like a momentary lapse, but rather a breath of clarity.

“Go to bed. We’ll talk tomorrow,” she whispered, one arm wrapped around her body, gaze facing the floor.

Dammit. His mouth had run off and made promises Nat deemed he wouldn’t keep. Tonight, he couldn’t prove her wrong.

He would tomorrow.

“I’ll take it back. All of it. If that’s what you want.” He nodded at her.

She regarded him as though contemplating his offer. “Good night, Kassian.”

He took the cue to leave and stomped down the hall. She was right, dammit. Not only had he gone back on his promises of her life as a Chosen, he’d betrayed her and, hell, probably out of a subconscious sense of vengeance. Who the fuck knew? He could make this right. He
would
.

Kassian strode to the end of the hallway. Fuck. No. Not tomorrow. Tonight. He wouldn’t spend another second of his life regretting the way he’d left things with Nat. If they didn’t resolve this tonight, the wound would fester.

He stormed back down the hall to Nat’s room and pounded on the door. She didn’t open it this time. He frowned, shuffling his feet as he waited. Pounded again. Waited some more. Why didn’t she answer?

Images of Nat hurt or unconscious tore through his mind so he backed up and rushed forward, slamming his shoulder against the wood. The door snapped off its hinges as he smashed through. He scanned the room. Empty. He tossed the mattress to the floor, but Nat wasn’t hiding under the bed. He flung open the closet, but nope.

Then he stalked to the open window.

Shit.

Chapter 22

Nat leapt from rooftop to rooftop. She’d longed to stay with Kassian, but she couldn’t. Even if she believed he sought to make up for his betrayal, she refused to risk this opportunity. She’d waited years for this power. With Snake, she had a chance to defeat
him
.

Her father.

This might be her only shot. If she never took this chance, she’d regret it for the rest of her life.

She landed on a rooftop, sprinted to the far side, and climbed down the fire escape. Time to head forward on the ground. She patted her small duffle bag. Her disguise was inside along with her passport and a wad of cash. If she hoped to make a clean getaway before the others searched for her, she should hire a private plane. The smaller the better.

She wended through the empty nighttime streets, checking over her shoulder to ensure she wasn’t being followed. As she rounded a corner, her senses pricked. She paused and waited, then peeked past the corner of the building to scan behind her. The street was empty. Her instincts processed in overtime, making her jumpy.

After how she’d dismissed him, Kassian would stay away until morning. No one else would be looking for her…except maybe Zhao.

She tensed and listened for any clues. Her breaths panted heavily from her mouth so she switched to inhaling and exhaling through her nose. A siren echoed in the distance. Several dogs yipped at each other. She whirled around and kept trekking forward.

A hand clamped over her mouth and smothered her cry. She reared back, launching her elbow into her assailant’s middle. He—judging from the size of the hand and the masculine grunt—cinched his arms tighter around her, drawing her into the shadows.

Oh, hell no. She stomped her heel on top of his foot. He sharply inhaled, hopping sideways. She jabbed her elbow into his kidney. His arms loosened and she squirmed free, bolting forward.

His arms shot out and clamped around her waist. She twisted to assess her assailant and scan for any weaknesses.

She froze. “Kassian?”

He used her surprise to his advantage, hauling her against him. “Fuck. Stop fighting, Nat. Be quiet.”

She would have protested the “stop fighting” command, but she wasn’t one to make any sound when she’d been warned to be quiet. Her ears strained to catch whatever made Kassian suspicious.

Muffled footsteps halted. The clang of metal rolling against concrete died as though someone had kicked a can into the street.

Crap. She’d been followed, twice.

How the hell had Kassian snuck up on her? The man was about as stealthy as an elephant stampede.

She slid out of his arms and pointed toward the fire escape. They required a better vantage point to spot whoever had tailed her.

If it hadn’t been Kassian, who the hell was it?

Sneaking away in the middle of the night had become a much more complicated mission than she’d anticipated, but she’d been trained by the best.

She’d lose this tail and, afterward, she’d lose Kassian.

She climbed to the roof, Kassian behind her. At the top, she cloaked Snake to spring to the opposite side. Kassian did the same, but used Ox to cross the distance. They had to gain a few steps before they could trail back while their tracker played catch up.

Using Snake, she dashed from rooftop to rooftop. Ox bounded behind her. After one final leap, she doubled back at an angle and settled behind a chimney with a good view of her path.

Kassian tucked in behind her. His body tense, he seemed frustrated by how she’d snuck off, yet they had bigger problems.

Her stomach dropped as the first slithery limb followed the route she’d set. Yep, much bigger problems. Problems…with friends.

Dozens of shadowy figures played follow the leader, winding, creeping, crawling, and flying.

“
Yāoguài
. Demons. Shit,” Kassian cursed under his breath.

“A lot of them. Any idea where they came from?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Zhao.”

She bit her lip. Not good. “Come on.”

“No, we should settle on a plan first.” He eyed the dark wave of creatures.

“Who says I don’t have one?” She tugged his arm and leapt several stories down to the street. Demons were a pain, but one she’d dealt with before. Too many times.

Tonight, she had the spirit of Snake on her side.

Demons could only travel in straight lines—which was why many roads in Asia were curvy. If she cut a curved, diagonal path, the demons would have to follow straight lines along the city’s grid to catch up—and therefore she’d buy a few extra minutes.

Second, they hated light and, thereby, firecrackers. Nat determined precisely where this battle would go down.

Zhao would learn the hard way—tonight—that he couldn’t intimidate her. If he sought an encore, he should have come himself.

Kassian followed her to a building at the port. Their visit earlier today hadn’t been a complete loss. The Matchmaker had taught her to observe her surroundings and process everything—because any small fact might present an advantage. The warehouse she’d entered to confront Mei in the restroom stored crates. Boxes filled with fireworks to be shipped out.

“Okay.” Kassian eyed the large structure. “You going to let me in on your plans or should I stand around and make myself pretty?”

Her traitorous gaze glided across his hot body. Pretty wasn’t going to require any effort from him.

“I’m going to find a match. A lighter. Anything. You make torches.”

“Plan?” He folded his arms and stared her down.

“We’re going to light this place up.”

“By ‘light up,’ you mean…?”

“Oh yeah, there’ll be fireworks, babe.” She cast him a grin and set off at a jog toward the manager’s office. One of the employees must be a smoker. She cracked the lock on the door, approached the desk, and tossed out the contents of the drawer onto the top. Ha! Her hand closed around the small blue lighter and she sprinted out of the office.

Kassian knocked together a few torches out of crate wood and greasy drop cloths. He tilted them toward her and she tipped the light to them. The dry, oil-soaked cloths burst into flames.

“Push the crates of fireworks toward the center of the room. We’ll draw the demons into the warehouse, trap them inside, and blow everything up.”

He cocked a thick brow. “You’re having a bit too much fun with this, aren’t you?”

She grinned back. “This isn’t my first run-in with demons, and I hate those pricks.”

“Well, let’s start this bonfire.” He handed her the torches and stacked the crates in the center of the warehouse. Using Snake’s talents, she climbed the wall, for once thankful Kassian had trained her on that flagpole. She’d learned how to rely on Snake for balance so she could better concentrate on her goals.

She traipsed along the high beam stretched from one end of the warehouse to the other and perched in the center. A perfect morsel of bait.

A chill crept down her spine. The demons were close. “Kassian. Up. Now,” she barked at him, but she’d been wrong.

The demons weren’t coming.

They were already here.

Kassian was still below…right on top of the explosives.

***

Kassian craned his neck to catch Nat’s words as the air in the warehouse cooled several degrees. Ox pawed inside him, sensing danger.

Yeah, a little late with the warning, buddy.

A low hiss echoed behind him and, again, on his right. The shadowy forms of the demons brushed past the weathered windowpanes, seeking entrance.

One four-inch claw scraped down the glass, emitting a high-pitched screech that rang in Ox’s ears. Kassian clamped his hands over his ears to seal out the noise.

Fuck. He swung his gaze to his left. The claw had been a distraction. Leathery-winged demons swarmed into the warehouse, fanning out to surround him. Their forms condensed in and out of corporeality as they advanced. Until they consumed enough human souls,
yāoguài
couldn’t assume permanent form in this realm. They belonged in
Dìyù
—hell—which was where Kassian intended to return them. The ones with bat-like wings had red glowing eyes. The ones prowling on four legs stalked them like panthers, their yellow cat-like stares targeted on their prey.

Him.

Others climbed the walls of the warehouse, swinging like monkeys. Long limber arms and legs. Minus the tails.

He backed toward the crates and climbed to the top of the pile. He might be king of the mountain, but this mountain was about to blow. Craning his neck, he spotted Nat. She held the torches, but they were close to burning out. If she didn’t drop them soon, they’d both be dead.

He opened his mouth and she shook her head vehemently. “No. Don’t say it.”

She hadn’t guessed what he was about to suggest. Not entirely.

Nat was Snake and Snake’s tail was…fucking long. “Use Snake’s tail. Drop the torches and swing me out. You can do it.”