By the Horns (5 page)

Oh, hell no. Despite Kassian’s snub, he
did
care, and he
would
stand in her way of getting the Snake. No matter the cost to himself. The heroic fool.

The Matchmaker wouldn’t be crossed. And neither would Nat.

If she didn’t act, he’d ruin her chance at fulfilling her vows.

She backed down the corridor. At the end, she turned and hurried down the stairs. After exiting the lobby doors, she grimaced at her bare feet and skimpy T-shirt, but whatever. Ignoring the occasional gawking passerby and lewd cat-call, she sprinted straight back to the Matchmaker’s hideout.

Kassian would be pissed, but he’d also be exactly where she required him.

Cornered.

Chapter 4

The second Kassian hung up, the hairs on the back of his neck pricked. The metal frame of the phone crunched in his hand, so he forced his hand open and dropped the phone before he crushed it altogether.

He whipped his head toward the open doorway. No Nat. Sure, he’d issued a threat, but it had been an empty one. He’d expected her to stroll back inside, head held high. Sniffing, he let Ox’s senses assume control.

Gone.

Fuck. In the future, he’d be a hell of a lot clearer in his threats. Not a doubt in his mind, she was headed for the Matchmaker. She’d make it there before him. He glared at the dented phone on the floor. The lump of metal was like his pride. Defeated. He should find another phone, call Sheng, and beg the man to wait until Kassian arrived, but the other Chosen were against him. Not a single one on his side.

Mei—Monkey’s host—would have been. His heart panged at the reminder of their youngest Chosen who’d been dragged to their enemy’s lair. Sheng’s brother, Delun—the new host of the Dragon—claimed she was fine, but how the hell could he be certain? Two months had passed, and Mei remained a prisoner.

Not for much longer, though. If the order didn’t come from above to pull her out soon, Kassian would take matters into his own hands. Screw the consequences. He was already in deep shit for crossing the Matchmaker tonight.

He ran a hand across his jaw. He shouldn’t care about Nat hosting the Snake. After everything she’d put him through, he should leave her to her doomed fate.

When it came to Natalie, though, he’d long ago abandoned the virtues of sound logic.

Kassian sighed in resignation as he stuffed his feet into his shoes, careful of the bandage on his left foot, and locked his apartment. He’d clean up the glass later. Nat hadn’t heeded his advice, going above him to get what she sought, but he could still do damage control. If Snake was evil, he’d ensure the spirit didn’t swallow Nat up.

If any of them could challenge the sly Snake and win, it was the Ox.

***

Kassian arrived at the Matchmaker’s secret hideout and paused at the door. Judging from the muffled sounds inside, everyone had gathered. He lifted his hand to knock, but the door opened.

The Matchmaker’s glittering eye peered at him through the slit. She didn’t utter a word, regarding him with a raised, thin brow.

He swallowed hard. By stealing Nat away, he’d directly disobeyed her.

He blew a breath and raked one hand through his hair. Who the hell knew what nasty punishment she had in mind for him? “I…ah.”

“You’re just in time.” Her cool, authoritative voice scraped down his spine. He winced. Oh yeah, this would be bad.

The calmer she acted, the more pissed off she really was.

The door opened wider, and he peeked inside. Lucy and Nat faced each other. Lucy’s hands rested on Nat’s shoulders. Using her gift of
Shèhúnzéi
—Spirit Thief—Lucy had the ability to snatch away any of their spirit animals. She could also deposit them into any person she chose.

It was a hell of a gift, and one they kept under utmost secrecy—hence the private digs in KL instead of the Council Chambers in Penang, Malaysia. Lucy already had enough of a target on her back, what with her uncle being one of the crazy masterminds behind the plan to overthrow the world.

Lucy tilted her head, and the spirit of the Snake withdrew from her in a vaporous blue mist, swirling and circling around Nat before slipping inside her.

Her knees buckled. Kassian rushed forward and scooped Nat into his arms. He scanned her face as her eyelids fluttered.

“Nat?” he called softly, but she didn’t respond.

“She should sleep it off.” Lucy laid a gentle hand on his arm and smoothed the hair back from Nat’s face. “It’s quite a transformation, but she’ll be fine.” The forced smile Lucy sent his way did nothing to calm the turbulence churning his gut.

Nat hadn’t been born with the Snake. What would it be like to be
given
a spirit? Each of the Chosen here had been bestowed theirs by the Jade Emperor at birth. Even Delun, whose Dragon spirit had been stolen from him as a child by Lucy’s father—also a Spirit Thief. The Dragon had been passed around quite a bit. From Lucy’s father to her uncle Xiaodan, then back again when her dad had disagreed with Xiaodan’s plans to overthrow the world. Lucy’s dad had hidden the Dragon inside Lucy, who’d realized its true host was Delun.

Lucy had given Delun back the Dragon, and now he and Tiger sought to clean up the mess Xiaodan had made.

Technically, the spirits’ loyalties fell beneath Tiger and Dragon. But Zhao, Snake’s previous host, had stepped out of line, claiming Chicken and Boar for himself. Since Lucy snatched Snake, though, those Zhao had collected were back up for grabs. If anyone could discover their locations, that was.

The loyalties of the Chosen were currently divided between two factions, two
Kongsi
. The Hai San
Kongsi
, of which Sheng was the leader, and the Ghee Hin
Kongsi
, previously led by Zhao.

Zhao, Snake’s former host, hadn’t been born with the spirit either. Years ago, Lucy’s dad had handed it to Zhao.

After Lucy had stolen Snake back, Zhao took off with the Empress—the Ghee Hin’s female leader on the Council of Elders—and was hiding somewhere with Mei as his prisoner.

Since Zhao’s defection, Delun had secured leadership of the Ghee Hin, but their members were shady, and it was impossible to tell who could be trusted, and who Zhao’s scumbag moles were.

Kassian shifted Nat in his arms. Her body had gone limp, unconscious. “Fine, my ass. If anything happens to Nat because of the Snake, I’m holding you accountable.” Glaring at Sheng, he dismissed the sympathy in his friend’s frown. He turned his back on them and carried Nat the hell out of there.

“Report back to Kek Lok Si. She must be trained.” The Matchmaker’s words echoed into the emptiness inside his chest.

***

Nat pried open her eyes. Smooth, tanned skin spanned before her vision. She inhaled and a familiar, comforting woodsy scent greeted her.
Kassian.

Wait. What?

She peeled off the steel arm wrapped around her waist and pushed to sit, processing her surroundings. Why the hell was she in bed with Kassian? Her body thrummed with energy, bursting with vigor, like a woman who’d spent the night getting—

Oh, no. She glanced down. Still wearing his T-shirt…and no panties.
Lovely.

She jerked her chin around to assess his state of dress.
Whew.
He was sound asleep and wore pants. She cleared her throat, but Kassian didn’t stir. His bare, broad chest rose and fell in a gentle rhythm. A frown marred his handsome features as though, even in sleep, he was frustrated with her.

The events of the night before crashed back into her memory. The Snake. She hosted the Snake.

Awesome.

She stretched out her right arm and flipped her wrist. Yesterday, she’d witnessed Kassian cloaking his spirit animal. How hard could it be? Pressing her lips together, she squinted and focused on her hand.

Come out, Snake.
Her arm trembled from the deep concentration. She bit harder on her lip and held her breath. Scales formed on the back of her hand, sharpening into glittering gold and red plates. Like armor. She tilted her wrist and her hand disappeared. Snakes didn’t have hands.

“Holy shit.”

She jolted. The scales vanished. She swiveled her head to face him. “Dammit, Kassian. I was trying to concentrate.”

Blinking, he rested back on his elbows. “Yeah. I got that.” He grinned. Half-lidded eyes, disheveled hair, and a sleepy yawn. His morning look was freakin’ sexy.

Self-consciousness gripped her. The way they’d left things… She shuffled to the edge of the bed.

He grasped her arm. “I’m sorry, Nat. Please understand, I’m trying to protect you.”

She froze at the genuine sincerity in his voice. “I do understand.” She glanced at him over her shoulder. “This is my destiny. The good and the bad.”

His greenish-brown eyes darkened. The intensity in the air sucked her lungs dry. She wet her lips, her gaze dropping to his mouth. That strong, square jaw framing firm, smooth lips. She’d had a crush on Kassian ever since she’d discovered
boys
. But four years her senior, he’d discovered girls a hell of a lot sooner, and she’d never entertained the idea he’d take an interest in her.

Until that night, when he’d kissed her out of the blue, a confession on the edge of his tongue she hadn’t stuck around long enough for him to complete. He’d held back from making any declaration of love, but had he felt that way about her? Six years, she’d twisted the possibility over in her mind, yet she had no right to the answer.

Not with how she’d hurt him.

This close to him, the urge to nibble his bottom lip, to taste him again, overwhelmed her. She’d never forgotten how he’d made her body come to life. How sparks had lit up between them and—

Kassian cleared his throat. Loudly.

She whirled, cursing under her breath. The blunt reminder of his vows stabbed guilt into her. The pressure of her own overlaid them.

“The Matchmaker wants us at Kek Lok Si as soon as possible.” Was that a husky note in his voice?

Kek Lok Si was the Hai San
Kongsi
’s main residence in Penang. Where the Chosen hung out and trained. “Oh, good. Let’s get going.” She hopped off the edge of the bed and made a break for the bathroom. Inside, she spotted her black duffle and whispered a prayer of thanks.

After she’d showered and dressed, she emerged from her hideout in the bathroom and found Kassian sweeping up the remnants of the shattered glass.

“Ready?” His simple question carried much more meaning than he’d ever guess.

She offered him a bright smile. “Am I ever.”

After piling into Kassian’s red Lamborghini Diablo—such a
guy
car—they drove to the island of Penang. The trip culminated four of the most awkward hours of her life. Kassian’s large body was squeezed inside the tiny red car, and his hand brushed against her thigh every time he reached for the gear shift.

The beat of the music didn’t help. The drone of the air conditioning didn’t conceal. Every breath she sucked in was laced with the words they’d spoken…and the ones they hadn’t.

They arrived at the temple carved into the mountainside, and Nat’s shoulders sagged in relief. She’d toured Kek Lok Si on many occasions but, today, this visit signaled the beginning of her new life.

A few weeks.
It shouldn’t take long to learn to control the spirit, and once she did, she’d be ready for her final task.
If
she survived being in this place with Kassian, that was.

***

“Home sweet home.” Kassian parked inside the underground level of Kek Lok Si and switched off the ignition. He swallowed back the apprehension clogging his throat and snuck a glimpse at Nat. Her brows were drawn together as if she were deep in concentration. That mind of hers, always calculating.

What he wouldn’t give to follow the direction of her thoughts. They might lend clarity to his because, as it was, he was bloody torn.

Nat was a Chosen. Family.

Again.

This time, they’d be together for the rest of their lives. Their very long lives. While not quite immortal, Chosen lived an indeterminate number of centuries.

She was a member of his family, but he didn’t have to treat her as his sister. His mind drifted to Sheng and Lucy… Sheng hosted the Tiger, Lucy the Rabbit. Both Chosen, yet they’d determined the boundaries of their relationship. Their very intimate relationship. Yep, there’d be wedding bells soon enough.

A picture of a bride focused in his mind but, as she lifted her veil, her face belonged to Natalie. Fuck. He muttered a curse for even considering the idea of a relationship with Nat. She didn’t seek a romantic future with him. She’d made that damn clear the day she’d left him.

Kassian didn’t intend for that future either. He’d taken vows to ensure he remained single. That no one would ever hold the power to shatter his heart again. He opened his door and strode around the car to get hers as well, but she exited before he had the chance. In silence, they headed toward the elevators and up to the third level. The Chosen would be in the training center.

As frustrated and angry as he was with Nat, his arms still ached to hold her again. He hadn’t been able to resist last night, but she hadn’t either. Sleeping and all that. Awake, she’d never let him touch her. She shouldn’t. He had bigger concerns, like saving the world.