Shifters of Grrr 1 (53 page)

Shit.

He scraped his hand along his jaw, staring at his cock, rock-hard and glistening.

Double fuck.

Her essence coated him. Her sweet honey made him all slippery and wet, and—

Hell.

He yanked his pants up and, checking to ensure Lucy was fast asleep, vacated her chamber. Before he made good on his wet dream.

In the hallway, he snuck inside the first unlocked, empty closet. He couldn’t stop himself—even if the whole world watched—from jerking off.

Closing his eyes, he pictured her sweet ass and pumped his hand up and down his shaft until the pressure built. Snatching a towel from the shelf, he gritted his teeth as his cock shot thick heavy spurts of cum. He hadn’t gotten off in weeks. Hadn’t ejaculated in months. With Lucy nearby, that should qualify him for sainthood.

As the last tremors released from his body, he eased his semi-hard shaft back into his pants, grimacing at the release of his
jīng
—a sexual energy that could be lost through the expulsion of semen. Dammit. He possessed better control than this. He’d had sex hundreds of times—and orgasmed—without ever ejaculating. So long as he didn’t spill his seed, he didn’t release his
jīng
energy. This practice kept him strong, powerful. In control.

After discarding the used towel in the laundry bin, he shook his head, pissed. Regret washed over him, muddying the gratification. If he hadn’t woken up, how far would he have taken things?

And Lucy. She’d been asleep. Fucking asleep. What the hell was wrong with him? Arrows of guilt shot into his chest, reprimanding his body and mind.

She’d been aroused.

Yeah, he didn’t need the devil buzzing in his ear. Lucy’s wetness on his dick didn’t mean a damn thing if she wasn’t even bloody awake.

Tiger chuffed as Sheng spun around and punched a hole in the wall. The sting in his hand helped, but he doubted Mei would be pleased with the new window from the supply closet into the office next door.

This would never happen again. Even if the Matchmaker’s warning didn’t drone in his ears, he had his own sense of honor to live up to. He would sleep with Lucy. One day. Hell, yeah. But not before he fulfilled his responsibilities. Not before she understood who and what she was. Not before she peered
inside his soul
. And didn’t fucking run away. Because there was no leashing Tiger when Sheng got down and dirty.

With Lucy? Damned impossible.

Most women didn’t notice anything other than his exceptional prowess in bed, but she would. She’d spot Tiger. The last thing he sought was for her to trance while he made love to her. That would bring him to a new low, a shame even his drowned experience with the Matchmaker wouldn’t top.

He adjusted himself and slipped from the closet, hoping Mei wouldn’t notice the hole for at least a few weeks. Rolling his shoulders, he strode toward the infirmary.

His ears perked as he stalked to Lucy’s room.

A whimper? He would have busted into the room, except her soft mewl suggested she experienced pleasure, not pain. He leaned his ear against the wooden door. Oh, yeah. The storm of attraction hadn’t been as unshared as he’d believed.

Behind this door, Lucy was getting off.

He suppressed a growl and clenched his fists to prevent them from twisting the knob and helping her finish.

The squeak of wheels distracted him. Down the hall, an orderly he hadn’t encountered before pushed a cart toward him, her gaze targeted on Lucy’s room.

He stepped in front of the entrance, blocking it, and stared down the new orderly. Lucy wasn’t done yet and he’d be damned if he didn’t let her finish. Didn’t listen to her muffled cries as her body exploded—

Okay, too much imagery. Shoving back his renewed arousal, he crossed his arms. The young woman halted ten feet from him and tucked a stray curl of red hair behind her ear. Pretty much every inhabitant of this place displayed some gesture of intimidation near him. Better to shroud a layer of mystery around himself than reveal what was on the inside. Without the Dragon, he’d only ever be half of the leader they deserved.

Flexing his biceps, he smirked as the woman’s eyes widened in admiration. She sucked her lower lip into her mouth.

Guess she liked the badass type.

“I have lunch for Miss Yeoh—”

A sharp jerk of his head cut her off. No one was going inside this room, not until his Lucy finished what he’d started. Possessiveness warmed through his chest, curling around his heart.

“Oh, okay. I’ll leave this here.” Her lips curved, her gaze straying everywhere but his, as though he were the piece of meat and she the carnivore. “I’ll be back. Around five.” She winked, bent, and adjusted the linen covering the cart as if he’d appreciate the view.

Trying too hard.

He rolled his eyes while she sashayed down the hall. He’d bet Tiger’s tail she’d be getting off tonight, dreaming about him.

One thing for certain, at five o’clock, he’d be anywhere but here.

Angling his body, he pressed his ear against the door once more. A soft, high-pitched mewl greeted his ears, rippling through his body like an aftershock, spiking his sated hunger back to its heightened state.

Fuck. Right now, she’d be all soft and warm, her muscles relaxed. He could ease into her, tearing through the barrier separating them as he plunged into her sex.

A line he refused to cross.

Not yet, at least.

After giving her a minute to recover, he twisted the knob.

***

The doorknob jiggled. Lucy wrenched her hand from between her thighs, squeezing them together as the spasms died. When Sheng had left, she’d just about exploded from the pent-up lust building inside her. It’d taken two orgasms to calm down, and she still ached for him.

Sheng’s dark locks poked through the doorway first. “You awake?” His gaze roamed over her, dwelling far too long on the apex of her thighs.

She squeezed her legs tighter. No way could he tell what she’d just done, right?

His eyes glinted with wickedness. The corner of his mouth lifted as though satisfied.

Damn him.

She’d been discreet, biting her cheek, stifling her moans into her pillow.
Maybe I’m reading too much into him.
He always carried that cocky assuredness.

He stalked into the room, pushing a cart in front of him. The spike in her libido eased as he parked the cart by her side.

As she stared at the white linen, her memories crashed back into her. Fighting with Sheng. Being determined to teach him a lesson. Hopping onto his back and him toppling on top of her. The agony in her arm.

Her focus whipped to said arm. She prodded the origin of the pain. Nothing. No cast, no scar, not even a bruise. What the heck? She shot an accusatory glare at Sheng. “My arm was broken.”

One of his thick brows lifted. “You only twisted it.”

Hell no, she hadn’t. “
I broke my arm.
” She clenched her jaw, grating the words. The sickening snap of bone echoed in her mind, strengthening her conviction.

“If your arm had been broken, it still would be. Your arm is fine.” His stance appeared so calm, so certain. Setting aside the silver lid, he adjusted the contents of her food tray. Congee, juice, and green, wiggly gelatin. She wrinkled her nose. Hospital food.
Yum.

She drew back, fumbling through her blurry memories. Had she been mistaken? “I thought I heard it break.”

“Probably the crack from when you dislodged your elbow, but we fixed you up. Nothing to worry about.” His dark gaze prowled over her, mesmerizing her. Was he going to go all predatory on her and send her into a trance again?

“Oh.” The concession slipped from her lips. Really, how could she counter that? No evidence of a break. Her arm looked normal.

“Rest. Eat up. We’ll train again tomorrow.” He nodded then vanished from the room as fluidly as he had entered, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Those treacherous little demons.

Lucy rotated her arm. Even if she’d only twisted it, she ought to experience some pain, but nope. She poked her elbow, pricking her nail into her skin, and yelped when it hurt. Her arm might be whole, but Sheng had kept the secret of how from her. She’d drag it out of him. Even if she had to do it with her teeth.

***

“You think I’m one of these animals?” Lucy raised a dubious brow. Maybe the incense was laced with something stronger than jasmine. Sheng had met her to train as promised, yet his definition of training differed vastly from hers. Instead of sparring in the gym, they sat in one of the temples, meditating.

Or rather, he attempted to meditate while she fired off one question after another.

“No.” He cracked one lid open and stared straight through to her soul. “You’re not an animal, or a shape shifter, or anything like that. You are one of the Chosen. A host.”

Host? She wrinkled her brow. That sounded almost…alien.

“It’s a great honor.” He opened his other eye.

An honor though it might be, she’d be happier returning this…spirit. “What if
I
don’t choose this honor?”

A dark emotion flashed in those black depths. His jaw tightened. “You don’t throw a gift from the Jade Emperor back in his face. Only those who trace their ancestry back to one of the Eight Immortals can become Chosen. Your blood is special, Lucy. You’ve been gifted and you will host the spirit until you die. Which likely won’t be for a long time. We’re very hard to kill but, once we do die, the Jade Emperor sends our spirit animals into a new host.” He cocked one brow. “Do you recall the statues at the Council Chambers? The names on the plaques below them are those of the previous Chosen.”

She frowned, trying to recall the markings. “Who hosted the Rabbit before me?”

“Believe it or not, that was before my time.” Sheng winked. “The Jade Emperor usually bestows the spirit at birth, but occasionally at rebirth or mid-life—if the host has earned their Chosen status through heroic deeds.”

She tilted her head. “When did you—?”

“I’ve hosted my spirit animal since birth and I suspect you have also. You just needed someone to show you what you’ve probably sensed inside yourself all along. Your destiny.” He tugged open his black dress shirt, revealing the
yin-yang
tat on his front right shoulder. “
Lái Zhīdé
introduced this symbol in the sixteenth century. Mine indicates I’m of Iron-Crutch Li’s line.” His finger tapped the tiny character scrawled in the center.

“Which is mine?”

“Ah, you’re descended from the Immortal Woman He,
Hé Qióng
, the same as Mei.”

Mei? The notion of someone related to her, even distantly, warmed Lucy’s heart. “Wow.”

“Yeah.” He grinned.

Rising, she paced the length of the temple.

“Don’t you ever sit still?” He scoffed. “I never expected Rabbit to be so…twitchy.”

“I can’t,” she whispered. “I’ve waited too long for answers. Which you promised me.” She pegged her hands on her hips and stared him down.

After a minute, he gave in, lifting to his feet with effortless grace. “Ask away.”

She nibbled her bottom lip, piecing together the events since she’d arrived in Penang. “If I’m a Chosen like you, why did you growl at me on the terrace that first day? Was Tiger saying hello?”

“Ah, not exactly.” He raked a hand through his hair, glancing sideways at her. “When you first arrived, I anticipated you to be the Dragon. Tiger and Dragon are
yin
and
yang
—the two true leaders of the Chosen. Seeing Rabbit caught me off-guard.”

Her stomach twisted. “You’re disappointed I’m not the Dragon.”

His stoic pose confirmed her conclusion. “
Was.
Not anymore. I’m bloody glad to have you
and
Rabbit.”

Awkwardness gathered between them. Sheng cleared his throat. “Tell me what you know of Chinese mythology.”

A lesson on religion? Well, why not. Anything to ease the tension. Learning she’d shattered Sheng’s expectations by hosting the Rabbit made her question his opinion of her. What their kiss had meant…and where they stood now. She sighed. “The world is ruled by the Jade Emperor. No devil, like in Christianity, but rather a hierarchical system of gods more similar to Greek or Norse mythology. There’s a Heaven and a Hell, which has eighteen levels of torment before the bad souls are reborn. If you’re good, you go straight to your reincarnation.”

“Good.” He nodded. “In every person, there are three forms of energy—
jīng
,
qì
, and
shén
—the Three Treasures.
Jīng
is sexual energy,
qì
is life-force energy, and
shén
is spiritual energy. These energies can be cultivated and balanced through
qìgōng
meditation. What else can you tell me about
qì
?”

“It’s the energy that flows throughout the universe.”

“How does it relate to
yin
and
yang
?” He folded his hands behind his back and paced the room.

Guess it’s his turn to shoot questions.
“They’re opposing forces in the world. Light and dark. Hot and cold. Male and female.”