Shifting the Night Away (70 page)

No mortal man had ever made her feel like this. Accepted. Treasured.
Needed.

More than good enough. More than worthy. Like she was the woman he’d waited an eternity for.

Hell, being centuries old, he technically had.

Would she be enough for him? True, she was no longer exactly mortal—her soul was tied to Cat’s immortal spirit. Her whole life she’d fallen short. Gotten tripped up by temptation. Lured in by curiosity.

Did she and Li have a chance at an immortal future…together?

Without the magic in his gourd—the restoration of what he’d given up—he’d never be whole enough to love anyone. Not even her. If she hoped for any chance, she’d have to steal far more than Li’s heart.

She’d have to steal back his purpose.

She rocked her hips against him while his tongue lapped at her breasts in loving swirls, his lips and teeth nipping at her sensitive flesh with heated lust.

This time, the burn built slowly, the rhythm of their lovemaking less frenzied, deeper and more meaningful. As though they spoke in actions what words weren’t sufficient enough for yet.

Not yet, but maybe one day.

Tonight, she would treasure the man he was.

Tomorrow, she would reclaim the man he longed to be.

Wen sighed, falling forward, and brushed her cheek against his as the crest slammed through her. A wave she could do nothing to fight against but hold on and struggle to keep her head above the breaking point.

He grunted in her ear and his cock thickened inside her, jerking as his release overtook him. She nestled her head in the crook of his neck, her palm flat against his chest above his heart. After a minute, its rapid firing dulled to a steady thudding.

A smile tugged at her mouth. He feathered his lips across her hair, his hand spanning her back in a warm caress as he held her to his chest as though unwilling to let her go.

Same here.

She hummed happily and slid her eyes closed, drifting off.

***

Cozy warmth enveloped her, but it didn’t come from Li. Wen wrenched open her eyes and scanned the empty bed. The cover was drawn over her, comfy and plush, but the pillow snuggled against her was a poor substitute for the man she longed to hold.

Where is he?
She lifted her head and blinked. The heavy drapes were drawn, so she slipped out of bed and tugged one open. Bright sunshine blinded her. She dropped the drape and shrank back into the dark room.
Argh.

She padded into the bathroom, but it was empty too. Cat urged her to go back to sleep. It was daytime for a nocturnal beast, after all.

A restless nagging pricked at the back of her neck. Where was Li?

Wen shrugged on her clothes, treaded to the table, and brushed her fingers across Li’s gourd. The spirit paced circles inside her. “What is it, Cat? Have you seen this before? Show me.”

A spark jolted through her fingers and the room around her faded. She blinked and suddenly, she was standing somewhere else…in a golden cavern filled with treasures. She crept past a pile stacked high with gold coins and jewels toward a noise in the corner.

Surrounded by a handful of gorgeous women, a richly-robed man sat hunched over with laughter. Tufts of thick facial hair lined his face like bad sideburns, highlighting his primate-esque features.

The Monkey King.
Cat must have snuck into the Monkey King’s lair before the spirit had been sentenced to the box and Li’s care.

 
Wen frowned at the bizarre scene, until the impish, hairy man stopped chuckling and whipped out a blade, waving it in front of the women’s faces.

They flocked up and down like a nest full of birds, cooing, “Me, please pick me, Master.” He pointed to each of them before settling on one and slashing it across the woman’s arm. She moaned instead of screamed. The man laughed a deep and echoing bellow, dangling a familiar porcelain gourd in front of her as he danced around her, taunting, “You want some, eh lovely? Give me a kiss, then.”

Blood dripping from her arm, she crawled toward him with a drugged look of desperation. “Please, Master.”

He gripped her chin in his large palm, but instead of pressing his mouth to hers, he shoved her head into his groin.

Wen grimaced at the lewd audacity of the man, but the woman did exactly as he commanded, tugging down his pants and sucking on his well-endowed erection. Wen tried to shuffle backward, but her legs wouldn’t let her. She stood frozen in place while the woman finished getting the man off. Finally, when she was done, he tipped her head back and poured a drop of the smoky liquid onto her tongue. The slash on her arm healed instantly and she cried out, “Yes, yes, oh yes,” like he’d given her the orgasm of a lifetime.

Whoa. Must be some powerful stuff.

Wen sucked in a breath as blackness overtook her. She squeezed her eyes shut and when she opened them again, she was back in Li’s chamber. Her legs wobbly, she blinked at the gourd. Oh crap. She had to find Li and tell him what Cat had shown her.

Li’s gourd wasn’t empty. It was a fake. The Monkey King had stolen the real one and replaced Li’s with a replica.

She raced out into the corridor and peered over the balcony railing. There. In the garden below, Li strolled, Tiangou at his side.

“Li!” At her shout, he whirled around.

Cloaking Cat, she vaulted off the balustrade and landed at his side. Tiangou gave a warning growl, but Cat hissed and the canine backed off, whimpering behind Li.

“What is it, Wen?”

She uncloaked Cat. “We need to talk. Your gourd isn’t empty. The Monkey King tricked you and stole your gourd, replacing it with a fake.”

He blinked once. “That’s not possible.”

“Cat showed me. It’s true. That bastard.” She shook her head.

His features darkened and his jaw clenched tight. “I cannot believe this.”

“Cat snuck into his lair and saw him using your gourd. The spirit shared its memory with me. I’m sorry.” She pressed a hand on his arm. He’d spent decades tormenting himself for nothing. Her heart ached for him, but her thirst for vengeance burned bright. “So, what are we going to do about it?”

His breaths were shallow, his voice, deep and fierce as he grated, “You are going to do nothing. I will make him pay.” He shot forward, about to use his ability to travel at lightning speeds, but she leapt onto his back and hugged her limbs around him.

“Get off me, Wen!” His warning was low, feral.

“No.” She squeezed tighter. “You can’t storm in there and expect to beat him. We do this together.”

He jerked once, as though contemplating tossing her off, but instead exhaled and relaxed his muscles. She shifted to his front, wrapping her legs around his waist. “Before, you wouldn’t accept my proposal because there wasn’t anything I could steal for you. Well, now there is.”

“It is too danger—”

She planted her mouth over his and swallowed his protests. A flick of his tongue against hers sent shivers spiking along her skin. She hopped off him before they got too sidetracked. “I have Cat. Together, the three of us can do this.”

He tilted his head, his brows drawing together. “You would risk your life for me?”

“Well, I’m technically almost immortal. It’s not that much of a risk.” She winked, but the somber question in his eyes didn’t vanish. “Yes, Li, I would. I’d risk everything for you, for me…for my brother. What the Monkey King did affected the entire world. We—Cat, myself, you—
need
this.”

Folding his arms, he regarded her for a moment, until his lips curved. “We’ll have to do something about that ‘almost’ part. But you’re right. Come on.” He snatched her hand and ushered her to his collections chamber. They paused in front of a case displaying a set of shimmering knives.

As she peered closer, she realized the blades were made of water.

“I never thought I’d have use for these, but we should bring them as a backup.” Li lowered the glass. “The Monkey King is immune to almost everything—except drowning. Water is his sole weakness.”

“Neat.” She fingered one of the blades, its edges sharp and deadly.

Li pressed up behind her, enclosing her in his arms. “All right, my little thief. What’s your plan?”

She spun around in his arms. “First, we need some kickass clothes. Then we’ll be ready for our rematch.”

Ten

Li straightened his shoulders and strode through the sculpted gardens of the Monkey King’s opulent villa. High on a mountain misted in clouds, the golden arches of his remote abode towered above the world below.

The Monkey King’s escapades of trickery had made him a pain in the ass both on Earth and in Heaven. Li had been so blinded by his vanity, he’d not heeded his instincts and had fallen victim to the bastard’s schemes. Today, they would right that wrong. He’d become worthy of Wen’s love, of the respect of his descendants. Together, they’d ease the suffering in the world.

Or so he hoped.

If their plan misfired…

A delicate breeze blew through the garden, masking the quiet advance of Cat in the shadows. He steeled himself. He had to trust in Cat. In Wen.

Hastening his stride, he jogged up the stairs leading into the Monkey King’s residence. Inside the open hall, dozens of alluring females reclined on gilded chaise longues, clad in strips of silk that preserved the mildest hint of their modesty.

The Monkey King lived like Li used to. Surrounded by beauty, and truly appreciative of none of it.

Li paused in front of a gilded, hanging gong and struck the center. The metallic hum vibrated up from his feet, through his legs and body. Several of the handmaidens flocked to his side, gliding their hands over his body with a familiarity that made Li tense. He tried to shoo and pry them off, but they were insistent. They tugged him along to sit beside a trickling waterfall that disappeared into the painting above his head. Intriguing, but he hadn’t come here to peruse the Monkey King’s collections.

“Well, well, well.” A mischievous tone drawled from his left. He twisted around. The Monkey King linked his fingers in front of him and dipped his head once. “If it isn’t the infamous immortal Li Tieguai. A pleasure again, my lord.” The corner of his mouth turned up.

The male was better groomed than the last time Li had seen him, his thick sideburns trimmed back from his cheeks to achieve a tailored look. Less primate and more human. His gait still carried the limping lean of a monkey, though, as he strode toward Li. Clad in a robe of red silk embroidered with gold, the male stood slightly shorter than Li, but was solidly built. If his reputation proved correct, he was nearly invincible. Nothing could harm him, not fire, or weapons. Well, except the weapons Wen carried.

 
“The pleasure is mine.” Li rose and accepted the Monkey King’s handshake. A firm, solid clasp and they released each other, but he kept his scrutiny trained on the trickster.

Li removed the gourd from the pocket of his jacket.

The Monkey King’s eyes widened before he flicked his gaze back to Li. “What is this about?” He inched backward.

Li held up a hand in placation, even though his gut burned to strike the asshole into
Dìyù
. “I am not here for retaliation, but to ask for your aid. You once used the medicine inside this gourd to resurrect my body. You tricked me into depleting its power, but I will overlook the offense if you will reverse your spell.”

Straightening, the Monkey King nodded and a gleam twinkled in his eyes. “Why? Without a body for your immortal soul, you will be forced to roam the eighteen levels of
Dìyù
—Hell—for the rest of your existence.”

“Fuck that.” Li scoffed. “I’ve already been doing that for the last thirty years. Nothing is worse than the shame I suffer every day. I’ll not spend one more bloody day stewing in regret. Reverse this.”

The Monkey King regarded him, stroking one finger along his jaw. “Okay, I’ll help you, but what will you do for me in return?”

He shoved down the urge to roll his eyes. Of course the fiend wouldn’t see his desperation for atonement as enough. “How about this?” He withdrew the jade box that had housed Cat’s spirit.

As he’d anticipated, the glint of greed flashed across the Monkey King’s eyes. Tales of Cat’s misdeeds must have reached his ears. The bastard always searched for new ways to spread mischief. That Cat no longer occupied the box wouldn’t matter if their plan succeeded.