Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire (Love at Stake) (9 page)

Her eyes widened. “Don’t take me back to Tiger Town.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because—” She grimaced. “I look like a scaredy-cat.”

His mouth twitched. “We all have issues.”

“I can’t imagine you being afraid of anything.”

A memory flashed through his mind of the night soon after he’d awakened as a vampire, when he’d learned that all of his men had died in Vietnam without him and all of his loved ones in the States were gone. He understood fear too well. Even if he lived for an eternity, he never wanted to experience another night like that.

“I’ll teleport you down to the ground.” He eased around behind her so he could get a better hold on her.

She trembled, her fingers digging into the trunk. “I hate that you’re seeing me like this.”

“It’s all right.” He burrowed a hand between the tree trunk and her waist, the bark scraping his knuckles. “You should have warned me. I thought were-cats were good climbers.”

“I was. Then . . . I wasn’t.”

“What happened?”

She shook her head slightly, her cheek still glued to the tree.

“I have a good hold on you.” With his right hand, he squeezed her upper arm. With his left arm, he tightened his grip on her waistline, pressing her back against him. “Let go of the tree now. I have you.”

Still clutching the tree, she slowly moved her head back till it rested on his shoulder. “It happened thirteen years ago.”

That was how long she’d wanted to kill Han. “How old were you?”

“Eight. My father was the leader of our village, and he refused to bow down to Master Han.”

Russell winced. “Han attacked?”

She nodded her head. “Dad told me to hide in a tree as high as I could climb. I saw him and my mother and brother killed. And hacked—” Her voice broke.

Russell squeezed her tighter and tilted his head so his cheek rubbed against her brow. Eight years old? Far too young to witness something that horrific. “I’m sorry.”

“The ground below me was full of terror. I stayed in the tree till the next night, when Grandfather came with a troop of soldiers. They had to carry me down. Since then, I’ve been afraid of heights.”

“I understand.” How terrified she must have been trying to climb down that silken rope. His poor, brave Jia.

“I didn’t want to tell you. I know you’re looking for a reason to be rid of me. Who would want a coward—”

“You’re not a coward. You’re the bravest woman I’ve ever met.”

She turned her head toward him, her eyes wide with shock. “Then you . . . don’t want to be rid of me?”

“No. You’re my . . . partner.” He kissed her brow.

With a sigh, she released her grip on the tree, and he teleported her down to the ground.

What the hell was he doing kissing her again? He released her and quickly stepped away. “See if you can catch Han’s scent.”

“Right.” She inhaled deeply, clearly trying to calm her nerves. Then she closed her eyes and rotated slowly, sniffing at the air.

With her eyes shut, it was safe for him to study her. She was a natural beauty, her face sweet and oval-shaped, her skin clear and luminous, her hair thick and shiny, her body slim and graceful. It was so tempting to take her into his arms and kiss her. A real kiss. On the mouth. But how could he, when she was engaged?

He clenched his fists tightly, then released them.
Rule number one. Strictly business.
It was a good thing she was engaged. It served as a constant reminder that he couldn’t get involved with her. He couldn’t afford to care.

She opened her eyes and shook her head. “I’m not catching anything. But then . . . ” She bit her lip.

“What?”

She blushed. “It could be that I’m too . . . aware of your scent and not able to smell past it.”

“Oh.” He winced. “I guess we vampires all smell pretty much the same.”

“Not . . . really.”

“I don’t stink quite as bad as the others?” When she shook her head, he scoffed. “Well, that makes me feel special.”

Her mouth twitched. “You don’t stink. But it is getting hard to ignore you.”

What the hell did that mean? He glanced at his watch. “If I leave for three minutes, will that be enough?”

She nodded. “I think so.”

“I hate leaving you alone here. How about one minute?”

“Two.”

“Deal.” He noted the time and teleported back to the bat cave. Halfway through a bottle of blood, he stopped with a jerk. What if Jia was hungry? Or thirsty?

He grabbed a sack and teleported to Zoltan’s kitchen. After taking a few bottles of water from the fridge, he stole some breakfast bars from the pantry. A can of mixed nuts. A bag of chips. And a container of instant noodles.

“Russell?” Howard charged into the kitchen. “What—” His eyes narrowed as Russell emerged from the pantry. “What are you doing with human food?”

“Later.” Russell heard Howard yelling just before he teleported back to the bat cave, where he deposited the food he’d stolen from Zoltan’s pantry. He checked his watch. Five seconds to go. He selected a breakfast bar and bottle of water, then returned to Jia’s side.

“Oh, thank you.” She smiled at him, and his heart squeezed. She dropped the bar into a pocket and opened the water for a long drink.

“Did you smell anything?”

“No.” She twisted the top back on. “Let’s keep working.”

Russell took her to ten more camps, leaving her alone at each site for a minute so she could sniff without any interference from him. Still no luck. With dawn approaching in an hour, she was yawning and visibly having trouble staying awake.

“I think we should call it a night,” Russell told her. “I’ll take you home and pick you up tomorrow night after sunset.”

“What?” Her eyes widened. “You can’t take me back to Tiger Town.”

“It’s your home. You’ll be more comfortable there.”

“No!” She shook her head. “I can’t go back. They—they might lock me up. Or hide me somewhere you can’t find me.”

“I can always find you.”

“And what if Rajiv orders my guards to fight you? I don’t want you having to fight other were-tigers.”

He stiffened. “I wouldn’t hurt any of your kind.”

She touched his arm. “I know that, but I’m not sure Rajiv does. He . . . he doesn’t trust you right now. He might have Jin Long teleport me across the world.”

Russell winced. That was a possibility. He could lose several nights tracking her down instead of Han.

“Besides,” Jia continued, “you told me you wouldn’t take me back.”

“No, I didn’t—”

“You implied it. When I was hugging the tree.”

He scoffed. “If I don’t take you home, Rajiv will have every right to be furious. A princess like you shouldn’t be cooped up alone with a vampire.”

“Don’t call me princess. And it doesn’t matter if I’m alone with you. I know you’re not going to bite me.”

“Your reputation would still be ruined.” When she rolled her eyes, he groaned in frustration. “You’ll be trapped in the bat cave all day with nothing to do. I won’t be able to teleport you anywhere. I’ll be in my death-sleep.”

She shrugged. “I’m just as tired as you are, after working all night. I’ll get some sleep, too.”

His eyes narrowed. “There’s only one bed.”

“I have a bedroll with me. I’ll make do.”

He gave her an exasperated look. “You can’t sleep in the same cave with me. Your family will want to kill me.”

“No, they won’t. It’s not like we’re going to do anything. Remember rule number one? This is strictly a business relationship.”

“Do you expect your fiancé to believe that?”

She waved a dismissive hand. “No one will believe we’ve done anything. You’ll be in your death-sleep all day.”

For some reason the idea that he was completely harmless ticked him off. “You can’t shack up with a man when you’re engaged!”

She lifted her chin. “I can with a dead man.”

He stepped closer. “There’s a huge flaw in your thinking.”

“I think not.”

“I think so. The sun won’t rise for another fifty minutes.” He pulled her close and whispered in her ear, “I’m not dead yet.”

Chapter Nine

A
shudder skittered down Jia’s spine, and she pushed Russell away before he could notice his effect on her. “You said you wouldn’t take me back. You’re a man of honor, so I know you’ll keep your word.”

He snorted. “Another flaw in your thinking.” His gaze raked over her with a bold look. “Are you sure you want to be alone with me?”

She swallowed hard. He was purposely trying to unnerve her. Did the rascal think he could frighten her enough that she would beg to go home?

Never. Even though he was a bloodsucker who could overpower her in a second, she would not give in to fear. Her face grew warm as she recalled how he’d kissed her forehead once again. Whether it had been merely sympathy for her tragic past or the possibility that he might actually care about her, she wasn’t sure, but she felt positive that he would never harm her. “I trust you. Now take me to . . . our hideout.”

He watched her intently, his eyes taking on an odd gleam. “Fine. Let’s do it.” He pulled her back into his arms and teleported.

When they arrived, he released her abruptly, then lit a few oil lamps. He levitated up to hook his crossbow and quiver on a clawlike root in the ceiling. “You might regret your decision. There will be no privacy for you.”

She glanced toward the far end of the cave where the bathtub was located. No chamber pot in sight. Thank goodness she’d relieved herself in the forest ten minutes earlier while he’d been checking out a camp. She could wait till he was in his death-sleep before doing it again. “I suppose you wash your face and hands in the river?”

“Actually I use this.” He showed her a bucket of water positioned beneath an ice chest spigot. “I pack chunks of a Himalayan glacier in the chest to keep my food supply cold. I use the melted ice for washing my face and brushing my teeth.”

“Oh.” No wonder she’d picked up that scent on him earlier. She noted the plastic bin sitting atop a nearby wooden crate. Small containers of soap and shampoo were neatly arranged in the bin, along with a tin cup holding his toothbrush. He was rather neat and tidy for a guy who lived in a cave.

As he emptied his pockets onto the table, she noticed that the knuckles on his left hand were coated with dried blood. It must have happened when he’d tried to pry her loose from the tree trunk. “You’re injured.”

He glanced at his hand. “No big deal. It’ll heal during my death-sleep.”

“It was my fault—”

“Don’t worry about it.” He showed her the sat phone. “Do you know how to use this? You should call your cousin to let him know you’re all right.”

“I will.”

He glanced up at the hole in the ceiling. “You’ll probably have poor reception in here, but I’ll fix that tomorrow night. Be sure to call during the day. If you call while J.L. is awake, he could use your voice as a beacon and come here to take you away.”

“I understand.” She removed the knives from her boots. “Since you’re warning me, that must mean you’re okay with me staying here.”

He scoffed. “It means I want to keep the bat cave a secret.” He took the sat phone over to the bookcase and plugged it in to recharge it. “You’re the one who insisted on coming here. Who am I to keep a princess from getting what she wants?”

She gritted her teeth. “Don’t call me princess.”

“It’s what you are.” He unbuckled his sword belt and dropped it on the table with a loud clunk. “
Princess.
”

Was he picking a fight? She yanked her knives from her belt and tossed them on the table. “If I always got what I wanted, Han would have died years ago. And my family would still be alive.”

Russell closed his eyes briefly, then opened them. “You’re right.” He strode toward the ice chest and removed a bottle of blood and another one of water. “I apologize for my lack of social skills. I’m used to being alone.” He loosened the top of the water bottle, then handed it to her.

As she accepted it, she realized his picking on her had been his way to create distance between them. Most likely, he was not comfortable with her invading his space. “I appreciate you letting me stay here. I’ll try not to get in your way.”

He popped his bottle into the microwave. “Don’t worry. In forty-five minutes, I won’t be aware of anything you’re doing.”

That was true, but she would definitely be aware of him all day. She took a sip of water. “You have electricity?”

He nodded and motioned to the wires snaking up through the dirt ceiling. “A solar-powered generator.”

She smiled. “Your cave is more advanced than my room at home.”

He didn’t answer; he just concentrated on unbuckling his watch. As it came off his right wrist, she noticed the tattoo. No wonder it had taken her a few days to see it. His watch did a good job of hiding it.

Curiosity swelled inside her. None of the other good Vamps had Han’s mark on them. How did Russell get it? How did he become a vampire?

She fiddled with her water, screwing the top on and off. “So do you . . . like being a vampire?”

He scoffed, then removed his bottle from the microwave. “I am what I am. No point in thinking about it.”

“Why do you want to kill Han? What did he do to you?”

He paused with the bottle halfway to his mouth. “Han deserves to die.” He took a long drink, guzzling down most of the bottle.

“I told you my reasons. Why don’t you tell me yours?”

He clunked his bottle onto the table and gave her an annoyed look. “I don’t explain myself.”

“
I’m your partner. You can talk to me.”

“I don’t need therapy.” He took off his bulky coat and threw it onto the second table. “And I don’t need a partner except for business.”

She bit her lip. Why did he keep trying to push her away? “We are partners. You agreed to it. Is it too hard for you to be a little friendly?”

“Yes.”

She snorted, then leaned over to remove the knives strapped to her calves. “Aren’t you the life of the party.”

He glanced at the clock on the microwave. “You’ll have to endure my company for thirty-six more minutes.” He motioned toward the bathtub. “Before I pass out, should I rig up a sheet for you?”

“No, I’ll be fine.”

He arched a brow. “You don’t mind bathing in front of me?”

Was he trying to frighten her again? “You don’t scare me. All I have to do is wait till you’re dead, and I’ll have all the privacy I could want. I could prance about the cave naked, and you would never know.”

His jaw shifted. “Fine. Then what about my privacy? You’ll be awake while I shower.”

She glanced over at the tub. “Y-you’re going to shower now?”

“It generally works best for me to bathe while I’m still alive.” He smirked. “I warned you there would be no privacy. Shall I take you back home?”

“No.” The rascal was still trying to unnerve her, but she’d show him. She lifted her chin. “Why would a little nudity disturb me? I’ve been shifting at the full moon since the age of fourteen. Everyone of age in the village shifts. And we all strip beforehand.” She sighed dramatically. “I have seen more naked men than I ever care to recall.”

His eyes narrowed. “Is that so?” He leaned toward her. “So do you plan to watch?”

“Of course not! Why would I even be interested?” She tried in vain to keep her face from growing warm. “I don’t know what the big deal is. I mean, the male anatomy is basically the same, no matter who.”

“All right, then. Since it’s no big deal . . .” He reached a hand over the back of his head, grabbed the neck of his T-shirt, and pulled it off.

She gulped. While it was true that she’d seen her share of nude were-tigers, the men were generally on the lean side. Their muscles didn’t make all those bulges and dips across the stomach. Their chests weren’t so wide, and their shoulders didn’t look like they were chiseled from marble.

He tossed his T-shirt onto the table, then unbuckled the belt to his pants.

She looked away, pretending to watch the river. “Is there anything to eat?” Her voice came out in a squeak.

“You’re hungry?”

Was that the sound of a zipper?
Don’t look at him.
“Are there any fish in the stream?”

“I have some food here. Do you like chips?”

She heard the rustle of a package being ripped open.

“Turn around if you dare.”

The rascal. “I love chips.” She turned back to the table.
Only look at the chips
. She rotated the bag on the table so the open end faced her.
Don’t look at the way his unzipped trousers are hanging low on his hips.

“There’s more water in the ice chest.” He whisked his belt through the loops and dropped it on the table.

“Thanks.” Good God, she could see some of his underwear. She rammed a few chips into her mouth. “Why do you have people food here?”

He kicked off his shoes. “I stole them from Zoltan’s castle in Transylvania.”

“Oh.” She grabbed another chip. Red underwear. Dark red. “So do you entertain here often?”

He shot her an annoyed look, then pulled off his socks. “You’re the only other person who’s seen this place.”

“Ah.” Cotton underwear. Snug fit. Snug enough she could see the distinct outline of a rather large—

“Noodles?”

She jumped. “What?”

“Do you like noodles?” He set a tublike container on the table in front of her. “You could make this for dinner.” He motioned to the bookcase. “Use the bowl there to heat up some water. Do you know how to use a microwave?”

“Yes.” Her face grew warm. Had he noticed her looking at his underwear? Surely not. She’d been fairly stealthy about it. “The palace in Tiger Town has electricity, and the kitchen is fairly modern.”

“Good. You can also heat up some river water if you want a hot bath. I usually prefer a warm shower, but . . .”

Her eyes widened as he moved closer to her.
Don’t look down.
“What?”

“What color is my underwear?”

“Re— I hardly noticed.”

“In that case”—the corner of his mouth curled up—“I’ll be taking a cold shower.”

Her mouth dropped open. Oh God, he’d noticed.

He grabbed an empty bucket and headed toward the underground stream.

Her cheeks blazed with heat as she nervously organized all the stuff on the crowded table. A
cold
shower? Did that mean he had a
desire
for her? The very idea made her heart race.

This was bad. Really bad. She would never have insisted on living with him if she’d suspected this. Vampires and were-tigers didn’t get involved. They were enemies, not . . . lovers. She’d been shocked enough to realize her own attraction, but now the problem was twice as bad.

Or maybe not. She slid a quick glance at him. He was levitating to fill the bucket suspended over the tub with water. Cold water meant he was fighting the attraction. It also explained why he pushed her away so often. Although he occasionally slipped up and kissed her.

She shook her head. There was no point in panicking over this. She could be misinterpreting the situation. Maybe he wasn’t attracted to her at all but was simply trying to frighten her into returning to Tiger Town. She glanced at him once again and gulped. His trousers had fallen to his ankles, and he kicked them aside.

With a flurry of activity, she neatly stacked his discarded T-shirt, belt, watch, and sword belt on his coat on the second table. Then she arranged his weapons and ammo next to his coat. On the other end of the table, she set her knives and her backpack. All the while, she could hear sloshing noises from the far end of the cave.

Don’t look.
She filled the plastic bowl with some of her bottled water, then stuck it in the microwave. While it heated, she studied the instructions on the tub of instant noodles. It looked like Japanese and English, neither of which she could read.

“How much—” She glanced his way and gasped. He was standing naked in the bathtub with his back to her while he soaped up his body. Rivulets of soapy water meandered down his broad back, dipping into the curve of his spine and sliding over a gorgeous rump. He reached up to pull the chain on the bucket overhead, and muscles rippled across his back.

Damn. Even his rump was muscular. Water poured from the bucket, dousing his head and sluicing down his body.

The microwave beeped, and she started with another gasp. She couldn’t let him catch her watching. Quickly she removed the bowl of heated water. After peeling the top halfway off the tub of noodles, she spotted a line that probably indicated how much water to pour in. With that done, she pressed the lid back down. How long would it take?

She pulled a stool up to the table and split the set of wooden chopsticks that had come with the tub. She could still hear some noises from the far end of the cave, but she didn’t dare look.

Was it a mistake to insist on living with Russell? But what else could she do? If she returned home, Rajiv would forbid her from working with Russell, and it would be terrible if she publicly disobeyed her cousin. He would lose face. The royal family would be shamed. Her reputation would be destroyed.

Of course, her reputation could already be ruined if the villagers discovered what she was doing. Rajiv was probably telling them that she was visiting family. He’d never admit that the royal princess was alone in a cave with a vampire. A naked vampire.

Footsteps approached, but she kept her gaze glued to the tub of noodles.

“You cleaned up.” He stopped by the table and grabbed the bottle of blood he’d left there. “You didn’t need to.”

“I don’t mind.” She caught a glimpse of white and ventured a peek. He had a towel wrapped around his hips. His skin still looked damp, and droplets of water dripped from his shoulder-length wet hair.

He finished his dinner, then dropped the empty bottle into a plastic crate alongside other bottles. “I drained the water out of the tub. I can put in some fresh water for you.”

“I can do it,” she insisted. “I don’t want to be a bother.”

He grabbed another towel off the bookshelf and rubbed his hair dry. The muscles on his back shifted and bunched. “You’re not a bother,” he said quietly.

When he turned toward her, she quickly focused on her dinner, tearing the lid off and stirring the noodles with her chopsticks.