From his words, it sounds like he must be ex-Yi Shu. I’m sure I’ve seen him before. In fact, I know I have in one of the pictures on the wall in the Yi Shu throne room. He must have been an important member who’s defected to the Jīn Long. A traitor. My hands itch to wrap themselves around his neck and kill him.
“I agree the Yi Shu is full of lies.” Wang resumes his speech and distracts me from trying to figure out which of the pictures the man’s face fits. “It wasn’t a young boy who killed my general but a girl. The Yi Shu had a female infiltrate their ranks and none of them knew.”
All the men laugh.
“To idiots and their downfall.” The Yi Shu traitor raises his glass.
The blond man cocks his head toward me. He’s not spoken yet, and I’m desperate to hear his voice, so I can begin to place him.
“And where does this girl come in?” the man with the European accent speaks again.
I’m sure he sounds Russian. But Russia is considered an enemy to its neighbor China, so why would a Russian be here?
“Because she is the girl.” the blond haired man interjects, and despite trying to keep my expression neutral, I can feel the shock register on my face.
Jaxon speaks with an American accent, but in our most intimate moments, it’s tinged with something else, and this man sounds the same. I hadn’t thought about it before. I knew Jaxon hadn’t lived in America all his life, but the blond man here in front of me, he has a similar tone. He sounds Swedish…so maybe that’s where Jaxon’s from.
I quickly school my features, hoping I’ve not given anything away.
“Correct.” Wang raises his glass again. “Killing her would have been too easy. I’ve stolen her from the Yi Shu.” The man I despise prowls over to me and pushes me forward toward the other men. “I’ve taken her as my concubine. She’s a perfect toy. One I’ll play with until there is nothing left of her, and then I’ll return her headless body to the Yi Shu to demonstrate they have no way of defeating me.”
With a quick flick of his wrist, Wang undoes the gown I’m wearing, and I’m now left standing in only the bodice and panties. This is the entertainment he mentioned. Looking at each of the men in the room, I know I’m here to help Wang get these men’s backing for his war. These are all enemies of the Yi Shu. Wang knows he has no chance of beating us alone. He’s tried for years. He needs to enlist the help of other factions to win.
I take a mental picture of each face as they use my body for their pleasure. I study them. I listen to everything they say and calculate how they plan to bring down the Yi Shu. This wasn’t part of my plan. This is a bonus, and one I’m going to use against Wang. He’s sealed his own fate.
In spite of being a big man, I’ve always been able to sneak into places unseen. Today will be no different.
I wasn’t sure what to think when Gaozu told me Lia was being held at Wang’s compound as his concubine. Part of me was furious with Lia for doing this, but the other part knows I’m still not being told the full story. When I find out what’s happening, someone will die. I just hope it’s not someone important, because it could lead to me losing my head emotionally as well as physically.
Climbing the steps to one of the higher up rooms in the Jīn Long compound, I seek out the room that will hopefully give me the answers. I have to stay hidden. I could never pass for a member of the Jīn Long with my blond hair. The shadows are friendly to me today, and I reach the room without having to kill anyone. I search for any cameras or guards before using the picklock I have with me to break in. It’s silent in the room and dark apart from a sliver of moonlight creeping in through the blinds. Making my way over to the bed, though, I see her sleeping.
How could she do this?
Everything she knows makes her a danger. For her to be here puts the Yi Shu in trouble, she could be telling Wang anything. I pull the knife from my boot and hold it in my hand.
This is going to kill me?
Lia stirs in the bed.
“I felt you the moment you first entered the room. I knew you would come, Jaxon,” she says, sitting up in the bed to look at me.
The room is dark, but I can still make out the bruises on her body. Anger rises within me. I’ve a need to hit out and punch something…anything but her.
I sit down on the edge of the bed, and for a few moments, we look at each other, no words pass between us.
“You have to explain this to me because I don’t understand, Lia.” I can barely get the words out of my mouth.
Gaozu’s assertion that Lia has purposely allowed herself to be captured by Wang to put a stop to the war still rings in my head.
“It was the only way.”
“There are always other ways. This should have been the last resort. Actually no, this should never have been a resort. Did you give yourself to him?”
“I don’t give him anything. He takes, and I disappear into the mind of a warrior in battle.”
I put my head in my hands. I can’t understand anything that’s happening here.
“You have to explain this to me, Lia, because I really don’t understand. The woman I love allowed herself to be put in this position. You told Gaozu who you were. You planned this with him, and you kept me in the dark.” The knife is shaking in my hand. “Has Wang taken your mind as well as your body?” Lia reaches out and takes the knife from me. I have no resistance against her. She places it under her pillow before holding my hand.
“You have to listen to everything before you speak again, Jaxon, and before you ask me any more questions.”
I nod, the warmth of her hand tempering down the mix of emotions coursing through my body.
“When you told me Wang couldn’t know it was Zhàn who killed his general, I knew as long as I remained in my disguise I’d be putting everyone else in danger. I couldn’t do it. My father brought me up to protect everyone around me. It’s why I dressed up and fought as Zhàn in the first place. To look after my father and make sure he didn’t die. I couldn’t lose him. My father was my everything when I was growing up. I worshiped him because he allowed me to be different from the norm.”
I can hear the emotion in Lia’s voice. It twists in my gut, and I feel tears of my own falling. I don’t think I shed any when my parents left me—so, why now? Oh yes, because I love Lia.
She continues, “I went to Gaozu the next day and revealed to him who I was. He was shocked. He had no idea. I’m surprised he didn’t kill me then and there. He was extremely angry at me for making a fool out of everyone. I told him my reasons, and he listened. I told him I’d fallen in love with you and couldn’t allow you lie to him anymore. Remaining in the guise of Zhàn would lead to the death of too many people I loved, but equally, I’d started something I couldn’t walk away from. I asked him to reveal who I was to everyone but get you to obey him and keep quiet. How he managed that, I don’t know. I’m glad he did, though, because he would have had to kill you otherwise, and then this whole plan would have been a total mess.” Lia attempts to laugh, but I don’t join her. I can’t.
I shift closer to her on the bed and pull her into my lap so I can get a better look at the injuries she’s sustained.