Matching Dragons Chinese Zodiac Romance Series Book 6 by Rachael Slate Read Free Book Online Page A

changed into a leather skirt and a pink tank top, they headed toward the shoreline. An enormous yacht bobbed beside the dock.
    “This is our ride?”
    “Well, we are headed for the bottom of the ocean.” Lok brushed past her and strode along the dock to the large white vessel.
    She sprinted after him. “Yeah, but I hired a sailboat.”
    “I changed your reservation. Thought we should travel in style.” Winking, he dismissed her and headed inside the glass-encased upper cabin. A few minutes later, the engine roared and the boat sped off. Kadence planted her hands on her hips, tapping her nails. This was her mission, yet he was making himself awfully comfy in the commander’s seat.
    If it wasn’t for this stupid chain…
    Lok emerged from the cabin, peeling off his shirt as he strode toward her. “I’ve set our course. Time to sit back and relax.” He plopped onto a lounge chair and unfastened his end of the chain so fast her eyes couldn’t track the movement.
    He tossed his shirt onto the table beside him, reattached the chain, and stretched out, closing his eyes.
    “Really? You’re sunbathing?” Glaring at him, she tapped her foot. “You owe me answers, buddy.”
    “I don’t owe you anything, little one.”
    That did it. Fury spiked through her veins, pumping hot blood through them. “Oh yes, you do. You can start with what species you are.”
    “You’re not ready to have your mind blown yet.” Chuckling, he winked at her, then settled into a fake slumber again.
    “Try me.”
    His brows drew together and he opened his eyes again, this time those darkest blue depths raking her as though to strip her bare. “Come back when you’ve done some soul searching. I’ll be happy to answer your questions then.”
    Really. That was all he was going to give her? Soul searching? Huffing, she planted her ass on the lounge chair beside him and scowled at the turquoise ocean. She’d been a teenager when she’d first stumbled into a club intended for supernatural species, namely, the creatures of the Jade Emperor’s world. Enthralled, she’d dragged her sister along the next time. And the next. Until she spent more time engrossed in fantasies than reality.
    All of this leading to that fateful night when she’d chosen the wrong asshole to sleep with. The Monkey King.
    If she’d never stepped foot inside that first club, none of this would have happened. Mel wouldn’t have gotten sick.
    And Kadence wouldn’t have met Lok.
    Was she doomed to fall for supernatural jackasses? Seriously. Human assholes weren’t enough?
    The truth was, she’d never really contemplated why she’d been drawn to that first club. Deep inside, restlessness had always prodded her. She’d wanted—needed—to believe something greater controlled her fate. That there was a reason why her mother had rejected her, and her destiny meant better things were on the horizon.
    Where she’d ended up wasn’t better. Her sister was dying and it was her fault. A hot tear slid down her cheek and she swiped it away, sniffing at another threatening to fall. Maybe Lok was right. She’d avoided searching for the truth inside herself because she was afraid of what that would entail.
    What kind of person chased after supernatural beings, anyway?
    A jadie , that was what. Oh yeah, Kadence wasn’t the first human to become entranced with the Jade Emperor’s world. Some of their kind even sought out humans like her, a tantalizing erotic experience for both sides.
    The whole interspecies thing wasn’t as weird as it sounded. None of the men she’d slept with were that bizarre. A couple of shape-shifters. A few frat-boy demi-gods. That kind of thing.
    Not one of them had been like Lok.
    So what the hell was he?

Lok’s attempts to relax were met with a protesting spike of unease, demanding he possess the pearl.
    Possess Kadence.
    If anything, their intimate moment had driven a deeper rut in the chasm between them. Any suspicions she’d likely had about