White Tigress by Jade Lee Read Free Book Online Page B

between her breasts.
    "What is your name?" he asked, his voice abrupt but not hard with fury.
    "I-I beg your pardon?" she stammered.
    "Your name," he snapped. "What is your name?"
    "L-Lydia." She swallowed back some of her misery to speak clearly. "My name is Lydia Smith."
    "I am Ru Shan. In your language it means 'Like a Mountain,' in that I am steady and constant." He sighed. "Or I would be if all my elements were in balance."
    She hesitated a moment, scrambling to fit the pieces together. It took a while, but eventually she thought she understood.
    "That's why you need me. My water. You think that I will... will quiet your fire." This, at least, was a concept she recognized. She had heard other people—one of her uncles most especially—who became downright surly if he did not have relations with his mistress on a regular basis. Clearly, he was like her uncle, needing relations on a regular basis. "No matter what the country, men are still men," she intoned bitterly.
    He nodded. "Yes, I suppose that is so, but I believe you will find a significant difference with me."
    She did not respond, though she suspected her opinion was clear upon her face.
    "You do not believe me," he said gently. "Fortunately, my nature does not require your approval. What I require is your yin. Your water."
    She shook her head, frustration making her surly. "I don't know what that means."
    "It means that I require your feminine fluids. But not your virginity."
    She blinked, sure she could not have heard him correctly. "You do not intend to ravish me?"
    He shuddered—he actually shuddered—at the thought. "I am working to become an Immortal. Ravishment, as you put it, would require a release of my yang power—my manly fluids and energy—into you. That would decrease my ability to attain Immortality."
    She frowned, trying to understand. "But you need my female energy, my—"
    "Yin."
    "My yin to..."
    "To mix with my yang energy and create the power that will take me to the Immortal Realm."
    "You'll die?" she gasped.
    She thought perhaps his expression lightened at her dramatic statement, but his tone remained level. "No. I will become an Immortal. Any man or woman can visit Heaven, but only if they have sufficient spirit to take them there."
    "Spirit? You mean a mixture of your yang and my yin."
    He nodded. "Yes."
    "But that is..." She stopped herself short of saying ridiculous. She knew better than to insult any person's beliefs, no matter how preposterous they sounded. "It sounds impossible," she finally finished.
    "Perhaps it is for one such as you."
    She grimaced. "You mean a woman?"
    He shook his head. "Many believe the women have an easier time, since their fluids stay within their bodies."
    Then he looked sadly down at her. "It is impossible for ghost people."
    She frowned. "Because I am English?"
    "The ghost people do not have enough substance to attain immortality," he explained.
    She stiffened, absurdly insulted. "But you seem to think my yin essence substantial enough for you."
    He nodded. "In my particular case, you have exactly what I require. Or so I hope."
    She opened her mouth to ask another question, but he stopped her with a single upraised hand.
    "Enough questions," he said firmly. "I promise you that I have no interest in your virginity. I also promise that if you provide me with what I require, then I will release you to your Maxwell."
    "My... I..." She swallowed, sure she could not have understood correctly. "You will return me to Maxwell? Still a virgin?" she pressed.
    He nodded, one firm slash of his chin. "Yes. But first you must ready yourself to give of your yin." He straightened. "It will not hurt, especially as you have an overabundance. Now present yourself," he ordered. "I have already lost much time on you. I will not tolerate more delays."
    She nodded, absurdly pleased with the bargain. After imagining every possible future for herself, this seemed ridiculously benign. "Do you want me to cry?"
    "Do not draw