Silver Phoenix (51 page)

“I swore in writing and by word that I gave myself to the Emperor of my own volition.” He poured a third cup of wine, drank it in gulps. His pale face began to color. The more wine, the better, she thought.

“After all the paperwork, the talk, they took me into the back room to perform the ritual.” He stood by the side of the bed now, looking down on her. She felt exposed, regretted lying down, but met his gaze without wavering. Ai Ling did not want to hear his story. What would he try next?

Zhong Ye sat down on the edge of the bed. “They tied me down with leather straps. My arms. My legs. And gave me another piece of leather to bite down on.”

She heard a distant roar from the banquet hall. It surprised her. The crowd was celebrating still, probably more drunk than ever. Father. Chen Yong. O, Goddess of Mercy, let them be safe.

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“They washed me with hot pepper water, to help numb the pain. But I think that was a ruse. The pain from that merely made the agony from the actual act seem less so.”

Music now, muted singing and drumbeats from afar.

“The remover gripped me in one hand. All of it. And I watched him raise the curved knife, cut everything away in one motion.” Zhong Ye stared into his wine cup.

“Why are you telling me this? Do you expect my sympathy?” Ai Ling spoke softly, controlling her voice. She did not show fear or anger—refused to show anything to him.

“I tell you, beloved wife, to demonstrate how far I will go to gain power. I risked everything to enter the Palace, worked my way up from latrine boy and kitchen sweeper to the Emperor’s most trusted confidant. Every Emperor’s trusted confidant. I have guided dynasties for enough centuries that the people do not even know me as a eunuch—do not realize what I sacrifi ced. . . .” He spoke in a quiet voice, too. Ai Ling tilted her face away, studied the carvings on the bedpost instead. Two golden cranes wound themselves among the blooming lotus fl owers and buds.

“But power wasn’t enough for you. You had to go further than that.” She met his eyes now, and they widened in surprise.

“What do you know about any of it?” The tone of his voice changed, from honeyed warmth to hard-edged fl int.

“What do I need to know? You’ve lived centuries. You say I’ll rule with you for more to come.” Her eyes burned from 294

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tiredness, from wanting to close and sleep for days. But did they betray all that she tried to contain within herself at this moment?

Rage.

Vengeance.

“Is it so strange that a man who has seized power should choose to keep it?” he asked.

“It’s wrong to live beyond the life that was given you.”

Something within her spirit shifted. Ai Ling blinked, as if she heard the words she spoke from another’s mouth. Had she said these words to him before . . . in another life?

He gripped her chin so fast her breath caught. “I won’t argue about this with you again. And I won’t lose you either.”

Again? She twisted her face away.

“You don’t believe Silver Phoenix loved me.” He traced her lower lip with a finger. When he pulled his hand back, she saw a smudge of red on his fingertip. “You don’t remember.”

He removed her shoes, and the heat rose to her face when he touched her feet. “Would I wait over two centuries for you if she had not? When I can have anyone I choose?” He stroked her instep.

She refused to believe his lies.

“Don’t worry, Ai Ling. My manhood may be sitting in a jar, but I can still satisfy you in every way.” His hand slipped beneath the heavy wedding gown, stroking her calf. “I’ve 295

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gained considerable power in the dark arts and will be whole for you tonight.”

The heat that had blazed across her cheeks spread to her neck, down her chest. Terror seized her limbs, and Ai Ling clenched every muscle so she would not tremble. Of course he would consummate the marriage. Zhong Ye kissed her brow, her closed lids. She wished he were less gentle, less loving in his manner. It would make it easier for her. And quicker.

His mouth covered hers, and even though she had expected this, her back still arched from shock, and a small gasp rose from her, smothered by his kiss. He broke away and pulled her to her knees to face him.

Slowly, with great care and patience, Zhong Ye began to undo the hidden clasps of the wedding gown. His fingers were swift, and he was pushing the gown off her shoulders within heartbeats.

He stroked her bare arms and shoulders with both hands, ran his fingers along her collarbone. Her flesh pimpled at his touch. Ai Ling willed herself to stay still. He bent over again to kiss her, longer now, more deeply. She tasted the wine he had drunk as his arms encircled her and began to unravel her breast binder.

Her heart raced, but she was pliant beneath his hands and mouth. She coiled her spirit tighter—not yet; wait, wait.

The red silk fell like shuddering wings to the bed. Zhong Ye drew back to take her in with those pale gray eyes, hungry 296

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now, bright with a heat she did not want to recognize.

He began to work the clasps of his own tunic. “Help me,”

he said in a thick voice. She obeyed, bringing stiff fingers to the gold brocade, unclasping one hook while he undid three. He drew off the tunic, revealing a pale and toned form. Completely naked. It was not what she had expected so soon. The shock must have registered on her face as Zhong Ye smiled, amused.

“I can’t be that terrible, my wife. But if it pleases you, I can take on the form of anyone I choose.” His body blurred around the edges, wavered for moments—then Chen Yong kneeled before her, naked.

It was so convincing, her heart leaped. Longing and terror catapulted through her. She wanted to slap him, shove him away. Ai Ling fought not to collapse in surrender, fought for control. She looked up. His eyes stayed a pale gray. He smiled at her, and there was a glint in them, a cutting twist to the lips that she’d never seen on Chen Yong.

Ai Ling turned her head.

“I knew you’d prefer your husband to that mutt,” Zhong Ye whispered into her ear, his breath warm on her neck.

He was himself again, his silver-streaked head bent and pressed to her chest. She bit her lip when she felt his tongue on her breast. She fisted her hands, forced herself not to scream.

His hands were on her bare hips now, worked their way down until they cupped her buttocks. He pulled her closer 297

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to him, kissing her midsection, licking her navel. She wanted to cry, tear the hair from his head. Instead she reached down for his face.

Zhong Ye looked up, desire suffusing his pallid features.

“Kiss me,” she said.

He smiled and rose to his knees. Ai Ling wound her arms around his neck, clasped her hands at the nape of it. She opened herself up to him, opened herself up entirely. She kissed him deeply and released all the light that burned within her, letting it fl ow in a blinding rush into him.

He twitched slightly as their spirits met. She did not attempt to take control, but continued to fill him with her own unleashed being. She felt her lips through his, and his through her own.

All at once, it was as if hundreds of beings kissed her—all the souls Zhong Ye had stolen to keep himself alive. She heard a low moan, more within his mind than from his lips, which pressed on her mouth like hot coals. Sensing his distraction, the spirits worked as one to break free from their prison.

She folded her spirit over Zhong Ye’s.

He felt their frenzy, was suddenly aware of her presence.

His mind roared in fury, with abrupt understanding. He tried to pull away, both body and spirit. She pressed herself to his bare chest, wrapped her arms about him more fi rmly, deepened her kiss. His mouth was slack now, his lips brittle and cold. He struggled for control, struggled to harness the 298

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souls clamoring against him. But he was powerless, his spirit bound within hers.

His body began to convulse, and a deep-throated scream reverberated inside him, between them. He tried to push her off, but he was too weak, trembling in her arms. He began to slip, his bare back slick with sweat, yet she clung to him. A white heat radiated from him until a blazing light fi lled the room, blinding even beneath her closed lids.