Double Dragon Seduction Page 3

  “You bitch.” He hobbled.

  “You inspired me to take self-defense classes. You’re never gonna lay a hand on me again.” A powerful explosion of energy flowed through her. Flames filled her throat and she was no longer in control. Her worst fears unfolded before her horrified eyes.

  “Gwen, it’s okay, it’s me Tatsu.” Barely audible, his words coaxed her back to awareness of her surroundings.

  “Hey, look at me, please?” He cupped her cheeks, his palms cool on her hot skin.

  “That’s it, look at me. I’m right here.”

  Chapter Five

  Her high body temperature told Tatsu what was happening. He felt it himself in times of fury. A moment later, and she would have burned the bastard to a crisp. Maybe not a bad thing…. No, we’d never be able to explain the charred corpse.

  “Gwen, focus on me.” He patted her face, working to rouse her from her trance. Her eyes glowed orange.

  Yong, keep him away, I’ve got this.

  Whatever you’re gonna do, do it fast. Yong’s thoughts held panic. Tatsu could feel the frenzy set in, and the acute stinging of his shoulder blades took hold, his flesh beginning to tear.

  To his left, Yong restrained the belligerent drunk face-down in the snow; he wouldn’t be able to witness anything. Yong’s body was rising in heat too; flooding with adrenaline, it was fueling their change.

  This wasn’t how he’d wanted their first kiss to be, but he considered it a necessary sacrifice. Insatiable desire rushed through him when he claimed her delectable lips. At first, she hesitated then accepted his touch.

  He pulled back for a moment. “That’s it, sweetie, let it go, I’ve got you. Everything’s going to be okay.” He captured her mouth again. The consuming heat didn’t faze him in the least. He welcomed it. The sweetness of her fevered tongue intoxicated him. “Yes, that’s it, give it to me, I can handle it.” Tatsu sucked in her flaming breath, absorbing the energy, drawing out the last of her ferocity. She brought her hands up, placing them over his, holding them tight.

  “It’s all right now; you’re fine.” Tatsu kissed her forehead; her flesh had cooled and her chocolate brown eye color had returned.

  Yong, take her back to the guest house. I’ll handle him; we can’t afford for you to lose control now.

  What about you?

  I’ll be fine. I’ll just finish up with our friend.

  Yong jumped up, leaving Jamison slumped in the snow. He flung off his bomber jacket, wrapped it around Gwen’s shaking shoulders, over her own, lighter coat, and scooped her up into his arms. She hung motionless with a fixed stare.

  She’s in shock. Take care of her. I’ll be right there.

  Tatsu eyed the beast clambering to his feet in front of him, as his brother disappeared toward the guest house.

  “You might want to think, before you try anything stupid.” The internal flames were consuming him, and he doubted his ability to stay his hand should the fool continue to threaten their woman.

  When Jamison lunged forward with a bellow, Tatsu gathered the last of his self-control and stepped aside. The angry man flew face first to the ground.

  “Stay down or you’ll leave me no choice.”

  “Fuck you,” Jamison growled, pulled himself upright, and charged again.

  “Okay, that’s it.” Tatsu caught him by the throat and squeezed hard. His opponent dropped to his knees, gasping. “Stay away from Gwen.”

  “What’s with your eyes? They’re glowing.”

  Tatsu sent him crashing backward to the ground. “Next time I won’t be so nice.”

  He spied a row of enormous icicles hanging from the edge of the rooftop over Jamison.

  “You can’t protect her forever. I’ll find her, and when I do….”

  Tatsu plotted his target along the eaves trough and opened his mouth, hurling flames at the daggers of ice.

  “What the fuck?” Frozen spears pierced the ground around him, and Jamison curled into a ball, arms wrapped around his head.

  Tatsu released the flame and his body temperature shot back down to normal. Agony surged through his shoulder blades.

  “Gwen is off limits to you.” He maintained his stare until the other man nodded in agreement.

  Grateful no hotel guests had wandered out during their melee, Tatsu trudged away from Jamison. He smoothed back his hair and straightened his coat. As he reached the front of the hotel, a police car screeched to a halt and a pair of officers spilled out. The driver ducked his head to the side, speaking into his shoulder radio.

  “Dispatch, be advised, we are on scene and searching for the suspect.”

  “Hey, officers, I think the person you’re looking for ran back there. Be careful of falling ice though, looks dangerous.” Buttoning his jacket, Tatsu crossed the bridge, heading toward the guest house and the most important evening of his—and his brother’s—life.

  ***

  Yong sat on the couch with Gwen, his arm protectively around her, when Tatsu came in and shut the door, shoulders slumped.

  “Wow, this is different, a tunnel for a room?” Tatsu glanced around at the arch shaped walls.

  “Unique, isn’t it?” She smiled. “Look at the window at the end. It’s like peering out from inside a globe. You can see the water falling.”

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “Are you okay?” Yong asked.

  “I’m fine. How are you, Gwen?”

  “Better, thanks to you both.”

  She nuzzled into his embrace, and Yong snuggled her close.

  Concerned, he sent a quick thought.I felt your fire. Did he see anything?

  Nothing anyone would believe.

  What is it? Yong stood, sensing his brother’s pain.

  “Okay, what’s going on here?” She went to Tatsu, patting him down. “Did Jamison hurt you?”

  “It’s all right, nothing to worry about.” He turned away from her with a grimace. “The police arrived, so they were dealing with him. He smelled like a fifth of rye, probably headed for the drunk tank to sleep it off.”

  “Thank God,” she sighed.

  Tatsu, it’s started, hasn’t it?

  Don’t scare her, please. Maybe we should send her back to the hotel.

  No, she can handle it, I think. Let’s give her a chance.

  “Hey you two, knock it off with the twin mind-reading already. Talk to me.”

  “It’s a long story. Not what you signed up for tonight.” Tatsu brushed past them and sat down on the black suede couch.

  “In case you forgot, neither of you signed up for dealing with my psycho ex, either.”

  “True, but this goes beyond—”

  “Let’s get down to the nitty gritty. What are you two? Shape shifters or something?”

  “What?” Double sounds of shock filled the air.

  “I read, you know…all kinds of science fiction and paranormal. There is no way you could be human, not with how you managed me just now. Yong told me everything. I could have burned him alive, and you took over like you deal with this weird shit all the time.”

  “Gwen,” Yong pleaded.

  “We’re in this situation together, so I need to know who I’m involved with…or what?” Hands on hips, she tapped the toe of her stiletto boot on the floor. “Do you think I would or could tell anyone about you after what happened to me tonight? I’m not so normal myself these days.”

  Yong stared at Tatsu. I don’t know what to say to her.

  She’s our last chance; it’s now or never. “We are human,” Tatsu said.

  Yong sat beside him and leaned back.

  “You are?”

  “Half, anyway.”

  “Half human? What about the rest of you?” Her widened eyes darted between them.

  Yong pulled a brown leather journal from his coat pocket and handed it to her.

  She flipped through the pages. “I can’t read it.”

  “It’s written in kanji—Chinese calligraphy.”

  “I can
see that much. What’s it about?”

  Yong patted the couch between them. He took the book as she snuggled in. “Our grandfather started his journal as a boy and kept writing over the decades, knowing he would have to pass the information down someday.”

  “About what?”

  “Chinese culture sometimes refers to our people as “Descendants of the Dragon.”

  “Go on.”

  “We’re parahuman—half-breeds.”

  Gwen shrank back, staring blankly at the page.

  We’re going about this all wrong, little brother.

  Gimme a minute.

  “Our mother didn’t hook up with a dragon, or anything bizarre like that, but we believe we evolved from them centuries ago. Grandfather’s research says that our people carry the dormant gene, and twins born during the year of the dragon receive the dominant version.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “We were born in 1976, the year of the dragon.”

  “So what does that mean?”

  “Legend has it, twins born under that Chinese zodiac sign are in fact one dragon’s spirit, split in two.”

  “So we’re talking talons and scales, with wings and fiery breath?”

  “Not yet, but it could happen. The tales say one twin will at some point overpower the other. The stronger one will remain human. The other will shift into the form of a dragon then die—reuniting the spirit in one body.”

  “So, you believe the story? The ramblings of your grandfather’s lifelong obsession with legends?”

  “Of course we do.”

  “Why? It’s just fiction. People write about that kind of stuff all the time.”

  “Fiction is often based on some element of truth. Grandfather was born in 1940.”

  “What’s your point?”

  “The year of the dragon.”

  “And?”

  “He’s the surviving twin.”

  She got to her feet and looked from Yong to his brother. “Stand up, right now.”

  The brothers complied. She circled them at a slow pace.

  “Take your coats off.”

  Tatsu shook his head.

  “Please.” She stepped in front of him and cupped his pale cheek in her palm. He allowed his leather coat to drop to the floor.

  Running her hands along both their chests, she frowned. “Now your shirts.”

  Tatsu winced, sucking in a breath as he lifted the turtleneck sweater over his head.

  “What are these tattoos on your chests? They’re the same.” Her fingers glided over the markings.

  “The kanji symbol means double dragon,” Tatsu said.

  “Twin dragons?”

  He gave a soft smile. “Yes.”

  She stepped behind Yong, and continued her gentle exploration with her nails along his bare back. Next, she moved behind Tatsu and clapped her hand over her mouth.

  “Does it hurt?” Her eyes welled up.

  Yong feared what he would find. “No, it can’t be.” Approaching, he swallowed hard at the sight of the jagged flesh and touched the nubs of wings poking out of Tatsu’s back.

  “How can we stop it?” Her voice was frantic.

  “I’m not sure we can anymore.” Tatsu said.

  “We could have before? How?”

  “It doesn’t matter now. We shouldn’t have gotten you involved.”

  “The book states,” Yong tried to keep defeat from overwhelming him, “the way to keep the change from happening is to cancel the exchange of energy flow between us, basically short circuiting it.”

  “Grandfather had a theory,” Tatsu said.

  “What was it?”

  “If both of us were to—experience the identical explosive force at the same time, it would neutralize the event and put a stop to it, for good.” Yong met her narrow-eyed probing stare.

  “I’m not following you.”

  “Think about it for a minute. What is the one thing all humans consider the ultimate mind-blowing experience?” He took her hands in his.

  “You mean like when I raged before?”

  “No, angry energy feeds the change. We couldn’t both lose control like that at the same time. One of us is always less reactive, so one will still overpower the other.” Tatsu said.

  “Anger is the highest peak I can think of. What else is there?”

  Yong responded, mindful not to frighten her. “Orgasm.”

  “What?” Her head snapped back, and she pulled her hands away. “Oh, oh.” Her heart-shaped face turned bright red.

  “I know how it sounds, but that’s why Grandfather had Madame Eve set us up for a ménage. The best chance to have the same frenzied shockwave would be to—climax at the same time. We just didn’t expect the change so soon.”

  She took a step back, frowning. “Couldn’t you have solved your problem, a long time ago by—pleasing yourselves at the same time?”

  “It’s different.” Tatsu returned to the couch. “There’s a much greater response during sex with partners than during masturbation. It’s the connection between the mates, a package deal. Maybe it’s a dragon thing, but the mental, emotional, and physical turn on at the same time is the ultimate. You know what I mean?”

  “That, yes, I do understand, but climaxing at the same time, that could be tricky to achieve.”

  “Very.” Tatsu’s voice was filled with doubt.

  “Why is all of this happening now?”

  “Over the past several years, if one of us got riled up over something, it created—a quickening. Each time, it became more potent, until the energy started to shift. Tatsu has always been the more hot-headed twin, so he became stronger, but recently, something changed, and I started absorbing him instead.”

  “If you thought it would take longer, why is it happening so fast?” Gwen drew closer again, looking into his eyes with fascination.

  “We think, because it’s 2012, another year of the dragon. The last surge we experienced was in 2000—it’s the only thing that makes sense.”

  “Why couldn’t you have cured it when you had sex before? Either of you?”

  “Uh—that.” Yong covered his mouth with his hand through a fake cough.

  “What?”

  He winced at Tatsu’s hanging head and went over to the mini bar behind them, pulling out a bottle of cognac and three glasses, splashing generous amounts for each of them.

  “Here, you’re gonna need a drink.” He handed one glass to Gwen and another to his brother.

  “You’re scaring me.” Her shapely lips distracted him, and her cleavage didn’t help his focus any.

  “The truth is, I’ve never been with a woman before.” He chugged back his drink.

  “You’re gay?” Her mouth fell open.

  “What? No, I’m not gay. I’m a—a—”

  “Yong, are you a virgin?”

  “Yes.” He turned back to the bar and grabbed the bottle, serving up another glass of courage.

  “What about you?” She looked over at the wincing man on the couch.

  “Uh—yeah, same here.”

  “Sweet Jesus, are you guys kidding me?”

  Yong placed his fingers under her glass and tipped it up. She swallowed the contents and choked out, “Virgins?”

  “Look, it’s okay if it’s too much for you. I half expected you to bolt when you saw my back,” Tatsu said.

  “No, it’s not that at all—this is a lot of pressure for a one-night stand. I’m no expert in bed.”

  Silence filled the tunnel-shaped apartment. Gwen shook her head. Yong was sure she was contemplating the mess they’d put her in. Guilt permeated his mind and he walked over to the wall-sized window to watch the crashing falls through the dome-shaped glass.

  “Gwen?” Tatsu said.

  “Yes?”

  “I know you handle fire like a dragon, but how did you get the ability?”

  Returning to the couch, Yong nodded. “Good question.”

  “I don’t know. It had never happened to me b
efore until the night—”

  “What night?”

  Letting out a big sigh, she dropped down between them. “The night I almost died, about six months ago.”

  “What happened?” Tatsu asked, taking her hand.

  “I found out my ex was cheating on me with his accounting client, and told him I knew.”

  “And then what?”

  “I’ve never lost complete control like that before, I was raised to keep things to myself, not to complain, so most of the time I tolerated him.”

  “Go on.” Yong urged her.

  “What happened?” Tatsu gripped her hand.

  “He had one of his violent spells, and I woke up in a pool of my own blood.”

  Yong caressed her back, encouraging her to tell as much as she felt comfortable with.

  “All I can remember about that night is that everything went dark red, and then I blacked out. I woke up in the hospital. My friend Cindy had stopped by and…well, she called 911.”

  “You had a concussion?”

  “Yes. Later, when we were alone, Cindy told me what she saw when she arrived.”

  “What?”

  “She saw him holding me by the throat, and I grabbed his hand and burned him—with my fingers.”

  “What’s your heritage?” Tatsu watched her with an intense glare.

  “I’m not sure. I’m adopted. I only know I’m of mixed race.”

  “What about your birth family?”

  “My adoptive parents told me my birth mother couldn’t keep me. She was young and single. They didn’t know anything about my father. They did tell me one other thing.”

  “What was that?”

  “Well, they said she had been pregnant with twins, but lost one before birth.”

  “Wait a minute, Gwen. What year were you born?”

  “’76.”

  “The same year we were born?” Yong whispered with wide eyes.

  Tatsu stood up and paced back and forth.

  “Do you realize what you’re saying?”

  “Wow, it didn’t occur to me earlier, but, yes, I think I do.”

  “She’s a dragon.” Both men declared.

  “Un-friggin’-believable.” He shook his head. “Grandfather said Madame Eve would find the perfect match—you don’t think she knew?”