Dragon's Blood

Black Planet: Dragon’s Blood Belinda McBride All rights reserved. Copyright ©2008 Belinda McBride Warning: The unau...

Author: McBride Belinda

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Black Planet: Dragon’s Blood Belinda McBride All rights reserved.

Copyright ©2008 Belinda McBride

Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is

illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary

gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison

and a fine of $250,000.

ISBN: 978-1-60521-082-7

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Publisher:

Changeling Press LLC

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Martinsburg, WV 25402-1046

www.ChangelingPress.com

Editor: Vicki S. Burklund

Cover Artist: Zuri

This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

Black Planet: Dragon’s Blood Belinda McBride San Francisco hasn’t been the same since the Great Shake of ’08. On the ruins of Fisherman’s Wharf, a ramshackle city rises like a mushroom, a strange dichotomy of safety and corruption. In this forbidden city, a monster prowls the corridors and alleys, seeking the nanite-enhanced flesh and blood of underground cage fighters. Detective Annie Tanaka once survived an encounter with the monster. The attack left her clinging to life and riddled with fear. Now the monster has returned, and he’s hunting in her territory. She’ll need every weapon in her arsenal to face this enemy and prevail. Unfortunately for Annie, her mentor, a legendary fight master, hasn’t been seen in decades, and her unwilling partner is next on the monster’s menu. Annie soon realizes her real enemy’s not the monster, but her own fear. And against that fear, Annie must stand alone.

Chapter One 2183 CE, San Francisco “Mornin’, Annie!” “Mornin’!” Annie Tanaka tossed a grin over her shoulder and planted a foot, running and vaulting over the narrow, artificial canyon. Narrow, yes, but it was a thirteen-story drop to the alleys, and whether she hit water or rebar, her death would come fast and hard. “Mornin’, Annie!” “Hey, Mrs. Y! How’s things?” She didn’t slow as she replied. The boat to Oakland might just possibly be on schedule today, and she didn’t want to miss it. There were other boats, but she tried to stick to routine. Besides, Cappie Reynolds was fair. He rarely overcharged except for when it was storming. And when it was storming, Annie would much rather stay at home in bed, listening to the sound of water dripping from her leaky roof. Annie’s light boots skimmed over a long ramp that dropped a level and came out on the roof of Parsottie’s Eatery. From there, a series of gradually descending rooftops would take her out of Wharf and set her on the streets of San Francisco proper. She’d never have to set foot on the dangerous lower corridors with this route. Even in the daytime, the ground level harbored gangs and drug addicts, cheap whores and the occasional thrill-seeker from outside. Every time she approached a ramp, whether it was a braced structure or a flimsy board, she scanned quickly and carefully. Caution might slow her down, but it wasn’t unusual for the local reigning gangs to sabotage passages. Thick bundles of electric cables snaked over surfaces and into the air. She’d taken a few hard falls in her time,

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only extreme luck combined with phenomenal agility saving her from taking the drop forever. With her heart beating from the journey, Annie paused in the shelter of two buildings. The City didn’t patrol Wharf territory these days -- it was harder to get in than out -- but old habits died hard. From her elevated vantage point, she checked for gangsters, guards, and anyone that might have something to gain by keeping a Wharf rat in… or out. The coast was clear and she was over solid ground now, so she went hand over hand, down to the level of the Wall. From there she simply jogged to the docks, taking a skinny stair passage that led straight to her destination: the Morning Glory. Grungy but seaworthy, the old boat had been a luxury yacht in a previous life. Now the old lady was just a dirty, faded whore, not unlike those that Annie passed in the lower alleys of Wharf. But if the Glory went down on you, she went down forever, carrying you into the cold, murky water of San Francisco Bay. Annie gave herself a moment to tamp down the panic, staring at the oily water below her feet. Overhead a lone gull circled hopefully. About eight other passengers were aboard. If she didn’t hurry, she’d get stuck out on deck, propped on a dirty tire or a coil of greasy rope. Annie murmured a quick prayer to Bok Eye, the Chinese God of Water, and then she stepped aboard. It was a delicate balance. She didn’t want to be late, ending up stuck on deck, or possibly missing the boat altogether. But she also didn’t want to be early. The old boat smelled fishy. The roll of the waves brought nausea to her throat. She’d timed it perfectly. “Hey, Annie. You going to ride up front with me today?” “Hey, Cappie.” She extended her fare, daring him to up his charge. The Bay commute was a seller’s market, and if he was in a crappy mood, Cappie wouldn’t hesitate to boot a rider in favor of one with deeper pockets. “This is for round trip.” He stared at her offering, and then nodded curtly. “Head up front and take a seat. You can have my chair.”

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She ducked her head, hiding a smile. That usually meant Cappie and his onagain off-again lover had made up. Their fights were notorious, the stuff of local legend. Their make-up sex? Marlin had probably given Cap the ass-pounding of his life. Marlin had allegedly walked in on Cappie with a floor-whore last week. Thing about living in Wharf, there were no real secrets. Nearly twenty thousand people were crammed into a warren of high- and lowrise buildings that had mushroomed up on the site of Old Fisherman’s Wharf. They lived shoulder to shoulder in one of the highest population density neighborhoods in the world. The wall around Wharf was a mystery. Some said it was to keep Wharf rats in, others said it was to keep the city dwellers out. Only old Guo Lee knew the truth of the matter, and he’d never shared that story with anyone. Annie settled into the worn leather of the captain’s chair and relaxed a bit. From the bridge she could see sun and sky and water while avoiding the claustrophobic conditions below deck. She could also see whatever might be coming. Annie Tanaka didn’t like being taken by surprise. The motors strained and groaned as they started, and then Cappie stood at her side, giving her a rare, gap-toothed grin. His teeth were surprisingly white in his weathered face. Yeah, he’d gotten some. And then some. She wished she was getting some too.

*** The actual cross-Bay trip didn’t take long. Nevertheless, there were nail-marks in her palms, bite marks on her lips. Over the past five years, Annie had trained herself to minimize the self-inflicted damage. For a time, she’d sported an ever-present bloody spot on her full lower lip and her fingernails had been chewed down to the quick. Once they tied off, she darted up the docks to solid ground, taking a moment to collect her nerve. It wasn’t the boat, it was the water. Odd, since she lived in a high-rise that towered erratically over the bay. Annie knew exactly why she was afraid and didn’t bother to question it. No amount of looking back could change things. She could

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only move forward if she turned her head in that direction. One of old Guo’s favorite sayings. A short run along Oakland’s waterfront took her to the sleek electric train system that wound through the East Bay. Ten minutes in relative comfort and she stepped out into hordes of traffic, both human and mechanical. The train whizzed away, climbing up to become an elevated monorail on its way to Berkeley. The station house was new and high-tech, a thoroughly modern testament to the rebuilding of the city by the bay. San Francisco had staggered under the burden of rebuilds and recovery after the Big Shake of ’08. The Marina District had virtually been absorbed into the liquefied ground that it had been built on. Fires had gutted Fisherman’s Wharf, leaving the space clear for the squatters’ city that had evolved into the comfortable anarchy of Wharf Town. The city itself had regained some of its former glory, yet continued to struggle with modernization and safety. The East Bay had brushed itself off and taken the opportunity to create a new, ultra-modern infrastructure. It was clean, safe, and always looking toward the future. “Hey, Detective Tanaka!” She grinned and waved at the station receptionist, stepping into a bullet-shaped lift. Level three put her at the locker rooms where Annie quickly changed from jeans to a chic trouser suit. Today was briefing and a press conference about the status of a high profile drug case that she’d worked. While she wouldn’t speak directly to the press, Annie needed to look professional. She armed up, pistol in a shoulder harness, cuffs on her belt. Annie ran a comb through her sleek black hair and carefully applied matte red lipstick. She dug pins from her kit and did a simple up-do, and smudged her lids with a bit of liner. She slipped into sleek black pumps and checked herself in the mirror. The black suit looked good. Professional yet attractive. At work she could sometimes afford to look like a girl. Within reasonable limits. She locked her space and headed out, ignoring the half dozen other cops in various states of undress. Terrence was in the shower, singing as he scrubbed the grime

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of his undercover identity from his skin. He was on his way home to his wife and baby. Amy Lyn was drying her hair; she’d been on late night as well. The large room was split into a men’s half and a women’s half, but nobody seemed to care if that invisible line was crossed. Annie was one of the few who opted for the private showers and changing cubes. She was out the door and heading for the break room to pick up her morning coffee when an intern caught her. “Detective Tanaka?” “Hey, Lou, what’s up?” “Greene wants you to skip the briefing today. You’re to meet him in I-six.” “Okay, thanks.” Annie frowned and watched as he jogged away, no doubt looking for his next target. She changed direction and headed back down to the interrogation levels on the ground floor. Her belly jumped uneasily. She thought about that coffee and decided to skip it. Meeting Greene in the I rooms could only mean one thing. A new case, deep undercover.

*** “Oh Jesus.” Annie looked at the photos and then followed those with the lab reports. She closed the file and rested her head in her hands. “Greene, you can’t do this to me.” “We need a man on the inside, Tanaka. You’re it.” “God, Greene, if you mean what I think you mean…” “He’s back.” Greene stared at her steadily, his gray eyes looking sad and worn. Five years ago this case had nearly cost Annie her life and her career. It had taken her partner’s wife, and then it took her partner as well. She should want a second shot at this monster, damn it. “How many?” “That we know of? Two here in Oakland. Four confirmed in San Fran. LA won’t commit to a number, but they’re hinting he’s been there. I’ve got feelers out in Seattle and Portland. He’s covered a lot of ground.”

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“It’s not a he, Greene.” “Whatever. But he’s… it’s here now. We’ve got a taskforce started but that’s primarily for groundwork and diversion. We don’t want him looking your direction till you’re right on top of him.” She met his eyes and slowly he pushed another file across the tabletop. It was “The Plan.” Her undercover identity. She sat quietly, reading and memorizing the operation. Green tried to hide a smile when she got to the layout. “Greene, I can’t -Wharf is my home!” “It’s his next logical target, Tanaka. And nobody there knows you’re a cop, right? So they won’t have to know. And Wharf has no official police force. No protocol and no red tape.” She could act independently if need be. Of course, she wouldn’t have the support of a standing police force. “Okay, so the next problem: I’m not an insider in the gambling or fighting world. How exactly am I going to get into position?” “Covered.” She heard a commotion out in the hallway, bodies thudding against walls, shouts and curses. She glanced at Greene with a raised brow. “Their timing couldn’t be better, could it?” She shook her head and turned back to the file. When she finished, she met Greene’s cool eyes. The past couple years had been hard on the man. His wife had died slowly of Dragon’s Blood, the mysterious Hemo disease. No amount of transfusions had kept her going. Add to that the burden of heading up the undercover forces… Well, it was hard on a man. It showed in his prematurely graying hair, those sad, soulful eyes. He was only thirty-five. “So you’re in?” “Like I have a choice?” Not if she wanted to keep her job. And she did love her job, most of the time. “So you know who’s in that other room?” Anne nodded wordlessly.

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“You ready?” She stood, rising to her full height, squaring her shoulders, masking the uncertainty, the guilt and the fear. All that freshly plowed shit that had re-surfaced after reading the paperwork. She gathered the files from the table and handed them to Greene. Standing aside, she followed her boss out the door. This was undoubtedly as painful for him as it was for her.

*** Aiden Chen glared. Of course, they’d pulled some damned hood over his head, so the glare was pointless. He jerked his arms, testing the shackles that anchored his arms to something… a table? His naked feet were secured to the floor. An interrogation room, judging by the feel of things. The hard chair was cold against his nearly bare ass. He wracked his brain, trying to remember what warrants might be out on his name. He mostly operated inside Wharf, which was off-limits to the SFPD. Something else was up. Instinct cooled his temper; he went still and quiet. Within moments, the door opened. “Okay, Chen, I’m taking off the hood. You be a good boy and wait patiently.” Automatically, Aiden’s bare foot jerked against the shackle. He stilled himself as the fabric cleared his face, allowing him to breathe fresh air. It was indeed an interrogation room, one he’d never seen. Too clean for San Fran. Too new. His glare moved from the uniform leaving the room to the dark observation window. His heightened vision told him the observation room was empty. Three cups of hot tea waited on the table, one in front of where he sat. How civilized. He shifted uncomfortably on the hard chair. They’d pulled him from bed, and he needed to pee. He could only be grateful they’d allowed him underwear. Aiden prayed the fight groupie that’d been in his bed locked up on her way out. He didn’t have much of value, but still, he didn’t need any roof rats digging through his shit. He rarely took anyone home; he must’ve had too much to drink again.

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The door opened again and Aiden glanced up, feeling his face go stiff and still. Of course he wasn’t in San Fran. He was across the Bay. Greene. They’d knocked him out; he didn’t remember the ride over. He closed his eyes, recognizing footsteps echoing down the hall. He didn’t need to see her to know. He opened his eyes when she walked into the room; cool, exotic and dangerous. That beautiful face was the face of evil as he knew it. Maybe evil was a little dramatic. Try pain, grief, betrayal. Yeah, that fit. “Hello, boss. Hey, Annie.” Sarcasm laced his words. “Long time no see.” He saw a flicker of something in her eyes… guilt? No, anger. Not at him. She stepped out into the hall and spoke softly, returning with the keys to his shackles. “I’ve sent for clothing for you.” She sorted a key from the others and moved to his side. “If you mess with me, Chen, I’ll kick your ass.” The warning was delivered with soft intent. She bent to unlock the shackles, her head near his body. “You can try,” he breathed into her ear. She went still. The nanites that flooded his body enhanced his senses. He could smell her unperfumed skin. He knew she lived in Wharf, but Annie carried barely a trace of the trademark waterfront scent. Instead, he smelled the sandalwood incense that she burned in her little rooftop shrine to General Kwan. He smelled the cherry blossom soap that Mary Jackson made and sold in her store. He smelled the mélange of her emotions, guilt and want and anger. The fragrance of her arousal tickled his nose as she turned her head slightly, looking straight at the swelling bulge of his cock just inches from her face. Inwardly, he cursed at his own reaction to her breath brushing his thigh, the slight pink that flushed her cheeks as her eyes slid up to meet his. Something primal… fear? She’d never carried that sort of fear, not in his memory. This fear scent surrounded her like a comfortable, familiar essence that she wore every day. It permeated her clothing. He looked away so she wouldn’t see the

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concern on his face. He hated knowing it was there. Faced with her after all these years, the hate melted away into concern. He could kick himself. Annie moved from his side and seated herself in front of a pair of plain folders that her boss had placed on the table. She sat straight and upright, directly across from Greene. The pair of them were just that… a pair. Identical weary expressions graced their faces. Annie took a sip of her tea and set the cup down. If this is what the job had done to them, he was glad to be out. Aiden folded his arms across his bare chest and waited. “He’s back.” Greene’s words were unadorned, and it took Aiden a few precious moments to puzzle them out. He knew what was coming so he had time to prepare for the rush of emotion that flooded his body, his brain. He braced and sat very still as his body reacted. He separated himself from the pain. When he could speak, Aiden’s voice was steady, matter-of-fact. “He left no evidence beyond his kill. There weren’t enough victims to establish an MO. You’re full of shit, Greene.” He rubbed the bare skin of his arms, feeling the goose flesh rising. Going home across the water would be a barrel of monkeys without shoes or clothes. He didn’t care. Aiden rose, knowing they’d be unable to stop him. “Blood evidence, Chen.” Her voice stopped him. It was soft and velvety, slightly accented. She spoke fluent Japanese, Italian, and Chinese. Her voice was marked with the slight accent of Wharf. “One of the recent victims fought, drew blood. Whatever this thing is, it assimilates the DNA of its victims. Your wife’s DNA was one of the layers the lab identified.”

He sat so very, very still. Annie watched as all emotion shut down on Aiden Chen’s normally expressive face. His arms had crossed his chest, covering the elaborate tattoo work there. She’d never seen him shirtless before, but knew the medallion on the center of his chest matched Lisa’s. They’d gone to an old Japanese Yakuza artist and he’d given them an elegant Chinese dragon and phoenix design. He wore the dragon, she’d

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worn the phoenix. He knew that her Japanese upbringing made the tattoo abhorrent to her; she was surprised that he was hiding it. No scars marred his body, no recent tattoo work. Lisa had told her that he’d planned on sleeves but she’d died, and not long after, he’d had himself injected with black-market nanites. He’d never scar again. His skin would forever reject tattoos. He’d made himself somewhat more than human. Or somewhat less than human, depending on how you looked at it. He was still handsome though his features were now blurred with anger and grief and disillusionment. His hair was longer than she was accustomed to seeing. Fat, black curls and golden brown skin weren’t the only evidence of his African heritage. His face was Chinese but stronger. He had a full mouth and a tough looking jaw. Strong cheekbones slashed across his face. Dark brown eyes blazed in cold anger. Her eyes avoided his body. Carrying nanites kept one healthy, much stronger than average, but you still had to work to stay in shape, and that sculpted body gave proof of hours spent working hard. But then, his life depended on being stronger and faster than everyone else. More so now than when he’d been on the force. Annie told herself that the heat rising in her belly was anger. They’d dragged him out of bed, all the way across the Bay without clothing or shoes. They’d treated him like a common felon, not a former detective. The heat in her belly had nothing to do with his smooth dark skin or the wicked tattoos undulating over the muscles of his arms. Greene continued to speak, anticipating Chen’s questions. “We need to put Tanaka undercover. We think he’s on the fight circuits. The recent victims were all from your world.” “Her. You want her undercover, and me to help?” His eyes were cold as he looked over her contemptuously. “Fine. Her funeral.” Annie’s jaw flexed and then relaxed. She had nothing to prove to this man. She called up her long practiced serenity and let Aiden have his say.

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“Bit of news, Greene. Most every fighter out there is enhanced. She ain’t.” “I don’t need to be.” He snorted. “Even the girl fighters are juiced. She’ll bite it on her first match.” “That isn’t your problem, Chen. We just want you to get her in. You can cut her loose once she’s lined up for a few fights.” “I don’t need to win, Aiden. I just need to fight and survive. And it’s not going to come after me. It’s sniffing out Nanos.” “Lisa wasn’t enhanced.” “Yes, Aiden, she was. Not like you but she’d taken a small injection after a gunshot wound when she was a rookie.” That treatment had done what the nanites had been designed to do, go to the wound, fix it, and then filter out of the blood through the kidneys. But she’d carried a nanite signature in her blood after that. “Look, no offense here, Tanaka. Greene, I know she’s good, but why not send in one of the guys?” “We chose Annie because she’s the right person for the job. She’s a member of Wharf community and is an experienced martial artist.” Aiden snorted in humor. “Doing Tai Chi on the roof ain’t exactly fighting, Greene.” She let it pass. And then she wondered how he knew about the time she spent up top. “Fine.” She looked over at him in surprise. Aiden sat, teacup in hand, idly swirling it around. She hadn’t expected him to agree so easily. “I’ll introduce you around, get you some gigs, but beyond that, I’m out of it. And I get your share of any winnings.” He reached out for the file. Greene nodded slightly, so she pushed it across the table. They were violating protocol, but Chen was ex-force and knew how to handle himself. She watched as he rapidly scanned the documentation, pausing when he read the data relating to Lisa’s death. Her statement was there, and she knew he’d never

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read it before. After the attack he’d buried his wife and walked away, leaving his former partner to pick up the pieces of the investigation. They lived within throwing distance of one another, yet this was the first time she’d seen Aiden Chen since the day of Lisa’s death. Between his anger and her survivor’s guilt, their friendship had been irredeemably shattered. She’d heard about his meteoric rise in the underground fight world through neighborhood gossip. When he slowly closed the file and looked across the table at her, eyes blazing in anger, Annie wished like hell there’d been another option, because she’d have taken it.

Chapter Two “So what are you thinking, Tanaka?” She paused on the ladder, looking at Aiden’s long, lean form reclining on her vintage deck chair. “I’m thinking you’d better not ruin my chair. I had to hang that thing off the dock for hours to soak the Marina mud from it.” For the brave at heart, the Marina was a treasure trove. You could crawl out on boards and planks and haul in old shit that had sunk after the Big Shake. Small shakers and seawater regularly threw the Marina District’s muddy treasure to the surface. She threw a leg over the ledge and dropped lightly to the rooftop. It used to be black tarpaper. She’d painted it white and had been building garden boxes and planters around the space. Her Japanese grandfather had started the rooftop garden; she’d continued with it, establishing a lush roofscape. It was her territory and it pissed her off that he’d managed to jump over from a neighboring rooftop. “No, I mean it. What are you really thinking?” He stretched, arching his back. No doubt he’d not even been home and to bed yet, and it was the dawn of a new day. She forced away the memory of the muscular body that lay hidden under his clothing. Annie crossed to her training area and began slow stretches. What was she really thinking? She was pissed as hell that he’d invaded her privacy. Annie cherished sunrise on her rooftop. She was angry that he was part of her investigation, angry that he questioned her skills after three years of partnership, and in spite of five years of separation. She hated the way she felt when she looked at him. She hated that her guilt wasn’t all from Lisa’s death. That’s what she was really thinking. She started her warm-ups, the old training coming naturally to her. She didn’t even have to think as she bent her knees, twisting from side to side. Old Guo Lee had

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taught her this when she was a child. A dead art form, save for a few Chinese families here and there. She’d been a teen when it occurred to her how strange it was that a Chinese family had tutored a Japanese girl in their family art. Her grandfather Tanaka had raised her and had never commented on her becoming the protégé of a noted kung fu teacher. A Chinese teacher. She’d carefully refrained from calling Guo Lee her sifu in Grandpa’s presence. She centered, blocked left, then right, sixty reps, and smoothly shifted to a punch. Fifteen minutes in and she was warmed up and sweating. She moved into Pi, or metal stance, and settled, holding till the sweat ran freely down her brow. She pulled through the stance and held on the other side. Chen sighed impatiently. There were five elements and eight animals in the Lee family’s Hsing-I form. If he let her go, she’d spend the next hour working her forms and stances. And while it was wonderful to watch, they weren’t getting anywhere. In all the years he’d known her, worked beside her, Chen had never seen her fight. She’d always known the right thing to say to defuse a situation. When things went bad, she’d step in and suddenly the perp was restrained. Nifty skills but she’d never been inside a ring. Or worse yet, a cage. Annie paused, wiping sweat from her face. “You warmed up yet?” She cast him a bland glance and nodded. “Okay, let’s bang.” He hopped up and smiled sweetly. “Don’t get your hopes up, honey. It’s not what it sounds like.” A flicker of annoyance crossed her face and he knew he’d scored. It bugged the hell out of him that she’d gone all impassive on his ass. This was her guarded look, the look that told him of her distrust. She used to be open with him, back before. Back before she’d fucked up and watched his wife die. Aiden wrapped his anger around him like a cloak, pushing away the annoyance, letting anger seep in. What he’d read in that report hadn’t changed anything. Not much. She was a trained cop and her

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failure had cost the life of his wife. Granted, she’d been injured, but still, she could have done something… “Stand in front of me.” She moved in, instinctively putting herself into position. “You done this before?” She shook her head. “Okay, horse stance; then you’re going to twist from the waist. We’re going to bang arms.” They began slowly, her slender forearms making contact with his steely arms, their muscles slapping together. Gradually, he upped the force. Her breathing became deep and steady, telling him of her pain. “Now drop your arm, we’re going to bang the front part.” She picked it up quickly, and soon, they alternated front to back. When the skin on her arms began to glow pink, Aiden slowed to a stop. To her credit she didn’t complain, though she rubbed at her arms. He headed for his bag and pulled out a bottle of liniment. “This’ll help with bruising,” he said gruffly. She nodded and rubbed the stuff on her arms, wrinkling her nose at the smell. Every family with a martial arts tradition had their own version of “juice,” or bone-break liniment. He doubted the Lees trusted her with their version. She was a student, not family. “Okay, Tanaka. I know you’re in shape and can move. What I don’t know is if you can take a hit. Can you?” The blow should have floored her. It should have landed square in the belly and taken her down. Instead, Chen found himself with an arm behind his back, head down at an awkward angle. It’d been a cheap shot, he deserved the humiliation. “Slick.” He grinned, twisting into a low fighter’s stance once she released his arm. Okay, they’d spar if she felt so confident. He circled, grinning in amusement as she stood always facing him, relaxed and seemingly unprepared. Aiden stepped in to punch, connected with nothing, and found himself face-down on the roof. “Look, Tanaka, this is all well and good, but you can’t go in the ring like this.” She released him and stood back as he rose. “Listen, your opponent will come in like pile-drivers, and I can’t help if I can’t gauge how you take a hit…” “Who says I have to take a hit? That would be stupid.”

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“That would be boring, and people don’t bet on boring.”

“Well, I’m not going in as a career fighter, Aiden.”

“Yes, my dear, you are. If you’re going to get close to the insiders, you need to

play the game.” He had a point. Many of the illegal fighters were from the outside, they weren’t Wharf people. She might be on home turf, but she was still an outsider. “Okay, fine.” She stood and took a flashy stance. They closed, she danced and ducked away. When his blow finally connected, she gasped, staggered, but didn’t fall. “Okay, you know most of the fights are to the knock-out. The ones I run are more traditional, ten rounds or five seconds down. None are to the death, but that’s only words. Some of the high stakes fights offer a payout on death.” “Lovely lifestyle you’ve embraced, Aiden.” He didn’t comment. “I’ll want you to draw it out for as many rounds as you can, as flashy as you can. In women’s fighting, it’s no holds barred. If you’re fighting a guy, no going for the nads. They’ll also make you cut down your fingernails.” She nodded, stepping back up to square off again. In truth, that blow had hurt. Not the worst she’d felt, but it’d been bad. He began circling like a wolf. She went low, launching before he attacked. In the midst of a flurry of punches and kicks, Annie snuck in a few stunning blows -- armpits, inner thighs, and ribcage. “Fuck!”

She backed off and grinned.

“You’re real!”

“I’ve been doing this for over twenty years, Aiden. You know the Lees. Do you

seriously think they taught me just so I could balance my chi?” He coughed, bending over at the waist. He brought up blood and spat on the roof. If he’d been a Norm, he’d be on his way to the hospital. Old Guo Lee was a warrior. He’d been one of the founders of Wharf. He practiced an ancient form of martial arts called Hsing-I. Less flashy than other forms, it was direct and to the point, a devastating attack followed by a swift take-down.

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Following the Big Shake when the city had collapsed into violence and chaos, Guo Lee had led his family to the waterfront, taking in as many as would come over the years. In those darkest days, they’d fought off rape gangs and every sort of marauder, including those who carried badges. Guo had eventually disappeared. He’d gone back to China, but his family had carried on, teaching carefully chosen students. Their skills were legendary. In those beginning years, the Lees and their students had drawn the line between right and wrong in Wharf. They’d been the enforcers in an otherwise anarchic society. Aiden looked up cautiously, to where Annie was again standing relaxed and at ease. “If I wanted to kill you, Aiden, I could do it. No amount of illegal nanites could stop me.” She moved in and planted a stinging blow to his face, bending like a willow when he struck back. “In a Norm, I could hit them in a kill spot. I know one that kills the opponent slowly; it takes maybe a year or more. Or I could just do this…” Suddenly his hand was trapped in a nerve hold. His entire arm and shoulder were shrieking with pain. Aiden jerked his arm to his body, dragging her close, free hand buried in her hair. “Damn it, Annie, let go!” “You!” She glared. Her face was inches from his, her body pressed up against his. Angrily, he pulled her tighter against his body, letting her feel his sudden and shocking arousal. If it wasn’t for the shrieking pain in his arm… He gritted his teeth against the pain, tightened his fingers in her hair, tilting her face to his. Their breath mingled, lips brushed, and they froze, both appalled at how far they’d gone. Angry brown eyes met and held, and for just that moment, there was nothing in the world that Aiden wanted more than to kiss her. There was nothing he wanted more than her complete submission. He abruptly released her hair. She let go of his wrist and his arm dropped uselessly to his side. He shook it while she rubbed her head. Her cheeks were pink with embarrassment.

Belinda McBride


- 22 -

“Okay, Annie. Rule number one, you don’t let anyone get close like that, or take you to the ground. Your strength is pretty obvious; your weakness is going to be close contact.” “Rules are going to get broken, Aiden. At some point, I’ll go down. You’re going to have to work with me on that.” He nodded in agreement. She was right, it would happen at some point, and she should be prepared. “You can take a hit pretty good, but we need to work on your recovery time. Most fighters feel pain the same way, and even for a Nano, it hurts like hell to get hit. That’s what the arm banging is about, to desensitize you to blows.” She nodded; they’d done similar drills in training. “Okay, I put out word that I’m training a new fighter. We’ll practice up here or at my place for now. I don’t want anyone to know anything till they see you. I don’t want the locals to know what you’re up to. Your first match is in an alley cage for next week. Not a top-notch fighter, but it’ll give you a taste for what’s going to happen. You ready?” He saw her throat work as she swallowed, but she nodded. “You scared?” “Yeah, but not for the reason you think.” She turned away, beginning her stretches. After he left, she’d have about an hour to meditate. She was off active duty, but still had to give the impression that life was normal. She’d check in with Greene later in the day. She still had to face her daily commute across the Bay. “Sifu Guo Lee used to say it was easier to let the tiger out than to capture it. Now I understand.” “Explain.” He stretched also; sometimes the nanites lulled him into laziness and bad habits. “I enjoyed this. You’re big and strong and enhanced and I hurt you. I haven’t had a sparring partner since the Lees all went to Hong Kong. There are a few other students, but I don’t know who they are. They don’t know about me.” It was Guo Lee’s method of preventing his students from forming lethal fight gangs. “Well, honey, you’re about to get more than your fill of sparring.”

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She nodded and he understood. She’d let the beast out just the tiniest bit, and it had liked the taste of blood. She’d have a hard time putting it back in the cage when this was finished.

Chapter Three The woman was a brute. Her bleached blonde hair was shorn tight to the scalp, and she was clearly hopped on hormones as well as nanites. Her arms bulged; her veins skimmed the surface of crudely tattooed skin. She probably had a five-o’clock shadow. And Annie was locked inside a cage with her. Old rickety spotlights illuminated the cage. There wasn’t a huge amount of space, but Annie figured she could utilize the walls and maybe even the roof. Zelda Bernova was too heavy to do the same. Her eyes flicked to Aiden. He looked grim but worked the crowd, getting the money flowing, bringing up the odds. Those odds were heavily against her, and he stood to lose big if she went down too quickly. So the longer she stayed on her feet, the better. If she won, that was best. She’d learned that while Aiden was an active high stakes fighter, he also managed and trained some of the up-and-comers. So he made a cut off of his own wins, bigger cuts off of his stable. And she was now his dark horse. Across the ring, the blonde monster was strutting, thwapping meaty fists together. Chen had warned her that this one would go for severe injuries. Zelda was on the tough climb up out of the alleys and was building her rep. So she was to fight carefully, adding a bit of flash when she could. If she couldn’t win, at least hang in long enough to give the crowd their money’s worth. No problem. When the bell rang and the blonde woman charged, Annie was no longer there. She’d leapt for the mesh above her head, planting a vicious kick to the other woman’s head. And thus began Annie’s career as a cage-fighter.

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*** “So how was that?” Annie nursed a swollen cheek and a deep abrasion on one arm. Money had been made and lost. After collecting his winnings and her cut, Aiden had whisked her away into the alley passages. They climbed up a series of ladders before finally coming to a halt. She was buzzing more than the bundle of live electrical cables that snaked above their heads. “Well, next time you manipulate the fight like that, don’t finish it dead center.” “Longer? Shorter?” He shook his head, letting a rueful grin escape. “I’d like to say finish when you’re ready, but then there’d be no action!” She was practically hopping from adrenaline, but soon enough, she’d come down and start feeling the bruises. And there would be bruises. Zelda was out cold but when she woke, she’d be good to go right away. Annie would need several days of down time. “Are you like this after? What do you do to cope?” “Always. That’s part of the appeal. And to cope? Either drink or fuck. Both will work.” That shut her up. She’d no doubt noticed some of the sleek city females that liked to prowl the circuit, looking for sweaty meat. Generally after a fight, he’d let one take him to an alley, where he’d take the edge off with a blow job or a quick and dirty fuck. And then he’d drink and carouse the night away, dragging himself in at dawn. “Come on, we need to get you home.” He headed off, not checking to see if she followed. He moved quickly. If he kept her busy, she might not be able to find her way back to his place later. “This isn’t the way home.” “It is for me. My place is closer.” He felt heavy silence behind him and grinned in the darkness. He knew exactly what she was thinking. The adrenaline had amped her in more ways than one; it had a way of making a fighter really horny afterwards.

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- 26 -

“I want you to ice those bruises. I’ve got a freezer. Doubt that you’ve got one.” “I do.” “Whatever.” He jumped up to a ledge. There was a bit of a delay before she followed. She was starting to feel the fight. He took her up another level and then crossed a sagging ramp. “Here.” He slipped in through a window, pausing as she followed. There was a door on the ground level of the building. The residents had long ago boarded it against the dregs that prowled the streets and alleys. It took a certain level of skill and strength to enter the building without getting killed. The building had only occasional lights so they moved carefully in the partial darkness. They climbed up a stairway where he unlocked the padlock on the landing. There was a short hall leading to a heavy metal door. He pushed open the door and stood aside. “Home sweet home. Such as it is.” The place was huge. Huge and open and had probably cost him more than a lifetime on a cop’s salary. To one side, plants lined the walls, facing east to the ocean. They were on the extreme eastern edge of Wharf. The ocean breeze drifted in, clean and curiously empty of the scents of the thousands of bodies that lived in such tight proximity. Her place had been in the family for generations, but it didn’t compare to this. He had the entire floor of the building. The neighbors undoubtedly crowded eight or nine into an eight hundred square foot apartment. This was palatial. “Ohhh…” she groaned. He had a tub for hot baths. She had a weak, leaky shower and a basin that she sometimes ran warm water into. For a Japanese woman, that bath was the promise of bliss. “Sorry, no heat just now.” He guided her to what was clearly a training area, where she took a seat on a worn weight bench. She sat, looking in awe as he lit a couple floor lamps. Electricity was available in Wharf, but it was prone to overloads and black outs, and even fires if not properly wired. Nobody wanted to see Wharf lose whatever lighting it had. Nor did anyone want to see it burn down.

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“Strip. Let me see the damage.” She glared at him. He glared back. “Annie, don’t be stupid. If I’m to be your manager and trainer, I need to take care of you. So get over it.” “You were just supposed to get me the fights and take your cut. You’ve done that.” “Yeah, well, now my name’s attached to you, so my rep is at stake.” He stood firm, so she sighed and submitted. She stood and peeled off the skin-tight spandex shorts, kicking off her shoes at the same time. Then she stripped down to her sports bra. “Everything, Tanaka.” He wasn’t even looking. She turned her back and stripped to the skin. Even though she couldn’t see him, she knew the moment he looked. She heard it in the sudden stillness, the soft intake of breath. “Nice ink.” “Thanks.” Before leaving for China, Meng Lee and his wife had given her the tattoo that marked her as a member of the Shen Lung school. She hadn’t been thrilled. Her Japanese roots associated tattoos with Yakuza, but they’d insisted. It had taken days. Most of the color had been applied using the old methods rather than the high-tech tattoo guns. Hours and days of jaw-clenching, spine-twisting pain. The Shen Lung school didn’t belt, they didn’t give levels or rankings. You were a student, and when you were no longer a student, they marked you appropriately. She had no doubt there were plenty of students who would be forever marked as novice, simply because they couldn’t bear the pain of the tattoo. She’d never seen the entire tattoo, her shame battled her pride. A clawed foot reached over her shoulder, a scaled tail looped down her hip. Japanese cherry blossoms trickled from the dragon’s claw onto her left breast. “The style’s not Japanese.” “No, the Lees did it before they went back to China. It’s the school emblem.” “You should have told me if you wanted it kept private.” His voice held anger.

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- 28 -

She sighed and gazed out the window. In her entire adult life, no one had ever seen it. Lovers came to her in the darkness, or she wore a short, silken robe. Once they went horizontal, they didn’t care anymore. And Annie Tanaka never, ever allowed a man to take her from behind. “You were right. You can’t train me if I keep half my body hidden.” She turned and went back to the bench, ignoring him as he began a closer inspection. He applied the juice to several bruised spots, antiseptic to open wounds. “Shit. I should sit you in an ice bath. You’re going to be black and blue tomorrow.” “It’s not that bad.” She held an icepack to her cheek. He tossed her a packet. She opened it and looked suspiciously at the white pills. “Aspirin. Still the best anti-inflammatory around.” She tossed them back with some cool water. Her mouth stung. She ran her tongue over her teeth, feeling for chips. “Next time, I want a mouth guard.” He nodded, feeling slightly stupid that he hadn’t thought of that himself. “Come on.” He tossed her an old cotton robe. “You can bunk down over here.” “I want to go home.” “Well, you can’t.” He took her by the arm, surprisingly gentle. “Get used to it. After a fight, you stay here. You aren’t enhanced, so if there’s an emergency, I don’t want you alone.” “Can I take a hot bath?” “No, not while you’re still bruising. You need to keep icing.” She sighed. She’d known the answer, but was feeling a bit childish. And sleepy. “What was in those tablets?” “Aspirin.” And a little something to cut the pain. She didn’t need to know. “Toilet?” He nodded to a doorway a few feet away. He waited impatiently while she did her business. She might be knocked out for the night, but he was edgy, restless. Hard

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and horny. It’d been enough to see her naked -- she had a beautiful, sleek body. But when she turned away, revealing the tattoo… his heart had nearly stopped in his chest. The Lees had done more than mark their student, they’d labeled her. He knew enough about the Lees to know they’d proclaimed her a master of their art. They’d also made her a target for rival gangs and wannabes. He’d have to come up with some sturdy fight-gear for her to wear that would never reveal those tattoos. The loose T-shirt and bra she’d worn tonight could have been catastrophic if Zelda had managed to pull her clothing off. She emerged from the bathroom looking more tired than before, and Aiden pushed aside any guilt he felt for giving her the opiate-laced aspirin. More than ice and liniment, she needed sleep. Tending a Norm was going to take some adjusting on his part. They were so damn fragile. She settled on the futon he’d made up on the floor. Her eyes drifted closed, breath dropping to a steady rhythm. Aiden watched her for a few moments, and then headed for the door. He needed… something. He needed liquor and a fuck, that’s what. He needed to laugh and lose himself in crude entertainments, maybe find a floor-whore to suck him off. She didn’t need a babysitter, she needed sleep. He stepped into the stairwell and headed for the outside. Paused and turned back. She practiced at dawn. He’d be coming in at dawn. He resented his schedule being disrupted, but in truth, he’d made big money off her win tonight, and she was doing this for her job. The least he could do was to adapt for a few weeks. Aiden closed and locked the stairwell door and returned to the apartment. He slipped his shoes off and settled onto his bed, knowing he was in for a sleepless night. Outside, a shadow waited in the darkness, writhing in denial and frustration.

*** Bastard had put something extra in her aspirin.

Belinda McBride


- 30 -

Annie tossed restlessly, warmth blooming over her body, winding into every orifice. Heat snaked into her mouth, spilling from her eyes, gathering around her tan tien, that power center just under her navel. As warmth spilled into her sex, juices ran from her body. The tattoo on her back began to tingle and burn, as though it were lifting off her back, waking into a life of its own. Her back arched from the bed, her naked breasts peaking against the cool Bay air. Another hard pull and the dragon broke free, one clawed foot circling around her neck, embracing her with surreal delicacy. The other claw reached around, and plucked at her hardened nipple. Cherry blossoms tumbled and spilled down her skin like snow, yet fragrant and sweet to the senses. At her hip, the serpent’s tail lifted, writhing down between her legs, circling the top of her thigh. Dry scales rasped against her skin. The sinuous, muscular tail dragged between the lips of her sex, gathering moisture, dipping and taking as the creature let out a hiss of satisfaction. Annie watched in horror and fascination as the graceful head lifted around her shoulder, turning to look deeply into her eyes. Its long tongue flicked out, scenting her arousal, satisfaction in those obsidian black eyes. Long teeth nibbled lightly at the pearl of her nipple. The dragon’s supple tongue swept over one breast, and then the other as its body twined around hers, its tail working its way relentlessly into her vagina. Sweat broke over her body. All pains from the night’s bout had vanished. Annie forgot about monsters and fighters, wrapped tightly in the embrace of her dragon lover. Her hips caught the serpent’s tempo. She rolled her head and moaned, so close… so close. It scoured her insides, filled her and set her on a path to an orgasm like she’d never before experienced. Annie dragged her eyes open and watched the beautiful golden creature as it twisted down her body, gold melting to smooth bronze skin, two arms, two legs, a muscular body between her legs. The dark eyes stayed exactly the same.

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Aiden rose above her, the dragon twisting on his chest, its dark eyes looking at her in sly humor, its jaws parted in a leering smile. Why had she never noticed the smile before? Of course, she’d only seen his naked chest that one time, at the station. Aiden thrust deeper into her body. Sweat gathered like blood on his brow, his throat. Their bodies glided together, slippery and wet. She tried to hold on to his hips. Her fingers slid loose as he pummeled into the farthest, untouched depths of her body. As she rose higher, closer to her climax, Annie pulled her head upright, looking at the face of her lover. Eyes tightly shut, he twisted his head to the side, sweat shimmering red on his dark skin. Annie groaned under the weight of orgasm, watching his face as he joined her. Annie’s back arched and she thrust down on his cock again and again, her nails scoring deep, bloody lines on his skin. Aiden’s face contorted as though in agony, lips pulled back, brows drawing together fiercely. He threw himself upward from her body. Heated semen spilled from her body, down her thighs and onto the sheets. He screamed, and his scream was not one of pleasure. Aiden’s dragon broke from his chest, dripping blood. Inside the gaping wound she could see his heart pulse rapidly. The dragon hovered, morphing before her eyes into a red-eyed demon, head capped with shaggy white hair, sharp teeth glistening with brown, toxic fluid. The demon hovered between them, smiling obscenely as it turned its eyes to Annie. It gibbered and slobbered, trailing a thick, bloody tongue over her face, her throat, snaking between her lips and down her throat, invading her as deeply as its body pounded crushingly into her cunt. When Annie’s scream joined his, it wasn’t in bliss.

Chapter Four “Annie, wake up.” He shook her slightly, trying to pull her out of the dream. “Annie!” “What?” Her eyes shot open and she quickly pushed herself upright in confusion. The robe had fallen open, and Aiden nobly averted his eyes. Too late. His cock had already noticed. Actually, it had been subtly reminding him of the presence of a woman all night. He’d tossed and turned in his lonely bed, finally conceding to frustration. He’d jerked himself off, watching her still form the entire time. He sometimes hated his cock. “You were dreaming.” She rubbed her eyes, automatically looking out the east windows. Dawn had already broken. “Dang!” She noticed the open robe and quickly covered herself. Somehow her modesty made him even more aware of her body. Her breasts suited her lean body; they were delicate and ruddy tipped. Cherry blossom petals dripped from the dragon’s claw on her shoulder. His eyes settled on the pink blossoms and he wanted to kiss them, one by one. Annie moved and was suddenly aware of two things. First, that she hurt all over, but not as badly as she’d expected. Second, she was hemmed in by Aiden’s body. Her body reacted to the contact. Her nipples tingled and tightened, and there was a surge of moisture at her sex. The room was chilly and she pulled up the blanket. “You put organic opiates in that aspirin.” The damn stuff always sent her into screaming nightmares. The synthetic opiates didn’t have this effect. “They give me crazy dreams.”

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- 33 -

“Sorry.” The horror had faded quickly, leaving her with the tail end of arousal. Images of Aiden between her thighs lingered. Her gaze traveled over his face, lingering over his full, sculpted lips. “I should get up and go home.” “You’ll stay here till you’re stretched and warm. No workout today, just stretching. Meditating, whatever you do. And food.” He moved back, finally giving her space. Annie struggled up and began to roll the futon, but he waved her away, folding the bedding himself. She wandered back to the windows to watch the sunrise. Aside from her rooftop, this was probably the best view from Wharf. Out past Treasure Island, she could see the lights of Oakland and the East Bay twinkling. They’d recently built a new Enforcement campus there. Management had announced that the United Governments were training officers in Retrieval. Those elite detectives would operate without boundaries to enable them to do their job anywhere it took them. Annie had her paperwork ready. She simply needed to work up the confidence to apply for the new program. She glanced around the loft. The space was open yet divided into different areas. Far toward the back she could see his bed, rumpled and unmade. From the looks of it, he’d had a sleepless night. “What do you dream about that’s so bad?” “What do you think?” Her voice totally lacked the sarcasm she was trying for. She turned to him, the rising sun to her back. “You and I have never talked about it. You read the report, you know what happened.” “Lisa was attacked and you were too afraid and hurt to do anything.” She stood very still for a moment. “The thing came out of the water, Aiden. It threw me out of the way like I was a toy. By the time I recovered, it was too late.” And then it had come for her… She flinched, shoving the memory back. It had crouched over her friend’s body, hunched over as it gorged… and then it had looked at her…

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“He was a human, Annie. And you were a trained cop. You could have done something.” She shook her head. Nobody understood what she’d seen. It wasn’t a he. It wasn’t human, not as they knew humans. “We now know that it was human. It isn’t anymore. And it craves blood and flesh from people like you. They haven’t confirmed it yet, but I think it’s a Nano with Hemo disease.” “I know your skills, Annie. You could have handled a Nano. Even an enraged one.” “You know my skills, Aiden. You knew me better than anyone! Think! I didn’t stand a chance! It disabled me, and then it killed her, and came after me just for fun! It fucking played with me, Aiden! Now I have to catch it and I don’t think I can!” The words brought horror, and with the horror, bits of black, toxic memories. The thing, forcing her head backwards into the black, oily water of the Bay… The thing, covered in tattered rags, dripping with foul waste and offal… The thing, its bloody tongue leaving bloody trails on her body… In near panic, Annie scooped up her clothing and dressed, uncaring that he watched. She shoved feet into shoes, carelessly tying the laces. At a near run, she was at the door, struggling with the locks. And then she was gone, leaving Aiden with the bewildered awareness that something was wrong, so very wrong. He’d spent years blaming her for Lisa’s death but he’d been too wrapped up in his own misery to see that his partner had died in that attack as well. She was right. He’d known her then better than anyone. She wouldn’t have stood by helplessly as a stranger killed his wife. His partner had died as well. This Annie Tanaka was a stranger.

*** He caught her in the hall. She’d come to a halt, a meltdown. She sat on the floor, arms wrapped around her knees. Aiden expected tears and crying, but she was dry eyed, her eyes bleak with despair.

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- 35 -

“You aren’t alone, you know.” “You’re a victim, Aiden. As far as this thing is concerned, you’re meat.” Her voice was low and carried a tone that chilled him. He looked down the empty hall to the locked stairwell. He’d never felt the need to lock himself away before, not like he did now. Up until the day they hauled his ass to Oakland, Aiden had been secure in his ocean view tower. He locked up to keep his stuff safe while he was gone, that’s all. He was a big dog among the roving packs here in Wharf. Most knew to leave him be. Now he was prey. “What did it do to you, Annie?” She shook her head. “I don’t remember. I just remember terror. Pain. I don’t even remember going to the hospital, don’t remember the surgery or anything.” Aiden covered his face with his hand. He’d known she’d been hospitalized. She’d missed the funeral. But he hadn’t known about the surgery. He hadn’t known how badly she’d been traumatized. “I’m sorry.” “For what?” He shifted uncomfortably. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I’m sorry I just left like I did.” “You’d just lost Lisa. I can’t blame you for grieving.” “I was your partner. I wasn’t there for you. I didn’t trust you.” He sighed. They could sit here and feel sorry for each other all day. Or he could do something useful. “Get up.” He gave her his hand and lifted, amazed at how light she was. So much power yet so little substance. And she was falling apart right before his eyes. If he felt so exposed, so vulnerable here in the heart of Wharf, how must she feel? Meekly, she followed him back into the loft, sitting at the small wooden table while he made tea and dug out yesterday’s dim sum and congee. “Okay, Annie. I’ve seen the files and you’ve told me what you know from that night. I’ve got some questions now.” She bit into the sweet bean center of a bun and chewed slowly, listening. “I want to know if it hunts in the day or night. Were the

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victims killed here in Wharf or outside the walls? If it hunted inside Wharf, how’d it get in? Is it passing for human?” She took a sip of tea and cleared her throat. She needed to focus, to grab onto the analytical side of the situation. “I need to check in with Greene today. There was another body last week. Like the others, he was a floater. Killed at night. Bled, gutted and partially consumed. The forensics should be ready by now.” She took another sip of tea. Her color was better, and the raw scent of her fear had begun to recede. “We don’t know where it’s killing them. If it’s here in Wharf, it could be coming up from the water, but I think it’s coming in with some of the gamblers from the city. I don’t know how else it’s able to get so close to the victims.” He pulled out a sheet of paper and started taking notes. “So including Lisa, three females that we know of, five males between SF and East Bay. All enhanced.” She nodded. “We call it a he, you don’t. Why? Because it isn’t human? What’s the DNA say?” “The DNA came in so contaminated with the DNA it had absorbed that they literally couldn’t pull much off the killer itself. No sexual identity, race… nothing. We know that it’s human, or started that way. If the lab can track down the nanites, they might be able to discover the lab that created them.” “And you think it’s got Dragon’s Blood?” She shrugged. “We know Hemo patients get increased protein cravings as their disease advances. If someone with the disease used illegal nanites, hoping to cure the disease, what do you suppose could happen?” He felt cold. Nanos like himself could still get sick. When he caught a cold, it wasn’t severe, but he was still sick. “Depending on the nature of the nanites, it could partially repair the damage, leaving the individual robust enough…” “To hunt its own blood. And the nanites it absorbed would duplicate, strengthening the new host, as well as fouling its DNA signature.” “Oh, Jesus, Annie, it’s a vampire!”

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“Of a sort, I suppose. Not like Dracula, but unnaturally strong and craving blood and flesh.” He carefully set the pen down on the pad. “Greene’s wife, when did she contract it?” “About three years ago. It wasn’t bad to start with. I’m a Uni so I can donate for anyone. We just arranged for me to be her regular bleeder. She did well at first, made it from month to month with no problem. Then I noticed she was looking weak by the time I could donate again. She needed to add a second donor, and increased her transfusions to twice a month. It went downhill really fast after that.” The Hemo disease was a mystery. It’d emerged about a century ago in Asia, where it had been nicknamed “Dragon’s Blood.” It had killed millions around the world before scientists had pinpointed the genetics that caused it. The disease caused a rapid decline in red blood cells. With regular blood transfusions and medication, most people thrived. Some like Tammy Greene didn’t survive the first two or three years after diagnosis. “I’m O positive. Not a universal donor like you, but close enough. Are there blood types on the victims? Is that a factor?” He could only donate to other Nanos, so his blood wasn’t needed as badly as it had been before. That was another guilt that came to settle on him. Once he’d taken the nanites into himself, it limited him as a bleeder when so many desperately needed blood. “I don’t know if they’ve considered that. In fact, some of this is speculation on my part. The labs haven’t proven anything.” “You’re the only person who’s seen it and lived. I think your speculation is a good place to start.” They sat in silence, appetites gone. The day seemed to have gone dark before it had even begun. Aiden slowly stirred his congee, chasing bits of fish in the rice stew. “You going across the Bay today?” She nodded.

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“Mind if I come along? Just to hang out? I know I’m not on the force anymore, but I’d like to check out the new HQ.” She grinned slowly. “You just want to get onto a computer somewhere, don’t you?” He laughed. She knew him well. One thing about Wharf, no computers, and Internet access was nearly impossible in the City. “I have a portable, you know. On solar. It’s got an Internet chip.” “You do?” He stood, pushed back his chair and gathered their bowls. He picked up her teacup and swirled it, glancing into it briefly. “And you didn’t tell me? God! Do you know how hard it is to find a functioning computer around here?” He rinsed the bowls, didn’t need to tempt the rats. Aiden grabbed a coat and headed for the door. “Where you going?” “Your place.” She stood, hands on her hips, looking puzzled. “You need to shower and change, I need to get online. We’ll catch Cappie’s second run of the day.”

Chapter Five “I’d heard rumors you were starting a new fighter.” “Hello, Carin. How are you today?” He gave his smoothest smile, keeping one eye in Annie’s direction. She was in a secluded corner, stretching hamstrings. Her opponent was notoriously unstable, and just as likely to start the fight outside the ring. He angled a bit, keeping an eye on both women at once. “Don’t tell me you came slumming just to see my girl.” “I’ve heard she’s a Norm. And cutting a swath through the other females.” “This is only her third match. She’s barely getting a feel for the thing.” “That’s her?” He nodded. “Why’s she dressed like that? Hardly interesting.” “Her school was Chinese. She lets her fighting talk, not her fashion.” Annie was wearing a sturdy kung-fu suit with a white T-shirt underneath. Where most street fighters wore flashy, dangerous looking costumes, they’d opted for practicality and coverage. Her black hair was tightly braided. She’d have preferred to fight barefoot, but he’d nixed that in favor of light leather shoes for protection. The woman next to him hissed when Annie stretched, bringing her leg impossibly high against the wall. He had to agree with Carin’s arousal. His own cock had grown heavy at the sight of Annie’s limber body. Carin Nakashima was an incongruous splash of elegance within the grimy setting of Wharf. She was tall, elegant and gracefully blonde, a rarity in the city nowadays. As the trophy wife of a Japanese gangster, she had the money, and oddly, the freedom to live as she desired. It didn’t surprise him that her desire was to haunt the fight circuits, picking up lovers and protégés with equal generosity. She’d spent a couple years in the cages before Nakashima had found her. “She’s lovely.”

Belinda McBride


- 40 -

“I hadn’t noticed.” She smiled in amusement at the dry comment. “Is she as good as the rumors suggest?” He nodded to where she’d just entered the ring. “Watch and decide for yourself.” Today’s opponent was owned by an Italian from North Beach. The woman had the backing of money, training and technology. They’d discussed her at length. Unfortunately, Annie hadn’t been able to see the woman in action before meeting her in the ring. Sophia Copelli usually fought in a mixed style with a focus on old boxing techniques. She was fast, technically clean, and had twice the strength that Annie possessed. Her hair trigger temper was her biggest liability and her greatest asset. When the whistle blew, Annie crouched in a defensive position, testing, allowing herself to be tested. They started slowly, carefully, and in a sudden blaze of movement, the Italian fighter dodged in, scoring a blow to Annie’s ribs. A quick blur of movement in return, and the Italian had lost her footing, taken down by a low kick. Once more they circled, Annie allowing the other to attack while she dodged, parried and blocked. The Italian changed tactics, suddenly shifting to a kickingpunching style. Annie was driven back against the mesh cage, just barely avoiding being trapped. Next to him, Carin hissed in disgust. “Not impressive so far, Aiden. If Sophia gets a hand on her…” He didn’t answer. The whistle blew, signaling the first round. Normally, he didn’t distract her in the ring, but Aiden was worried. She seemed off tonight. Annie leaned into her corner, fishing out a bottle of water. “You okay?” She nodded, unhooking her mouth guard. “You look off.” “I’m okay. Just testing. She’s using Tae Kwan Do. I expected more western style fighting.” He nodded in agreement. “Sophia’s got a temper. If you set her off, you might foul her up, or just piss her off enough to kill.”

Belinda McBride


- 41 -

She sipped again. “She’s strong. I’m going to finish fast. If she gets many hits in, it’ll go bad for me.” That blow to the ribs had carried enough force to break bone. She’d been very, very lucky. “If you push her, she’ll start high kicks. You know how to block the kicks?” Her form didn’t practice high kicks, so he wasn’t sure. “When a fighter’s doing high kicks, they only have one point of balance. But if I keep knocking her on her ass, she’s going to get pissed and blow. I need to hurt her. Inner thigh, you think?” “Yeah. Yeah, when she opens to set up and kick, nail her up high. Or even at the inside of the knee. Target that same spot. Deaden her muscles, make her hurt. If you can hand lock her…” She nodded and pushed away from the mesh as the whistle blew. “I’ll finish her in round three.” “Go for it.” She turned and gave him a fierce grin, barely noticing the woman who stood listening. The smile faded quickly as she went back to her game face, turning back to the other fighter. “I want a piece of her.” Aiden looked at the woman in surprise. “You weren’t impressed a minute ago.” “That was before I saw her eyes. She’s playing, isn’t she?” “No, Carin, you’re the one that plays with your food. She’s planning her strategy.” The idea of Annie in Carin’s entourage of beasts and beauties fairly turned his stomach. He’d done his time at her side, as well as in her bed. That wasn’t for Annie. “It’ll be fun, Aiden. I’ll fund her, get her out of Wharf and into the high stakes in the City.” She sidled closer, close enough he could smell her expensive perfume. “Have you fucked her yet?” He set his jaw and shook his head slightly. He could only afford to cross Carin to a degree, then she was truly dangerous. Much like her husband. “The three of us, Aiden. Think about it. I’ll fund her. You train her. We’ll be equal partners.” To his satisfaction, his cock didn’t even stir at the image.

Belinda McBride


- 42 -

“They’re starting.” He couldn’t help but watch in admiration as the two women glided around the ring. Sophia was a real talent, but she simply didn’t have the level of training that Annie possessed. What appeared to be a casual posture was actually perfect balance. She was grounded, ready and lethal. The crowd around the cage grew tighter. The noise level rose as the two fighters moved cautiously and then with heightened aggression. Sophia came in, jabbing and punching, switching gears quickly with savage, high kicks. Kicks that connected with nothing but air. Annie hooked her down low at the ankle, bringing the Italian to a crashing heap on the floor. Quickly, she came to her feet, color rising, lunging to engage. Annie blocked and twisted an arm, flinging the other woman into the cage wall, and then retreated to the center of the ring. She breathed and settled into Tiger stance, more for the benefit of the crowd. Annie preferred Water Strider, but that form looked deceptively tame. Tiger would do. She hooked her fingers into lethal claws. Blood began to trickle down Sophia’s dark cheek. She wiped it away almost casually. She spat on the floor. She was dying to get her hands around Annie’s slender neck. Once more they engaged. Sophia came around for a high kick and shrieked in pain when an iron-like fist pounded into her inner thigh, followed by a crushing kick to the knee of her other leg. Almost without thought, Annie pivoted, her heel catching Sophia’s knee from behind, and the Italian crashed to the ground. Again Annie backed away, letting her rise and recover. Sophia was limping. As soon as her guard slipped, Annie landed a knee to the same injured spot on her thigh. Again and then again, punches, slaps and kicks to the same vulnerable region until the whistle blew. Sophia had grown careless in her anger and wasn’t protecting her injury. Annie glanced outside. Aiden still stood next to the blonde woman. He nodded just slightly.

Belinda McBride


- 43 -

She paid little attention to the crowd beyond the fact that the noise had risen so high she could barely hear herself. Across the ring Sophia was massaging her sore thigh, eyes blazing with maniacal anger. Did the nanites act that fast? Was she recovered? The cut on her face had already stopped bleeding. Annie couldn’t afford to get too confident. The whistle blew and they closed, Annie the aggressor this time. She kicked low, attacking the other fighter’s good leg, targeting hamstrings and shins, going for maximum pain. When Sophia gathered herself and tackled, she rolled away, just barely missing being pinned by the enraged woman. She went for Sophia’s thigh again, and was rewarded when Sophia’s leg gave out completely. Sophia struggled up once more, and this time, Annie allowed her too close. They crashed to the filthy floor and grappled. Annie scissored to the top and clasped the woman’s hand in a screaming nerve pinch, slowly manipulating her to a face down position. She rose to her feet, keeping the other woman stationary on the floor, part of her mind hearing the slow countdown from five to one. The screaming around the ring ascended to a fever pitch, and she glanced up, looking for Aiden. Instead, a pair of eyes caught hers, held hers, black and hard and angry. She staggered back, letting the other woman free, backing away from those eyes, completely stricken with fear as the cage opened and Aiden pulled her to safety.

*** She ran. As soon as his hand slipped free of hers she ran, dodging into the foggy alleys, racing up ramps and ladders, and then coming to a sudden and abrupt halt, feet teetering over the edge of a narrow precipice. She wasn’t high, only two or three levels up so she could see the water, see the waste that floated on the dirty surface. There was no trash pick-up in Wharf. They were low tech all the way. What couldn’t be recycled was hauled to the landfills. Food waste went into the water. Most sewage was crudely piped west to the City’s system. That was a fairly recent development. Annie could remember when human waste fouled the water. She’d once nearly drowned in it.

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- 44 -

Food drew the fish, and in turn, residents dined well. Down below, the dark water was still and serene. She breathed, allowing the panic to flow through her body. Slowly, she took control of her mind. Panic was not acceptable. It was acceptable to be afraid, but not to run. She wouldn’t give the creature that power. Resolutely, she turned back. It was there, somewhere in the crowd. It wasn’t hunting her. It would be more likely to target Aiden Chen. There were undoubtedly other Nanos in the crowd, but to return to his loft, Aiden would be isolated and in the darkness. He’d be a target. Annie lightly ran along the length of the building, staying on the narrow lip that jutted out from the surface of the structure. These apartments hadn’t been built to any code; hell, they’d probably been built without plans. But there was an eccentric logic to their design. The lower streets were often so narrow that a person could stretch out and brush their fingers against the walls on either side. On the outside of the city, the building surfaces were sleek; an intruder had little chance of scaling the walls. But inside, pathways abounded. She jogged lightly, hopping from ledge to ledge, ignoring the addicts shooting up in the alleys, the occasional couple fucking in the darkness. She crept back to the scene of the fight. From above, it was easy to see. Lights blazed and a new pair of combatants were inside the mesh cage. The noise was muted by fog and buildings, but she heard voices shouting and calling. Off to one side Aiden stood peering into the darkness, looking for her. The blonde was still at his side. Yards away, partially hidden in the shadows, a man stood still and quiet, almost invisible. Her skin pebbled with goosebumps. “Aiden.” She spoke in a normal tone of voice, betting that he’d hear her over the crowd. He didn’t respond so she carefully made her way closer. She was high overhead but almost directly above him. “Aiden. Three west, three up.”

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- 45 -

Praying that he’d heard her and that the killer hadn’t, she headed west, pausing to watch as he broke away from the woman. She tried to hold him there, a hand on his arm, but within moments, he was working his way in her direction. The shadow man had vanished.

*** “Are you all right?” She was as far back in the shadows as possible, the black of her suit hiding her from the casual viewer. He hopped lightly to the ledge, looking deeply into her eyes. She was frightened, but had overcome the panic that had compelled her to run like a panicked rabbit. “It was watching. There was a man, an Asian man, I think. I’m not sure if he’s it but it was there. We need to go. If we stick together, we might be able to spot it.” His fingers grazed her cheek. “Okay, we’ll do that. But first off, how’re you doing?” She stood very still under his touch, letting it calm her racing heart. “I’m okay. My ribs are bruised, but other than that, I’m good.” “How are you otherwise?” She started to tell him that she was fine, no fear, no panic, but she couldn’t. Annie opted for the truth. “I’m terrified. I ran, got just down the street a ways and realized I’d left you behind. So stupid.” She stepped away from his hand, shaking her head in self-disgust. “I owe you an apology. I saw the eyes and just bolted.” “Oh, Annie.” He reached out and took both her hands, inspecting the bruised, battered skin. “You were amped on adrenaline. Of course you bolted when the fear registered. It might be good, might confuse him.” He pulled her forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. Bit by bit, she relaxed into his embrace. Unable to resist, she moved into his body, holding him tight, her cheek against his chest. She stood there, listening to the steady heartbeat, to the sound of his breathing. How long had it been since anyone had held her? Kept her safe? Annie rubbed her face against his chest, letting tears soak into the rough fabric of his jacket.

Belinda McBride


- 46 -

“God, Annie.” Aiden gathered her closer, cradling her head against his chest. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head and then rested his chin on her hair, letting his eyes close. “I’m sorry.” Her whisper was hoarse with tears. “I’m not usually like this.” “No, you’re always the strong one, aren’t you? Just for now, let it go and let someone else be strong, even for a couple minutes.” She nodded against his chest. He smelled good. He always smelled good, an odd mixture of herbs and spices and his own body. Even back when they’d been new detectives, she’d always liked his smell. Now she realized it was from the herbal liniment he brewed. When she leaned away, trying to break free, he wouldn’t allow her, and the kiss that followed was the most natural thing in the world. Their lips traced together like silk. Only the slightest pressure joined them. Aiden brought one hand up, supporting her head, controlling the kiss, controlling her breathing, her very heart rate. She allowed her lips to part just the slightest bit and he pressed his advantage, tasting, teasing, and finally taking her completely in a kiss that left their knees weak. “I’ve wanted to do that for a very long time.” She looked steadily up into his face, amazed at how soft he was when he looked at her. He’d been her friend and her partner, her enemy for a time. He’d never looked at her like this before. “How long?” The softness faded, leaving her slightly bereft. “Too long, Annie.” She stepped back, out of his embrace, but still touching. “Don’t say that, Aiden.” “Before Lisa died. I don’t know when I knew, just one day I looked at you and I wanted to kiss you.” She looked up at him, at the sadness on his face. “I loved my wife, I really did, Annie. And one day I looked at you and loved you as well. Why do you think I turned away from you after she was killed?” Guilt. Not survivor’s guilt like hers, but the primal guilt that whispers dark thoughts. Perhaps this happened because I was unfaithful. Perhaps this happened because I willed it.

Belinda McBride


- 47 -

“She’s gone, Aiden. Neither of us was at fault.” He nodded, swallowed, his dark eyes glowing with emotion. “We can only deal with it. Deal with the killer. And then we go on.” “Together?” “I don’t know, Aiden. I really don’t know.” She took another step back, gathering that magnificent self-possession. “We need to go.” He nodded, following her example, pulling himself back together. “Where do we start? Back at the ring?” “Yeah, then we’ll work our way back to the outer wall.” “It’ll go faster if we split up.” She turned and looked up at him, an old look that he hadn’t seen in so long, amusement, combined with that subtle bit of arrogance. “Okay, okay, I’m food and it can smell me.” “That’s right. If it’s trailing you, it’ll have to deal with us both.” And it wouldn’t turn out like last time. She prayed it wouldn’t be like last time.

*** The trail had gone cold fast. In fact, there wasn’t a trail. They canvassed the area using her instincts and his senses, to no avail. In frustration, they returned to Annie’s home, high above the alleys and waterways. She had a high tech lock installed on her door, and even to Aiden’s critical eye, the place looked secure. She slid the panel door aside, allowing him in. Apparently her family had lived here for years. The small apartment was spotlessly clean and spare. Against the window-lined wall, several bonsai grew and flourished. Many were ancient, some very young. “My grandfather Tanaka taught me about bonsai.” He squatted, looking at one that must surely be ancient. It was an evergreen, perhaps a cedar. The trunk of the tree was twisted and gnarled, graceful and elegant in its antiquity. She disappeared into a room and within moments Aiden heard the water running. He grinned. She probably got only cold water here unless she had a small

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solar heater, and given the foggy conditions of San Fran, that wouldn’t be particularly effective. He was grimy as well and now regretted the decision to stop by her place. His big tub would be a welcome indulgence. The water shut off, and she emerged wearing a thigh length silk kimono and a towel wrapped around her hair. “That was fast.” She grinned and tossed him a dry towel. “See how long you can stand it!”

*** Once under the frigid water, Aiden saw the point in showering as quickly as possible. He was still hot and sweaty from their journey through the underbelly and upper reaches of Wharf. The cold water nearly sizzled on his overheated skin. He thought back to that rooftop kiss, the press of her body against his, and for a brief moment his cock made a valiant effort to stand forth against the chill of the water, only to retreat. The need in his heart lingered. He quickly toweled off and wrapped himself in a robe she’d left hanging on the door. It was navy blue silk, delicately painted with white cranes. He slipped on a pair of scuff sandals she’d left outside the door. She was such an interesting blend of cultures with her Japanese slippers and bonsai, her Chinese robes and rooftop shrine to General Kwan. Kwan was the protector of martial artists and soldiers. The General stood guard over his home as well. Aiden toweled his hair and then finger-combed his thick curls. They’d be unruly regardless of how he dried them so he just let them coil in on themselves. While Lisa’d lived, she’d kept him in neat trim. He’d grown sloppy over the years. It had been a while since he cared what he looked like. Suddenly, it seemed important again. Annie had disappeared. He heard noise in what he assumed was the kitchen and pushed through the door. “Is pasta okay?”

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- 49 -

A pot of water boiled violently on the stove. There was a deli container of Parsottie’s Best Marinara on the counter. He grinned. It was after three a.m. and she was cooking. His stomach rumbled.

*** Once the pasta was cooked, they took their plates to a table by a window. They ate while looking out over the rooftops. The view was as elegant as that of a top rated restaurant. “So, what do we do next, Chen?” She soaked up a bit of red sauce on a crust of bread and looked at him expectantly. “Fighting or the investigation?” “Both. I think it came out to look at me. Maybe it remembers me from before. The last body was a week ago. We’ve got about three days.” Greene’s people had managed to compile a profile. The thing was killing about every ten days. That wasn’t much time. She really shouldn’t fight again that soon. “There’re matches almost every night in the City. I could talk to some people.” “Okay, but aren’t the City fighters a little high stakes for me?” “Not you, me.” Her eyes dropped to the table. In all honesty, she’d forgotten that he was a fighter in a very elite circuit. “It’ll be good, Annie. The thing’ll be more likely to come feed off the guys like me, and it’ll leave you free to watch my back.” She bit her lip, not noticing how he watched as her white teeth played with the plush red of her lower lip. He shifted a bit, drawing her gaze. “I’m just not that familiar with the City. I’d be good with it here in Wharf.” “Then I can look for something here. Tell folks I’m getting back to the alleys, looking for raw talent. Would that work for you?” “Yes, that would be better.”

Belinda McBride


- 50 -

She still looked troubled. Her black hair was damp. It tumbled down her white silk robe in an inky spill. She turned from the window to face him. “Why’d you come back to Wharf? You and Lisa had such a nice place in the City. You really didn’t grow up here.” “Yeah, I did. Not full time -- I spent more time with my mom outside -- but the time with my dad’s family was good. I learned boxing outside, kung-fu in Wharf.” She didn’t release him from that steady gaze. Aiden felt his heart begin to beat faster. The dim light cast an intimate halo around the two of them. “Why did you come back?” Her tone would allow no lies. “I came back to be close to you.” She sat perfectly upright, her face hidden by shadow. “I told myself I hated you, Annie, that I’d watch you and someday make you pay. And I did watch you. I’d come in from a fight and sit on a ledge somewhere, watching you as the sun came up. You were beautiful and perfect and made me see how meaningless my life had become. And I thought I hated you.” “Do you love me?” His breath caught. His chest tightened. How had they come to this place? He sat still and rigid, unable to read her. She gave no sign. “I came back because I loved you. I started fighting because I wanted to die of guilt. I took the nanites because death was out of the question.” His voice was soft, threaded with anger. He gazed down at the shadows on the table. Her hand was clenched into a fist, her only expression of emotion. “Is that what you wanted to hear, Annie? Does that answer your question?” Her fist unclenched. He watched her hand as it slowly slid across the table. She covered his hand with hers, twisting until their fingers were entwined. His fingers clasped convulsively on hers. He pulled them to his mouth, kissing softly. “Yes, Aiden. That’s what I wanted to hear.”

Chapter Six She stood and the shadows fell away with her robe, unveiling grace and delicate beauty. He’d seen her nude before but now she was revealing herself to him, for him. Aiden felt blood rush to his cheeks. His neck grew warm. He took a deep breath. Air filled his lungs as blood filled his cock. He pushed his chair back from the table, watching in fascination as Annie moved around, coming to stand before him. Annie straddled his hips, settling herself onto his lap. She lifted her hands, stroking the skin of his face, touching a curl, trailing a finger down his ear. “I’ve always wanted to touch your hair, to see what it felt like.” “And how does it feel?” She reached up, running her fingers through the mass. “I thought it would be coarse but it isn’t. If you grew it long, it’d be wavy, not curly.” “It’d be a mess.” She smiled, never taking her eyes away from his hair. His hands trembled slightly as he tentatively settled them on her waist, stroking down to her hips. This intimacy felt unfamiliar. He felt too exposed. Fucking he could understand. This slow exploration was like a drill to his heart. “You’ve always seemed so exotic to me. Your face is Chinese, but so much more.” She traced his lips with the pads of her fingers. Her skin was rough from hours of hard work, and the skin of his lips was smooth and silky. Carefully, she leaned forward, settling an exploratory kiss on his mouth. She shifted a bit, and Aiden’s cock rose, hard and ready, sliding up under the silk of his robe. She was slightly higher than he was, turning her face down to his as she deepened the kiss, her tongue entering his mouth, exploring, taking. She broke away on a gasp as his hand rose, cupping a soft breast, fingers brushing the nipple to erection.

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- 52 -

His skin was so dark against hers, his hand large and hard, contrasting with the pale skin of her body. The faint light robbed them of color. There was only dark and light. Opposites. “Yin and Yang.” He looked up at her in surprise. “What?” “Look at us. We’re opposite, you and me. But it’s the other way, you’re dark, like Yin, and I’m light, like Yang.” He smiled and lowered his head to her breast, breathing against a puckered nipple. “Are you saying I’m female energy?” He licked, swirling his tongue over her nipple, feeling it rise against his tongue. She drew a shaky breath and held his head to her breast. “No. No, you aren’t female at all, are you?” In answer, he rolled his hips, sliding his silk-covered cock into place, stroking between her damp, pink lips. “You have no hair down here.” “I like the way it feels.” He growled his arousal, his hand sliding down, running over the silky smoothness of her mons. Further back, he worked his fingers between her silky lips, biting her nipple lightly, smiling as he felt an answering surge of moisture on his fingertips. Aiden raised his head, buried his face into her neck, nibbling and kissing the tender skin there. She was so soft! He knew he’d found a sweet spot when she sighed and moaned. He pulled away, returned to her lips, kissing her ardently. He cupped her bottom, rolling their hips together, letting her ride his lap. She broke the kiss. “Wait…” She pushed back, standing, and unbelted his robe, letting it fall away from his body. He was muscular but lean. It amazed her that this beautiful body of his took so much punishment. There was a small scar over his hip; that had come from a domestic disturbance call. The victim had suddenly turned on her rescuers, attacking Annie with a knife as she cuffed the woman’s drunken husband. Aiden had saved her life that night, intercepting the attack, getting cut himself.

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- 53 -

She surveyed his body, seeing the small scars of youth and childhood, but nothing newer. Nothing recent to mark the ugly turn his life had taken. His cock rose long and dark from a thatch of black hair. His balls dropped heavily beneath the shaft. Annie carefully drew his legs apart and knelt between them, exquisitely aware of the supplicant posture she assumed. Aiden’s body grew rigid. His dark eyes fairly blazed with heat. When she took his shaft in hand, he shivered. “My God, Annie!” He jumped when her mouth slid over the head of his cock. Inwardly, Annie smiled. She was in the pose of submission, but held all the power at this moment. He was big, bigger than she could comfortably take in, so Annie clasped his shaft, giving long, smooth strokes as she suckled and licked at the head of his cock. She tasted the salty tang of pre-come, smelled the musk of his arousal as he became more excited. Aiden slid forward in the hard wooden chair, giving her more access to his body. Annie fondled his balls with her free hand, teasing up behind the delicate orbs, the tips of her fingers pressing his anus. He flinched, and gasped, and she pulled her head back, looking up at him. “Is this okay?” The tip of her finger pressed in a tiny bit, playing with that tight circle of muscle. He nodded. “Not too much though, just there…” His words trailed off on a sigh as she pressed a moist finger to his back entrance, her mouth returning to his balls. Annie felt his muscles contract on her finger rhythmically. His balls began to grow tight to his body. Annie looked up. The expression on his face made her heart stand still. Lust and want, certainly, but a look of wonderment and love had settled over his face. Love for her. He pulled her upward, shifting back in the chair, settling her over his lap. This time no silk came between them. She was wet. Her flesh had a silkiness of its own. He’d almost come undone when she’d knelt between his knees, the picture of submission and

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sensual compliance. But one look in her eyes told Aiden that she knew her power, she knew how completely she controlled his pleasure. “Take me,” he whispered, hands on her hips as he lifted her. Annie settled her hands on his shoulders and lowered herself. He held his cock steady as her melting warmth encompassed him. His eyes dropped shut. He shuddered at the sensation. She rose and lowered again, her movement slightly limited by her position over the chair. He tilted her hips forward, helping her move a bit more freely. Together, they surged once more, coming to a stop once he’d fully penetrated her. They sat that way, as though stunned at what they had done. Aiden pulled her close, marveling at her slender body, her supple strength. “I love you, Annie.” His whisper was soft in her ear. She smiled against his skin, kissing his jaw. Aiden skimmed his hands over her body, losing himself in the sensation of their lovemaking. He stroked her back, imagining the vivid art there. He wanted to take her from behind so he could see the dragon on her skin. She began to ride him, not hard, but smoothly, rising and lowering like a well-oiled machine, her smooth, muscled channel clasping his shaft as she rose. She moved on him harder and faster, her breath coming between her lips in soft puffs. Aiden watched her in fascination. For so many years he’d dreamed of her, and in those dreams, she was on her back or her knees as he pounded his anger brutally into her body. He hadn’t dreamed of this. The anger had been an illusion, a false reality that allowed him to plunge into darkness without guilt. It had been his crutch, his addiction. Somehow he’d freed himself of that addiction. The proof was before his eyes, wrapped around his very heart. She watched him as steadily as he watched her, and he had to wonder what was going through her mind. He’d given her all. He’d given her his love, and while her body spoke of gentle feelings, those words were not shared.

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- 55 -

His head fell back and he groaned. The tightening in his spine, the heat in his balls told him he was close. He took control of their movement, grasping her hips and shafting hard into her body. Helpless, she fell forward, her weight on his chest, her hips plunging wildly to meet his. She pulled back, once again watching his face, but her eyes were wild. Small, harsh cries broke from her lips. “Aiden!” Her cry was strangled and hoarse. “God… now! Aiden!” A final thrust and she brought him over. His cries mingled with hers. His back arched, pushing him deep, holding as he spilled freely into her body. His seed surged hot and the spasms twisted him, arching into her once again. Her orgasm continued. She spasmed and froze on his cock, again and again, keeping him hard well after he was finished. With a small groan, her muscles went lax, her body melting against his.

*** When he could move again, he stood, lifting her easily, his cock slipping from her body. He wrapped her legs around his hips and carried her to the small bedroom where a bed sat on a four-poster frame. That surprised him a bit. He’d expected that she’d be more traditional and sleep on a futon. He laid her gently down and stepped into the bathroom, wetting a cloth in lukewarm water. Aiden stood for a moment, looking at himself in the reflection in the spotted old mirror. He looked the same. Yet down deep, he felt intrinsically changed. His very cells felt alive in a way that the nanites and the fighting had never achieved. Aiden looked, seeing his father’s almond eyes, his grandfather’s cheekbones set into his mother’s golden brown skin. He saw the dragon that swirled on his chest. The matching phoenix was buried with Lisa. Fit together, the two had formed a stylized Yin-Yang medallion. He’d once

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thought he’d lost half of himself. But that dark reflection of himself in the silken robe looked remarkably whole. He wrung the excess water from the cloth and returned to Annie’s side.

*** She hadn’t said it to him yet, the words just locked up inside her head, her heart. He’d changed over the years but at the core, he was still Aiden Chen, her partner and friend. The man she’d secretly loved for most of those years they’d worked so closely. Annie rolled onto her side, listening to him moving around in her bathroom. His seed slipped from her body, and she let it, shivering at the feel of it trickling down her thigh. His nanites kept him free of disease. Her annual injection ensured she wouldn’t become pregnant. He and Lisa had planned on children. Would he want children with her? Would they want to bring children into Wharf? Neither of them lived a lifestyle conducive to parenting, and yet, for the first time in her life, Annie thought of children. Jumping the gun there, Tanaka. Nevertheless, the thoughts that ran through her brain spoke of roots and forever. He’d told her he loved her. The mattress dipped as he sat next to her. Gently, he rolled Annie onto her back, cleaning her tenderly. The expression in his eyes was different than she’d seen before. When he finished, she moved toward the wall, inviting him into her bed. When he settled, she shifted over, wrapping her body around his, feeling the light of dawn break over the horizon. It would be morning soon, and with light came safety. “I didn’t say it.” He was dropping into sleep. His eyelids fluttered as she spoke. His eyelashes were surprisingly thick. They were inky black and tightly curled. Funny, she’d never noticed that before. “Hmm?” “You told me you love me, but I didn’t say it.”

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He smiled, and those amazing dimples that were usually hidden by his scowl appeared. “You don’t have to say it, Annie. I thought I should be honest with you. With myself.” He pulled her a bit tighter to his body, tucking her head under his chin. It took a certain sort of courage to put yourself out there like he’d done. He’d made the declaration, not expecting one in return. She ran the flat of her hand over his chest, feeling hard muscle under smooth skin. “I do, you know. Love you.” “Is that true, Annie?” “Yeah, yeah, it is. It’s been true for a really long time. I was with Lisa that night… I don’t know, out of a sense of guilt, I guess. My feelings for you were strong, and I was trying to become closer to her. I thought if she and I were close, I could leave what I felt for you behind.” He sighed and stroked her hair. It was still slightly damp. “What did it do to you, Annie? You changed. If I’d stuck around to help…” He broke off, regret tingeing his voice. No more regrets. He couldn’t change the past. But he could change the future. “I don’t remember it all, Aiden. It threw me across the dock. We’d just come in from Oakland.” She remembered that Lisa’s arms were filled with shopping bags. To Annie’s discomfort, Lisa’d been shopping for lingerie and naughty toys for her and Aiden’s upcoming anniversary. Looking back, she realized that Lisa had felt threatened by Annie’s partnership with Aiden Chen. She’d been proving a point to her husband’s partner. “She was on the inside of the dock. I was on the water side. It just… rose up. It picked me up and threw me. I hit a wall.” Her skull had been slightly fractured from the blow, her arm broken. She’d lain there, stunned and hurt, listening to Lisa’s horrified screams. When she pulled herself upright, the thing had already ripped open her throat, and was feeding… “I tried to run, to get away, but it caught me. We were on a dock. It… it forced my head backward into the water. I’d start to pass out, and then it would pull me up, force me to breathe.” Blood had stained that horrible face. Dank, wet hair straggled

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down. Its clothing was shredded and torn and filthy with Lisa’s blood. And other things. “I don’t remember, but they tell me it raped me. That’s why… surgery…” His breath left his chest. “Annie…” “Don’t. Don’t feel guilty, Aiden. You didn’t do it. I didn’t do it. I don’t remember it and I doubt I ever will. It is what it is.” Still, his heart slammed in his chest, the precursor to a panic attack. Deliberately, he breathed, bringing her words into focus. “You’re ridiculously wise.” “I guess that’s better than being ridiculously stupid.” “No, that would be me.” “No. No, you aren’t.” He shifted, resting his head on her breast, enjoying the sensation of soft skin under his cheek, her hands running through his hair. “Did you really mean it?” “Yes, I love you, Aiden. I don’t know what it means though.” “It means when this is over, we’ve got something to work on. A future.” It had been a long time since Aiden Chen had looked to the future.

Chapter Seven When she woke up, he was gone. The blue silk robe lay neatly over a chair. His smell lingered on her pillows. For a moment, she felt anger, and then let it go. This was new to both of them. He undoubtedly needed space. He’d drawn the blinds, blocking the light from the room. Annie pulled herself from bed, showered, and shuffled into the small kitchen to make tea. He’d left a note by the teapot, telling her he’d gone to hustle a fight. Two days and two nights, if the thing stayed on schedule. She hadn’t figured out a strategy to neutralize it. She was without her sidearm, and weapons were stripped before entering a fight cage. She could carry when Aiden fought though. Annie carried her tea to an old trunk, opening the carved lid carefully. The fragrance of the old wood rushed up, flooding the room. Her swords and staff were stored in a weapons rack. They would be too visible to carry. She shuffled through the contents, finding her old kung fu silks, numerous possessions of her grandfather’s. She lifted out his tiny bonsai pruning kit and smiled, setting it aside with a few other treasures. Guo Lee didn’t approve of hidden weapons. Actually, the only weapons he approved of were the staff and sword, but nonetheless, she had a pair of sturdy nunchaku and a pair of butterfly swords. He’d agreed to teach her the butterfly swords because they were traditionally a defensive weapon, unsharpened from hilt to mid-way up the blade. This set had been designed to fit the length of Annie’s forearm. Not an ideal weapon for taking on the creature they would be facing, but good in an

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emergency. She squatted, considering her weapons cache, and then methodically stowed her treasures away once again. Annie rose and stood in front of her weapons rack, looking for a long time before making her selection. She chose a shorter length, innocuous looking staff. Not so long that it would impair her movement, but with enough length to hold a monster at bay. There was another sword as well. This one hung on the wall. The katana was ancient, the weapon of a Japanese Samurai. It had been hand-made by a master artisan and in her family for many generations. The Japanese katana was a lethal weapon, and not at all suited for her style of fighting. It remained on the wall. She glanced over at the window. The sun was setting. Already, dusk had settled over the Bay. She’d slept late into the day. Time to go out and find her missing lover.

*** “I know you’re there. Step out where I can see you.” She put every bit of authority that she could muster behind her voice, not betraying the tiniest bit of fear. Of course, the thing could smell her and that would tell a different story. But she could control her fear, just like she could control her voice. “Come out now.” She’d gotten just a block over and down before sensing the presence in the shadows. It was fully dark now, plenty of places to hide. The shadow moved slightly. Automatically, Annie moved back, luring the thing into the light. As the shadow grew closer, it became smaller, finally solidifying into the shape of a man, the man who’d stood outside her fight, anger blazing in his eyes. Not particularly tall, compact and lithe. He moved with the grace of a cat. She started at the ground, taking in simple lace-up tennis shoes, black athletic pants and a white button down shirt, a triangle of golden brown skin showing at the unbuttoned neck. Humble clothing. A strong, angular face with high, prominent cheekbones, an arched nose over a small, perfectly sculpted mouth. Black, chin length hair fell back from his face in a center part. A face of timeless, unearthly beauty.

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“Oh my God… oh my God…” Her breath froze and her heart stopped, just briefly. Annie dropped abruptly to her knees, head bowed. “Sifu Lee? Guo Lee?” She wouldn’t have believed it except for a small, triangular scar on his collarbone. “Get up, Annie, you’re embarrassing me.” She stole another look at his face. How had she not known him the other night? He hadn’t wanted her to know him. He hadn’t wanted her to see him. “Sifu Lee…” “What did you call me when you were a girl?” “Papa,” she whispered. “I wanted to call you Grandfather, but you said I should only call my Grandfather Tanaka by that name.” “So what do you call me now?” She remained on her knees, her body’s processes slowly returning. “Papa Lee.” She brought one foot up, then the other, rising without her usual grace. She stole another look. He hadn’t aged a day. His golden brown skin had the look of varnished wood. In repose, he looked still, unapproachable, his eyes hooded like those of a lazy cat. But now he smiled, great dimples creasing his cheeks, all the way to his eyes. “Come on over and sit here.” She lowered herself to the cinderblock retaining wall that he gestured to. Her hands trembled, her knees bounced from nerves. Gradually, the shock of his appearance began to wear down, and calm spread through her soul. The calm that always accompanied his presence. From where they sat, they looked over a good deal of Wharf. The place he’d created nearly a century ago. “It’s still ugly, but beautiful in its way.” He slipped a cigarette between his lips. From the time she was a child, she remembered him and his cigarettes. Most people didn’t smoke these days. “Most ugly things have beauty as well.” “That’s very true.” His voice was low and husky, the accented English a pleasure to listen to. His mother language was Mandarin, but he spoke many languages.

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“I came to check on my students. I followed some noise, only to find my little girl in a cage, fighting for money.” “That’s why you were so angry.” He nodded, inhaling deeply. “But then I remember my Annie’s got a job to do, she’s a cop. And I hear there’s something bad after the Nano fighters. I knew you’re just doing your job. You and that half-blood fighter.” “That’s Aiden Chen. He grew up here part time. His mom lived outside.” “I see. Is he a good man?” “He’s one of the best. He used to be my partner.” “That’s good. Annie Tanaka deserves the best man to love her.” She bowed her head, her cheeks going warm. “He left the force when his wife was killed.” “By one of those monster things?” “I think there’s only one, Papa. But yes. It hurt me as well.” He shook his head. “Lots of those things, Annie. They’re in China as well. They want blood and flesh. Bad things, Annie, but I taught you what you need to know. You’ll catch it.” “You think so?” He chuckled and stubbed out the cigarette. “I know so. You had me and your Grandpa Tanaka to teach you right.” “Grandpa mostly taught me to train Bonsai.” “Good skill. Not many people left that know how to do it. And that big katana on your wall isn’t for pruning little trees, Annie. And I know old Kazu Tanaka didn’t die without passing on his skills.” “You’re my sifu, Papa. I couldn’t have a sifu and a sensei.” “No, Annie, but while I was your papa-teacher, he was your grandfather. He was honor bound to teach you.” “You knew? Did you mind?”

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Guo Lee shook his head slowly. “No. We talked, back when I first started teaching you. He knew you had a gift, Annie.” She smiled and looked down at the now steady hands clasped between her knees. He’d always grounded her. “Did he mind that you taught me?” He stood up and began walking. She rose and followed, and to her surprise, they ended up on her roof. On a bench lay her grandfather’s katana. Guo picked it up with reverence, unsheathing the long sword. “I don’t know how to use one of these. Perhaps my student will show me?” “I have a bokken…” She kept her wooden practice swords up here on the roof. “No, the katana. Please demonstrate with your grandfather’s sword.” For a moment, she was at a loss. She wasn’t dressed properly. Finally, pragmatism settled in. She took the long sword in hand and began the kata. He sat quietly, watching her move through the formal sword forms. She finished, bowing deeply before returning the sword to scabbard. “He taught you karate as well?” She nodded. Guo bit his lip, walking to the edge of the building, looking at the rows of bonsai there. “That was very beautiful, Annie. In its way, very lethal.” He stood there for a long time, watching the darkness fall over the city. He was possibly the most powerful man she’d ever encountered. Lethal, and from the looks of him, perhaps even magical. He wore cheap cloth sneakers and smoked oldfashioned cigarettes and taught little orphaned girls kung fu. He looked over at her, his face inscrutable. “You make sure you don’t kill the thing, all right?” Fear gripped her gut. “How? How do I defeat it without killing it?” He stood, looking critically at his student. “I don’t know, Annie. But you just remember it was human… still is. It is very sick.” He turned to face her. “You use everything you know. What I taught you, what your grandfather taught you. What you have learned on your own.” She nodded.

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“There are big things happening in our world, Annie. Things are going to change very fast. This place…” he gestured over the expanse of Wharf, “it’s like the Walled City of Kowloon. It’s had its time. It’ll be gone soon.” The thought made her ill, but she saw the truth of it. It wasn’t governed by city or state. It was a dangerous no-man’s land to outsiders, a haven to the residents. Of course it would eventually be slated for destruction. “How sad that will be.” He nodded in agreement. “But good, too. Things can be better. Change doesn’t always mean bad.” “What do you know, Papa Guo?” “Nothing. I don’t know anything. I just see the turn of the wheel.” “You’ve lived a very long time, haven’t you? Seen the wheel turn many cycles.” He crossed the roof to where she sat perched on a low stool. Guo squatted next to her, lighting another cigarette. The fragrance of the smoke drifted across the roof, carried by a light breeze. “Too long, Annie.” “You’re Hsien? Immortal?” “No man is immortal, Annie. No man or woman. Our immortality is only through those who remember us.” A chill ran over her skin. Surely Guo Lee was dead by now? Was this her imagination? She looked up at the sound of a sword leaving its sheath. Guo took the katana, and slowly began the Japanese kata she’d performed. His form was perfect, breathtaking. He turned the formal routine into a liquid, blurring dance of speed and elegance. The cigarette still hung from his lips. Without a hitch, the kata blurred into a kung fu set, sinuous and flexible, yet the elements of Japanese form were still there. Just… different. She watched in silent appreciation as he worked his way into forms that were ancient and forgotten to all but Guo Lee. She barely drew breath as he finished, bowing low, handing the sword over. “What did you see, Annie?” “It’s all the same.”

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He nodded. “Different schools, different theories, but in the end, it’s all the same. It’s all ice cream, just different flavors. We choose our tools to defeat our enemy.” She accepted the sword, sliding it carefully back into the sheath. She didn’t even bother to ask how he’d gotten into her apartment to take the thing from her wall. “I have a new granddaughter. In Oregon. I’m going there tonight to meet her. Afterward, I’ll be back.” “Congratulations, Papa. I’m sure she’s beautiful.” “Her name is Rose. Of course she’s beautiful. I threw fortune sticks for her. She has a big future.” So he was a soothsayer! Annie smiled at the thought and turned to confront him. He was gone. She looked around for a sign, any sign, that she hadn’t just spent an hour on her roof, talking to herself. She looked at the sword in her hands. If she had imagined the whole thing, at least the time had been productive. She started toward the ladder before catching sight of something lying on the gravel of the roof. A cigarette butt, smoke still rising in a wisp. Annie laughed out loud, feeling more like herself than she’d felt in years.

Chapter Eight He’d not only hustled a fight, he’d arranged one for that very night. Annie kept to the shadows two stories above, seething in anger at his stupidity. How dare he come out without her? He was meat on the hoof, as far as this thing was concerned. And it was two nights early! She hovered over the edge, watching first the crowd and then the fighters. There was no one she recognized in the crowd, save the blonde woman who allegedly wanted a piece of her. As if! The woman stood at the perimeter of a sturdy cage, her hand roaming the muscled ass of a brutish looking man that Annie had never before seen. His cruel mouth and hard blue eyes set her teeth on edge, and she mentally noted him. He was clearly a fighter, and as a fighter, he’d be a Nano. And a possible suspect. The look he gave Aiden was hungry and full of lust, not the sort of lust a person would want to inspire in this man. The rest of the crowd looked like gamblers. A pair of rough looking men stood at the perimeter. No doubt they were the brokers, the men who arranged the fight and recorded bets. Their attention was divided equally between the fighters and the crowd. Inside the cage blood had spilled, she wasn’t sure whose, but both men appeared to carry injuries. Aiden wore a tight black shirt and loose shorts, leaving his muscular legs bare. He was quick and light on his feet, dancing away from blows, rolling and evading with ease. He fought equally with hands and feet, keeping his kicks low, as she’d been taught. When his opponent whirled into a chest level kick, Aiden’s fist was waiting for his inner knee.

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The fighter went down like a fallen tree, his knee most likely dislocated. The fight supervisor began a backward count, while the crowd shouted and booed. Obviously Aiden hadn’t been the favorite in this fight. Before the count ended the other man was on his feet, limping, his Nanos quickly repairing the damage to his knee. Annie shivered, grateful her opponents hadn’t been so quick to recover. She checked the crowd again. The blonde was still fondling her pet fighter. From her angle, Annie could see he was erect, his cock jutting out in a taut bulge. The woman stroked him there as though she owned him. The look he gave her was lethal and angry. Carin Nakashima was a danger junkie, and her fighter was danger personified. In the ring, the two men had closed. They went to the ground, rolling and wrestling, lithe, powerful bodies straining. Annie felt herself growing aroused at the spectacle. And why not? The two were savagely beautiful there under the lights, one dark and lean, the other golden and brawny. The other fighter had a failing grip on Aiden. The black shirt began to pull away from his body, suddenly ripping at the seams. Angrily, Aiden threw the shirt aside, his sweaty body gleaming under the light. She bit her lip at the sight of Aiden’s sculpted abs. Next to the other fighter, he was sleek and lithe, like a panther stalking a bear. He stepped in and jabbed, landing punches to the other man’s face, kicking out to score a wicked blow to the fighter’s injured knee. That’s right, Aiden, go for the weak spot. Aiden took blows to the ribs, hunching over slightly before launching himself at the giant, hooking a kick into the knee, following him to the ground. They wrestled, rolling and grappling. When Aiden came up to the top once more, pinning his opponent for the final count, she saw the tattoo, reflecting in the spotlights, leering and laughing from his skin. Annie’s sight went dim.

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For a moment, the world stood still before it changed completely. And again, she ran.

*** She was up there. Aiden could smell her, taste her on the air. He collected his money, ignored Carin and her meat of the day, searching out his quarry. He jogged into the darkness, finding a ramp upward. A ladder took him up even higher. She was running. And he was hunting. Aiden followed the faint fragrance of her scent. She was being obvious, heading back to home and safety. Knowing her destination helped. He made a series of vertical leaps, catching onto ledges, running at speeds that were inhuman and impossible. He heard her coming, and at the last moment, stepped into her path. “Annie.” “Aiden.” She wasn’t afraid, rather angry. Fury boiled from her very being, overwhelming his senses, inflaming his need. His already hard cock grew harder. “Run. Don’t let me catch you,” he growled. She stood a moment, hovering between fight and flight, and suddenly the need to run took control. She darted away, and like a cat, Aiden leapt after her in pursuit. She was swift and strong, easily crossing chasms and gaps between buildings. She knew the place well enough to run it blind. But he was faster. And he knew the pathways and warrens as well as any Wharf rat alive. He gained, his breath loud in her ear, so she spun and attacked, crashing into him, throwing him off balance. They toppled to the graveled roof of the building, rolling and wresting, and Aiden fought his second battle of the night. This time his prize was something completely different. “I want to fuck you.” He came up over the top of her body, pinning her hands so that she couldn’t take control of the struggle. She bucked, scissoring her legs,

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attempting to throw him off. “Did you hear me, Annie? I’m crazy now, and I want to fuck you. Here. Now.” She went still, her heart pounding, her breath racing. Her arousal perfumed the air. “Say no if you want me to stop.” “If I say no, will you just go out and find someone else?” Her chest heaved under his body. “No. If you say no, I let you up. I go home and take a cold shower.” “Let my hands loose, Aiden.” He struggled to bring himself under control. He’d lied to her. If she left, he’d just lie here on the roof and jerk off. It’d take more than once, the way he was now. And then he’d run, run until the sun came up. Slowly he released her hands, moving back, taking his weight from her body. Her hands shot out, burying into his hair, pulling his face to hers. She kissed him hard, teeth biting, blood kissing his tongue. She bucked, her legs wrapping around his hips, thrusting herself against his iron hard cock. Aiden cried out at the pleasure and pain of the contact. He found himself tearing uselessly and desperately at her clothing. His skin stung where sweat trickled into still-open wounds. New scratches and abrasions opened on his palms and knuckles, anywhere his bare skin touched the rough, graveled surface of the roof. “No! Annie!” He jerked away, pulling her up, onto her feet. The gravel would tear her apart and his control was hanging by the merest thread. Together they fumbled at the waistband of her snug pants, finally jerking them down, pulling one leg free. He lifted her to his hips, and her strong legs wrapped around his waist. Again they kissed desperately. He pulled at her shirt, baring her breasts and using every fiber of his control to carry her to the wall of a small storage shed. He pinned her there while she fumbled at his shorts, freeing him from the silk and the restrictive athletic protector that he wore. Blessed relief poured through his

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body when her hand finally freed his engorged shaft, pumping him, her eyes never breaking from his. Without any preliminaries, he pushed into her body. They came together like an elemental force. No sooner had he started to move, to plunge into her body, than she came in a shuddering climax. Her head arched back against the smooth metal wall and he caught her cry with his mouth, swallowing her passion, her need. He pressed himself deeper, and she met him thrust for thrust, determined to pull him over the brink. “Ahh… fuck, Annie… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… too rough…” He pushed harder, her body slamming into the unforgiving wall of the shed, and to his stunned elation, she took him with equal need. She rode him hard, her sweat mingling with his, their combined breath hot and moist in the cooling air of the night. “Make me come again, Aiden!” She was fighting for it, struggling, so close and so ready. Aiden slowed, forcing her to untangle from his body. He settled her to the ground on wobbly legs, turning her to face the wall. He tore her shirt off, looking at the magnificent dragon on her back, stroking his hand along its sinuous body. She wore a set of lethal blades on her forearms. His hands slid down, stroking the soft skin under the deadly blades. She shivered at his touch, so he bent to kiss her, to touch his lips to the scattered cherry blossoms on her skin.

*** Annie didn’t think she could be more aroused, but when he managed to rein himself in, to temper that strength and need, the fire coiled tight inside her body, making her compliant. Her desperation receded to expectant need. His hands, his lips skated over her skin, and he whispered of her beauty, of his love. Like a cornered suspect, she assumed the position, hands braced on the wall of the shed, legs wide. Aiden moved her a bit, bending her just a bit more at the waist, and he was back, deep inside her body, his strokes slow, steady and deep.

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Annie had never allowed a man to take her this way. It was too revealing, too vulnerable. With Aiden, it felt right. He’d caught her, conquered her, and was now nurturing her. Annie leaned forward even further, resting her face against her arms. Oddly, tears began to well up in her eyes. The desolation of the past five years began to fill her heart, to overflow and melt away. His big hands stroked her waist, reached around to cup her breasts and skim over her belly. As though sensing her tumult, Aiden wrapped himself around her body, molding himself to her. One big, bruised hand cradled her mons. She ground against it, her climax rising once again. His strokes were steady and deep, his cock kissing that sweet place deep inside her passage. Aiden brushed the hair from her nape and nipped lightly, finding a sweet spot that she hadn’t known existed. Annie tilted her head, giving him better access. Their movement was less frantic now, more fluid. They both savored the build-up to the coming explosion. “I love you, Annie.” A sob built in her chest at the words. They moved faster. He held her tighter, his fingers circling her bud with firm, steady pressure. Again and again, he skated over that sensitive spot in her channel. Her need for more pressure rose up. She tilted her hips to meet him, to beg for him to take her harder, faster, and he complied. His breath was harsh in her ear. Grunts became moans as Aiden grew closer, and Annie held back, held back… and let go… When he came, he drew back, beating into her in short, shallow thrusts, slamming into her G-spot over and over, pulling her with him. She wanted, needed to hold him, to pull him close, but her arms were empty. Instead Aiden wrapped her up tight, filling her not only with his seed, but with his very essence, with who he was, who he would be. And then he turned her around to face him, and he held her close, so close that they might very well be one person.

***

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“That was crazy good, Aiden.” They’d returned to Aiden’s loft, showered in his solar-heated water and had promptly taken to bed. Aiden lay on his belly while Annie inspected the intricately wrought dragon that was tattooed into his skin. “Finding those blades strapped to your arms was crazy. I thought you were going to do me in!” He turned his head in her direction, unable to see her face but enjoying the connection. “When did you get this dragon? It was before Lisa died.” “Guess I was about twenty or so. The Lees did it before they left.” “So about the same time they marked me.” Her voice had gone carefully neutral. “Aiden, you saw my tattoo, knew what it meant, but you didn’t think to mention that you carry the exact same mark? That we’re fellow students of Guo Lee?” “It’s not exactly the same. Mine doesn’t have little Japanese flowers.” At that, he rolled onto his side, head propped on his hand. She was beautiful there, dressed only in dark hair and the colors of her tattoo. “At first I was just… overwhelmed. I didn’t know what to think of it. And I know you have the Japanese aversion to tattoos. The one on my chest bothers you. I couldn’t imagine how you’d react when you saw the twin to yours on my back.” She sighed. He was probably right. She’d never accepted the honor of her markings. Enduring the painful hours of tattooing had been the final test, to prove her mastery of self. While she would always be Guo Lee’s student, she was now a master in her own right. As was Aiden, it seemed. “Did you get a chance to check out the crowd at my fight? Anyone suspicious?” He’d rolled to his back, holding her hands, toying with her fingers. She shook her head. “That friend of yours, the gangster’s wife…” “Carin Nakashima.” “Yes. She was there with a Nano. He bothered me. A lot.” “Did you see the man that frightened you the other night?”

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She hesitated, a bit uncomfortable with what she’d experienced. “He’s not the monster.” “So you did see him.” “Aiden, that was Guo Lee.” His hand went still, and slowly, Aiden sat up. “I don’t think so, Annie. He’d be…” “I know. Well over a hundred years old. Closer to two hundred. But it was him.” She sat and waited for him to speak, to ask questions. Instead, his dark gaze settled on their clasped hands. “Is he well?” “He was angry to find me fighting. But he understood. He also said this is happening elsewhere. And that when we fight the monster, to remember that it… he was once human. To have compassion.” Aiden didn’t answer. His face had shuttered and closed.

“He’s well. In fact, he looks exactly the same.”

“Like he could be thirty or seventy.”

“Yeah. I asked him if he was immortal.”

“You did?” Aiden looked up, suddenly interested. “What did he say?”

“He said he isn’t. But he did say he’s seen enough to know change is coming.

And he’s coming back soon.” His silence began to unnerve her slightly. “He’s checking in on his students and grandchildren.” “But he didn’t come to see me.” She was puzzled by his reaction. “Aiden, did you know him well?” He gave a little laugh. She thought it odd that a laugh could sound so sad. He leaned over to the bedside table where his wallet lay. He fished out his ID card. “Look at this.” She frowned over the lightweight card. Angled it into the light. “Aiden Chen isn’t your real name?”

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“Yes and no. My full name in Chinese is Guo Lung Lee. Mom called me Aiden, but it isn’t on my birth certificate.” She looked at him for a long moment. “Lee? Your name is Guo Lung Lee?” He nodded. “I was named for my grandfather. Mom had a falling out with the Lees and changed my name. She was part Chinese on her father’s side. The family name was Chen. But to her credit, even after my father died, she made certain I spent plenty of time with his family.” He lay back, arm behind his head. His skin was dark against the pillow. “Bet he didn’t even ask about me, did he?” “He knows you’re enhanced. I don’t think he likes that.” “No, he wouldn’t. He had a hard time with me, I think.” “Your mother?” “My mom and dad both. And I don’t know that he was ever comfortable with me being part black.” “Face it, I’m half Japanese. He and my grandfather practically tore one another’s heads off a couple times. He got past it. Give the old guy credit.” She lowered herself, head on his chest, tracing the muscles and veins of his body. She’d never get her fill of him. “I’ve never seen him show bigotry or be deliberately uncaring.” “You think I’m projecting my own issues onto him?” That was a possibility. And he’d been damned rebellious, a very angry teen by the time Guo left. His thoughts were rudely interrupted as Annie’s hand began to explore, tracing the veins down his flat belly where they disappeared into his pubic hair. He sighed at the warm sensation of his cock slowly filling, growing hard under her touch. He smiled as her warm hand cupped his sac, gently playing his balls. “Oh… Not this time, honey…” He sat up, rolling her over onto her back. “My turn.” Aiden draped her legs over his shoulders, watching her face as he slowly went down, nuzzling the soft skin of her thighs. When his lips brushed the soft, silky skin of her mons, he had to stifle a groan. She was smooth, plump, and her fragrance was soft

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and heady. He tasted, drawing his tongue up her slit. She gasped and Aiden pulled her legs further apart, again drawing his tongue from stem to stern. Gently, he opened the petals of her labia, finding the tiny pearl of her clit, circling it gently but with pressure. She liked it better to one side over the other, and gave a leap when he pressed the tip of his tongue firmly into her tiny hole before descending to her vagina. She was wet. Her tangy sweet taste spilled onto his tongue, urging him to feed deeply. He rooted deeper and was rewarded with a moan. “Enough… Please, Aiden…” “Ah, now she asks nicely…” Aiden pressed one of her knees up into her chest, tucking her foot close to his face. He nipped at the arch of her foot, grinning as she twisted and gasped when he drew her big toe into his mouth. She went still and quiet, and when he glanced up, moisture was trickling from the mouth of her pussy. “Like that?” She nodded, her eyes tightly shut. Aiden moved up her body, dragging his cock along her skin during the entire journey. It was exquisite torture, feeling her silky skin as it whispered along his shaft. By the time he reached her breasts, pulling a nipple into his hot mouth, she was ready. She trembled. Her tension and her need were pulling her apart. Aiden rose over her body, letting his cock bump her mons, sliding gently to her slit. Impatient with his teasing, Annie reached down and positioned him at the entrance to her body. “Not yet…” His whisper was husky with arousal, thick with emotion. “Say it, Annie.” Her eyes opened slowly. She was befuddled with her arousal, her eyes hot with her need. “Say it, hon.” “I love you, Aiden.” “I love you, Annie. I’ll tell you every day, forever.”

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He slowly pressed into her body, pushing past the plush, wet labia, into the snug embrace of her passage. He held for a moment, letting his head and heart settle a bit. “I love you, Annie.” He drew back and pushed again, making more headway this time. Her dark eyes were open, a look of wonderment on her face. The next time he pushed, she spoke. “I love you, Aiden.” He thrust at her words, pushing home, and at her urging, lowered his body to hers. He rolled his hips and she met him. They watched one another’s faces as they slowly made love. Arousal surged over him, through him, drawing him tight as a bow, and Aiden’s eyes slipped shut. He buried his face in her neck, groaning in bliss as her arms caught him, holding him tightly in place. Together they thrust and rocked, infinitely gentle, yet overflowing with the passion of a love that was unexpectedly real. Annie slipped one arm around his upper back, the other around his bottom, pulling him tighter, into her body. She drew up her knees and slid the soles of her feet down his thighs, allowing their legs to tangle and embrace. Unable to hold back, Aiden began to thrust faster, harder. All the while she urged him on with words and movement, rising higher up the crest. He rose, watching her face. The expression she wore looked amazingly similar to pain, quickly shifting into bliss. Smiles chased frowns, soft moans punctuated words of love and curses. He brushed her lips with a kiss, meeting her eyes briefly as they opened, hazy with passion. “Now, Aiden… hard…” And he complied, thrusting into her body fast and hard, the sound of their flesh punctuated by groans, the sound of her hand slapping his ass as she came… When her nails bit into his skin, he went over with her name on a groan, endless ropes of semen breaking from his body into the welcoming embrace of hers. She peaked once more, churning down on his still hard cock, before finally releasing him, slowing to a weary halt. Aiden balanced above her body, shaking arms locked into place, listening to the sound of his breath, his heart racing in counterpart to hers. Their eyes met and locked.

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Her lips moved but no sound came out. He knew what she was trying to say.

“I love you too, Annie Tanaka. Forever.”

She pulled him down into her arms, and he rested on the cushion of her body,

content to stay in her arms.

*** “Damn. I left my staff on that roof.” It was perfectly balanced to her hand. No doubt it’d be gone by the time the sun rose. “I’ll go get it.” “No, don’t bother.” Aiden sat up, the sheet spilling around his hips, “There aren’t many people skilled at making those anymore. You don’t want to lose it.” He slipped into worn jeans and tennis shoes. “Back in a flash.” He leaned over and kissed her, and kissed her once again. He grinned, and suddenly, in that smile, she saw Guo Lee. “You look like him.”

“Who?”

“Guo Lee. You have his smile. It always seemed familiar to me. Now I know

why.” He leaned down and kissed her again, slow and deep. “Thank you. I love you, Annie. Stay awake till I come back, okay?” “Okay.” She sat up, watching him on his way out the door. “I love you, Aiden.” He looked over his shoulder and grinned. And then he was gone. And he didn’t come back.

Chapter Nine Okay, if I were an insane, murderous kidnapper, where would I be? Annie stood on the roof where she and Aiden had been early that morning. Her staff was shattered into bloody splinters. Clearly, he hadn’t gone easily. She tamped down the panic and fear, refining it into clarity of thought. A body lay at her feet, Sophia, her opponent from a few nights back. She’d been drained dry, her throat slashed, her belly gaping wide in an obscene display of carnage. There wasn’t enough blood for this to be the murder scene, so she’d been deposited here, a macabre calling card for Annie. She’d already contacted Greene about the corpse. Beyond that, there was little she could do. Sophia’s crumpled body had been arranged. Her dark hair haloed around her head, one arm extended, one finger pointing… Annie looked at the wall where she and Aiden had made love. A ragged scrap of paper fluttered there. Gingerly, she read the note without touching it. Bloody fingerprints smeared the dirty paper. A time, a location, and soon, very soon, Annie’s monster would have a face. She sprinted back to her apartment, scrambled out of her clothing, and dressed in her best silks. The katana went into a sash that she wrapped around her waist. Once outside, she climbed to the roof, barely noticing the fog coming in from the ocean. With trembling fingers she lit incense before the altar of General Kwan, then knelt in silent prayer and meditation. A light breeze tumbled through the gardens. Wind-chimes clattered and sang. Up into the sky, her prayers rose on streamers of fragrant smoke.

*** “Look how beautiful she is.”

Belinda McBride


- 79 -

Aiden rested on hands and knees in the middle of the chain link cage. His opponent was down, bleeding and broken. But still alive. Carin’s pet was more a monster than either he or Annie could have guessed. His nanites morphed and healed at an insane, incredible rate. He glanced up, heart sinking as Annie entered the old condemned parking garage, the brilliant red of her silks muted to the color of blood. Her tunic was sleeveless. Her silk pants flowed like water. She carried no weapons other than the long, elegant katana in her sash. The Japanese sword looked slightly incongruous on the Chinese suit. Carin strolled back and forth outside of the cage, the sole audience member to this circus of the macabre. He’d awakened from the rooftop fight bloody and battered, trapped inside the cage. He’d watched in horror as Carin’s pet had taken Sophia against a wall. They’d fucked in an obscene parody of what he’d done with Annie, while Carin directed their actions, a calm, detached observer. The monster had then slashed Sophia’s throat, drinking voraciously, digging into her gut even as disbelief faded slowly from her face as she died. He’d turned away then, shutting the monster’s laughter from his ears. Aiden turned inward, going back all those years, all those brutal hours in horse stance, drilling endless forms and maneuvers. Guo had been a grim, silent presence in his life, never praising, always challenging. And once he was gone, the Lees had taken over his training. One day it would be Ah Mei, with her sharp eyes and sharper tongue. Another day he’d have Paul drilling him in footwork. Or Ping with the staff forms. When the family had left San Francisco, they’d left him behind. He’d never felt so betrayed in his entire existence. He was their grandson, nephew and brother, and yet they’d simply packed and returned to China, telling him that it wasn’t his time to go home just yet. He’d known only that there were other students, but he didn’t know who they were. Deliberately, Aiden set aside the anger and the betrayal of his past and allowed all the old teaching to flow, to once again enrich his soul. He remembered animals and

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elements, old wisdom and new techniques. Wood, metal, fire, earth and water. Those would be his salvation today. And when the monster came at him, bloody and savage, Aiden was ready. The thing was now twitching on the floor, still alive. Aiden remembered him from long ago. His name had been Luke. He’d been a good fighter once. And then he’d vanished. He’d been sick near to death with Dragon’s Blood. Well, he’d obviously found his cure, and Carin had found the ultimate play toy. He wondered how she kept it under control. He wanted to kill it. He wanted to step up, snap its neck, but Guo’s words through Annie kept coming back. So again and again he disabled the thing, watching carefully as it recovered from every defeat. Every time, it recovered a bit more slowly.

*** “Annie, you know that I used to be a fighter before I married Nakashima?” Annie nodded, keeping a careful eye on Aiden and the downed man in the cage. The other man’s face was bloody, but not from fighting. There were pools and splatters of blood and offal over to her left, by a wall. This is where Sophia had died. He was a monster, but not the monster she was looking for. “Nakashima loves me to distraction, you know. He allows me every indulgence, every whim I could ever desire. When I wanted to learn sword, he sent the finest masters from Japan to teach me katana. I’ve studied for years. And when I caught Hemo, he healed me.” She stepped to where a bag lay on the floor, bending down, reverently lifting a finely made sword from the bag. “Shall we duel?” Carin was dressed in traditional Japanese Kendo gear, long flowing pants sashed at the waist, a black tunic that wrapped over in the front. With a smile on her pink lips, Carin unbelted her gi and let it slip away, leaving her upper body bare. “You don’t like seeing these, do you?” Vivid tattooing spilled over her shoulders to her breasts, forming solid blocks on her arms and shoulders.

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She turned, lifting her pale blonde hair, and displayed a squirming serpent with the head of a demon. Annie flinched. “You’re probably right. These aren’t like Aiden’s. His are the badge of mastery, the regal House of the Dragon. Isn’t that what those symbols mean, Aiden? That you are a master of your school? Mine symbolize Nakashima’s Yakuza organization. It was his wedding present to me.” She turned back to Annie. “He’s really very good. I’ve seen Aiden fight dozens of times, and he never revealed his training… at least, not till I locked him up with Luke there.” She smiled coyly. “And all those times we made love…” “Fucked, Carin. We fucked. There was no love involved.” There was a flicker in her eye that might have been pain. It might have been rage. Annie wasn’t sure. “All those times we fucked… and I never saw that tattoo. You’re very clever, Aiden.” Down on the floor of the cage, Luke was stirring once again. Mercilessly, Aiden brought a foot down, knocking him unconscious. “Annie. Swords or bare hands? I mean to kill you. I’d imagine swords would be quicker.” “Then we’ll use swords. I don’t mean to kill you, Carin. I mean to arrest you.” “Arrest? You’re police? So you’re clever too, hiding up there in Wharf. And you’ve been looking for me?” “For the person who’s been killing fighters.” Carin nodded in an exaggerated parody of understanding. “But aren’t you also looking for the person who killed his wife?” “They’re the same person, Carin.” “And Luke is down. As soon as the police come, he’ll be taken into custody, Carin.” Aiden hooked his fingers into the steel mesh of the cage, desperately looking for a weak spot. There was none.

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Carin didn’t even look in Aiden’s direction. “Annie, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten?” She smoothly pulled the katana from its sheath. Annie followed suit. They stood in a formal stance, swords up in the air. She swallowed. Her experience with the katana was limited to the training with her grandfather. Annie had never sparred. “Don’t you remember, Annie?” Carin closed quickly, and Annie blocked the down stroke. “On the pier that day, you lay broken on the dock while I fed off his wife. Me, not Luke.” She froze, the memory rushing back, crashing into her brain. The creature dripping with oily water and the blood of her friend, lank, blonde hair straggling around its… her face. “Didn’t you like it when I fisted you, Annie?” She held up a slender arm, closing her hand into a fist. “It was so sexy. Don’t you remember how wonderful my climax was?” Like lightning, Carin attacked, bearing down on Annie in a flurry of lethal blows. Only the recent training with Guo kept her alive and unharmed, instinct kicking in when her brain couldn’t. “Dragon’s Blood, Annie. I’ve always had a soft spot for Aiden and those dragons he wears on his body. One was for his love, so I took her away. I’ve been anticipating tasting him… saving him for a special occasion.” Annie went blind to everything but the monster that was trying to kill her, to maim and ravage and rape her once again. She defended, and defended again, using every scrap of strength and speed she possessed, to no avail. The monster was not only enhanced, her training was exquisite. “Tonight you’ll feed me. And if I’m still hungry, I’ll let the Dragon there feed me. But I’ll be careful and make him last for days.” She pressed in with a blazing attack, the lethal blade a blur in Annie’s peripheral vision.

Belinda McBride


- 83 -

Annie lurched backward, bereft of her normal grace. The other woman’s blade only missed by a hair. They slowly moved back and forth, a lethal game of cat and mouse played out around the bloody cage. She needed to disarm her. Another strike whizzed by. This one seared open a line on Annie’s face. The pain was fire-hot, waking her from the stupor of her fear. She backed up, giving herself space. On her back, the dragon burned as though newly imprinted in her skin. She wasn’t using her tools, and her most effective tool was her training. Annie transferred the sword to a right-handed grip, lowering herself into the more comfortable tai chi stance. The sword was longer than she was accustomed to, more curved, but she could adapt. Her movement shifted. She became low and sinuous, breaking every formal fencing rule that Carin adhered to so rigidly. “Good girl, Annie. Breathe.” She heard him speak but didn’t respond. When Carin next attacked, she parried and kicked, delivering a thudding blow to the shin. And thus it continued, attack and defend. Annie landed blow after crippling blow to the other woman’s legs. With every breath, she became grounded, clear and determined. Finally, Carin lunged. Annie grasped her by the sword arm, twisting, pulling her into a painful and awkward hold until the katana slipped loose from her fingers. She kicked the blade away, and lost her own blade at the same time. She considered her weapons… tiger, bear, crane… The other woman took a rigid karate stance. Rigid, not flowing. Annie moved into water strider, loose, flowing, flexible. With a sweep to the side, she averted the strike. With a step forward, the same sweep returned and crashed into Carin’s ribcage, aborting her forward drive. Tiger followed, fingers digging, crushing, slamming deep into her torso. Ribs snapped under the brutal attack. Bear twisted her arm, dislocating the shoulder and dropping Carin to the ground. It took mere seconds.

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***

She recovered as quickly as Luke had, prompting Aiden to check the other man. He was still down, but Aiden delivered a good blow to the head just to make sure. As he’d expected, Luke was playing possum, gathering his strength to attack. Carin was back on her feet, bloody, shaken, but still dangerous. In the distance, Aiden could hear the piercing squall of sirens. “Hang in, Annie, cops are coming.” She gave a bare nod. Her stance was relaxed, more her natural style, that deceptive casualness that she’d perfected so long ago. Carin charged, leaving behind her training, meaning to catch Annie around the waist, but she wasn’t there. And somehow, Carin continued on her path through the air. She skated along the asphalt, bare skin abrading, blood oozing from the torn tattoos. Even her nanites couldn’t replace the missing ink. She screamed, coming to her feet once more and attacking, working both women closer and closer to the swords. Carin caught Annie off guard. Aiden winced when she went down heavily, only to spring to her feet in a gravity defying back-flip. One of Guo’s signature moves. Annie’s best offense was her defense. Every time the other woman attacked, she found herself thrown off balance or taking a wicked blow. The average fighter would have been flattened and devastated. Between her nanites and her insanity, Carin persevered. Aiden wanted to cry in relief as the police began to pour into the room. Their electronically charged weapons would take Carin down easily. She cursed, hands extended to her sides, and suddenly it was over. They’d survived, caught the killers, and they were both still on their feet. Aiden looked at Luke collapsed on the floor, and then over at where Carin stood surrounded by officers, upper body naked and bloody, lower body swathed in voluminous trousers. Her normally lush, glossy hair now straggled with sweat. Blood oozed from abrasions on her skin.

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Annie stood next to Greene. She glanced in Aiden’s direction as an officer began to free him from the cage. On the floor, Luke rolled, clutching his head and groaning in pain. Aiden started toward Annie with a smile on his face, and then abruptly, a scream built in his throat and broke free. “Annie!”

*** They say those truly horrible moments occur in slow motion, but this one didn’t. It took a heartbeat, a blur of vision, a fragment of a thought. A blade appeared in Carin’s hand. It had been concealed by the folds of her trousers. She struck. The blade bit into Annie’s flesh, into her turned back, into her abdomen, through the muscles of her right arm. She staggered forward. Her tunic fell away in tatters, displaying the dragon of the Lee house. Before anyone could shout a warning, Annie spun, coming up, whirling in a circle. A blade sang through the air, and Carin stood, knife in hand, an awed and amazed expression on her face. She’d have opened her mouth to scream if her head hadn’t been slowly separating from her body. Even nanites couldn’t fix that. The last thing Carin Nakashima saw before she died was Annie slowly turning away, katana extended in her left hand, and on her naked back, the bleeding dragon surrounded by cherry blossoms. Annie had killed her without even looking.

Chapter Ten The better hospitals were in Oakland, so the medics had taken Annie and Luke to the Bay, loading them onto a power boat. Aiden followed with Greene, doing his best to tell the story through vocal cords locked tight by fear. The cut to Annie’s side had opened her so deeply, her insides were spilling out. She’d stared at him in shock and pain, unable to speak. He hadn’t wanted her on a boat with Luke, but when Carin had died, the man had gone unaccountably passive, an expression of glazed relief in his eyes. Aiden didn’t know what she’d done to control him. He didn’t want to know. “She’s afraid of the water, Greene. Make sure the medics know.” Their boat followed in the wake of the other, crossing the Bay at many times the speed of Cappie’s old yacht. In spite of the wind whipping in their faces, Greene made the call and returned to Aiden, a grim expression on his face. “She’s unconscious.” Aiden nodded. At least she wouldn’t be frightened. “Aiden, they said she’s flatlined twice now. You’d best be prepared. Even if she makes it to the hospital, it doesn’t look good.” He turned away, looking into the black water of the Bay, seeking answers.

*** Guo Lee had told her that changes were coming. Annie lay on her side, looking in awe at the giant creature that hovered over the healing wound that encircled her waist. He straightened, and she couldn’t tear her eyes away.

Belinda McBride


- 87 -

The United Governments had made contact with an alien race. They simply hadn’t bothered to tell anyone. The Thalian stood well over six feet tall. His golden blond hair spilled in perfect rippling waves over his shoulders. Gilded white wings rose gracefully from his back. Wings! His smiling eyes were celestial blue, and combined with his white robes, Annie knew where the tradition of angels had originated. Lama smiled gently, coaxing her to sit upright. He examined the scar on her back. With his expertise, every cut on her body had healed within days, flawlessly, and what scars remained were rapidly disappearing. Aiden told her that there was a slight white streak through the dragon’s throat, in the same approximate spot that she’d struck Carin Nakashima. She could have it re-inked, but Annie had found a mirror and spent long moments examining the tattoo, and decided she liked the scar right where it was. As long as she wore the scar, she’d always remember that she’d slain the monster. Many of the memories had returned, and she’d accepted them. Her fear was still there, but now it had a face and a name and a grave with Carin Nakashima’s name on the headstone. She felt a slight stir of power in the room. Guo entered, followed by Aiden. Lama smiled and greeted them with a nod. To her surprise, he bowed low to Guo Lee. Lama then packed his instruments and left without a word. She blinked her eyes and shook her head. The Thalians had that effect on her every time they tended her. She didn’t know if it was their medicine or simply their presence. She always felt soothed, yet slightly unsettled around the golden men. “You said change was coming. Was this what you meant?” Guo moved to her side, touching her cheek, then taking her wrist in his hand, reading her pulse. “Lama told me that they came to us because they were afraid we’d find them first.” “Space? We’ve gone into space?”

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- 88 -

“We have been for many years, Aiden. Centuries. There have even been explorers and groups that left for other planets long ago. Human space technology has expanded greatly in the past century. With the arrangements we’ve made with the Thalians, humans will continue to expand into space.” He set her hand down and gave her a slight smile. “You remember that cult, the Nephris?” “Yes, ages ago, they suddenly vanished. There was speculation that they’d carried out a suicide pact.” Guo shook his head and looked at his grandson. “No, Aiden. They left. They settled on a hostile black planet in another system.” “My god, Papa… Do we know if they survived?” “Oh yes. They survived. And thrived.” He looked uncharacteristically grim. “Much to the displeasure of their neighboring planets, I might add.” Aiden and Annie exchanged glances. Both knew the other was speculating on what that could mean. Annie looked up as Greene entered the room, shutting the door behind him. “Well, Annie, we have a problem. It seems Nakashima isn’t too thrilled that you killed his wife.” She snorted in disgust. “He’s importing the nanites that morphed the Hemo victims into monsters, Greene. If you let me…” “You aren’t doing anything, Annie Tanaka. The investigation is ongoing and you aren’t part of it. You are on extended medical leave. He’s called out a contract on both you and Aiden.” Aiden nodded. “They torched my loft a couple nights ago. I’d expected it, so I’d already cleared out. They got your place as well.” Her eyes went wide in horror. “Did the fire spread?” “No,” Aidan replied. “Like I said, we were expecting it. They firebombed the place, but the building was evacuated and we had fireboats standing by. We’ll be issuing a warrant for his arrest before the day is out.” “Grandpa’s bonsai?”

Belinda McBride


- 89 -

“They’re safe, Annie,” Guo assured her. “We took almost everything from your home and practice area. They’re all packed with Aiden’s things.” “Packed?” “To move.” Annie glanced from Guo to Aiden, who looked surprisingly sad. “I came here to take my children home, Annie. To Hong Kong. The family has built many schools in China. Mine is in a coastal village called Saikung.” “Why now, Papa? I’d have come anytime you called.” “But he wouldn’t have.” Guo nodded to Aiden. “He’s been living in a world of hurt for a very long time. He wasn’t ready.” He turned back to Annie. “And you needed to kill the monster.” “You told me not to.” “I did, but she gave you no choice, did she?” No, she hadn’t, and try as she might, Annie felt no regret. “Annie, the Thalians ran tests on Carin’s body and blood.” She looked over where Greene stood, slightly on the outside of their circle. “We’ve isolated the nanites she used and linked them to those in Luke’s body. We have a trail back to Japan, where they’re being manufactured. Also…” He moved closer, his voice gruff, “…through the tests, they created a cure for Luke. He’ll recover normally. The nanites will eventually leave his system. And… they developed a cure for Dragon’s Blood as well.” His eyes were unnaturally bright. Tears. Her stoic boss, her friend, was crying. She reached out and clasped his hand, tears welling into her eyes as well. “I’m sorry, Greene. I really am.” He nodded, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand. “A cure, in just the week that I’ve been in the hospital?” “One hundred percent, Annie. They’re looking at cancer next.” “And the common cold.” Aiden’s eyes sparkled with hope and humor. “How did you know all this, Papa?”

Belinda McBride


- 90 -

Guo simply shook his head and smiled. He’d grown pretty tight with some of the Thalians while she’d been unconscious. And the aliens were telepathic. Perhaps he was also. “I’m going to go find that big feathered guy, like to talk to him while I have a chance.” Guo kissed her forehead and left the room. Greene followed in Guo’s wake. Annie looked up at Aiden, who settled gingerly onto the side of her bed. “Aiden, why does this all feel too good to be true? With the Thalians, I mean? What are they getting in return?” He leaned forward, speaking very softly. “Test subjects.” She looked at him in shock. He nodded. “Their physiology is almost the same as ours. I’ve seen, heard, that the government is letting them use volunteers, and some non-voluntary.” She didn’t know what to say to that. Testing on prisoners? Wasn’t that unethical? The laws had struck down those proposals over and over again. Yet they were violating those very laws for an alien species? “So, Annie, you’re okay coming with me to Hong Kong?” She clasped his hand, squeezing it tight. “Papa had me ready, I think. Why though? Why does he want us to go now?” “I don’t know for sure, but I think it has to do with his granddaughter. Her parents are academics. Good people, but not good parents. I think we’re about to become an aunt and uncle.” She stared and shook her head. “I don’t know anything about parenting.” “But you know everything about the Lees’ martial arts. You can teach her to fight and survive.” “Any Lee can do that.” “But you aren’t any Lee, Annie. You’re a Tanaka, and what I saw you do last week…” He moved closer, so she could barely hear him. “You know Guo is transcended? A Hsien?” “You know that for sure?”

Belinda McBride


- 91 -

“I don’t know his story, but he’s not like us. What I saw you do, Annie, you transcended your training. Carin couldn’t beat you because she couldn’t look past the constraints of what she’d been taught. She was a master of her art, but you are a Master. It doesn’t matter what form, you take it and shape it to your will. I think that little girl needs all that you can teach her.” “How do you know this?” He smiled and looked so much like Guo then, that she could only stare. “You threw the sticks.” “Tea leaves. Sometimes fortune sticks. Reflective water. My little secret skill.” Now that he mentioned it, she’d seen him glancing into tea cups on occasion. “Shit, Aiden, why didn’t you tell me?” “I rarely do it, Annie. It’s too scary, and too much information. I’d rather let things proceed as they should.” “Wow.” She sat, staring at him where their hands were entwined. “Did you see anything for us?” “Yeah. I did.” He settled a kiss on her lips. “I see a long journey by the sea. I see a tall, dark and handsome man in your life. I see marriage, prosperity and children. Long, long lives, and happily ever after.” “I’m afraid of the ocean.” “You killed your fear, Annie. You willed that katana from the floor into your hand… your left hand, and you took her head away from her body.” She looked at him, utter shock filling her mind. She hadn’t thought about how the sword came to be in her left hand, it was simply there. It had been as natural as the swinging windmill blow that had beheaded Carin. “And besides, I’ll be too busy making love to you. You won’t even think about the water.” Aiden gently lowered himself onto the bed next to her, running a hand over her body. He cupped her breast through her thin gown, smiling as her nipple peaked. “What else do you see?”

Belinda McBride


- 92 -

“Sex.” He whispered in her ear, causing her to shiver. “I see lots and lots of sex.” He leaned down, teasing her nipple with his tongue and lips. Her breath caught. “More sex, eh? And what else?” He drew back, and she knew from the expression on his face that he was completely, one hundred percent serious. “I saw space, Annie. We were partners again. We’ll be cops again, but in space.” Her eyes grew very, very large. “Space,” she whispered. He gathered her into his arms and held her tight.

Belinda McBride Belinda lives in the wilderness of the Siskiyou Mountains and at night, she runs naked with a pack of wolves… Uhh… Belinda lives near the Siskiyou Mountains and shares her home with a pack of Siberian Huskies who like to pretend they are wolves. And she usually keeps her clothing on when she goes outside. Belinda loves to travel, collect rare gemstones, make soap and spend precious time with her daughters. Her degree is in History with a Cultural Anthropology minor. On weekends, you will often find Belinda ringside at a dog show, comb and spray bottle in hand. She invites you to visit her website at www.belindamcbride.com, or email her directly at [email protected].

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