Page 13 of The Wind Dancer
Her breathing remained steady, and only a slight flutter of her eyelashes betrayed that the question had startled her. Slowly, very slowly, she lifted her head from my chest and met my eyes.
“You didn’t think I just happened to be here, did you?” Her voice was soft, practically a purr, but there was a quiet power in her eyes. She was dangerous. And I had felt that those lovely curves hid muscles as hard as steel.
I didn’t answer. I waited for her to answer me first.
She reached over to the table, picking up a narrow ribbon, and then slowly began to tie her hair. In this, she gave us both time to calm ourselves, think about the situation, and prepare for a serious conversation.
“I was looking for your mentor,” she said, securing the ribbon. “But, to my misfortune, he is dead.”
She looked at me, searching for a reaction, but I was too well trained at keeping everything to myself when the situation called for it.
“To those in the know, it hasn’t been news for a while. He was cremated. The question now is, why were you looking for him?”
She slowly ran her finger over my chest, as if weighing her words and testing how tense I was.
“He was... An interesting person,” she finally said. “He had connections, access to information that no one was supposed to have. He was also a schemer who knew how to set up traps, weave webs, and manipulate people.”
The air grew heavier.
“And you knew who I was...”
She smiled.
“I had my suspicions. There were rumors that a certain Jian Wei had a student who was practically a son to him. I only needed to confirm that the man I was looking for and Jian Wei were the same person. He may be dead, but you’re still here.”
Jian Wei... one of his aliases.
“Seeing you, I’m certain that he was the man I was looking for. And we always find those who we’re looking for.”
I squeezed her wrist just enough to let her know that what happened next depended on what she’d say now. She smiled at this.
“What do you want?” I asked.
She leaned in, her lips almost touching my ear. I felt a chill and a new wave of desire go through me.
“You’re dangerous. Talented. And on your own. Word on the street is that the elders of the guild aren’t happy to have you around. So you have a very simple choice: disappear as another victim of the changes in the city... or choose a side.”
I slowly let go of her hand. I was suspicious of what she said about the guild, but I needed more information.
“And whose side are you suggesting?”
She pulled back, straightening her robe calmly, as if nothing could threaten her, and grinned.
“The one which won’t hand you over to the first person who asks.” With her free hand, she made a gesture that made my blood run cold — the sign of the Secret Chancellery.
For a heartbeat, the air seemed too thin.
I studied her and realized that this game had been set in motion long before we met. And she had the advantage; she knew too much about me.
I stayed silent.
Mei Lin slipped out of my arms, slowly adjusting the robe, but now her movements were a little tense. She was giving me a chance to think about what she had just said, and she had no intention to fill the silence.
I got out of bed, went to the table, and poured myself some water from a clay pitcher. I took a sip, feeling my head clear.
“If you wanted to recruit me, there were easier ways,” I finally said, putting the pitcher and cup back down. “Did you really have to get into my bed by lying?"
She grinned and leaned against the door frame.
