Dragon's Blood (Black Planet Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Japanese cherry blossoms trickled from the dragon’s claw onto her left breast.
    “The style’s not Japanese.” Aiden’s voice was hushed.
    “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.” He sounded angry. Why would he be angry? It was her skin being bared.
    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.
    She sighed in resignation. “You were right. I don’t like people seeing it, but 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 liniment 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. They had the stamp of an herbal shop in Chinatown.
    “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 something to cut the pain. She didn’t need to know.
    “Toilet?”

    a iden nodded toward a doorway a few feet away. He waited impatiently while she did her business, pacing the length of the worn wooden floor. She might be knocked out for the night, but he was edgy, restless. Hard 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 stuttered to a halt.
    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.
    Annie 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 home at dawn. He resented his schedule being disrupted, but in truth, he’d profited from her win tonight. She was doing this for her job, and she didn’t need to tell him that she was terrified. She hid it well, but