The Dragon and the Pearl by Jeannie Lin

words to him. The soldier had never faltered in his duties, yet he had harboured this belief inside him. And Suyin was able to delve deep enough to exploit it.
    His sword hung heavy in his hand. What a waste. Lady Ling had not turned a weak-hearted man. Ru Shan had a strong spirit and was well respected, a brother to these men. In time, he might have risen through the ranks.
    ‘Let him go,’ he ordered, turning away.
    The other men stared at him. This act of mercy shook the foundations of the code they all fought by. It was a long stretch of time before one of them dared to come forwards with a knife to cut Ru Shan’s bonds.
    ‘Never let me see your face again,’ Li Tao warned.
    Ru Shan stayed kneeling. He bowed, touching his head once to the ground. ‘This is for the honourable man who once was. But you will destroy Lady Ling along with everything you have created.’
    Ru Shan rose then and walked away, weaving through the bamboo.
    Li Tao waited for the lone figure to disappear into the green. It was a mistake to let him go. Ru Shan was a young man pining for the love of a complicated woman. He was also a fighter and a soldier, dangerous in his exuberance.
    People like Lady Ling were incapable of love. They were both alike in that way. The imperial palace was as cutthroat as the winding streets of Luoyang. She would never allow anyone to possess her just as he answered to no master. There were no illusions between them. Perhaps that was the lure. Desire without emotion, cold and clean.
    When she met his eyes, it was always with challenge. She understood the tooth-and-claw struggle for survival deep within her bones. Desire meant nothing in the face of that struggle, except for a few stolen moments.
    They could forget for one night. Perhaps her passion was feigned, another ploy. He didn’t care. That night he’d take his fill of her. Suyin’s lure would fade when she no longer danced like smoke in his head, when she became flesh and blood and silken skin beneath him. Then he’d send her away as she so desperately wanted. Let her face Gao on her own. She was more than capable.
    Suyin could take whatever secrets she held with her. He didn’t need them and didn’t need her for anything more than what she could give him that night.

Chapter Eight
    S uyin stepped into the garden, fighting to steady herself after the intensity of the confrontation with Li Tao. The soldiers remained hovering at the passages, but the warlord was gone. She could tell from the silence of the house and the listless way the servants milled about the edges of the courtyard. There was always an inexplicable sense of emptiness when he wasn’t there.
    ‘Go,’ she urged gently. ‘Continue with your duties as usual.’
    The servants responded to her as if she were the mistress of the house. One by one, they moved away. She knew they would gather in a distant corner to mull and gossip. Jun and Cook were the last to leave. The boy held a brown-feathered chicken by its feet as he trudged towards the kitchen. She managed a weak smile for him before he departed.
    Auntie came to her. ‘Master Li has taken Ru Shan! In his anger, he might…’ She swiped at her nose with a handkerchief, her eyes red and swollen.
    ‘None of you will suffer for this. I swear it.’
    Auntie was intent on fretting. ‘But Tao—Master Li will not tolerate disloyalty.’
    ‘The Governor knows this is my doing,’ Suyin replied, sounding more confident than she felt. It was clear that she had no control over him, or herself, when they were alone.
    Li Tao was foremost a warlord and warrior. A man of discipline. He wanted complete control of everything, even over what would pass between them that night. Especially over that.
    She shouldn’t have pulled Auntie into her schemes. Not when she knew how ruthless Li Tao was. He had the entire household cowering under his fury. Then he had kissed her and tormented her until she was clinging to him. She folded her arms tight