Year of the Tiger

Foreword

My name is Citlalli Alvarez.

To those of you who know me, I apologize in advance. I probably insulted your mother or told you it would never last with Mr. Not-So-Picky-About-His-Quickies. I’m the last person to give out romantic advice, since I’m currently interested in an unavailable werewolf and all, but that doesn’t mean the words don’t come out anyway. (Rafael. His name’s Rafael. He’s tan and has tattoos. Need I say more?)

For those of you who don’t know me, then I’ll bring you up to speed, but you’ve got to catch on quick, because the Alpha of our werewolf pack, Jaehoon, cracks down hard if I’m late to Korean class. Maya, the centuries-old Queen of Vampyres, has been stalking my family for some creepy-ass purpose. She kidnapped my eldest sister back in New Mexico before we ever knew about vampyres, Weres, and Eve, the dangerous spirit world where all ghosts who can’t move on end up.

We moved to Seoul, South Korea for Mami’s restaurant business, and Maya struck again. This time, she’s taken my younger half-sister and best friend, Raina. She claims Raina will make the perfect bride for one of her handsome, hot-out-of-hell sons, but I know there’s something else going on. Never before has a vampyre returned to hunt the same family twice.

Lunar New Year is almost here, and us werewolves, along with our Were Alliance friends from other nations (yes, werebears, weretigers, and werenāgas exist, too) are running out of time to put an end to Maya before she does something irreversibly dreadful to the forty girls she’s kidnapped. Maya believes she is the queen of the spirit world. It’s time to show her who the true Lady of Eve is.

If you’re not good with names, I’ve included a list here. See you in Eve.

—Citlalli

IMPORTANT PEOPLE

Alvarez Family:

Citlalli: Me. Turned into a werewolf against my will. My Were, Wolf, is pretty hard to control, but I don’t broadcast that bit of news around. Don’t want the pack to think I’m in danger of turning into a Triad.

Raina: My younger half-sister. Our family always gave her a hard time for being the child of an affair, and now she’s gone missing. Talk about a guilt trip, but I’ll get her back. She’s a bit shy but likes to lend her voice to the story now and again.

Marisol: My lost eldest sister, now doomed to an eternity as a vampyre bride.

Miguel: My dickhole older brother. Luckily he doesn’t read much, so I doubt he’ll ever see this.

Daniella: My perfect older sister, who works as an English teacher at the local elementary school. She completes the Alvarez family, except for—

Mami: Mom/Boss/Dictator. It’s complicated.

Good Guys:

Una: My close friend, who makes sure I don’t get hopelessly lost in Eve. Her family has been responsible for guarding the doors to Eve for centuries.

Saja: Una’s dog, a Korean breed called a jindo.

Old Man Zhi: A blind lantern maker in Eve, whom I’ve greatly wronged.

No-Name: A ghost girl and Maya’s former servant who guards the Pavilion of Far-Reaching Fragrance. Luckily, I convinced her to switch sides and go search for her long-lost mother, like she’d always wanted to do.

The Pack:

Rafael: My werewolf creator and teacher. He’s been through a lot of shit, especially with the eldest vampyre prince, Khyber.

Yu Li: Rafael’s unfortunate choice of a girlfriend and the first frenemy I have a grudging respect for—but I’d never tell her that.

Jaehoon: Our awesome, super-strong Alpha.

Evil Incarnate:

Maya: Queen of the Vampyres and current ruler of Eve. She was originally a princess obsessed with discovering the secret of immortality, a lust which transformed her into a soul-eating monster with the ability to shift into any stage of her life: Girl, Lover, Queen, and Vampyre. My wolf pack attempted to assassinate her, but the attempt failed. Now Maya wears a black ribbon around her neck to keep her head from falling off and steals the bodies of young girls to wear.

Khyber: Maya’s eldest son. A long time ago, he sacrificed himself in order for his sisters to escape from Maya. He doesn’t remember that innocent boy anymore. If I thought my taste in men was dangerous, then I don’t have anything on Raina. I’m scared she might like like him, which would be bad, because he’s a deceitful, sociopathic son-of-a-bitch. To put it lightly.

Donovan: Maya’s third son. Worse than Khyber. He has every intention of making Raina his bride—most definitely against her will.

Duck Young: Maya’s youngest son, turned just in the past decade. Marisol’s husband. I recently stole his soul, so he’s kinda pissed at me.

Aaron, Crispin, Santiago, Aleksandr: The rest of Maya’s lovely brood.

Fred: A tricky nine-tailed fox. He’s managed to fool me twice before. There won’t be a third time.

Part 1: Wolf

Chapter 1: Ostracized

~Citlalli~

I woke up in the hospital. Again. I hoped this wasn’t becoming a habit.

My left hand was a lump of bandages. I tried to lift it. There was a strange absence of weight where my pinkie should be, and I immediately set it down, frightened.

Don’t try to move it yet, a quiet voice said from the corner. I almost didn’t recognize it as Mami’s. The whole family was here. My eldest brother Miguel sat hunched over, his head in his hands, and my good friend, the spirit gatekeeper, Una, looked trapped. I could count on my remaining fingers the number of people in this room who knew about the spirit world of Eve, our fight to free my youngest sister Raina from becoming a vampyre bride, and our quest to liberate the enslaved ghosts from self-proclaimed Vampyre Queen Maya. Odds were everyone would rather believe I’d lost my finger on an acid trip, not to a charismatic vampyre prince who had a touch like death.

Relax your muscles. The pain will kick in—

The pain kicked in. I ducked my head and cried.

Nurse, Mami said sharply. The woman hurried to give me another dose of pain medication.

The door swung open, and Rafael, my werewolf pack brother, dashed in, his adorable brown hair more disheveled than usual.

I heard she woke up, was all he had time to get out before Miguel jumped up and punched him in the face.

You asshole! he yelled. You said you’d look after her! Why the hell did I ever trust you with my sister’s safety? Do you know how Una and I felt, not knowing what the hell was going on—?

"What was going on?" Mami’s quiet voice crept up and over our shoulders like sharp nails, reminding us that we were back in the normal world where things like vampyres and Weres didn’t exist.

How did my daughter’s finger get cut off? my mother reiterated as calmly as if she were settling a disturbance at the restaurant.

Everyone looked at me. My older sister Daniella couldn’t stop combing her fingers through my hair.

Jesus, it was only a finger. I could have lost an arm. A leg. Or, I glanced at Rafael, my entire family.

Even though now I understood Rafael’s endless pursuit of revenge, it made it that much harder to accept, considering who he was going up against. Eldest Vampyre Prince Khyber had batted us away as if we were mere puppies and then held us down and made us smell our own failures. At least we had successfully stolen his brother Duck Young’s soul and delivered it, albeit, a bit battered, to Peomeosa Temple where the monks could guard it.

I don’t remember, I muttered in response to Mami’s question. We all drank too much. I blacked out. I remember waking up in Una’s house, seeing blood everywhere, and that’s it.

Mami’s eyebrows rose so high, they disappeared into her hairline. What do you remember? she demanded of Una.

Alcohol. Lots, said Una, who didn’t even drink. Sorry. My English—so poor.

We went out in Seoul somewhere, Rafael said confidently. Erm, we got separated. Anything could have happened.

So you’re the infamous Rafael Dominguez my daughter always talks about. Mami and Miguel look about as forgiving as coondogs who had cornered a squirrel in the backyard. I knew right then that Miguel could never find out that it was Rafael who’d turned me.

I know foreigner friends can be scarce, Citlalli, but that doesn’t mean you should settle for washed-up adrenaline junkies.

I’ll go. Rafael raised his hands and backed out of the room. Nice to meet you, Ms. Alvarez.

Una rose to follow, and Mami’s arm lashed out to stop her. Sit down, child. I’m taking you home. Your parents and I need to have a talk. When I agreed to let my daughter go over to your house, I didn’t know it would be under a complete lack of parental supervision.

Parental supervision? Mami, I’ll be eighteen in a month! I complained. December was right around the corner.

Mami shot me a look that could wither daisies, and I realized I was acting highly unnatural for someone who’d just lost a finger and couldn’t remember how.

My parents aren’t here now, Una muttered to her feet. Una was a do-gooder. She didn’t like to be in trouble with someone who scared the shit out of her.

That was perfect English, Mami countered, and Una shrank back further. Now, hand me your phone. I need to speak with your parents.

She had her cornered. I tried to alert Una, but I couldn’t even lift a hand to wave in warning.

My parents—dead. I live by myself. Okay?

Mami measured Una for a moment. Okay. You’re coming home with us.

What? There was a collective gasp.

No young girl is going to live by herself. Not when so many horrible things are happening. Mami nodded briskly to herself. You’ll share a room with Citlalli.

Taking Raina’s place. A lump rose in my throat. I couldn’t count the number of ways that bothered me.

I have a dog, Una said in a ghost of a voice.

Mami sighed. "Of course you do. We’ll go fetch him. Citlalli, dear, the surgery went well, so you can be discharged in the morning. It’s amazing you drank enough to black out, she added scathingly, considering the doctors didn’t find any trace of alcohol in your blood. Now, I’m content to believe my daughter is that much of a lightweight, but what really bothers me is that the doctors can’t make heads or tails of what might have happened to your finger. It’s like it just fell off. No messy edges or anything. Frostbite in November."

Finally they all left, leaving me alone in a dark room with blue shadows draping me through the window blinds. I pulled the bandaged hand closer to my heart as if I could save the rest of myself from that strange absence eating up Citlalli, one piece at a time.

Wolf’s cold nose nudged closer.

Chapter 2: The White Tiger

~Raina~

I stood on the palace balcony and longed to be at home with Citlalli and my sisters. I longed to be anywhere other than this twisted vampyre court in Eve, to which Queen Maya had brought me and thirty-nine other kidnapped girls. We’d been pitted against one another in a cruel competition to win the hand of one of her seven sons. If we weren’t one of the lucky seven selected to be their latest vampyre brides—the keepers of their secrets, their supply of sustenance—then we would never see the sunshine again.

As I wished upon stars that may no longer be, a black-winged angel crossed the face of the moon, fast descending toward the earth.

Khyber knocked me over on the landing, his rough black feathers scratching my face. I shielded my head until it was over. When I dared look up, I saw that the heavenly comet had cooled. The vampyre prince shot me a look that could shatter ice and then strode off toward the temple.

My mind still trembled from the price agreed upon in exchange for Khyber’s betrothal gift at the ghost market. How had the Madam of Memories known about my affinity for water? Whatever she’d taken from me had left me more aware than ever of the moods of the weather. Now my arm hairs flicked to the direction of the changing winds. My ears were oddly attuned to the eerie stillness hanging overhead, and the strong smell of ozone burned my nostrils. There was going to be a storm tonight. But I wouldn’t tell Khyber.

Keep your enemies in the dark.

What’s wrong? I called out to Khyber. Did Citlalli do something to upset you? I caught my breath as his shoulders stiffened. Dare I push it? I know you never had her captive.

Figured that one out, did you? he said softly.

Always keep your enemies in the dark.

Glad to know that you still consider me an enemy. And yes, she did do something. Something that fucks everything up. His eyes were glittering granite framed by longish black hair. I’d hoped she’d died in the Gyeongbok Gung fire, but wolves are notoriously difficult to kill. Almost as difficult as us.

"What does that mean?"

He looked surprised. You don’t know what your sister is?

"A wolf? No. She can’t be."

I agree. Another vampyre bite would be much more reassuring.

"But what does it mean?" I suddenly thought of those horrible Dark Dogs.

It means she is our mortal enemy to be killed on sight. Khyber paused. Or put in a kennel. We already have two of the irresistible Alvarez sisters. What’s one more?

Why are we so irresistible to you? I whispered, watching his ruby lips draw closer. The other six vampyre princes were easy to see through. Khyber’s intentions were more twisted, never fully brought to light.

There is a beautiful strength that sings in your souls. It is both blinding and mesmerizing. There was a heavy price to pay to become a vampyre. He shuffled uncomfortably, and I caught a glimpse of the young man locked out of the reach of time. Then the boy disappeared, and he became older and more terrifying again. I made a promise to your irritating half-sister. If she did not do as I wished, then I promised I would hurt you…and still, she refused to cooperate. You can’t blame all of the decision on having a dumb dog’s mind. That leaves me…with a promise to fulfill.

I backed up a few steps. You’re not going to hurt me.

He smiled. Come here.

I didn’t want to go. I was suddenly very afraid. No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening. Out of all the vampyre princes, Khyber was the only one I could trust not to violate me in an unforgiveable way. Rough me up, maybe. Threaten me. But never, never— No, he wouldn’t go there. He couldn’t. I pleaded with the skies to save me, and the first few beads of rain began to fall.

However, those beryl-bright eyes shrank me where I stood.

When he began speaking, it wasn’t the voice of a captor. It was the honey-silken croon of a lover, rolling over on the sheets to tuck a spare lock of hair behind my ear.

Are you afraid of your intended? he teased. Is there anything wrong with giving your betrothed a kiss?

No. There was nothing wrong with that at all. Especially with a pale, moon-draped body such as his, or the promise of the curve of his lips.

His breath touched my ear, inhaling my fragrance. I felt as if I’d sunk into a bucket of ice-chilled water. When his fingers crept up my bare shoulder, unexpected shivers rippled down to my navel. A trace of sweet pain. His touch was so cold, it felt like icicles were burrowing into my skin. However, I couldn’t move. I could only watch him, eager. His finger traced a small circle on the slope of my neck, and then his mouth closed around it.

I gasped when I felt my skin break. Warm blood burst free, and the pressure blossomed scarlet in the middle of my forehead. I collapsed against him. He held me, folding his black wings around my shoulders. The jagged feathers teased my arms. I felt like my body was sliding sideways, half seizing in pleasure, half balled up in pain. A cry tore from my lips.

His fangs finally withdrew with a soft click. He hesitated and then kissed the spot in a manner that seemed uncharacteristically quick and awkward.

I thought you said you would hurt me, I said, my fingers drifting up to my damp neck.

Khyber watched me. His eyes glowed incandescent, their rocky depths paved with silver. He sighed as I reeled over from the abrupt head rush.

I have. More than you know.

***

We’d been walking for some time now. I was in a euphoric mood, full of bubbles and laughter as I ran my fingers over moonflower petals and balanced on walls overgrown with ivy. Khyber pushed aside a curtain of moss and led me to a small koi pond tucked away beneath a willow. The willow’s knotted branches scraped the surface of the water like longing fingers. In the pond, three koi chased each other in a perfect symmetrical circle.

Normally I loved the water. However, tonight it was no more than an anxious presence lapping at the back of my mind.

Look closely, Khyber said, crouching by the pool’s edge. I can trust you now, so you must know some things.

I knelt down, but still I looked at him, looked at the way he gazed into the water with such revulsion at his reflection. I couldn’t understand why everyone called him ugly. They must be blind. The man beside me was a carved masterpiece, the way time whittles the river, and his crooked nose lent personality to his face. Intensity, dark and ferocious, scowled from his eyes and curled back his lips.

Khyber cleared his throat impatiently. Raina. Look at the water. Not me.

Biting my lower lip for having displeased him, I obediently looked toward the beckoning waters. The fish were swimming faster now. One koi was white-scaled with patches of black, red, and blue, like the Korean flag. Another was a blur of liquid fire. The last glowed a pale, sickly white.

They swirled faster until color leaped off their scales, distorting the water. I peered closer. What is this place?

A memory well.

Like the one on Mt. Halla? The Madam of Memories sold Colleen a picture of Duck Young’s son. She said she’d found it in the memory well on top of Mt. Halla on Jeju Island.

Khyber’s eyes gleamed. Yes, I have no doubt she claimed it was from there. The crater of Mt. Halla holds the biggest memory well. However, there are smaller ones tucked away in all corners of Eve. Places memories go to be found. Or to be left behind.

Whose memories are these?

Maya’s.

It was the first time he’d spoken of his maker, the Vampyre Queen, without titles. Just a woman. Just Maya.

The fish whipped around so fast that their ripples broke the surface. I felt the cool drops splatter across my fingers, and then I was sucked in.

Chapter 3: The Lost Princess

~Maya, Before~

Sunshine played over the water, soft and glittering. It was a far cry from the intense light glaring down on the Negev Desert, licking bones clean and leaving no crevice in shadow. This light laughed and played across Maya’s blistered face as she scoured the abandoned coastline for any sign of aid. She only had seconds. Her throat rattled like sandpaper as she scraped for one more breath. Then the waves tossed her under again.

She churned around on the bottom before the sea finally spit her out, broken, on a spit of gravely sand. Her eyes slowly roved up the carpeting forest to the chain of jagged peaks looming above, bucking up and down like a beast’s backbone.

Seorak San. The name escaped her parched lips. The mountains that touched the sea. So. It was no myth. She had found it.

She staggered to her feet and gave a wordless shriek of ecstasy. Her callused feet stumbled on limpets and oyster shells, but she remained standing.

What now, Princess Maya? Have you gone mad?

It appeared that at least one other had survived the shipwreck. Captain Abijah, sworn to protect the royal line, limped out of the sea, his gray eyes numb with pain.

Maya combed her fingers through her tumbling black hair. The Land of Morning Calm. Don’t you understand, you old fool? I’ve navigated the route to the East, where the secret of immortality rests. I’ve done it!

Abijah shook a finger at Maya and tried to speak but only succeeded in coughing up more saltwater. "You? You did it, Princess? What about the oarsmen who paddled thousands of leagues without one complaint? What about those two astronomers who came along to read the skies, even though they were terrified of the sea? What about the crew and my men, who endured your endless rants about finding the secret to immortality? We could have been at home with our wives and children!"

You should be honored, Maya told him. You’re nothing but a lowly soldier, and yet I chose you to be part of something greater. When I discover the secret to immortality, your blisters will be scratches and your hungry stomach a distant memory. My father will be so proud. Our kingdom will be mightier than Alexander the Great’s and wealthier than the Persians’! The Hebrew name shall be revered as it was intended, not a nation obsessed with messiahs and afterlives. We shall establish the Kingdom of Heaven today, not generations from now.

Abijah buried his face in his hands, and when he looked up, Maya saw tears smearing his filthy cheeks. You are insane, he declared. "All of those lives, lost in the shipwreck. You don’t even mourn. You don’t even understand that you are marooned, tens of thousands of leagues from home. Don’t you understand, Princess Maya? Your father approved your voyage so he could get rid of you."

Shut up, old man. Maya pulled the scraps of her dress tighter together, ignoring the unpleasant feeling of chilly air. Then I shall claim the secret of immortality for myself.

Still with your mad rants! Abijah rasped. He tore at his hair, and Maya noted more froth dripping from his mouth. Dear Yahweh, what did I ever do to earn your displeasure? Why have you banished me here, to die in the company of this Jezebel? I shall not have it!

Calm down, Maya admonished. You’re sick from the sea. It’s all right. I forgive your ill-tempered words.

I don’t forgive you! he screamed. I may die in a strange land far from home, but at least I can avenge all of those poor souls lost at sea on the whim of an insane princess!

He staggered toward Maya, his thick arms dripping with salt water. Maya tried to run, but her legs buckled like rubber.

Captain Abijah! In the name of my father, the King of Judea, I order you to stand down!

That’s right. Run, coward. The light left his eyes. Maya knew Abijah was gone, then. She wasn’t seeing him. It was how Death came, slipping into susceptible minds, seizing control of their bodies, and raising hands to do His bidding.

Abijah grabbed a loop of Maya’s hair and forced her head down on a limpet-encrusted stone. She could hear nothing but the rise and surrender of the sea. His shadow fell over her, and the rock he held blocked out the sun.

A growl split the air, reverberating over the thunderous toll of the ocean. A blur of white streaked past, and then Abijah flew off Maya. The sea dragged him away.

Maya slipped off the rock, suddenly frightened and truly alone. Except for the beast.

The white tiger padded toward her, light refracting in azure eyes both wise and sad at the same time. Maya had never felt a gaze that held so much weight. Inky black stripes painted the beast’s face, rippled down the ruff collar at its neck, and looped around the tail.

Maya flinched, but the white tiger leaped over her in a graceful bound and disappeared into the bush. She hurried to follow. Her limbs had begun to twitch uncontrollably, and the sea didn’t glisten as bright.

I knocked against someone.

"Khyber? I whispered. I want to escape. I don’t like this place."

"Shhh, he hushed. There’s still more you need to see."

It was too dark in this strange land. The shadows hid everything. Sometimes they emerged as people—faceless but bent on murdering Maya. She ran a different way until she couldn’t run. She walked until she