Jade's Choice by MAREE ANDERSON

Author:MAREE ANDERSON
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, paranormal romance, paranormal, chinese, warrior, witchcraft, artist, series, korean, painter, spells, contemporary romance, crystals, portrait artist, jade, kidney dialysis, taekwondo, australian setting, malachite, maydecember romance, crystal warriors, crystal warrior, pietersite, new zealand author, portrait painting, kidney donor
Publisher: Maree Anderson

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Chapter Nine

Malach silently accompanied Jade the short distance to the whimsically named Fig Tree Street. She led him up the path to Lìli’s house and rapped on the front door. As she waited, she couldn’t help hopping from foot to foot, unable to dampen her growing agitation as she wondered how Lìli would respond to their plea for help. Despite what she’d intimated to Malach, she knew it wouldn’t be easy convincing her aunt to compromise her principles and be-spell them. And God help her if Lìli ever discovered what Jade been poised to do to find more money for Mei’s treatment….

Sweat oozed down her spine. Her stomach performed some impressive gymnastics. Cursing beneath her breath, she slammed up her strongest mental barriers. Why hadn’t she considered Lìli ’s uncanny ability to ferret out the truth before now? Her only chance would be if her aunt was too distracted by Malach to catch a hint of Jade’s sordid little secret.

By the time Lìli arrived at the front door, Jade had willed herself to some semblance of calm—enough to kiss her aunt’s cheek and greet with a hug her like she always did. “Nĭ hăo, Lìli Yíyi. Nĭ shēntí hăo ma?” For Malach’s benefit she repeated the greeting in English. “How are you, Aunt Lìli?”

“Jade!” Lìli beamed at her. And then her gaze slid past Jade to lock onto Malach. “Zhè wèi xiānshēng shì shuí? Who is this gentleman?”

“Zhè shì wŏ péngyŏu.” Jade deliberately made her relationship with Malach very clear by introducing him as a ‘friend’. “His name is—”

“Tā shì nĭ nán péngyŏu,” Lìli corrected. “Your boyfriend.” Heavy emphasis on the “boy” in boyfriend.

Beneath Lìli’s uncompromising stare, Jade’s composure faltered. “No he isn’t,” she said quickly. And, thinking she might have offended Malach, quickly added, “I mean, not exactly. Um, sort of—like, temporarily?”

Lìli’s lips pursed with disapproval.

Uh oh. “What I mean is—” Oh, crap!

Malach saved her further humiliation by bowing to Lìli, introducing himself, and expressing his great pleasure at meeting a dear friend of the Liang family.

It had been exactly the right thing for him to do. Or exactly the wrong thing, depending on your point of view.

After Jade’s parents died, in the absence of any close relatives Lìli had taken Mei and Jade under her wing, and nominated herself surrogate matriarch of the Liang family. Lìli took this self-imposed position very seriously indeed, even referring to Jade and Mei as her nieces. And, as always happened whenever potential husband-material crossed her path, Lìli instantly summed Malach up, and her gaze lit with a kind of speculative eagerness that made Jade cringe.

Lìli’s shrewd gaze slanted to Jade. She cackled with delight, grabbed Malach’s arm, and led him into the house, leaving Jade to trail along behind. Lìli always had been a terrible flirt.

“Nĭ cόng nă lĭ lái?” Jade heard Lìli demanding. “Where are you from, Malach?” Jade inhaled sharply and held her breath, wondering how on earth he would respond… and what her aunt’s reaction might be if the truth slipped out.

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