The top assassin of the Feng clan lay back in her bath, relaxing, letting her hair soak. Blood had caked into it, and the tangles had become unbearable. Now, in the warm water, the dried blood was dissolving and floating away, leaving her hair again soft, the tendrils of black surrounding her in gently waving patterns. She closed her eyes and slipped completely under the water, then lifted her head, water streaming off her. The faintest sound made her eyes snap open.
A man, dressed from head to toe in black, only his eyes showing behind the complete covering garb, held a crossbow in one hand, pointed directly at her. His voice was only a little muffled by the black cloth mask that hid his mouth. "Don't move." She froze, staring at him, water still dripping from her hair, even down her face. "Mao clan, I take it?"
He shook his head from side to side, once, never taking his eyes off her for a moment. "I am Li Gen." The Li clan was up-and-coming. Taking down the top assassin of their most prestigious rival would be a coup for them.
"Are you going to shoot me, Li Gen?" She stood in a smooth motion, lifting her arms so he could see she had no weapons. It also gave her a chance to dazzle him with her charms, which she knew were considerable. She would need every possible advantage if she were to escape this situation alive.
The Li assassin stood immobile. No one had told him how beautiful Feng Mai was, when they'd sent him to kill her. Now that he saw her, there were plenty of things he wanted to do to her, and shooting her was way, way down the list. "That is why I am here," he admitted, in a tone that revealed that he was rethinking his purpose.
Feng Mai looked her rival assassin up and down, only her eyes moving, taking his measure. Though he was completely covered, and she had no idea what his face looked like, his clothing was fitted and revealed he had an excellent figure. She also believed she could tell that he was well endowed by Madame Nature to please a woman. "You know, if you are going to kill me, perhaps you could make my last moments in the world pleasant ones?" Mai lowered her voice and spoke huskily.
"If I let down my guard, you will kill me in self-defense," Gen replied casually. He kept the crossbow pointed directly at her.
"Then don't let down your guard," Mai told him, and moved closer. He kept the crossbow pointed at her the entire time, and when she was close enough, she took its point in her fingertips and pressed the tip of the loaded bolt lightly against the hollow of her throat. "You can't miss at this distance," she said, "even one-handed," and, staying close enough that the tip of the bolt indented her flesh, she took his hand that was steadying the crossbow into hers, leaving his other hand on the trigger.
This can't be happening, the Li assassin thought, as his intended target pursed her lips into an O, and nuzzled his index finger into her mouth, so that through his thin cloth glove he could feel the caress of her tongue. He forgot where he was, what he had meant to do, and everything else except the velvety soft warmth of her mouth. He heard her gasp, then moan, and realized he'd closed his eyes when they sprang open as she backed away.
Mai grinned. A trickle of blood ran slowly from the hollow of her throat, down the center of her chest, and Gen's eyes followed its progress. "Go on now. When you break into my bathhouse next time, bring flowers, not a crossbow."
"What," said Gen, feeling he'd misplaced his ability to breathe, "makes you think I'll come back?"
"If you don't, I'll sneak up on you in your bath to finish this. Now go, before one of my brothers catches you here and takes your head for a trophy." Mai dipped herself back into the water, her hair floating around her lightly. Li Gen seemed to vanish, fading into the surrounding darkness with practiced ease. Mai got back to the serious business of washing her hair.