Jia took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She was alone now, surrounded by dense forest, and the clock was ticking. Before leaving her, Russell had given her his watch with a timer set to go off in one hour. He claimed he would be able to hear the alarm even if she was ten miles away. When her time was up, he’d find her and teleport her back home.
Arrogant jerk. He’d acted like she was sure to fail. He’d even shown her how to turn on the alarm in case she got scared and wanted to give up early. His parting words—“Watch out for snakes”—had clearly been meant to frighten her.
Unfortunately, it was good advice. Rajiv had progressed to his second life after a cobra bite.
She took another deep breath. She was not giving up. She’d roamed many a forest in the dark of night without getting scared. Of course, she was usually in tiger form when that happened. And she was rarely alone, since all the were-tigers of Tiger Town shifted and hunted together.
In spite of that, she had successfully sniffed out Han’s camp in Myanmar by herself. So she could do this, too. She had her knives, her determination, her excellent night vision, and her nose.
But she had a problem. The air was so still and muggy that she was having trouble catching Russell’s scent. If she could just get a breeze from the right direction . . .
She glanced at the watch’s glow-in-the-dark face. Four minutes up already. A rising swell of panic crept up her chest.
Quickly she swung her backpack off and retrieved the red silk bag containing her mother’s bracelets. She hadn’t worn them before for fear they might gleam in the moonlight and cause her escape to be seen. “Mom, Dad, I need help. Be with me, please.”
She clasped the bracelets around her wrists, the right one just above Russell’s watch, and, as usual, they gave her a sense of comfort. Her family loved her. They were depending on her. Their were-tiger blood ran through her veins. She had their skills, their power. She just needed to trust in it.
After slipping the backpack on, she closed her eyes and focused all her attention on the smells surrounding her. The new growth and decay of the forest. The scent of animals, some asleep in their burrows, others roaming about. Slowly, she rotated. Trust your instincts. The tiger will know.
The scent was so faint that she wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but it was all she had to go on. She headed northwest. No doubt Russell was testing her past the limit of her ability. He had to be over three miles away. The undead creep had probably set her up to fail.
Every five minutes she stopped and rotated, sniffing the air carefully. Her gut feeling remained the same. Northwest.
After twenty-five minutes, she knew her instincts had steered her right. His scent was coming in clearly now. With a grin, she quickened her pace.
Ten minutes later, she came across a stream. Yes! This had to be the one that ran through Russell’s cave.
“Take that, vampire. You’ll have to work with me now.” She hurried upstream, and his scent grew stronger.
It was a surprisingly nice scent for a vampire. The bad ones like Han usually smelled of human blood. After all, she thought with disgust, you are what you eat. With a shudder, she recalled the stench of Lord Qing, one of Han’s deceased vampire lords. He’d smelled of rancid blood, greasy hair, and centuries-old unwashed skin.
Jin Long and the other good Vamps she knew had a cleaner, more sterile smell. Something to do with the synthetic blood they drank, she guessed. That and they believed in bathing.
Russell’s scent was similar, but somehow earthier. Maybe it came from living in a cave in the middle of a forest. The coppery scent of blood was overshadowed by the fresh smells of pine, oak, and moss. His hair had carried the scent of a melted mountain glacier. And his skin had smelled like . . . man. A strong, virile man in his prime, powerful and . . .
She scoffed at herself. There was no point in dwelling on his handsome face or glorious muscles. Or how her heart had raced when she’d snuggled up against him. She could never be interested in a vampire. How could she forget that it was a vampire who had killed her brother and parents?
Besides, Russell had no interest in her other than her nose. If she didn’t prove her skill at sniffing out bloodsuckers, he’d drop her off in Tiger Town without a second thought. The heartless jerk. She’d tried twice in the past to trust him, and both times, he’d let her down.
He didn’t seem to know how much he’d hurt her. Most probably, he didn’t care. It had been her fault for wanting to believe in him, for imagining him as some kind of hero who understood and shared her need for vengeance. After years of pursuing her mission all alone, she’d longed for someone to help her shoulder the burden. Someone who would understand the pain that still tormented her. Someone who would acknowledge her strength and skill without trying to lock her up in the palace to play princess.
With a sigh, she realized she’d wanted Russell to be the one. He was the only one she’d ever met who was as dedicated to killing Han as she was. And he was so wonderfully strong and capable that she couldn’t help but be impressed by him. Deep down in her heart, she wanted him to be equally impressed by her. They needed each other in order to succeed. She’d wanted to believe that so much that she’d ignored his constant warnings. I work alone.
“Not anymore. We’ll be a team now, whether you like it or not.” She winced, knowing he would reply not.
Eventually, the stream disappeared into a pile of rocks. What had Russell said? The stream went through a rock tunnel for a mile or so? She had to be close.
She glanced at the watch. Fifteen minutes to go. The terrain was hillier now, and she breathed heavily as she scrambled up a steep hill. At the top, she stopped and sniffed. His scent was strong. She was closing in.
Her heart pounded, imagining his surprise when she arrived at his secret hideout. But what if he was disappointed? He might look for any reason to break up their partnership. In that case, she needed to make sure she proved valuable to him. No matter what happened, she couldn’t allow herself to be a burden.
Russell paced in the bat cave, alternately congratulating and cursing himself for leaving Jia three and a quarter miles away. At first, he’d assured himself it was a good strategic move to test her to the max, but now he acknowledged he was full of shit. The ugly truth was he had set her up to fail.
What else could he have done? Every time he pulled her into his arms to teleport, he was tempted to hold her longer than necessary. Every time he looked into her eyes or saw her smile, he felt a tug at his undead heart. He couldn’t allow this to continue. Feelings would distract him, make him weak. Weakness would cause him to fail.
But what if he needed her tracking abilities? If he did, then her failure would ultimately bring about his own. And if anything happened to her in the forest, he didn’t know if he could forgive himself. Already he had the deaths of too many people on his shoulders.
Dammit. Was he putting Jia in danger just to avoid a severe case of lust? After teleporting to his cave, he’d taken a cold shower, and it hadn’t helped. His groin reacted every time he recalled the way she’d cuddled up against him and nuzzled his neck. She was so damned sweet and soft. And so alone out there in the dark forest.
“Ow.” He winced as his foot rammed into a table leg. Normally, he could see well in the dark, but he wasn’t paying enough attention. Already she was distracting him.
He turned on his sat phone to see how much time had passed. Fifty minutes. She had ten minutes to go. He strained his ears but couldn’t hear the alarm. She hadn’t given up early.
A sense of respect filled his chest with warmth. His Jia was brave. Clever and resourceful.
His Jia? What the hell—
A noise interrupted his thoughts. He stiffened, listening closely. Someone or something was moving through the woods and not being quiet about it. Was it Jia, purposefully making noise to ward off predators?
He quickly turned off the phone. The ceiling above his kitchen and table area was very thin and porous—nothing more than a thin layer of tangled roots. Any light in the bat cave might shine through a bit, so he was being careful to keep the cave dark. She had to find him by scent alone.
He paced some more. Checked his phone. Eight minutes to go. His nerves tensed. What if she found him? What if he got to see her pretty smile every night? And he would be able to hold her and talk to her. Maybe even . . .
He shook his head. She was engaged to someone else. You can’t have her. The warning message flared from his brain but fizzled out before it reached his heart. To hell with it all. He wanted her to find him.
The thrashing sounds outside grew closer. Please be Jia.
He teleported aboveground, then levitated high into a tree so he could see who or what was approaching.
His phone buzzed. Even though it was set at its lowest volume, he grabbed it quickly so the sound wouldn’t be heard. “What?” he whispered.
“About time,” J.L. grumbled. “I’ve been trying to call you for twenty minutes.”
Russell glanced down at his secret hideout. “I was out of range.”
“Yeah, I figured that. Here’s the deal. We’ve been searching for Jia for over forty minutes. It looks like she’s run away. Have you seen her?”
“Why would she be out here?” He scanned the land below as the noise grew louder.
There! His heart lurched in his chest.
She emerged from a copse of slender young trees, headed quickly for the massive oak tree that grew close to the top of his cave. He winced. The ceiling was too thin to support—
Her foot broke through the tangled roots, accompanied by a feminine squeal. Her leg slid into the cave up to her midcalf.
“What was that?” J.L. demanded. “Did I hear a scream?”
“It’s nothing. The mating call of a . . . water buffalo. Later.” Russell hung up and jammed the phone into his pants pocket. Then he teleported to solid ground close to Jia.
Her back was to him, and she was squatting on her left foot, her hands on the ground to keep her balance as she struggled to pull her right foot free.
He caught the scent of fresh blood. “You’re injured.”
“Russell?” She twisted toward him, her face brightening with a big smile. “I did it! I found you!”
“Is your leg hurt?”
“It’s no big deal. I’ll still be able to work.”
“The ground is too thin there. Don’t move.”
“I know.” Her voice lowered to an embarrassed mumble. “I’m stuck, and I can’t get up.”
His mouth twitched. “Stay put. I’ll get you.”
“Like I’m going anywhere,” she muttered.
He levitated, stretching out horizontally so he could reach her. “Grab on to me.”
“I surprised you, didn’t I?” With a grin, she looped her arms around his neck. “You didn’t think I could do it.”
He rose higher till her leg pulled free. His body swung back into a vertical position, bumping gently against her. Once again she was in his arms, and it felt so good. This partnership was going to kill him.
She hugged his neck. “I did it! We’re a team now.”
“Yes.” He winced as his groin tightened.
When she leaned back to look at him, her smile withered away. “I was afraid of that. You’re disappointed.”
“I’ll manage.” Don’t get hard. Don’t get hard. Unfortunately, the more he admonished his perverse manhood, the more it defied him.
“I can tell you’re angry. You’re scowling at me. To be honest, I’m a bit angry with you, too.”
“What for?” Could she feel the bulge?
She gave him a wry look. “It’s blatantly obvious.”
Damn. He glanced down.
“You left me more than three miles away. You wanted me to fail.”
“Oh, that.” He exhaled with relief. “Yeah. I did.”
She snorted. “Well, at least you’re honest about it. You made it very hard for me.”
Hard. For her. He gritted his teeth. “You’re welcome to slap me if you want.” Maybe then he would come to his senses.
“You may find this hard to believe, but I don’t go around slapping people all the time.”
He arched his brow in doubt.
“You’re the exception.” Her eyes glimmered with amusement. “I’ll try to restrain myself in the future.”
“Thank you. I’ll try not to be exceptional.”
She grinned. “I think we’re going to make a great team.”
His heart squeezed in his chest. She seemed genuinely happy to be with him. Her smile had a way of lighting up her face, making her eyes twinkle and her lips look soft and luscious. Seconds ticked by as he stared at her mouth.
Slowly her smile faded. “Russell?”
“Yes.” He lifted his gaze to her eyes. Her beautiful golden eyes.
Time stretched out as they looked at each other. The air between them grew thick and heavy, almost electric. He could feel the sizzle wherever her body was pressed against his.
Her gaze lowered to his mouth, and he leaned forward.
Beep, beep, beep.
He jerked his head back. The alarm on his watch went off. Shit. It was loud enough to wake the dead. Or the Undead. He’d put the alarm on its highest volume, thinking she would be miles away when the allotted hour was up.
She fumbled with her hands behind his neck. “How do I turn it off?”
“Let me see it.” He turned his head just as she leaned forward to look over his shoulder. His mouth brushed against her cheek.
Immediately she pulled back, breaking the contact.
“That was an accident.”
“I know.” Her face flushed pink.
He gritted his teeth. What had happened to that sexy moment when he’d thought she’d wanted him to kiss her? Had he only imagined it?
She avoided looking at him. “Maybe you should put me down.”
“The ground beneath us would collapse. Hang on a second.” He teleported her down into the bat cave. The damned watch continued to beep, filling the cave with a loud echo.
With her feet on solid ground, she let go of his neck. In the dark, he slid his hand along her arm till he hit metal. “What is this?” he said over the noise of the alarm.
“One of my mother’s bracelets. I put them on to encourage myself.”
A pang of guilt nagged at him. “I’m sorry I left you so far away.” He felt past the bracelet and found his watch. “I was worried something would happen to you.”
“You worried about me?” she asked just as he punched the button to turn off the alarm.
The cave was suddenly silent, her question hanging in the air unanswered. He berated himself for admitting too much as he unfastened the watch, then slipped it into a pocket.
“Stay put till I get some lights on.” He lit two oil lamps close to the kitchen area.
She looked around the cave, her mouth curling into a small smile. “I love what you’ve done with the place.”
His answering smile faded when he felt his heart squeeze once again. Don’t fall for her, he warned himself. You can protect her and admire her, but don’t start caring about her.
He moved to the table to gather his weapons, and when she joined him there, he noticed her slight limp. “Are you sure you want to do this? You’re injured.”
“It’s just a scratch.” She removed the knife from her right boot and set it on the table. “I’ll clean my ankle in the stream and be good to go.”
He pulled a stool toward her. “Sit.”
“You’re making too much of this.”
“Sit.” As soon as she sat, he hunched down and pulled off her boot.
“I can do it myself.”
“Your sock is still damp.” He pulled that off as well. “I’ll give you some dry ones so your feet won’t chafe.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“Why not?” He looked up at her. “You want sore feet?”
She heaved a sigh. “I know you didn’t want this partnership, so I won’t allow myself to be a burden.”
Did she think he was looking for an excuse to be rid of her? She must not realize how attracted he was. Or how, in the last moments, he had desperately wanted her to pass the test.
He rolled up the hem of her pants, trying not to think how delicate her ankle looked or how soft her skin was. “You’re not a burden. You’re a partner. That means for the success of our mission, we must keep each other’s health and safety in mind. If you’re injured or in any way incapacitated, you have to let me know.”
“All right.”
He examined the bloody scrape that started at her ankle and extended a few inches up her calf. Another pang of guilt nicked at him.
She stiffened suddenly. “What is that? You have Han’s mark on your arm?”
With a muttered curse, he glanced at the tattoo on the inside of his right wrist. “It’s nothing.”
“All of Han’s men have that mark. I’ve seen it on a bunch of soldiers who were in the clinic at Tiger Town. It means ‘slave’—”
“It means nothing. Now stay put so you don’t get any sand in the wound.” He filled a bucket from the stream, then poured water over her ankle and foot.
“How did you get it?” she asked softly. “Did he capture you? Force you to work for him? Were you under his control?”
“No!” Russell scowled at her. “He never controlled me.”
“Then why do you have his mark? Why do you want to kill him?”
“I don’t explain myself.” Ignoring her frustrated look, he grabbed a towel and his first-aid kit from the bookcase. In a few minutes, he had the wound treated and wrapped.
“Thank you,” she mumbled.
Guilt jabbed at him once again as he returned his supplies to their rightful place. He handed her a pair of dry socks.
“Thank you,” she repeated.
“Don’t—” He clenched his jaw with exasperation. “Don’t thank me. You wouldn’t have gotten injured if I hadn’t put you through that stupid test.”
“I don’t mind proving myself.”
“You could have been injured or attacked.” He slipped a knife into each of his boots, then buckled on his sword belt. “I kept telling you not to wander about the forest alone at night, but then I intentionally put you into the exact same danger I warned you against. You should have slapped me when you had the chance.”
She gave him a curious look as she pulled on his socks. “Are you always this hard on yourself?”
He paused in the middle of fastening his watch on his right wrist. Normally it did a good job of concealing the damned tattoo. She was already seeing through him, asking questions. If he wasn’t careful, she would get completely under his skin.
He put on his coat. “Let’s get to work.”
“I guess the answer is yes,” she muttered as she pulled on her boots.
He groaned inwardly. If he was being hard on himself, it was only because the mission was hard. Physically, he was in great shape for keeping her safe, but socially, he was sorely out of practice. He filled his pockets with ammo and weapons, wondering if he could manage to be charming. Probably not. With a sigh, he levitated up to the ceiling to grab his crossbow and quiver.
She glanced up. “Sorry about the hole.”
He dropped back to the ground and attempted a wry smile. “You mean the new moon roof? Maybe it will increase the property value.”
She sat back. “Oh my gosh. Are you attempting humor?” When he winced, she grinned. “You can’t sell this place.”
“I know. I don’t actually own it.” He shook his head. Major fail on the charming issue. “Besides, no one would want it.”
“I would. I think it’s beautiful.”
He scoffed. “It has no plumbing.”
“It has running water.” She pointed at the underground stream. “You’ve seen my house. No electricity, no plumbing. This isn’t so different. I’ll be quite comfortable here.”
His mouth dropped open. Did she think she was going to live here? She must not realize that he was suffering from a severe case of lust. But she had to know that betrothed women didn’t shack up with other men. It would ruin her reputation and drive him insane. How could he live with her without touching her?
Obviously, he needed to somehow forget he was attracted to her. Willpower, he told himself. No unnecessary touching. No more lame attempts at being charming. He would work with her each night, then before dawn, he would teleport her back to her house in Tiger Town. But he better not mention that now, or they would spend the rest of the night arguing instead of working.
He sat on a stool next to her. “Before we get started, I think we should set some ground rules.” When she nodded, he continued, “Rule number one: our partnership is strictly for business. Our mission is to find Han and kill him.”
“I agree.” She slipped her knife back into her boot.
“Rule number two: our method of operation. We’ll start off with the assumption that Han’s underground bunker is somewhere near one of his established camps. I’ll teleport you to each camp, then you will use that supernose of yours to track him down.”
“Agreed.”
“Rule number three: establishing rank. I’m in charge. You will follow my orders without question.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’ll obey my orders—”
“Why?”
He frowned. “I am not accustomed to explaining myself.”
She gave him a wry look. “Try.”
“I’m the commanding officer—”
“No. We’re partners. That means we’re equal.”
He gritted his teeth. “We are not equal in battle experience. If we come under attack, the situation could become deadly in less than a second. There will be no time for discussion. Your best bet at survival will be to do precisely what I tell you. Does that explain it?”
“I . . . suppose.”
“Then you agree.”
She scowled at him. “Okay, you big bully.”
He scowled back. “Rule number four: I am not a bully. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe, even at the cost of the mission.”
Her eyes widened. “You mean you would lose a chance to kill Han in order to save me?”
“I already have.” When her eyes softened, he stood abruptly and swung the crossbow and quiver over one shoulder. “It’s a simple matter of logic. You deserve to live. Han doesn’t. He can always be killed another day.”
“Right.” She tilted her head, studying him. “One might get the impression that you cared.”
“Only about safety. Are you ready to go?”
“Not quite.” She slipped off the stool. “Rule number five—”
“I’m in charge. I do the rules.”
“Number five,” she repeated, regarding him seriously. “If something happens to me, if I’m mortally wounded, I need you to make sure my body stays intact. Don’t let them hack me to pieces.”
He grimaced. “I’m not going to let them hurt you.”
“I know you intend to protect me, but if something goes wrong, and I’m dying, promise me you will not take me to Tiger Town.”
He stiffened. “Of course I’ll take you there. Neona is a healer.”
“No!” She grabbed the lapel of his coat. “Promise me you will bring me here.”
“You would die here.”
Her eyes glinted with a fierce look. “I know.”
His heart stuttered in his chest. “Dammit, woman, you are suicidal. I should take you home now.”
“No!” She seized his coat with both hands. “I’m as afraid of death as anyone. I won’t try to make it happen. But if it does, promise me you will bring me here and watch over me until I wake up to my second life.”
“It’s not going to happen. I won’t let it.”
“Promise me.” She gazed up at him, her eyes simmering with emotion. “I want to trust you.”
He swallowed hard. “You can trust me.”
“Thank you.”
How could he not reassure her when she was looking at him so desperately? He cupped the back of her head and kissed her brow. “Let’s get to work.”