Demon Huntress

Shame flashed in ting's eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt him—" She blinked at ming jie as though she'd just noticed him. "You . . . you look like yuan."

ming jie nailed her to the wall with hard eyes. "How do you know yuan?"

ting didn't seem to hear. "Are you an Elder, too?"

"Elder?" shu lan asked. "As in, all-powerful berus hunters Elder? You think yuan is an Elder?"

"He charged me with organizing a team to bring in demons. Our orders came directly from the elders. It was to be kept secret . . ." Crimson splotches mottled ting's pale skin. "Why am I telling you anything?"

She turned to ming jie. "She's a demon. A traitor. She infiltrated The berus." She turned back to shu lan.

"You'll be executed for that, you know."

Tension cracked in the air around ming jie, snapping so she could almost see sparks. "What made you believe yuan is a hunter Elder?"

ting huffed. "He said he was."

ming jie and shu lan exchanged glances, and she knew they were thinking the same thing; that yuan could have used his mental powers to make ting think he was whoever he said he was.

"Anything else?" shu lan asked.

"You don't speak to me, demon bitch."

"Okay," shu lan snapped. "I've had it with you. ming jie, do you have some sort of truth serum at your hospital?"

"We have something better," he ground out, but he didn't finish, because yuan burst out of the foliage—apparently the roads and walkways were too easy—brushing off his hands.

"yuan," ting whispered. "Thank God." She moved toward him, shooting a withering glare at shu lan.

"They don't seem to understand. And someone is releasing all the demons. Were you aware that shu lan is a demon?"

yuan glowered at her. "What are you babbling about, human?"

A patient, worshiping smile curved ting's mouth. She reached for him, and he leaped away from her with a hiss. Frowning, she advanced. He retreated.

"Let her touch you," ming jie said.

"What? Hell, no."

"yuan! Do it."

yuan let loose a nasty curse, but he planted his feet and braced himself, going stiff as a rod, as ting folded herself against his c.h.e.s.t. She seemed to be in an almost druglike stupor, melting into him, as loose as he was strung tight.

So. Weird.

"Is it him?" ming jie asked quietly, and whoa—thanks to their bond, shu lan felt his fear like an icicle in the heart. He was terrified that his brother might be involved in the black market organization. "Is he the one who enlisted your help to capture demons?"

ting rubbed her cheek on his c.h.e.s.t, ran her hands up and down his body, each touch making yuan grow even more rigid. "Touch me like before . . ." She sounded intoxicated, and shu lan suspected she was affected by the incubus magic that seemed to emanate from them. shu lan knew the feeling.

"ming jie . . ." yuan said, his voice a strangled plea.

"Just hold on, bro. It'll be over in a minute. ting, is it him?"

God, shu lan hoped not. If ming jie's own brother was involved . . .

"Jesus Christ! Is one lover not enough?" daquan, bruised and bloody, stood behind ming jie, gaping at ting and yuan. Battle-l.u.s.t burned in his eyes, and shu lan wondered what had happened to yat sen. daquan sat solidly in the camp where thought had fled and only rage remained. He lunged for yuan. ming jie tackled him, one thick arm going around daquan's waist, the other jammed against his throat.

They tumbled to the ground, daquan shouting obscenities, ming jie doing his best to calm him while pinning him to the pavement.

"We need to know what she knows!" ming jie said, a few times, and gradually, daquan grew still, though his nostrils flared and his lips peeled back as if he wanted to take a piece out of ming jie with his teeth.

Breathing hard even though she'd just been standing there, shu lan turned back to ting and yuan—and gasped. yuan's fangs were buried in ting's neck, and she'd gone limp. One of his arms was wrapped around her waist, and the other had dropped between them, his hand working her jeans zipper.

"Uh, was that supposed to happen?"

ming jie twisted around and cursed. "yuan. Shit." He eased his forearm off daquan's throat and looked him square in the eye. "I'm going to let you up. Don't make me regret not killing you."

"You've got to trust him, daquan," shu lan said.

Aggression permeated the air, and strangely, shu lan could feel it on her skin, as though the battle-rage the two males were throwing had raised the temperature . . . not enough to register on a thermometer, but enough to jack up her body a little. It was sort of . . . arousing. She couldn't wait to get ming jie somewhere private so she could discover more neat perks of the bonding.

daquan's only response to ming jie was a low growl and a nearly imperceptible nod, but it was enough. ming jie pushed up from the ground, and after making sure daquan wasn't going to leap on him, he inched toward his brother. "Release the human."

yuan's gaze shifted to ming jie, his eyes fierce and golden, his nostrils flaring. As ming jie drew closer, yuan pulled back, bringing ting with him, a feral animal protecting its prey from approaching scavengers.

"yuan," ming jie said softly, "easy. Release the human female."

That did it. yuan's eyes shot wide, his teeth disengaged, and he stumbled backward. ming jie caught ting as she sagged to the ground.

Panting, his pupils dilating and contracting wildly, yuan collapsed against a gate. When daquan rushed forward, ming jie handed ting off to him and went to yuan. Footsteps and screeches still rang out in the night, so shu lan kept watch while the drama she didn't understand played out between the four humans and demons.

daquan settled ting against a tree, more gently than shu lan would have expected, given the circ.u.mstances. He said something to her, but shu lan moved away, not wanting to intrude. Besides, she was dying to know what the thing with yuan was all about.