Demon Huntress

The ER doors slid open, dislodging yuan. Chen strode in, dressed in black BDUs and ready for his medic shift. He clapped yuan on the back.

"How was Mongolia?"

"Cold. Bad food. Mongolians taste like yaks."

"Didn't take long to get the Neural Mana," Chen noted.

"Twenty-four hours. You so busy with—what's that human's name? Ru na? That you didn't notice I was gone?"

Ming jie c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. Chen was rarely with any female long enough to discuss her, so this was interesting. Interesting, too, that Ming jie hadn't known about her. Then again, Chen and Yuan had always shared a deeper connection than what Ming jie shared with his brothers.

"Nah. She walked in on me when I was with Shuang and Shun." Chen shrugged. "I asked Ru na if she wanted to join us, but she freaked and took off. I have a feeling she won't want to see me again."

"Imagine that," Ming jie said.

yuan rolled his eyes. "Oh, look. Ming's moral values rear their ugly heads."

"We're all cursed in one way or another," Chen drawled. He turned to Ming jie. "Have you heard from Ren fu?"

"Not a word." And he was starting to worry—and not just because the twenty-four-hour deadline Ren fu had given was nearly up and somehow he had to convince her to give him more time.

He hadn't heard from her or Cang jie since they left together after Hao had come out of surgery. Nor had he heard from Shu lan, though he hadn't expected to. Still, her genetic issue would only worsen. Her lab work had come back, leaving more questions than answers. The DNA hadn't been identifiable, something that torqued him beyond belief. He'd been adding to the hospital's genetic database for years, requiring that every species, breed, and race of creature that came through the doors be catalogued. But there were thousands of species in the underworld, and only a fraction had been seen at UG. Obviously, none of Shu lan's sire's species had been treated.

One thing had been conclusive, however. The demon genes were aggressive, and if she didn't address the issue soon, it would be too late.

"yuan," he said tiredly, "you missed a lot." He gestured for his brothers to follow him, and they ducked into the empty break room.

Chen plucked the ever-present pack of gum out of his shirt pocket while yuan went straight for the coffee pot. "What's up? Did one of you nail Ren fu?"

"No." Ming jie dragged a hand through his hair. "Ren fu thinks her parents were taken by The berus, but not for the black market. Whoever has them is using them for leverage. They want her to perform the surgeries and organ removals. Apparently, the operation is growing, and they need more help."

"F.u.c.kers," yuan muttered, still facing away as he poured his coffee.

A tic pulsed in Chen's jaw, and when he spoke, his tone was glacial. "They got Hui yin."

yuan spared no love for the nurse, but when something pained Chen, yuan took it to heart. "Is she dust?"

"Extremely."

Without spilling a drop of coffee, yuan swung around in a fluid, predatory motion that, even after all these years, still surprised Ming jie. Because despite yuan's I-don't-give-a-f.u.c.k attitude and childish fits, he was a lethal sonofabitch with expertise in every ancient and modern fighting technique known to man or demon. He wasn't about to let anyone hurt him ever again.

"I told you we should have killed the Berus bitch," yuan growled.

"She had nothing to do with it, and she doesn't know anything." Ming jie was sure of that. She'd been too shocked by what had been done to Hui yin.

Chen let out a harsh laugh. "Sounds like someone is thinking with his d.i.c.k."

"Finally." A thread of amus.e.m.e.nt shot through yuan's still-irate rumble. "Damned inconvenient timing, though."

No shit.

All he could think about was Shu lan, no matter how hard he tried to shake her from his mind and off his skin.

A beeper went off—Chen's, which meant an ambulance run. Palming the device, he glanced at it, then shook his head and did a double-take. "F.u.c.k me."

yuan peered over Chen's shoulder. "Nope, wrong brother." He bared his teeth at Ming jie in a cold smile. "Looks like your little Hunter misses you. Got herself all beat up and in need of a lift to the hospital."