Demon Huntress

"Why do you want the phone?"

She swallowed dryly, unsure what to say, not because she couldn't lie, but because suddenly, she didn't want to. Not when the gold flecks in his eyes had begun to glitter again. She licked her lips, and his gaze dropped to her mouth.

He pulled her close, suspicion and something darker swirling in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You keep l.i.c.k.i.n.g your lips. Are you nervous?"

"They're just dry."

The darkness in his gaze intensified as he watched her, and then he dipped his head until their lips nearly touched and she could feel the softest draft of air in the span of distance between them. "I can help with that."

She m.o.a.n.e.d and wished he'd just kiss her already. He seemed to be waiting for permission, which was ridiculous. Before, he'd taken what he wanted. Why did he want her assent now?

"Do you want me to help?"

"No," she said, but she tipped her face up so their lips touched.

His tongue flicked over her lips in a kiss that wasn't quite a kiss, but was enough to heat her blood. "Are you sure?"

"No." She opened her lips, nearly panting.

"I don't know how you do this to me, Shu lan," he whispered. "But I can't help myself." His hand grasped the back of her head and held her for his possession.

Instantly, fire zipped through her veins, lit her up from the inside. She opened to the penetration of his tongue, to the sweep against her teeth, the roof of her mouth. Closing her eyes, she let her body react, to coil tight with d.e.s.i.r.e that was growing addictive. She'd felt nothing for so long, had been in an emotional void, a cold, deep sleep, but with every touch Ming jie changed that. It was as though she were waking up for the first time in a place where everything was new.

Stepping into him, she gripped his shoulders and pulled him closer. A groan rattled his c.h.e.s.t, the sound of a male in need making her pulse spike. Shifting, she rocked her aching mound against his t.h.i.g.h, and he hissed, backed up.

"F.u.c.k," he muttered. "I can smell you. My brothers will, too." He shoved the phone into her hand and turned away. "You are dangerous, Hunter."

She gaped, because she wasn't the dangerous one in this situation. He could seduce her with a look, a touch, and she was growing weaker by the minute.

She started to close the phone, but a flashing number caught her eye. Looking more closely at the screen, she saw numbers filtering down. Thirty . . . twenty-nine . . . twenty-eight . . .

"Shu lan? What is it?"

-Twenty-two . . .

Yat Sen had mentioned a countdown, but there was no way she was activating the spell. She closed the phone. Opened it again. The screen continued to flash numbers.

Eighteen.

I'm testing a new explosive that's odorless, invisible, and can be hidden inside electronic devices like MP3 players.

Tai's words careened through her brain, and her heart skidded to a halt. "The exit," she gasped. "Exit. Now!"

She shoved past Ming jie, bile rising in her throat as she frantically searched for the doors Chen had brought her in through.

There. She darted toward them, and when a nurse shifted into a panther and pounced, she swung, sent the panther skidding across the floor. Pain exploded in her head, but it didn't matter. The door. She had to get to the door.

"Shu lan!" Ming jie's shout chased her.

"Stay back!" She burst through the doors the second they slid open. Outside, she recognized the parking lot, and Ming jie's BMW.

Searing heat burned her fingers. The phone glowed orange, pulsing like a stove element with its own heartbeat. As hard as she could, she threw it toward the far wall.

A hand closed on her shoulder. Wheeling around, she tackled Ming jie and took him to the ground, her body covering his as the explosion rocked the underground facility and jarred her teeth.

A tire flew past them, blasted through the space where Ming jie had been standing. Fire, stone, and metal rained down, pelting her as she lay on top of him. He hooked his leg over her back and flipped her, shielding her instead. Then, as the storm of debris eased up and the rumble died away, a louder noise rattled her from above, and she looked up into extremely pissed-off golden eyes.