Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 65856 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 329(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65856 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 329(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
“Aiden said something about you hunting a seductive human killer.” He paused and stared at Huli. “Another huli jing, correct?”
“I wish I could say that she was an abnormality among my kind, but in truth, I’m the oddity,” Huli grumbled.
“That’s not right. Some huli jing are helpful and friendly toward humans, and some are not,” Xiao Dan argued.
“Like humans!” Moon added.
“And vampires,” Philippe chimed in.
“What are we looking for?” Rafe inquired.
“Her usual approach is to appear as a lone attractive woman who is irresistible to men. She will choose her prey and lure him off alone to the woods, where she’ll steal his soul and leave his corpse to be eaten by wolves.”
Rafe blinked slowly at Huli, his face void of emotion. He then motioned one hand wildly at the thick throng of people dancing not more than a few meters away from them. Within the crowd were dozens of attractive women who could wrap a man in a haze of lust and lead him to his doom.
“That would be why this is such an excellent hunting ground. Even better than brothels.”
“I have so many questions, but now isn’t the time,” Philippe murmured. He lifted a hand and touched Rafe’s cheek. “Promise me we’ll travel to their home for vacation. I have questions that need answers.”
Rafe turned his face to press his lips to Philippe’s fingers. “Anything for you, my precious darling.”
“I agree that locating Min here or at any nightclub will be difficult,” Xiao Dan interjected. “Our goal is to locate her and chase her from your establishment. We don’t want to start a fight here.”
“That would be appreciated. I will alert my workers to keep an eye out for women who arrive alone and attempt to leave with a man.” Rafe sighed and shook his head. “They’ll think I’ve gone insane with instructions like that.”
“If they’re vampires, they’ll be able to smell the magic on her,” Chen stated. “She’s incredibly powerful. Tell them not to confront her. Just follow until one of our clan can get there.”
“But I think our best chance of capturing her is to blend in and catch her by surprise.” Xiao Dan bumped Huli, drawing his wide eyes up to his mate’s smiling face. “Care to join me on the dance floor?”
Huli sat frozen for all of one heartbeat, and then he leaped to his feet. He pulled a chuckling Xiao Dan out of the booth and onto the dance floor. The song had shifted to something slower and gentler, but Huli didn’t care. It could have been one of those frantic rock songs and he still would have pulled Xiao Dan into his arms for a slow sway.
“Can you forgive me, Huli?” Xiao Dan asked after they’d been dancing for a minute.
Huli lifted his head from where he’d rested it on Xiao Dan’s shoulder. He’d been wrapped in his sweet Xiao Dan’s scent and the strength of his arms. There was nothing more perfect in all the world, but his question was a jolt to reality. “For what?”
“For waiting so long to claim you as my mate. I’ve loved you for so long, but I hesitated, afraid that you didn’t really feel the same for me. I was afraid…”
“No more. I don’t care about all those years. Even if we weren’t mates, we were friends, and I cherish every second we’ve had together. I didn’t need to be your mate to be happy. Every time you smiled or laughed, I was floating among the stars. That was more than any huli jing deserved.”
This was all he’d wanted for as long as he could remember.
Huli tipped his head up, wordlessly demanding another sweet kiss from his mate, when magic tickled his nose. Dangerously familiar magic.
Min had just walked into the club.
Chapter 10
Zhang Xiao Dan
Xiao Dan leaned in for a kiss, but Huli stiffened in his arms. He gazed at the playful fox to find a disdainful look filling his normally warm amber eyes. There were few things that could dampen Huli’s good mood, and Min was at the top of that list.
“Where is she?” Xiao Dan demanded. His hands tightened on the man in his arms, fear leaving him wanting to keep his mate close and safe.
“Just walked in.” Huli turned them and glanced over his shoulder through the crowd. “Top of the stairs. Blond hair and heart-shaped face. Tiny red skirt. So tacky.”
Xiao Dan bit the inside of his cheek at Huli’s catty comment and focused on finding the other huli jing. When he spotted her, there was a small frown on her bow-shaped lips as if she were confused by the humans’ Halloween attire. Clearly, it wasn’t something she’d planned for.
“Go tell Chen and Moon,” Huli ordered. “See if there’s a back way out of here. I’ll try to herd her out the front door. They can run around and meet her.”