“Would you prefer I take you back? I could drop you off at Han’s camp and let them capture you.” He took a step toward her, his scowl deepening. “What the hell were you thinking, taking on a dozen supersoldiers single-handedly? Are you trying to get yourself killed? Don’t you have family somewhere worried about you?”
The vision of her mutilated family flitted through her mind once more. With an inward groan, she lowered her arm. “Just tell me where the exit is, and I’ll be on my way.”
“There is no exit. I teleport you in or out.”
And he would control where they went? She motioned to the stream. “I’ll follow the water. I’m sure it surfaces at some point.”
“Yes, after going through a rock tunnel for a mile or so. Your body would emerge eventually. Dead.”
Jia bit her lip, her gaze wandering to the stream where it disappeared into the tunnel. If she drowned, she wouldn’t have to worry about being hacked to pieces. Her skin pebbled with goose bumps as she imagined those last terrifying moments when she would run out of air—
“What the hell?” he whispered, and she turned to face him. “You’re considering it, aren’t you? You’re suicidal.” He strode toward her.
She lifted her knife. “Stay back!”
He vanished. Before she could even react, he grabbed her from behind. His left arm encircled her rib cage and pulled her hard against his chest. His right hand wrenched the knife from her hand and tossed it aside.
So incredibly fast. And strong. Self-doubt crept into her mind once again, reminding her how difficult it was going to be to kill Master Han on her own. As a vampire, Han was just as strong and fast as this one who was pinning her against his rock-hard chest.
“Release me.” Her breath caught as his hand groped along her belted waist.
“Any more knives? Do I need to frisk you?”
“Let me go!”
“I will. Eventually.” His chin grazed the top of her head. “I haven’t decided yet what to do with you.”
She swallowed hard. There was no way she could overpower this man. And even if she did, where could she go? The only way out of this cave was the stream. And death.
His cheek slid along her hair till she felt his breath, hot against her ear. Hot? Shouldn’t a vampire be cold? His whiskered jaw scraped across her cheek. She tilted her head away from him, but that only served to give him better access to her throat. He buried his nose in the crook of her neck, and she shuddered.
“You have the scent of a shifter.” With his right hand, he took hold of her jaw and turned her face toward him. “And the golden eyes of a tiger.”
Her gaze met his, and for a few seconds she forgot to breathe. His stare was bold and fierce, as if he was trying to look into her soul. His eyes were not solid brown, as she’d thought, but hazel, with shards of gold and green shimmering among the brown.
There was something so . . . sincere about his eyes and expression. Instinctively, she felt he was solid and honest. A man who said and did what he felt was right and never apologized for it.
His gaze lowered to her mouth, then returned to her eyes. “Shall I teleport you back to Tiger Town?”
“No!” She pulled away, surprised for a second that he let her go. “I can’t go back there. Anywhere but there.”
He smirked. “So you admit that is your home.”
“Yes, but I can’t go back before my mission is done.”
“Your family must be worried sick—”
“My family is dead! My parents and brother, hacked to pieces by Master Han. I won’t stop until I’ve killed him.”
The vampire stiffened. “You will not kill Han.”
“I will! I swore I would avenge my family—”
“You’re not killing Han!” the vampire yelled. “I am!”
Jia paused a moment, stunned by the vampire’s words and the ferocious look on his face. “Why do you want—”
“I don’t explain myself,” he growled and took a step toward her. “I was so close to killing Han tonight. I had a clear shot at his neck, and you ruined it.”
She stepped back. “You—”
“Two years of tracking that bastard, and you screwed it up!”
She winced. No wonder he was pissed. “I didn’t know.”
“You know nothing about warfare! You can’t attack his guards first. He just teleports away.”
“I realize that now. I’ll do better next—”
“There is no next time for you. Killing Han is my job, and you will stay out of it!”
Jia’s breath caught when she realized who this vampire must be. How many times had she heard Jin Long and her cousin complain about him? Angus kept sending them on missions to find him, and somehow, he always eluded them.
What was his name? He seemed like a legend, the way people gossiped about him. Some said he was dangerous; others called him a hero. According to her cousin, he’d cut the tracking chip out of his arm and disappeared two years ago, vowing to kill Master Han. A few times, when Rajiv and Jin Long had found themselves surrounded by Han’s soldiers, this vampire had miraculously appeared and rescued them.
Just like he’d rescued her tonight. “I know who you are. You’re the—the—”
“The deserter?” he growled. “Do they say I’m crazy?”
“No! Of course not.” She winced inwardly. This was not the time to admit that Rajiv called him “The Crazy One.” And Jin Long claimed he was a loose cannon. She searched her mind for something good they’d said about him. “They say you’re the best tracker in the world.”