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“I don’t think so.”

My eyes burst open at Katrina’s voice. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her pressing her gun into my attacker’s temple, looking deadly and badass.

“Drop the sword,” she ordered the man. “Now.”

He hesitated, his throat bobbing. “She’ll kill me anyway.”

“She may kill you,”—Katrina moved in close to him— “but I will track down your family, everyone you care about, and kill and torture them while you watch. Then I’ll slowly cut out your lungs so you can see yourself take the last breaths.”Fuck. Am I turned on by that? Yes. Yes, I am.“Now drop the weapon.”

With a heavy sigh from the swordsman, the Dadao cluttered to the floor.

Picking it up, I circled around. My gaze locked with Kat’s. Desire coursed through my bones at the feral glow lighting her eyes. We both thrived in life-and-death situations, feeling the high of walking on the edge.

And she was here… like sheknewI needed her.

Reaching over, I tugged down the cloth covering his mouth. I didn’t recognize him, giving me no more insight into who he was.

“Why are you trying to kill us?” Kat asked.

His expression hardened, not speaking.

“Who hired you?” I ordered.

His mouth clamped together, reminding so much of the guy we questioned in Shanghai. Whoever “she” was, they feared her.

“Tell us or you join your friends.” Kat threatened, her gun pressing harder into his head.

“I will die either way. But at least I will die with honor,” he stated, snatching a hidden blade at his side and lunging for me, the tip heading straight for my jugular.

Bang!

Blood sprayed over me, and the man stilled, his limbs going limp, his eyes wide with shock. Then his body fell to the ground.

I blinked in surprise, my gaze lifting to the person behind him. Kat still pointed her gun where the man was, covered in his blood as well, her jaw set, a ruthlessness in her eyes.

Holy. Fuck.

She didn’t hesitate. She didn’t question. She just killed him…

To save me.

Chapter 25

Katrina

Adrenaline hummed through my ears, my body pumping with energy, the gun still hot in my hand. Everything around me was hazy and distant, focused on the man lying in a heap at my feet.

The one about to kill Croygen.

There was no thought. It was completely instinctual. As the blade was about to cut through Croygen’s neck, a guttural cry came from the depths of my soul.

Mine.

The sensation rattled through me, tearing at my chest like a battle cry. I didn’t just want to stop whatever was hurting him—I wanted to destroy it.

The air echoed with our heavy breaths while the realization of what had just happened stunned me. Not the awareness of what I did, but how I knew he needed me.

I couldn’t even say how or why, but it was there. A tug in my gut, a restlessness in my bones, an icy feeling prickling the back of my neck. Anxiety. Terror. There was a sensation a part of me was about to be lost. I couldn’t fight the pull. As if deep in my soul, I knew he was in trouble. And he was calling to me.