Tiege groaned, trying to remain conscious as he sensed someone joining them.
“I’ve got him,” Jacob muttered, grabbing Tiege around the waist and tossing him over his shoulder.
White-hot agony shuddered through him as he was carried up a narrow ramp. But even as his lips parted to protest the rough treatment, the world began to recede and a ruthless darkness sucked him under.
CHAPTER SIX
They were eight hours into the flight when Sloane heard the faint sound of a groan from the back of the jet.
Instantly she was on her feet and heading into the small bedroom. It didn’t occur to her to allow Jacob or any other member of the staff to check on their Master. She wasn’t really thinking at all.
Who could blame her?
She’d gone through hell after she’d left Tiege and located Jacob, who had the jet fueled and ready to go. The aggravating brute had promised to transport himself, but she’d known he was lying even before the jet had moved into place for takeoff. A part of her had known she should do as Tiege commanded and leave with the pendant, even if he wasn’t on the jet. It clearly was important that it be taken to Jian. But even as the jet revved its engines, she’d been forcing open the door and racing back to join in the fight.
Tiege might be furious, but there was no way she could leave him behind.
Period.
Halting next to the bed, she gazed down at the male lying flat on his back.
Earlier Jacob had stripped him of his filthy clothes and washed away the blood before gently placing him on the mattress. Now Sloane studied the wound on his shoulder that had healed to an angry red scar, and the lingering pallor of his skin.
If he hadn’t been so drained he would be fully recovered. Instead…
Her heart abruptly lodged in her throat as Tiege’s thick lashes lifted to reveal his stunning copper eyes. Heat filled the cabin and her clinical inspection of his injuries altered to something far more dangerous.
Suddenly she was vibrantly aware of the silky black hair that looked as if it’d been rumpled by a lover’s fingers. And the shadow of a beard that darkened his jaw with a scruffy sexiness.
And the hard body that was completely naked.
She shivered, a raw, earthy need pulsing through her.
“Are we in the air?” he asked in a husky voice.
She nodded, lowering herself to perch on the edge of the mattress. “Yes.”
“Good.” His hand lifted, as if he intended to touch her, but he gave a startled grunt when she curled her fingers into a fist and punched him on his uninjured arm. He blinked in shock. “What the hell was that for?”
Sloane grimaced. She hadn’t actually meant to strike him. But dammit…she’d been so freaking worried about him.
“Because you’re supposed to be selfish and arrogant and absorbed with your own pleasure,” she snapped.
He arched a brow, an unexpected amusement smoldering in his eyes. Almost as if he suspected the reason for her ridiculous burst of anger.
“Have you been told your bedside manner sucks?”
She scowled at his impossibly handsome face, her heart thundering in her chest as his fingers brushed her hair behind her ear.
“You aren’t supposed to be a hero,” she informed him.
In the dim light his eyes looked like melted copper as his fingers trailed down the arch of her throat.
“Good.” His fingers cupped her nape, gently tugging her head down so he could trace her furrowed brow. “I’d far rather be the villain.”
She trembled, allowing him to wrap his arms around her. She’d been so terrified that she’d lost him in some idiotic attempt to save the demon world.
Now she didn’t have the strength to pull away.
Or at least that was the excuse she was using as she melted against his chest, her fingers running through the raven satin of his hair.
“You need to heal,” she murmured.
“That’s exactly what I intend to do,” he assured her, his hands skimming beneath her leather jacket.
Sparks blazed between them as his mouth lightly teased over her face before settling on her lips. Perhaps she would never be his destined mate or prevent the disaster that was looming, but for the moment she could give Tiege the strength he needed to survive until they reached Hong Kong.
Shutting her mind to the bittersweet emotions tugging at her heart, Sloane pulled back so she could shrug off her jacket, allowing it to slide to the ground. Then, with more haste than elegance, she was tugging off the rest of her clothing so she could stretch onto the mattress next to him.
Even knowing that every second she spent with Tiege was destined to entangle her renegade heart more tightly, she couldn’t deny his hunger that she could feel with every burning kiss and every stroke of his hand.
In return she offered a fervent response that made him groan with approval, gathering her close as he rolled onto his side.