Hóng Yè scrambled backward in the dirt until his back hit the rough bark of a tree. His chest heaved, his amber eyes wide with a terror.
What was Han Shān doing here?!
The Snow Leopard hated her! He had sworn a blood oath to the elders that he would never let the cursed female near Ruì Xuě again! Why was he standing outside her hut in the middle of the night like a loyal guard dog?!
"I was going to kill her!" Hóng Yè yelled back in a harsh whisper, pointing a trembling finger toward the dark hut.
Han Shān flinched as if he had been physically struck.
The deadly, freezing aura swirling around him faltered for a fraction of a second. "Have you lost your mind?!" he demanded, keeping his voice low so as not to wake anyone.
"You are a kit! You would throw away your life, your honor, to become a killer in the dark?!"
"Why would you stop me?!" Hóng Yè's voice cracked violently, hot tears spilling over his eyelashes. "Why are you protecting her?! After everything she did!"
