A few people glanced her way.
Then they looked away and kept walking.
Right.
They couldn't understand her.
Or they just didn't care.
But some of them were staring now.
Really staring.
Sniffing the air.
Ears swiveling in her direction.
Eyes going wide.
"MS?" Her voice came out small.
[YEAH?]
"Why are they all looking at me like that?"
[HEAT PHEROMONES. YOU'RE EMITTING THEM AT MAXIMUM INTENSITY RIGHT NOW. TO THEM, YOU CURRENTLY SMELL LIKE THE MOST DESIRABLE FEMALE ON THE ENTIRE PLANET. CONGRATULATIONS. YOU'RE POPULAR.]
"You're joking right?" She chuckled nervously.
[I DON'T JOKE. OKAY, I JOKE SOMETIMES. BUT NOT ABOUT THIS.]
A man with wolf ears stepped toward her.
Then a man with cat ears.
Then another.
And another.
They moved slowly, carefully, like she was something precious that might spook and run.
"Oh god," Lin Yue whispered.
[YEAH. SO. RUN.]
"Run?!"
[RUN.]
She ran.
---
Footsteps pounded behind her. More and more of them. She risked a glance back and her heart almost stopped.
At least a dozen men were chasing her now. Wolf-types, cat-types, one with scales glinting in the light. Their eyes were locked onto her like she was the only thing in the universe that mattered.
More were joining as she watched.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Fifty.
She dodged around a stall and sent a display of glowing fruit flying everywhere, kept running.
MY CABBAGES!
Her lungs burned with every breath.
Her legs pumped beneath her, faster than she'd ever run in her life.
The heat inside her roared higher, making everything worse, making her want to stop and let them catch her—
No.
No, keep running.
The street opened up ahead into some kind of transport hub. Flying cars were parked everywhere in neat rows. Sleek things, black and silver, humming quietly with power.
The men were gaining on her.
She could hear them.
Feel them.
[VEHICLES DETECTED. GET IN ONE.]
"Whose?! I can't just break into someone's car!"
[YOU CAN AND YOU WILL. GET IN ONE. NOW.]
She grabbed the handle of the nearest car. It was sleek and black and looked expensive enough to buy her old apartment building ten times over.
She yanked the door open, threw herself inside, and slammed it shut behind her.
The men outside skidded to a halt.
Lin Yue pressed herself against the seat, chest heaving, and watched through the window.
They stared at the car.
Then they stared at each other.
Fear flashed across their faces, clear as day.
Then, as one, they turned around and walked away.
Fast.
Like they couldn't get far away fast enough.
She slumped against the seat, a sigh of relief rushing out of her.
"What the hell was that? Why did they run? Did they see something? Is there something out there?"
[THE VEHICLE YOU'RE CURRENTLY SITTING IN IS REGISTERED TO A VERY HIGH-RANKING INDIVIDUAL. THEY RECOGNIZED THE OWNERSHIP AND DECIDED THEY DIDN'T WANT TO DIE TODAY. SMART CHOICE, REALLY.]
"High-ranking? Like a noble?"
[COMMANDER. PRINCE. SOMETHING LIKE THAT.]
Lin Yue's blood turned to ice in her veins.
"I just broke into a prince's car?!"
[I DON'T KNOW.]
"Are they going to kill me?"
[PROBABLY NOT. BUT YOU MIGHT WANT TO EXIT BEFORE—]
A cough came from the front seat.
Lin Yue's soul tried to evacuate her body for the second time that day.
She turned her head slowly, so slowly. There was a divider between the front and back seats.
Tinted, but not enough to hide the shape of a person sitting behind the wheel.
A person who was very much in the car.
"Oh god," she whispered. "Oh god, I'm so sorry. I didn't know anyone was here. I was being chased. I just panicked. I'll get out right now. I'm really, really sorry."
She reached for the door handle.
The divider slid down.
And she saw him.
---
White hair. Long, pulled back from his face. Gold eyes that caught the light like an animal's because they were an animal's.
Ears, furred and white with darker tips, twitching toward her.
A face so sharp and so beautiful that it stole the air straight from her lungs. High cheekbones.
A strong jaw.
A mouth that looked like it didn't know how to smile.
He was huge.
Even sitting down, she could tell.
His shoulders strained against the dark uniform he wore. His hands rested on the steering controls, hands that looked strong enough to crush her skull without even trying.
And he was staring at her.
Lin Yue's mouth opened.
But nothing came out.
So beautiful.
How could there be such a beautiful male?
[HEAT INDUCER AT MAXIMUM INTENSITY.]
[SUITABLE MALE DETECTED.]
[YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO.]
The heat roared back to life inside her, stronger than before.
Her body moved before her brain could catch up.
She launched herself over the divider.
"Wait." he started.
That voice.
Deep.
Rough.
Like thunder wrapped in silk.
Like warmth and danger and everything she hadn't known she needed until this very moment.
She didn't wait.
She landed right in his lap, grabbed his face in both hands, and kissed him.
He went completely rigid beneath her.
His hands came up, probably to push her away, but she didn't care.
The heat was everywhere now, burning her up from the inside, consuming every rational thought she'd ever had.
And he was right here, smelling like frost, forest and something else she couldn't name.
"Please," she gasped against his mouth. "Please, I need you. I'm in heat. I can't control it."
His hands landed on her waist.
He looked like he was contemplating if he should hold her down or push her away.
"Please." she begged, pulling back just enough to look at him. His gold eyes were blown wide, pupils so dilated they nearly swallowed the color.
His ears were flat against his head.
His chest rose and fell rapidly beneath her.
"Please. I need you. I need you so bad. Please."
His grip tightened on her waist. His eyes squeezed shut, like he was in actual pain.
"You don't know what you're asking."
"I don't care. I don't care what I'm asking. I just know I need you. Please. Please."
He looked at her for one long moment.
Gold eyes searching her face, looking for something.
Finding whatever it was and watching his resolve crumble because of it.
Then he pulled her close and kissed her back.
---
The divider slid up.
The car hummed to life beneath them.
And Lin Yue stopped thinking completely.