The second Tao Jun disappeared through the front door, I knew that there was no way in hell I was going to stay inside and miss the show.
I didn’t care if it killed to move, I was going.
The jungle had apparently decided to solve the whole ilan not leaving problem for , and there was absolutely no chance I was going to miss the results. Besides, I liked the fact that it was willing to take charge and take things OUTSIDE of my house instead of damaging it more.
So much more considerate then the guys.
"Take outside," I said, poking at Yuche as my eyes stayed glued to the door. "I want to watch the cute little baby eat the big bad bug that tried to kill it."
Yuche looked down at . He was trying for a serious face, I could see that... but I could also see the slight curving of the corners of his mouth from where he was fighting not to smile.
"No," he said at last. "Your cute little baby will eat the big bug whether you are there or not. Right now, you aren’t going to be leaving the couch."
I stared back. "You said the sa thing when I was lying on the ground and you still moved . This is pretty much the sa. I’ll even let you hold the entire ti."
The smile on his face was really fighting hard to co out, and I knew that I was well on my way to winning. "You know that you want to go see what is going to happen next as much as I do," I continued, giving him my best cute face.
The way his brows furrowed made think that I was going to have to work on that face more than I thought. "Fine. But if I take you outside, then you have to listen to for the next 48 hours," he said after a mont.
"Two," I shot back. I knew myself well enough to know that I wasn’t obeying anyone for 48 hours... not even myself.
"36," was the counter offer, but I kept shaking my head.
"12 hours, and that’s final," I replied, sticking my chin up. Yuche chuckled and gave a gentle kiss on my forehead.
"You are the one trying to get sothing out of , or did you forget?" he purred.
My eyes widened. Crap. I completely forgot about that. I was so into the negotiating that I forgot that I was trying to go outside.
But before I could co up with a new argunt, the entire room suddenly ca back to life like Lingyun had lit a fire under everyone’s asses.
ilan moved first.
I don’t know what actually set her off, but one mont she was standing there, and the next, she was rushing toward the door like she would be the one to save Tao Jun.
Shen Kaiyang followed imdiately behind her, with Lin Cheng and Guo Renwang only a step behind. They shoved past Lingyun hard enough to force him sideways before throwing the front door open.
They moved like they were going to save the day, but I knew that the mont the vine latched onto their friend, he was already as good as dead.
It really was a waste of energy to try to fight the inevitable. They should have taken that mont to get the hell out of Dodge... But they clearly weren’t that smart.
Letting out a long sigh, Yuche rose to his feet, still holding like the princess that I was and brought over to the front door.
Yes, the pain was there, but the sight in front of made forget whatever I was feeling.
I didn’t think that I had been overly attached to the jungle out front until right this mont.
Logically, I knew that it had been burned, probably a good section of it destroyed. But I still rember the vines and the leaves parting for , I rember feeling like it wanted my attention.
And instead, the entire front yard looked like sobody had declared war on it.
There were large sections of the jungle that were blackened beyond recognition. Burned vines lay across the ground like corpses. Ash covered almost everything, drifting through the air every ti the wind moved. The fire had left scars everywhere I looked, and for a few horrible seconds all I could see was the damage.
Then I noticed the green.
Small patches of fresh growth pushed through the destruction.
A vine here.
A leaf there.
Tiny pieces of life stubbornly refusing to stay dead.
Relief hit so hard that it almost hurt, and then I felt stupid.
I knew better than that. I knew that a bit of fire wouldn’t stop the mutated plants. I knew that they would co back stronger and more vicious than before. But I blad the initial shock for not thinking straight.
The jungle wasn’t gone, it was preparing for an attack, and that was a big difference.
My gaze followed the surviving vines as they stretched farther into the yard. They wound through the ash and destruction like green veins, all moving toward the sa destination.
Then I could hear the screaming again. That sweet sound of music that let know that I was right.
Not like I ever really doubted myself.
Everyone followed the sa path with their eyes, ilan and her n actually stepping off the porch and physically going down the path to where Tao Jun was.
Lingyun made a motion to follow but I let out a soft sound from the back of my throat and shook my head. "I’m good here," I said. Commander Li and his team, as well as the rest of my guys didn’t so much as move a single step. They got comfortable leaning against walls and hand railings, their entire focus on ilan.
"Why not?" asked Lingyun, getting comfortable on the first step. He was sitting right in front of , but I could feel the tension in him. He was ready to go the second I told him to move.
"Because," I replied, jerking my chin forward. The leaves that had originally been blocking my view parted and we could easily see Tao Jun hanging upside down several feet above the ground. "I don’t want to get in the way of the cute little baby and its food."
User Comments
0 comments from readers