She wiped the sweat from her brow, looking back at the rogue. "Seriously! Have you ever thought about joining a sect? The Celestial Sword Sect would kill to have a vanguard with your reaction speed!"
Blue stepped over the serpent's carcass, his dark eyes fixed on her.
"I have no interest in sects, Ji'an," Blue replied, his voice a smooth, low hum. "I find their rules... stifling. I prefer to choose my own company."
"Well, whoever you choose to travel with next is going to be incredibly lucky," Ji'an smiled, turning back to the trail, entirely missing the dark, obsessive flare that ignited in his eyes at the word 'next'.
'There is no next,' Wangchen vowed internally, his gaze tracing the line of her spine beneath her gray robes. 'There is only you. Forever.'
As the morning sun began to pierce the thick canopy, casting long, golden rays through the oppressive mist, the dense jungle abruptly and unexpectedly ended.
