Lost in her thoughts, Baihe was startled when the man appeared instantly in front of her. The speed was so fast, her eyes never even registered him moving. She quickly tried to peddle backward, but he didn’t give her the chance to do so; blocking her escape with his formidable body, he pinned her beneath him before she even knew what hit her.

The two of them were glued so closely together, that she could feel the hard contours of his toned muscles and the light kisses from his hot breath seeping through her pores. Both of her wrists were locked tightly together by his strong hand as he held them above her head while powerful and lean legs restricted her lower-body movement.

A potent, masculine scent assailed her nostrils, making her body involuntarily react to him. Those cold, dazzling sapphire eyes were so hypnotizing, she’d almost forgotten about her peril — almost! This man was definitely dangerous! If she were to ever bring such a tiger home to raise, she’d be the one eaten instead. She extinguished any last remaining inappropriate idea of this man; her sixth sense warning her that he wasn’t a man she could trifle with and walk out unscathed.

Fenglong peered down at the woman trapped beneath him. This was the first time he was so close to the opposite sex and he did it willingly, even initiated himself. Usually, all women repulsed him, especially those in the imperial kingdom, but this one made him feel differently. Was it because she was fearless enough to dare storm into the Feng Empire Palace and steal from the treasury vault?

The joints in her small, slender hand were so delicate, that if he were to exert just a bit more strength, her bones would be crushed. Somehow, he was reluctant to break those fragile hands, the very same itchy hands that coveted after the imperial treasures.

When he caught her sneaking into the treasury vault, a trace of intrigue flashed through him. At the last moment, he couldn’t bear for such an interesting species to simply die just like that, so he lent her a helping hand. Thief or not, he couldn’t care less if she’d stolen from his imperial uncle’s horde of treasures.

Instead, he found himself curious about her identity — the other hand moved quickly to remove the white joker face mask, revealing a beautiful face hidden behind — a face that could topple nations and cause the downfall of countries.

Stunned, he didn’t even blink as he stared into those vivid, clear pupils. Hidden behind them, were specks of intelligence and cunningness, layered with many secrets — secrets he suddenly wanted to unearth. He could feel himself drowning in those dark hues, losing his way. He’d encountered many people, seen his fair share of beauties, but never had he witnessed such powerful eyes, luring you in like a seductive siren.

One of his hands moved on its own accord to cover her alluring eyes, stopping himself from drowning too deeply. In his slight moment of distraction, she slipped her hands free from his grip and in one swift motion, a sharp dagger was pointed to his neck.

Fenglong raised one elegant eyebrow, surprised by her sudden bold action but also intrigued. There was a reddish tint on her skin, flowing all the way from her neck up to her cheeks. It was suspiciously akin to something like a blush, coloring her fair skin. An ambiguous smile tug at the corner of his mouth as amusement filtered through those magnetic blue eyes.

Undaunted by the weapon pointed at him, he gripped her wrist, pushing the dagger away from his neck before leaning forward, placing their body in a more compromising and sensual position.

With her eyes covered, her other senses became more alert and she was even more sensitive to his close proximity as he shamelessly invaded her space. Locked in such a vulnerable position, it felt almost scandalous and a bit kinky. She was well versed in the art of seduction, one of the many assassination techniques in her arsenal, but she was never the one enthralled and it never got to the point where she actually had to do the final deed. After all, to assassinate the more problematic targets, one only need a moment of opportunity where they let down their guards just enough to go for the kill.

Now, her body’s betrayal and her strange reaction toward a man she just met made her extremely wary of him. Thinking till here, a flash of panic attacked her. Something weird was happening to her — completely foreign — burning hot like a fever and contagious like some sort of disease.

Whatever it was, she didn’t like it; the feathery, ticklish feeling brushing over her heart; the uncomfortable, embarrassing wetness pooling between her thighs; or the unknown illness invading her cells, infecting her senses and clouding her logical mind. Whatever this was, she didn’t need it; she didn’t like it and this man here was the culprit which meant she didn’t like him.

Just as she was planning on concocting a plan to escape her current dilemma, a husky masculine voice sounded next to her ear. “Miss little thief, Benwang saved your life, so why don’t you identify yourself for this lord?” The voice was sinful like the forbidden night, caressing over her skin.

She heard herself replying in a tone much calmer than she actually felt, “Baihe.” Right when those words escaped her lips, she fought the urge to face-palm herself and stitch her lips together with a needle and thread. Why would she reveal her real identity just because he asked her? Did the stupid bird’s idiocy rub off on her? That was the whole reason for a face mask, to conceal one’s identity; although, that point was now moot!

Her soft body wiggled underneath him and she felt a part of his body stirred, freezing her movement as a sense of feminine pride aroused in her, knowing he was just as affected by this encounter as she was.

She could feel his hot breath near her ear, the heat sending tingles through her veins. “I am Fenglong. Remember my name and engrave it into your heart, woman. We will meet again…Baihe.” Her name rolled off his wicked tongue like a sensual delight; his parting words spoken like a whisper of a promise. The calloused hand covering her eyes disappeared along with the source of heat, but the deep timber of his voice still lingered in her ears.

“Little monkey girl in heat, get up! Hurry! Before that guy changes his mind and comes back!” Qian’s anxious voice laced with annoyance jolted Baihe out of her trance. “It’s not the time for mating season! Go! Go! Go!”

Ignoring the pittle-pattle in her head, Baihe got up and looked around, but not a shadow of the enigmatic man was left behind; or the dagger she’d pilfered from that pitiful guard, nor the white joker mask she’d brought with her. The only thing he allowed her to keep was actually the most valuable treasure — the scripture stolen from the imperial treasury vault. Her lips twitched slightly, the pain in her battered body and broken hand momentarily forgotten.

“Fenglong…” she whispered, tasting the sound of his name on her tongue.

He looked no more than twenty-one, only three years older than the current Huang Baihe, but her soul was old and came from another world — a different dimension where she had lived for twenty-six years. Why did she suddenly feel like a cougar?

This guy…sigh! Too bad ah, what a pity! A tiger is too dangerous to raise at home; a tiger and cougar under one roof would result in a dysfunctional relationship of war and bloodshed…

With that thought in mind, she quickly fled the area, fading into the dark shelter of the night beneath the raven moon.