His eyes take her in, clinging to her frame with hungry eyes. He pulls out the pen she's forgotten in her hair. His finger pads caress her ear lobe and she shivers.
"Well lookee here, another pen." He slips it into his pocket, by the rate we're going I will have quite the connection soon."
Her phone chirps,"Thank you." She mutters absent-mindedly and stared at the email. Her eyes not believing what she's seeing. She finally got the job.
She musters a smile, glad she's doing this . she's being waiting five years to do this. She slips a hand in her purse and hands it to Aiken just as the elevator doors whoosh open.
"Read it, I won't stay long, I'm resigning Mister .Zhao, I will be leaving in two months time."
She smiles to herself and walks to her car, she turns it on and spare a glance his way. He stand in the elevator, shock on his handsome features, she's been working for him for five years, never has she seen such an expression on his face. Well there's a time for everything. She smirks and rushes home to her house.
It's best this way, the magnetic pull she's always been fighting between them has been getting stronger lately. And jumping the bones of her icy boss is the last thing she should think off she has more things to think about.
The neon veins of city pulsed with a different kind of energy after sunset. The polite hum of the Rising Hawk Group offices was replaced by the city's raw, untamed heartbeat. The tailored skirt and blouse were shed, replaced by reinforced leather that moved with her like a second skin, and the weight of her ancestral dao, deathwind, felt comforting against her back.
The secretary was gone. The huntress had awakened. Her comm chimed, a discreet vibration against her wrist.
A location ping and a terse message: Rogue Class-C. Warehouse district, near the docks. Jin and Kai are en route. They were her usual team, reliable and deadly. The warehouse district was a labyrinth of shadows and forgotten industry. The air hung thick with the smell of salt and decay, a stark contrast to the sterile air-conditioning of Zhao's office. Xa'hao moved with a fluid grace, her senses heightened, the mundane world fading as she tuned into the subtle disturbances in the spiritual realm.
The rogue demon's energy signature was faint, erratic, a sign of desperation or perhaps a trap. She met Jin and Kai near a crumbling brick wall, their silhouettes blending seamlessly with the darkness. Jin, ever the pragmatist, was already checking his enchanted crossbow. Kai cracked his knuckles, a sound like distant thunder. Jin was a wiry veteran with eyes that missed nothing, and Kai, a hulking powerhouse whose strength bordered on the superhuman. The couple were invincible together.
"Whispers of it feeding on raw fear," Jin murmured, his voice low. "Messy. Treaty violation." Kai grunted in agreement.
"Let's put it down quick." Xa'hao nodded, her hand resting on the hilt of Deathwind. "Lead the way." She waves at the two.
The warehouse was cavernous and silent, the darkness swallowing their movements. Dust motes danced in the beams of their enchanted flashlights, illuminating rows of forgotten crates and rusting machinery. The air grew colder as they ventured deeper, a telltale sign of demonic presence.
Then, a flicker of movement in the shadows. A low growl that clawed at the edges of their hearing. The rogue demon. It was smaller than they'd anticipated, hunched and wiry, its eyes glowing with a malevolent red light. Fear, raw and potent, radiated off it in waves. It lunged, a blur of shadow and teeth, targeting Jin with surprising speed. Jin reacted instantly, his crossbow snapping, an enchanted bolt of pure silver whistling through the air. The demon shrieked as it connected, the smell of burning flesh filling the air.
But the creature was fast, agile, dodging the follow-up shots. Kai roared, charging forward like a battering ram. His fists, augmented with protective runes, slammed into the demon's side, sending it sprawling against a stack of crates. The impact rattles the entire warehouse. This was their chance. Xa'hao moved with lightning speed, drawing deathwind in a fluid motion.
The polished steel of the dao gleamed in the dim light. Years of training, honed by her mother's relentless discipline, flowed through her. She anticipated the demon's frantic movements, her senses picking up the subtle shifts in its energy. The demon scrabbled to its feet, its red eyes fixated on her. It lunged again, its claws tipped with a viscous black venom.
Xa'hao sidestepped the attack with ease, her blade flashing in a deadly arc. Deathwind found its mark, slicing through the demon's shadowy flesh. A high-pitched shriek echoed through the warehouse as the demon dissolved into wisps of black smoke, leaving behind a lingering stench of sulfur and fear. The hunt was over. Efficient. Clean.
As Jin and Kai secured the area, Xa'hao sheathed Deathwind, the familiar weight grounding her. Her thoughts drifted back to the sterile confines of Aiken Zhao's office, would he refuse her resignation. Why? The question gnawed at her. Knowing him, he will kick her out tomorrow. Aiken needs no one, only himself, one less secretary is nothing when he can replace her over a thousand times. The night was still young, and the city held countless secrets. As she stepped out of the warehouse, the neon glow of Shanghai seemed to mock the simple resolution of this hunt. Kai and Jin fade into the night, leaving her to stare at the city, if only people know the truth, which they should never, if they ever do it will be chaos, it's good that only very few know about it, so long as this city is safe she's happy. Not having a partner is a sacrifice she's fine with. It's a miracle Jin and Kai are a couple, not all hunters get along or have time enough to date each other. She snorts.
How her mother did it is beyond her.