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Rajiv jumped back, then Lord Qing turned on Jia. She ducked as his sword swooshed over her head. Russell leaped in front to defend her, but Lord Liao attacked him, and he was forced to fight him off.
Meanwhile, the third vampire, Lord Ming, lunged at Rajiv, slashing with his sword.
Russell stabbed Liao, then turned to help Jia, who was unarmed and still under attack by Lord Qing. She screamed as Lord Qing lunged toward her. Before Russell could reach them, Lady Yi-soo pierced Lord Qing through with her sword.
“Jia!” Russell grabbed her.
Rajiv finished off Lord Ming, then ran toward his cousin. “Jia, are you all right?”
“Yes.” She smiled at Lady Yi-soo. “Your friend saved me.”
Lady Yi-soo bowed her head. “It is an honor.”
Russell realized that all their friends were out the gate. “Hurry, let’s go!” He grabbed Jia’s hand and ran.
Rajiv and Lady Yi-soo were close behind. The God Warriors followed, then Gabriel held the gate open to let Wu Shen and his army out.
“Are they free now?” Russell asked Briathos. “What will happen to them?”
“Wu Shen and his soldiers will remain here outside the gate until the Heavenly Father decides their fate,” Briathos replied. “But since they were coerced by a demon, and then rebelled against Lucifer, I expect the Father will be merciful.”
With a loud bang, the gate to hell swung shut.
“You are safe now,” Gabriel announced. With a whoosh, all the swords of fire disappeared.
Lady Yi-soo looked at Rajiv and gasped. “You’re bleeding.”
Rajiv frowned at the cut on his arm.
“Allow me.” Briathos cut the sleeve away, then poured a vial of holy water on the wound. “This will cleanse away the evil residue so that it can heal normally.”
Rajiv winced. “That stings. Once we get home, I’ll shift and it’ll be fine.”
“But it’s still bleeding.” Lady Yi-soo untied the sash around her robe, then wrapped the silk tightly around his wound. As she tied it off, her robe began to gape open a bit. “Is that better?”
Rajiv tilted his head so he could see her white silk undergarment. “Yeah, I’m feeling much better.”
Russell snorted, and Jia exchanged a smile with him. He pulled her into his arms. “I thought I’d lost you.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I thought I’d be trapped there forever. I wanted you to come after me, but I was afraid you would and—”
“Nothing can keep me from you.” Russell cradled her face with his hands. “Not even hell.”
She smiled in spite of the tears in her eyes. “That’s my cowboy.”
“Anything for my princess.” He wiped away a tear that rolled down her cheek.
She embraced him tightly. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
After a moment, she nodded her head toward her cousin. “I’m gone for an hour or so, and Rajiv finds a girlfriend?”
Russell snorted. “First of all, you were gone for a week. I nearly went crazy.”
She blinked. “A week?”
“Six nights. And Lady Yi-soo came with the Korean delegation. Your fiancé is waiting for you in Tiger Town.”
Jia’s eyes widened. “Oh dear.”
“It is time to go back,” Briathos announced, and everything flashed black.
Chapter Twenty-six
Jia thought her heart might burst from joy as she gazed around Tiger Town. She was home. Russell was with her. All the Vamps and shifters were safe and grinning as they called their wives on their cell phones.
“The tents are gone,” Russell said as he looked around the courtyard.
“What tents?” Jia asked.
“There were tents full of ex-soldiers being changed back to normal,” Russell explained.
“The soldiers are most likely on their way home,” Briathos said. “While we were gone, a second week has passed by.”
Jia’s mouth fell open. She’d been gone two weeks? She glanced up at the moon. It was waning. She’d completely missed the full moon.
Leah and Abigail ran into the courtyard, squealing when they spotted their husbands. Were-tiger families embraced their loved ones who had gone to hell to bring Jia back.
She rushed over to them to thank them, but even those few minutes away from Russell seemed too long. She hurried back to him and threw her arms around his neck. “Have I told you recently how much I love you?”
He hugged her tightly. “I’m never letting you go again. That week was too much. I almost went crazy.”
“You told me.” She kissed his cheek.
Nearby, Rajiv kicked off his shoes. “I’m going to shift now so the wound will heal.” He pulled off his shirt and handed it to Lady Yi-soo. “You might want to turn around. Then again, you’re welcome to watch.”
She scoffed. “I’m a were-tiger, too. I’ve seen people strip since I was a child.”
He smiled slowly as he unbuttoned his trousers. “Then why are you blushing?”
Her face bloomed a brighter pink as she turned her back to him. Within a few seconds, Rajiv was in tiger form. He circled and sat in front of her. The sash she’d tied around his arm slipped down his foreleg, which was now completely healed.
She knelt in front of him to retrieve her sash. Even though it was bloody, she cinched it back around her waist. “I will treasure this as a memento of the great adventure I shared with you.”
Rajiv butted heads with her, and with a laugh, she hugged him.
Jia smiled at them, then gave Russell a wry look. “Did you ever think you’d fall for a tigress?”
He grinned. “No. Did you ever think you’d fall for a vampire?”
With a laugh, she nestled her head against Russell’s chest. “You were so brave, the way you stood up to Lucifer.”
“I was desperate. Did I mention you were gone for six days?”
“Yes, and you nearly went crazy.” She kissed him on the cheek again. “Is that better?”
“It’s a start.” He kissed her soundly.
“I beg your pardon,” a male voice said loudly. “Is that my betrothed you’re kissing?”
The courtyard hushed.
Russell tightened his grip on her and whispered, “Can I teleport him to Antarctica and leave him there?”
“I have to handle this myself.” She pulled away and turned toward the voice.
The prince was at the head of the stairs, close to the palace. He was more handsome than Jia had expected, almost pretty, with his perfect features and opulent silk robes. At one time, she would have been impressed. But recently she’d met a gruff cowboy vampire with torn trousers and ripped abs who lived in a cave, and her vision of the ideal man had shifted drastically.
She wanted a hero who wasn’t afraid to get dirty—and even violent if he had to. She wanted a man brave enough to risk invading hell to save her. A man who admired her strengths, accepted her as she was, and honored her wishes. A man who never gave up no matter how much he suffered.
She wanted Russell.
“Good evening.” The prince looked her over. “I am Kim Mi-nam.”
“I am Jia.” She bowed. “I bid you welcome.”
The prince inclined his head. “I am pleased that you have finally returned. You appear to be . . . well.”
Rajiv shifted back to human form and dragged on his trousers. “Your sister has returned in good health, too, in case you’re wondering.”
Mi-nam’s mouth thinned as he cast an annoyed look at Lady Yi-soo. “Half sister.”
“She’s royal to us.” Rajiv retrieved his shirt from her and put it on. “She helped us rescue my cousin, while you opted to stay behind.”
Mi-nam waved a dismissive hand. “Since Lady Jia is safely returned, I see no point in dwelling on the past.”
“I see a point,” Jia said. “After all, I could have been trapped in hell forever had it not been for these brave people who saved me.” She bowed to the Vamps and shifters. “I owe you a great debt of gratitude. I assure you that your acts of selfless courage will never be forgotten.”
The prince nodded approvingly. “You know how to be properly grateful. That is commendable.”
Was that supposed to be a compliment? Jia narrowed her eyes.
