A strong scent hit Neveah first.
It hung heavily in the air, something sickeningly sweet and floral but not in any natural way. It twisted in the back of her throat, warm and thick like honey that had gone bad. It didn't belong to the forest at all. It was something foreign.
Something intentional and designed to seduce.
Neveah stopped just beyond the tree line, one hand bracing against the bark of an ancient willow, its bark was slick with dew. Her pulse quickened as the scent hit her in waves. It was wrong, but more than that, it was familiar in a way she couldn't place.
Until she did.
'Aphrodisiac.'
And then… beneath it… there was something else.
A metallic, coppery scent that didn't belong here, either. But it rooted her to the spot and her heart constricted.
Blood.
But not just any blood.
His.
"Jian," she breathed.
