While everyone else was focused on the doorway, Shi Feng's golden gaze was fixed entirely on Su Qinglan.
He was a predator of the highest order, and his keen senses were always working, even when he seemed relaxed.
He hadn't missed the way she kept checking on something tucked deep in the pocket of her dress.
Earlier, his sharp nose had picked up a faint, unfamiliar scent coming from her...something cool and feral, like wet earth and scales.
Since it felt small and harmless, he hadn't paid much attention to it. But now, as Su Qinglan shifted and pulled the fabric of her pocket slightly to look inside, the light hit the interior just right. Shi Feng's pupils dilated.
Curled inside, resting against her warmth, was a small, green snake.
A hatchling?
Suddenly, Shi Feng felt his heart tighten with a strange, heavy pressure that he couldn't quite explain.
