The inn room was barely large enough for two bodies, let alone Qiu Dingjie's imposing presence. He'd tossed a bag of coins to the innkeeper without counting, his attention already focused on the only thing that mattered—her.

The moment the sliding door closed, he moved. Not with the weary slowness of a traveler, but with the calculated precision of a predator. His hand caught her wrist, yanking her back against his chest before she could protest. The map he'd supposedly come to study crumpled to the floor, forgotten.

"You've been teasing me all day," he murmured against the curve of her neck, his grip tightening until she gasped. His free hand slid up her thigh, fingers pressing roughly through the thin fabric of her kimono. "Do you think I wouldn't notice those little glances? The way you brushed against me when we walked?"

His breath was hot against her skin as he nipped at her earlobe. "You want something, fox. Ask for it properly, and maybe I'll grant it."

Behind him, the map lay abandoned. The mission to track the mountain yokai was forgotten. In this moment, there was only the feel of her body against his, the rapid beat of her heart, and the knowledge that he held absolute power over her—power he intended to remind her of thoroughly.