"We?" Hong Yin's face fell, sadness creeping into her voice. "We… we can't go with you."
I'd kind of expected that. Still, it felt like I was losing something important.
"Don't be sad, honey," she soothed. "We exist on different planes, under different heavens, with our own tasks to complete."
"Can't I help?" I asked.
She smiled. "Of course you can, but not now. Let us incarnate in the mortal lands first. Then, we will find you."
"How?"
Hong Yin stepped in close, her breath warm against my skin. She took a slow, deep sniff of me—so teasing, so intimate, I nearly lost control.
"...By scent," she whispered, voice dripping with seductive confidence. "No matter where you are, I'll find you."
I swallowed. "And her?" I glanced at Jiu Yin.
Hong Yin smirked. "She's not going anywhere. If I left her behind, she'd chase after me and make a mess of things. Might as well take her along and put her to use."