Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 111252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
“Yes, it is,” Kai murmured.
“Shit! Sorry.” Xiang held the sword out laid across his palms, and Kai hesitated for a heartbeat to pick it up. It was as if his brain expected it to disappear if he so much as reached for it.
A smile trembled on his lips as he wrapped his fingers around the hilt and lifted it from Xiang’s hands. A familiar energy buzzed through the sword and jumped into his own body as if it were excited to be in his possession. With it came a roll of thunder through his mind and the soft whisper of Huangdi’s voice thanking him for his service to the people.
His eyes inspected every millimeter of the blade, from the tip to the pommel. Nothing seemed out of place or damaged despite being in the fae’s care for more than a century. It still appeared as sharp as the day it was forged. Huangdi’s blessing had protected the sword while it was out of his reach.
“It’s an exquisite sword.”
Xiang’s soft words jerked Kai’s gaze from the blade to his smiling face. His heart picked up to look at those warm brown eyes and his wildly windblown hair. Blood smeared that beloved face from the battle past, but it didn’t detract from his perfection.
Kai glanced at the sword and…felt nothing. Maybe a trace of sadness and frustration, but nothing compared to the joy that rose when he gazed at his mate.
“It is a lovely sword.” With a push of magic, the sword disappeared, returning at last to its rightful spot in his hoard. “But it is just a sword.”
“What?” Someone squawked. He wasn’t sure who because he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Xiang, who had some new pink tint rising in the apples of his cheeks.
“Maybe we should go in the house and discuss the return of Jiang Chong and the new problem of the fae,” Xiao Dan suggested.
Ming Yu sighed. “I had hoped I’d imagined you saying he was back.”
Huli bounded ahead of them, tails flying. In a blink, he shifted fully into his human form, all tails gone. “No! He was there and as scary as Gege said he was! Disappearing and reappearing in the blink of an eye. Just like that Varik.”
“Actually, I think he might be faster than Winter,” Rei murmured. Yichen was instantly at his mate’s side, wrapping a supportive arm around his waist, coaxing Rei to lean on him as they both appeared battered and exhausted.
Once they were inside, Ming Yu mentioned something about tea followed by Rei mumbling something about snacks, which caused Kai’s stomach to rumble. Before they knew it, all eleven of them were shuffling down the hall to the kitchen. Thankfully, it was a large kitchen. The vampires were content with tea, while Kai was more than happy to join Rei and Moon in raiding the pantry and refrigerator for bits of food that had been tucked away.
Xiang stood near the back, his arms folded over his chest, glaring daggers at Huli, who had no problem ignoring him. Kai snagged a shaobing1 from a plate and wandered to his mate. Slipping one arm across his waist to hold him close, he brushed the flatbread bun against Xiang’s flattened lips until he took a bite. The vampire instantly relaxed and let out a happy hum.
“You got a red bean one,” Xiang murmured. Kai swooped in and kissed away a sesame seed that had gotten stuck to his lip.
Do you want me to kill the huli jing? Kai asked using his magic since there was no way he could whisper it in a room filled with vampires.
Xiang jerked in his arms, his eyes wide as they locked on Kai’s face in silent question.
He was very good at protecting Xiao Dan from the fae, but you don’t like him. I will remove this threat from our clan for you.
His lover relaxed in his arms, even resting his head on Kai’s shoulder. “No,” he answered with a sigh.
Kai smiled to himself as he pressed a kiss to the top of Xiang’s head, secretly amused. He didn’t know the full story of why he was so distrustful of the fox spirit, but Huli didn’t seem all bad. Selfish, impulsive, and utterly reckless, but he was dedicated to the safety and happiness of Xiao Dan. For that alone, he should be allowed to remain close to the Zhangs.
“Chen has never told me much about Jiang Chong, other than that this guy turned him and all the clan into vampires. Also, he’s an asshole,” Moon began, talking with a mouthful of stinky tofu.
The Zhang vampires fell silent. Their eyes all dropped to their cups or the food in their hands. Kai could almost feel the swirl of bad memories filling the room with its dark and heavy weight.
“When we first met him, he served as the head of secret intelligence for Emperor Wu during the Han Dynasty.” Each word Xiao Dan spoke was soft and somewhat slow, as if he were still waking from the old nightmare. “He changed Chen and myself in Chang’An before we traveled home to Luoyang, where the clan lived. There, he slaughtered roughly half of the people and changed the rest.”