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)
“Kai?”
“Hm?”
The vampire’s arms loosened to the point of nearly falling away, but he didn’t lift his head. His voice remained muffled against Kai’s chest. “Could you talk the dragon into returning the door?”
“What?”
“The door. It’s gone. I swear I won’t try to escape through it, but…when it’s not there, I kind of lose my mind. It doesn’t make sense, but I feel more trapped.”
Kai winced. He’d forgotten about that. His temper didn’t strike often, but it was nasty when it did. With little effort, the door reappeared at its normal spot on the far wall. “The dragon returned it when he let me come in. I’m sorry about that.”
Xiang’s head jerked up, his dark hair falling forward into his eyes while his lips parted in surprise. “Really?”
Releasing him, Kai stepped away as he motioned to the steel door that broke the monotony of stone. Xiang jogged across the room and placed a trembling hand on it, as if he needed to check that it was real. A high-pitched laugh broke from his throat as he laid his forehead on the door. His shoulders slumped, and the vampire appeared so worn and tired.
“Xiang?” Kai said as he reached the vampire’s side.
Xiang shook his head and straightened, moving away from the door. “It’s okay. I’m okay. I panicked when it disappeared.” He turned to Kai and cracked a weak smile. “I know you and the dragon come and go using magic. I mean, what better way to protect a dragon’s hoard than to have it all locked away in a doorless room? Logic claimed I could get out with magic, but…”
“Logic doesn’t always rule the mind,” Kai finished for him.
“No. Seeing the door is reassurance that I’ll be able to leave one day. I might have also broken one of the dragon’s swords.”
Kai’s chest tightened in panic as Xiang led him over to a long table where the broken remains of a thousand-year-old sword lay on the gleaming wood. All sense of loss fizzled when he caught sight of the smears of blood on the hilt. Xiang hurt himself in his frenzied panic, and it was all his fault.
Reaching out, Kai caught Xiang’s limp right hand and turned it over, inspecting the palm and fingers. There was no sign of his wounds other than some redness and smears of dried blood, but it was proof enough that Xiang had been both physically and mentally hurting.
The sword didn’t matter. The only thing that was important now was healing Xiang.
“You will get out of here. I know it,” Kai stated through the sudden tightness of his throat. He released Xiang’s hand and gripped Xiang’s shoulder, squeezing it. “Come sit. Rest. I have something to show you.”
“What? The dragon find a new bauble to add to his collection?” Xiang showed the first spark of his usual snarky energy since Kai entered the cave.
Kai directed him over to the giant mound of cushions with the gold tassels and silky fringe. It was the one place he frequently found Xiang when he slipped into the cave. Well, it was the one place he found the vampire aside from the moments he preferred to pace and cause trouble.
As Xiang flopped onto the giant pillow mountain and closed his eyes on a happy sigh, Kai called over the box he’d brought with him. He clutched it in both hands and then thrust it at Xiang before the twisting knots in his stomach could convince him to change his mind about this.
“I felt bad about what I did to your phone,” Kai blurted out.
Xiang blinked, his eyes wide and slightly crossed as he stared at the box mere centimeters from his nose. “Um…” He took the box and tipped it so he could look at the picture of the smartphone on the cover. His grin spread until it split his face and the twinkle returned to his eyes. A low laugh started and built as he’d dropped on the pillows, holding his stomach with his free hand.
A burning spread across Kai’s cheeks, reaching up to the tips of his ears. He’d wanted to make Xiang feel better, but he hadn’t wanted to make a fool of himself in the process. It was no better than he deserved after what he put Xiang through.
Of course, that didn’t mean he was going to stand there and allow Xiang to continue to laugh at him. With a huff, Kai turned on the balls of his feet, preparing to walk away from the cackling creature, when a firm hand snagged his wrist and jerked him back. An embarrassing noise erupted from Kai’s throat. It may or may not have sounded like a chicken’s squawk.
His body half collided with Xiang’s, and he ended up nestled in the cushions. He froze, trying to ignore the alluring scent of jasmine coming up from the pillows to mix with Xiang’s own personal musk to create something more valuable than all the perfumes of the world. He wanted to turn his head into Xiang’s neck and breathe him in. Instead, he kept his eyes trained on the vampire’s smiling face as it appeared above him.