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)
“Shidi, I don’t understand what’s going on.” This came from the vampire who appeared to be the oldest of the group. The leader of this clan. Xiang flinched, and Kai’s heart sank as he waited for Xiang to release his hold on Kai’s hand. To feel him pull away and return to his people.
“It’s a long story that we’ll get to, but the short of it was that Kai had no choice but to take me. However, he didn’t harm me. He nearly died protecting me from Queen Belladonna when she ordered him to kill me,” Xiang explained.
“It’s okay, Xiang,” he whispered, forcing his fingers to release Xiang when his entire body ached to pull him deeper into his embrace. Just wrap his arms around Xiang’s chest and fly them to the hoard. It was the only safe place in the world.
But it wasn’t. Not really.
If it was so safe, the fae would never have been able to sneak in and steal his sword.
No, the last safe place for Xiang was with his clan. His family.
His heart cracked down the center as he lifted his hand free of Xiang’s waist and slipped it out of Xiang’s grasp. The vampire whirled, confusion twisting up his handsome features.
“What…” Xiang started to demand, but Kai stopped him with a small shake of his head.
“It’s time for me to leave. You are home safe with your clan.”
He took a step back toward the door and Xiang lunged at him, grabbing his biceps with one hand and wrapping his other across the nape of his neck. “No! You can’t leave.”
“I don’t belong here.”
Xiang’s hand moved to cup his cheek, forcing Kai to tilt his head so their eyes locked. “You are staying. We’re going to talk. Fill them in on what happened. Afterward, we’re going to have a big meeting about how to move your hoard here, so you know it’s safe.”
“Here?” The single word broke from Kai’s thought. “You want me to move my hoard here?”
Xiang’s smile spread so wide it twinkled in his eyes. “Of course. That way, you’ll always be close to it while you’re here with me. Plus, you’ll have an entire clan helping to protect it.”
“You want me to stay with you?” Kai knew Xiang had said those words to him more than once, but he’d never allowed himself to believe them. Xiang was supposed to be saying them simply to get Kai to take him home.
Well, he was home now, and Kai was willing to leave him with his clan. No more imprisonment in a cave under the river. Xiang was free, and yet he continued to cling to Kai, pulling him into this clan that meant the entire world to him.
Xiang’s thumb rubbed along his cheekbone in the sweetest caress, sending Kai’s fragmented thoughts scattering to the wind. “I want you to stay. It won’t be just you anymore. You have people now.”
There was no more conscious thought. Only need.
Sweeping his arms around Xiang, Kai pulled the vampire into a tight embrace. Their mouths collided in a kiss that blotted out the entire world. He wasn’t sure who started the kiss. Maybe they met in the middle. It didn’t matter. Xiang was holding on to him as if he were the only person he ever wanted to be with. At the first touch of Xiang’s tongue across the seam of his lips, Kai opened, welcoming him inside.
Clan. Hoard.
No, this was the only place he wanted to be.
Chapter 15
Li Xiang
Oh Gods, Kai knew how to kiss.
His fucking toes were curling in his shoes. Xiang wasn’t entirely sure how they’d gotten to this point, but he was not complaining. It was just that Kai had started talking about leaving and something inside of Xiang’s brain had screamed that if he let Kai out that door, he would never see the dragon again.
And then he couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.
Never seeing Kai was like losing a limb, or maybe part of his soul. Whatever. He was beyond rational thought and was willing to do whatever he needed to convince the dragon to stay. He’d figure out shit with his family later.
But now he was in Kai’s arms, lips moving together, tongues tangling. Every breath he inhaled was an exhale straight from Kai’s lungs. This was perfect…except for one thing.
They had an audience.
“Damn, I should have made popcorn,” Meimei whispered loudly.
“Should I be recording this? I feel like I should be recording this,” Moon chimed in.
“Definitely didn’t see this coming,” Junjie muttered.
“I’m so confused,” Chen stated, and Xiang almost broke off the kiss there.
“They’re lovers,” Moon replied in a low tone that rivaled Meimei’s. “They’ve been fucking in this dragon’s hoard while he was kidnapped.”
“Rescued,” Meimei corrected.
That ended the kiss right there. He was giving his family the wrong idea, right? Well, they hadn’t been intimate like that. He had the image growing in his mind now, though. He had seen Kai naked once, but blood had covered the dragon from head to toe. It hadn’t been conducive to sexy thoughts.