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)
“We have everything ready,” Ming Yu stated confidently. “Take him straight to your chambers.”
And with those simple words, it was like the weight on his chest lifted, allowing him to catch his first deep breath since they’d spotted Kai in the center of the courtyard.
As soon as he laid Kai on the clean sheets, he was happy to hand Kai’s care over to Ming Yu and her centuries of experience. He followed her instructions to the letter, washing away the blood and getting him wrapped up in the warm blankets to bring his body temperature up. He held Kai’s head as he fed him a pale, restorative broth while healing incense filled the air.
A couple of hours passed before his eyelids fluttered and opened. His gaze seemed unfocused, and his face scrunched up as if he were in pain.
“Xiang?” he asked in a rough voice.
He moved closer, sitting right on the edge of the bed so that his hip pressed against Kai’s. The dragon frowned and pulled one of his hands free of the blankets, lifting it to his head. “She wanted to take my horns.”
Xiang captured that wandering hand in both of his and pressed kisses to his knuckles. “I didn’t let her take your horns. They’ll be right where you left them when you turn into your dragon form. I promise. We need you to stay human until you heal.”
Kai’s frown deepened, and his eyes closed. “Promise?”
A little noise escaped Ming Yu, and she lifted her hand to cover her mouth, as if she were trying to hold in a laugh. Even though he was hurt, it was a good sign that he was at least talking.
“I promise. No one is going to take your horns. I’ll kill anyone who tries to get near you.”
That was an easy promise to make. He would never let anyone hurt him like this again. It was stupid to think that just because Kai was an ancient dragon, he was impervious. No, his dragon needed protection. It was the same way that his clan of vampires needed protection while the sun was high. He’d been gifted with the ability to walk in the sun, and he used it to keep his family safe.
Now fate had given him a dragon who was vulnerable to the evil power of the fae queen. It was time to take her down so that Kai would always be safe from attacks like these.
Ming Yu climbed to her feet from where she’d been kneeling on a cushion. She gathered up some of the healing supplies she’d prepared. “I think you’ve got everything in hand with him for now. I’ll leave you to watch over him as he sleeps. When he wakes, I’ll have a nice soup ready for him that will replenish his strength.”
Xiang caught her hand as she moved past him to the door. “Thank you, Jiejie. I would have been lost without you.”
A warm smile spread across her pale-pink lips, and her dark eyes twinkled at him. “I’m always happy to help. You remember to get some sleep as well. You can’t help him if you’re exhausted.”
“I will, Jiejie.”
Ming Yu leaned forward to press a kiss to the top of his head, just like she had a thousand times before, but she paused. They both looked over to find Kai half sitting up and one of his hands on her shoulder, holding her away from Xiang. The dragon’s eyes were still closed, but there was a deep frown on his face while his brows furrowed together in a pair of black slashes.
“No. Mine,” Kai grumbled, his tone a mix of jealous and petulant.
“Kai!” Xiang gasped.
Ming Yu giggled as she straightened. “No, no. He’s right, Xiang. You are his.” She pulled free of Kai’s grasp and left the room, shutting the door behind her.
Xiang picked up Kai’s limp hand and pressed a kiss to his palm. “Ridiculous dragon,” he mumbled with a smirk.
He placed Kai’s hand under the blanket and stripped to his underwear. After turning off the lights, he slipped under the covers and wrapped his arms around Kai’s body, trying to be careful of his injuries while hoping that his close presence could help to put him more at ease.
The darkness wrapped about them, cool and silent, washing away the heat of the battle and the bitter taste of evil so that Xiang could hear Kai’s steady heartbeat and his slow, even breathing. Queen Belladonna didn’t matter. The horrible things she’d done to Kai didn’t matter. Later, he would pull out each image from his mind and use them to fuel his vengeance against the woman.
But for now, he wanted the man in his arms to be healthy. He wanted all the amazing power and strength to pour back into this human frame, making Xiang feeling small and so very protected. Kai’s grumbled and snarky comments needed to fill his ears. He wanted to return to the days of lying on the giant mound of cushions in the hoard, his head resting on Kai’s chest, while the dragon read a book.