Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 123477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 617(@200wpm)___ 494(@250wpm)___ 412(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 617(@200wpm)___ 494(@250wpm)___ 412(@300wpm)
Chen released a heavy breath of relief while his brothers chuckled. “I’m glad it doesn’t bother you.”
“Nope. The only part that bothers me is that I can’t do the same for you. I don’t want anyone else laying their eyes all over you, thinking they’ve got a shot.” Moon reached up and cupped Chen’s jaw with his free hand. “You’re mine now, Chen-ge, and I refuse to share.”
A shiver ran through Chen and he felt the need to drag Moon off somewhere private where he could prove to Moon how much he belonged to the witch.
Xiao Dan cleared his throat above the snickering of Junjie and Xiang. “I think maybe we should go inside and discuss what happened last night. We also need to make new plans to locate Yichen.”
“Where are Ming Yu and Meimei?” Moon asked as they followed the others into the house.
“Sleeping,” Xiang answered. “They spent most of the night and some of the early morning hours on the run from the fae. They made it home safely, but both were exhausted when they got here.”
“They will join us after they’ve had adequate rest,” Xiao Dan added.
They gathered in the meeting room, where Xiang poured tea for everyone. Chen swallowed a growl when his brother served Moon. Really, this possessiveness was getting out of control. Xiang was no threat to him. They were family.
Besides, Moon had made his choice and loudly announced it to his brothers.
It also didn’t hurt that Moon sat directly next to him, their bodies touching from shoulder to hip. Moon rested one of his hands on Chen’s knee as if he were battling the same possessive feelings.
Shixiong’s eyes lit on the hand for a second and gave Chen a small smile. Xiao Dan recapped what he saw during the battle and their escape. Afterward, he and Moon relayed all they saw with the fae, Chen’s injury, recovery, and their brief trip through the underworld. He skipped the part about seeing Shifu, however. Those words he wanted to share privately with each of his brothers.
“Have you seen any hints of the fae lurking around your home?” Moon asked when they’d fallen into silence.
“None so far,” Xiang said with a shake of his head. “I patrolled the grounds all during the daylight hours and saw nothing.”
“But we can’t assume that we weren’t followed or that they can’t find us with ease,” Xiao Dan commented.
Moon nodded. “Agreed. With your permission, I would like to add wards to your home and the walls surrounding your property. I can’t guarantee that it will keep them out, but it will act as an early alarm system.”
“We would appreciate it and any magical help you can lend us,” Xiao Dan replied.
“It’s a start, but we need to focus on locating Yichen,” Chen grumbled. The hand on his knee squeezed, and he looked over at Moon to find his mate watching him with soft eyes.
“You can’t find him if you’re not safe. You’ll also need a secure place to bring him to when you find him,” Moon reminded him.
It was a good point. He was being too impatient.
Chen bowed his head to Moon. “You’re right.”
The witch brushed a kiss across his temple, and the tips of his ears burned. He’d never been an overly affectionate person, but he loved every touch Moon blessed him with. He’d just never expected those touches to be displayed in front of his brothers.
“As much as I hate to ask…” Junjie paused and released a loud sigh. “Did anyone actually see Yichen last night? There was so much chaos when they began attacking; I couldn’t see anything. Do we know if Yichen came through the doorway?”
Chen looked around the room, his heart sinking with each headshake. He hadn’t seen Didi in the fighting either.
Xiao Dan rested his elbows on the arms of his chair and leaned forward. “That leaves us with two options. One is that we continue to search for Didi with the goal of freeing him. The other is to locate King Ash and Queen Belladonna, force one of them to hand over Yichen.”
“While I want nothing more than to remove King Ash’s head from his shoulders, I don’t advise an assault on him.” Chen glared at his cup of tea, a final curl of steam rising from the pale-brown liquid. But he didn’t see it. His mind was replaying the fight between him and Ash. He’d spent over two thousand years studying the art of swordplay, and he’d just barely kept up with the elf. The idea of his brothers fighting King Ash made him queasy. “He is a fast and skilled fighter. That’s not including the personal guard at his disposal.”
“But we currently have no way of tracking down Yichen,” Xiang argued.
“What about Greg?” Chen mumbled, half talking to himself as the idea was unfolding in his mind.