Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 105815 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105815 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
The “stray cat” Junjie has been feeding and cuddling for months is actually an extremely rare cat shifter.
Of course, Leo would have preferred to continue their arrangement of Junjie feeding him choice bits of fish and rubbing his belly, but he needs Junjie’s help and that means revealing his secret.
An orphaned kitten needs a home after the fae killed his parents, and Leo is the most irresponsible, feckless, lazy creature in existence.
In short, he’s a terrible choice for raising a two-year-old cat shifter.
No. The WORST choice.
Yet, even after the little boy is settled with Junjie and the rest of the Zhang clan, Leo can’t walk away.
There’s just something about that sweet, bashful vampire with the too-soft heart and sexy eyes. And that kid is stealing chunks of his heart, too.
The war with the fae is about to tear the world apart and an old dark shadow has fallen over the Zhang clan, threatening to destroy them all.
Leo must stay to protect his new family. Even if it means giving up all his secrets to the vampire who is steadily stealing away his heart.
Two Thousand Shadows is the fourth novel in the Kings of Chaos series. This book contains a gentle, shy vampire who will stop at nothing to protect those he loves, a shifter with a secret, a nosy family who wants all the spilled tea, other non-human surprises, snark, angst, magic, found family, brotherly bickering, chaos, cuddles, secrets, and an endless love.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Prologue
ZHANG JUNJIE
18 BCE
Luoyang, Zhang clan home
Asummer breeze swept through the plum orchard, stirring the dense covering of leaves. Junjie tensed, waiting for another sharp burn of pain as the fading sunlight shot through a fresh break in the foliage. Sunset was still more than an hour away, but his torture wouldn’t stop just because the sun had disappeared below the horizon.
“Attack now!” Jiang Chong ordered, his voice as sharp and cutting as a blade.
Across from Junjie, Xiang stared at him with an expression of frustration and pain. As a daywalker, the sun offered Xiang no torment, so Jiang Chong liked to use him as a training weapon for the rest of the clan. He expected them to fight and defeat Xiang despite being constantly burned by the sun.
“Attack now, while he’s weak!” Jiang Chong bellowed from his haven in a thick bank of shadows.
“Junjie is not my enemy,” Xiang gritted out between clenched teeth. “He’s suffered enough. The wind is picking up. There’s no way he can avoid the sun.”
“Then he must learn to fight through the pain,” Jiang Chong snapped. His hard, lean features twisted into a sneer. “This entire sect is soft and weak. Your last shifu1 coddled you, allowing endless excuses to stunt your ultimate potential. Even after all my tireless dedication to your training, it’s clear that not one of you will ever be more than a mediocre fighter.”
Junjie tightened his hold on the hilt of his sword to stop the trembling in his hand. Shifu Zhang Shi Lei had been both a brilliant teacher and a loving uncle. He couldn’t stomach another harsh word against him.
Before he could take a step toward Jiang Chong, he caught a tiny movement out of the corner of his eye. He peeked at another shaded spot where Xiao Dan stood under a tree, ever so slightly shaking his head. His dark eyes were full of fear and warning.
“Now attack him, Xiang! I am your creator, and you will obey me!” Jiang Chong’s fierce words rang through the orchard.
But it was Xiang’s low, icy words that struck them all. “No. I’d much rather kill you.”
No one had a chance to react, let alone stop him. Xiang lunged at Jiang Chong, aiming to slice the vampire’s head clean off his body. A surprised cry broke from Jiang Chong as he leaped back and raised his sword in time to block Xiang’s blow.
Junjie hesitated for a heartbeat of indecision. To attack Jiang Chong and fail to kill him meant putting the entire clan in danger. Retribution in Jiang Chong’s eyes was whatever inflicted the most pain. And most of the time that was harming the innocent.
But doing nothing meant abandoning Xiang. It also meant staying trapped under Jiang Chong’s control for another night, and none of them wanted that.
This might be their one chance.
Junjie shot forward as Jiang Chong forced Xiang to retreat. He moved too close to a dancing shaft of golden sunlight, and searing pain cut across his cheek, but he ignored it. He fought Jiang Chong, driving him out of his pocket of shadows, but it didn’t last long. The vampire was older and faster.
Yet, before his blade could touch Junjie, another stopped it. Junjie gazed up to find that Xiao Dan had stepped in to save him.
“Leave now or we will destroy you,” Xiao Dan said evenly to Jiang Chong.