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)
“Rei, can you tell if this storm is naturally occurring?” Xiao Dan inquired, lifting his voice to be heard over the rustling of the leaves.
Junjie’s stomach twisted as his mind filled in the rest. Or is the storm the result of fae magic?
Rei looked up and frowned. “I’m inclined to say yes, with a little bit of no.”
Yichen bumped him with his shoulder, his lips twisted into a smirk. “You’re going to need to do better than that, darling.”
He paid for that snarky comment. The wind shifted direction, and the vampire got a face full of his long hair. Yichen growled as he shoved it away while Rei snickered at his mate. Both of them wore their hair long, but Rei had been smart enough to weave his into a long braid before they set out. Yichen had made do with only part of his hair pulled into a high ponytail.
Junjie smoothed his expression, taking this as a sign to ask Mei Lian to trim his hair. He’d been considering growing his hair long like Yichen, but this was a friendly reminder of what a nuisance it could be.
“I believe the storm itself is naturally occurring,” Rei continued, pausing to stick his tongue out at Yichen, then looking at Xiao Dan again. “However, there’s a bit of magic in the air. I can’t tell if Trin is intentionally intensifying the storm or if there’s more magic than normal because of the eradication of the humans.”
That was a lovely reminder that the fae were growing stronger with every city devoured by the forest and every human home that was abandoned as they moved west to safety.
“Let’s push on. We still haven’t reached the spot Marcus indicated on the map,” Xiao Dan ordered.
Junjie marched with Xiao Dan, Huli, Yichen, and Rei through the woods to investigate a potential spot for another fae ritual as a team of Variks examined a separate location. The rest of the Zhang clan remained at the manor, prepared for yet another attack by Jiang Chong.
As much as he dreaded a massive battle with the fae, Junjie was equally tired of this stalemate they’d reached. They had been unsuccessful in locating Trin’s or Jiang Chong’s hiding spots. The fae knew where to find the Zhang clan, but they appeared unwilling to attempt a direct assault, thanks to Kai’s presence.
That left the fae with one option—send in Jiang Chong to create chaos and fear within the clan while the fae bolstered their position.
The one good thing out of all this was that Leo had promised to remain at the manor and protect Erik while he was away. That felt safer for both of them, and Junjie could focus on the task in front of him.
Out of their group, only Huli seemed to be enjoying himself. The fox would run ahead of them, sniffing the air and searching for any sign that the fae were in the area. After several minutes, he would return, running straight to Xiao Dan, circling him as if checking to make sure he’d come to no harm. His tails flicked and fluttered about him and Shixiong. The things acted as if they had minds of their own, and yet all they probably thought about was Xiao Dan.
“Do you smell any fae in the area?” Xiao Dan asked on Huli’s most recent return.
Huli sniffed the air twice and sneezed. “Hints here and there, but nothing fresh. Of course, if they’re downwind of us, I have no hope of detecting them until it’s too late.”
Xiao Dan ran his hand along the top of Huli’s head. “It’s the coming storm. No one is blaming you for that.”
Huli darted a short distance away from Xiao Dan to run up a fallen log that had one end wedged in the dirt and the other balanced several meters in the air on a flat rock. The fox stood at the top, his head held high and chest puffed up. Behind him, his nine fluffy tails danced in the wind like a cape.
“What do you think, Gege? Am I impressive now? Like one of the superheroes,” Huli called out.
Xiao Dan walked to the fox. “Huli is always impressive.” His hand moved on Huli’s head to get a spot right behind his ear and Huli’s mouth fell open, showing off rows of sharp, pointed teeth. He would have looked vicious if his long pink tongue hadn’t lolled out the side of his mouth.
Just when Junjie thought he would have to nudge his shixiong and the fox spirit into continuing their journey, Huli’s head snapped up, his ears erect and turning on his head. Junjie couldn’t tell if he smelled something on the wind or heard something above the rattling of the branches, but he was alert while the rest of their team stood silent, hands sliding for their weapons.