Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 117167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
The elf’s eyes partially opened and a devilish grin spread across his thin lips, making Yichen’s heart give an awkward flop in his chest. He did not need Rei looking at him like that. It was…it was just ridiculous.
“Stop, Yiyi,” Rei purred. “If you continue, I’ll think you care about me.”
“Enough. We’re in this together. That was the deal we made all those years ago. Besides,” he snarled through clenched teeth as he pressed one finger into the center of Rei’s forehead. “I need you alive and in peak form if we’re going to have any hope of sending the fae back where they belong.”
Rei captured his hand and drew it lower so that the tip of his finger almost graced Rei’s pursed lips. “Yes, and you’ll finally be rid of me for good.”
Hot breath gusted across his finger, and he tensed. His throat tightened, but he forced the words out all the same. “Don’t give me that crap. We both know that you’re dying to be away from here. There’s nothing to keep you here.”
Rei’s eyes opened a little wider and his smile grew while his fingers tightened on Yichen’s hand. “Oh, I don’t know about that. It seems like things have improved. Might be a new reason or two for me to hang about.”
Yichen’s heart attempted to shout “What?” but his panicked brain cells acted in time, lodging that single word in his throat. It was better not to know.
“Rei?” Xiao Dan called out.
At the sound of Shixiong’s voice, Yichen jumped to his feet and took a step back, putting some space between him and Rei while also jerking his hand free.
Shixiong walked to the large sofa, his brow slightly furrowed with worry. “Do you have a guess as to why the fae were attacking Moon’s house? What business would they have with him?”
“None, most likely.” Rei shrugged his slim shoulders as he sat up and turned to face him. “They were probably hoping to use Moon to get to me. The former blood witch has had two encounters with my father and the fae. They also know he is associated with Yichen. They know his magic, and they’d be able to track it, at least to some small degree. Vampires, on the other hand, are a black hole to us.”
“A black hole? Seriously?” Yichen interjected before he could stop himself.
Rei shifted on the sofa and smiled up at Yichen over his shoulder. A piece of his hair caught next to his cheek, and it was all Yichen could do to keep from reaching out to move the hair out of his way. “Your magic is the direct opposite of ours. When we use our magic, we see a landscape dotted with heavy emptiness. All exactly the same. If I tried to find you with magic, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between you and any other vampire.”
“But Moon is different? Or rather, his magic was…”
With a nod, Rei returned his gaze to Xiao Dan after tossing a wink to Yichen. “Yes. And considering that Moon lived here for some time, his magic has saturated the grounds. It’s a natural target for them.”
“Two generations of blood witches,” Moon corrected as he clomped down the stairs with a couple of books under his arms. Chen followed silently behind him, a large cardboard box in his arms that seemed to be filled with books as well. “My mother was a blood witch. She and my father bought this place just ahead of my birth and spent some years fixing it up. She had a lot more time to do magic here than me.”
“And your mother is…” Rei prodded.
“Gone. She and my father died in a car accident about five, six years ago.”
Rei bowed his head as he murmured, “My condolences.”
Moon flashed him a crooked grin. “Thanks. Trust me, if she was still alive, she would have been the first person I called about your blood bond issue. She would have loved to study that puzzle.”
“Is that everything?” Xiang inquired as he peeked into the box Chen was holding.
“Not quite. Since we have two cars here, I thought I’d pack up a few more things before we head out. If you don’t mind, of course.”
Chen shoved the box he was holding into Xiang’s arms. “Take this out to the car, please, while I grab his suitcase.” While Xiang sneered at Chen, the vampire had already turned his attention to Meimei. “Can you call Ming Yu and tell her we’re fine and we’ll be returning within the hour?”
“Got it!” she replied, playing around on her phone.
“Moon, if you don’t mind, I’m going to stroll your grounds,” Rei announced, pushing to his feet. “Just make sure we don’t have any stragglers or spies lurking about.”
“Good plan,” Xiao Dan agreed. “Yichen, please accompany him. Make sure he doesn’t need help.”