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)
“I don’t know what to do, Er-ge,” he finally whispered.
“That’s easy. You need to talk to Rei. Understand your feelings for him, and find out if he has any feelings for you.”
Well, Rei had returned his kiss. That was a step in the right direction. Maybe.
But was it enough to ask Rei to upend his entire life and remain in the human realm? Leave all that he knew behind…just for him?
Chapter 15
Rei
The sweet scent of grass teased his nose. Water giggled and somewhere close, birds engaged in a high-pitched argument. A cool breeze slipped over his bare arms, lifting the fine hairs before gently setting them down again.
He was outside.
And it was so very peaceful.
He blinked his eyes open, and dancing sunlight blinded him. He lifted a hand to shield his face and glanced about. The small garden off the blue sitting room. Someone had put him in the garden. Why wasn’t he sleeping in the room they’d given him when he arrived?
The corner of his mouth quirked up, and he dropped his hand to his side. Kicked out already.
His eyes closed, he drew in a deep breath, holding the warm summer air in his lungs while nature’s power held him in a lover’s tight embrace.
Black Dogs.
His father had sent the pack after him.
The memory of the previous night came to him in jagged fragments. Darkness had enveloped them as the Black Dogs gave chase. As they were escaping, will-o-wisps appeared to lead them off the bridge.
Falling…
Falling from the car.
No, Yiyi had caught him. Yiyi had caught him, saving him from slamming into the road.
The kiss!
Rei jerked upright, sucking in a harsh breath, only to choke on it. He coughed several times, his hand pressed to his chest. This was stupid. He needed to find his Yiyi. He had to know if that kiss was real. There was no way he’d dreamed it.
Okay, maybe he’d dreamed of kissing Yichen hundreds of times—but never like that. Not in such perfect detail.
“Shit! Of course, you woke up the moment I stepped away for a drink of water.”
Rei’s head snapped up to find Xiang standing in the doorway. His shaggy hair was a mess, as if he’d been running his fingers through it. He was wearing a pair of baggy shorts and a T-shirt with the sleeves cut out. A half-empty bottle of water dangled from the fingers of one hand.
“If Yichen asks, you have to tell him I was right here when you woke up. I don’t want to hear any of his nonsense about me not protecting you.”
Rei pushed to his feet, swayed a bit as his head fought to clear the last of the fog. The second the world righted itself, he lunged at the vampire. Xiang gasped and tried to run, but he didn’t get a step. Wrapping his fists in the vampire’s shirt, he shoved him hard into the wall.
“Is Yichen okay? Did he get hurt when he landed on the road? Did the dogs return? Is he—”
“Whoa! Hey! It’s okay! He’s fine. Everything’s fine. He didn’t even need any blood. Just a little bruised and some road rash on his back, but he was all healed up ahead of dawn. I swear!” Xiang spit out as quickly as he could.
A rush of air exploded from his lungs as relief washed over him. His forehead landed on Xiang’s shoulder as he tried to steady his weak knees. Yiyi was okay. He’d been in no shape to help him last night, though he would have been fine with Yichen taking some blood to heal his injuries. Not that Yichen would. Nope, his vampire would rather suffer in silence than take even a sip of blood if he couldn’t ask permission first. Of course, he knew he had Rei’s permission, but it wasn’t the same.
Lifting his head, he pinned Xiang with an intense stare. “Now, this is important. I need you to think very carefully before you answer.” He paused and licked his lips, making sure he had Xiang’s full attention. “Last night, after Yichen caught me and we were lying in the middle of the road, did he kiss me, or was that a dream?”
An enormous grin spread across Xiang’s face, brightening his dark eyes. “Oh, yeah. He kissed you. He kissed you, and you passed out.”
Rei’s heart somersaulted in his chest once, then raced off to locate Yichen, leaving the rest of his body behind. “That’s fine. I plan to rectify that problem right now.”
With a final pat on Xiang’s shoulder, Rei spun around and jogged through the house on silent feet. He was still learning the layout of the place, but he knew where his and Yichen’s bedrooms were in relation to that garden. Yichen had likely chosen it because of its retractable roof and closeness to his own room, in case there was a problem during the day and he needed to get to Rei quickly.