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)
Hoping to improve Rei’s mood, Yichen had fallen on a different kind of sword—he’d asked Shixiong and Meimei to run a couple of errands with him. Meimei was needed because she would know what was best with modern fashions. And Xiao Dan was needed for a bit of his glamour magic, in the event some people proved difficult to deal with.
He’d not needed to tell either of them about the sudden change in his relationship with Rei. Of course not. One or both of them had probably heard it directly from Chen-ge.
Did his clan like to gossip?
Yes. Without a doubt, yes.
Was it also one of the things he missed most about his clan mates?
Definitely yes.
At the very least, it saved him some awkward conversations. The bonus was that not one person in his clan looked at Rei with questioning, doubt-filled eyes. No, they knew if Rei belonged to Yichen, there was no more reason to worry about whether he was a threat to the clan.
And Rei was his.
He could feel it every time their fingers brushed. It was there in every kiss and each time their eyes met. The crown prince of the fae belonged to him and him alone.
So why the fuck was he standing outside of Rei’s room, sweat beading on his forehead and his mouth growing impossibly dry?
After rolling his eyes at himself, Yichen knocked on Rei’s bedroom door.
“If you’re not bringing me good news from Huli or chocolate, I’m not interested,” Rei called out, causing Yichen’s lips to twist in a suppressed chuckle.
“I can’t believe I don’t make the list of interesting things,” Yichen replied, as he shifted to put the hand holding the velvet bag behind him.
There was a soft squeak from the bed and light, frantic footsteps before the door whipped open. Rei stood on the other side with a smirk that didn’t come off as suave as he was probably hoping. His long hair was pulled up in a messy bun as if he couldn’t be bothered with it today, but his eyes were bright as they swept over Yichen.
“My Yiyi is always at the top of the interesting things list,” Rei purred, and it was a struggle to not laugh right in his face.
“Uh-huh.” Yichen placed a hand in the center of Rei’s T-shirt covered chest and pushed, edging him into the room so Yichen could enter and shut the door behind him.
“What is behind my sweet Yiyi’s back? Would it be chocolate? Or has Ming Yu been cooking?”
He couldn’t hold in his laugh any longer. “I can’t recall the last time I saw Ming Yu cooking so much.”
Rei shifted to the left and then right, trying to peer behind Yichen. “Ming Yu said that she enjoys cooking for me. I love her food.” He put his hands on his stomach and grinned. “I can feel the love she puts into all her dishes.”
“You’ve got to be the first elf to succumb to vampire magic. That’s her gift. Warmth and healing suffused into every bit of food she makes.”
The elf scoffed and resumed his attempts to peer behind Yichen. “Hardly. I succumbed to your vampire magic the first time I saw you. Besides, I’m not talking about her gift. Your shijie adores me. She said so. She said she’s happy to cook for me because no one loves her food like I do.”
“Shameless! My ancestors are embarrassed for you right now.” He pressed on Rei’s chest again, this time to hold him at a distance. “Go sit on the bed, and I’ll give you a surprise.”
The crazy elf leaped across the room and sat on the edge of the mattress with a bounce, a wide smile on his face. At the very least, this entire encounter had gotten Rei to stop moping and sighing.
He sat next to Rei on the bed and placed the velvet bag in the center of Rei’s palm. “This is something that I’ve been wanting to do since we came to my clan’s home.”
Rei’s brow furrowed as he rubbed his thumb into the bag, pressing it into his palm so that the contents softly clattered and clinked. “I can’t imagine what this is…” Rei murmured to himself.
After flashing Yichen a nervous smirk, he opened the string tie and poured the contents into his hand. More than a dozen gems, beads, and rings sparkled on his palm. Gold, sapphires, rubies, emeralds. All of it was nearly priceless in cut and quality. It had taken Yichen a couple of days and several trips with Xiao Dan, but they’d tracked down every bit of jewelry Rei had sold when they’d settled in Hartford. The money had gone to pay for clothes, food, and a roof over their heads.
Watching Rei pawn those pieces of his royal heritage had sliced chunks off Yichen’s soul, and Rei hadn’t looked much better. That night, Yichen had sworn he would get back everything Rei sold.