Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 111252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
With his empty hand, Xiang placed it flat on the floor and pushed himself to his feet while shoving his broken phone into his back pocket. “No, bagged blood isn’t a great help. It buys a little time, but not much. Particularly since I’ve gone so long without feeding. I need to get it straight from the source. The dragon has to let me out to hunt, or there are going to be problems very soon.”
Kai retreated another step. “What kind of problems?”
“Hunger problems. The blood lust will cloud my mind. I won’t be able to think or reason. You won’t be able to come in here anymore. No matter how hard I try, I won’t be able to stop myself from attacking you.” Xiang reached out and clapped a hand on Kai’s shoulder. “I don’t want to hurt you. I know you’ve got some kind of dragon magic working for you, but it won’t be enough to keep you safe.”
Ignoring the sudden flutter in his stomach, Kai pulled free of Xiang’s hold and walked over to the nearest chair. He dropped onto the floral-patterned cushion with only the softest creak from the old wood and frowned, not really seeing the glistening wood coffee table in front of him holding one of his collections of gold and jewel-encrusted snuff boxes.
“What if…what if the dragon brought a human to you? Could you feed off the person and then the person would be set free?” Kai blinked, focusing his gaze as he looked up at where Xiang was hovering over him. “That’s how vampires hunt, correct?”
“You mean catch and release? Yeah, that’s how we do it. We don’t drain them dry or change them. They’re all free to go when we’re done.”
Kai got the painful irony. He was suggesting bringing a new prisoner in and letting them go before Xiang could taste his own freedom. It was cruel, but right now, keeping Xiang hidden away in his hoard was the safest thing for him. If Xiang was in the hoard, there was no chance of him encountering one of the fae. In the passing days, he’d even begun to lie to himself, saying that maybe the queen would forget about Xiang’s existence.
“Unless you’re offering to supply me with blood while I’m stuck in here,” Xiang said as he sat on the sofa diagonal to where Kai was sitting. Kai’s head popped up to find Xiang tightly smiling at him, but there was no matching amusement in his eyes.
“I can’t,” Kai replied, his voice low, barely more than a whisper.
“Yeah, I kind of figured.” The air in Kai’s lungs froze. Did Xiang know he was the dragon holding him prisoner? Had he been playing along all this time?
Xiang continued, allowing Kai to breathe again. “I don’t get the impression that dragons are the sharing type. The colossal beast wouldn’t appreciate me nibbling on you.”
Kai choked on air. That was not what he’d been expecting Xiang to say, and now images of being wrapped in Xiang’s tight embrace filled his mind. Those pink lips moving up the length of his neck until reaching—
“No!” Kai shouted as he jumped to his feet. Xiang jerked back in his seat, his eyes going wide. Kai had no idea why he was standing or shouting. Was it getting hot in there? Why the hell was it so hot?
Clearing his throat, Kai returned to his perch on the edge of the chair, keeping a tight rein on his wandering thoughts. “I mean, you’re right. I don’t think the dragon would permit it.”
“So, you’ll talk to the dragon? Tell him he has to let me hunt, or things are going to get fucking complicated fast,” Xiang pressed.
Kai swallowed hard and nodded once. “I’ll pass along your message. I’m sure something can be arranged.”
A single finger appeared in Kai’s line of sight, and he blinked to find Xiang pointing at the tip of his nose, his expression stern. “And no bagged blood. That won’t fix anything.”
“Right. No bagged blood. No bringing donors here. You need to hunt,” Kai repeated.
They sat in awkward silence as Kai fought to hold in an apology that wanted to trip from his lips. Yes, he was sorry for Xiang being stuck there. He didn’t want to keep the vampire away from his family and his life. He didn’t want to make his life difficult. Yet he believed that the only way to keep him alive and safe was to keep him hidden away in the hoard. The fae couldn’t find him. No one could find him.
But hiding Xiang created problems for the vampire. He needed to feed.
Of course, that sent his stupid brain rambling down the previous path. What was it like to watch a vampire hunt? He’d seen a few in his long lifetime, but he’d never watched one hunt their prey, let alone feed.