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)
The silence of the cave was driving him mad. There was nothing he could use to locate Kai. Just as hopelessness threatened to choke him, his light flashed across a body stretched out prone. He was wearing the same clothes he’d last seen him in and there didn’t appear to be a single scratch on him, but blood soaked through the garments like he’d bathed in it.
Xiang dropped to his knees beside Kai and, with trembling fingers, touched the side of his neck. A choked gasp broke from his throat when he felt the erratic pulse beat against his skin. Kai was cool to the touch and his breathing was shallow, but he was still alive.
With extreme care, he rolled Kai over.
“Xiang?”
Kai’s voice was low and raspy, as if it took all his energy to say his name.
“I’m here. I’m taking you to the hoard.”
Kai’s eyelids fluttered but didn’t open. “Leave me. Not safe.”
“There’s no fucking way I’m leaving you here,” Xiang growled. “I dare the dragon to show his ugly face to me. I’ll tie his tail in a knot and break off both of his horns for laying a single claw on you.” As he spoke, he draped Kai across his back with his arms dangling over the front of his shoulders. He thought he heard the weak huff of a laugh, but it also could have been an exhale of pain escaping the man.
With his friend settled as best he could, Xiang walked toward the hoard. Or at least, he hoped that was the direction he was headed in. He couldn’t remember any of the specific turns he might have made on his trek to find Kai. No, he’d relied on desperation and instinct, which were the same two things that guided his feet now.
After what felt like an eternity, Xiang at last spotted the golden glow of light pouring out from the entry to the hoard. He let out a fractured sigh of relief to step into that sanctuary. Once inside, he kicked the door shut. The resounding metallic echo gave him a sense of security for the first time. It wouldn’t keep the dragon out, but at least it created the illusion of safety.
Xiang rushed into the bathroom where he ran a warm bath and stripped Kai of his blood-sodden clothes. There wasn’t a single scratch to mar his porcelain skin, but he was covered in blood, as if it had leaked out of his pores. With extreme care, he put him into the water and washed away the blood.
He lifted him out of the tub, wrapped him in the fluffiest of towels, and carried him to the bedroom where he laid him on the bed, covering him in layer after layer of blankets to keep him warm. Even after the hot bath, Kai remained as cool to the touch as a vampire, and that was not normal.
Through all the movement and bathing, Kai never made a sound. His eyelids never flickered. The only proof Xiang had that he was still alive was the pulse he checked repeatedly, and the shallow breaths he drew in.
Xiang sat on the edge of the bed and ran a hand through his hair to find that it was damp with sweat. “This isn’t fair, you know?” he mumbled. “Tending to injuries and illness is not my forte. That’s more of a thing that Jiejie is good at. She knows how to bandage wounds up so the gauze doesn’t come loose or cut off the circulation. And she has this amazing soup she makes with tofu and radishes.” Xiang held up his hands, as he could see Kai’s answering skeptical look in his mind. “No, I’m serious. I know it doesn’t sound appetizing, but really, it’s wonderful and it would fix you right up. We—” The lump that blocked his throat choked off his words.
The longing for home and family swept in from out of nowhere and left his eyes stinging with unshed tears. He wanted to go home. It had been the one constant in the passing days that never left him, but right now, it was a knife carving away at his heart and soul.
Yet, he didn’t want to go just for himself. He needed to take Kai with him. Su Ming Yu would know what needed to be done to make Kai feel better.
Even after Kai healed, he wanted his new friend to be there with his family. In his heart, he knew Kai would get along so well with Shixiong, and there was some wicked part of him that so wanted Kai to kick Chen’s butt at weiqi. He wanted to see Kai’s reaction to the crazy things that came out of Moon’s mouth and the smile that would slide across his lips at the first taste of Jiejie’s cooking.