Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 105815 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105815 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
“Is that what this is? An attempt to weasel information about Leo and me?” Junjie lifted his chin and shrugged a shoulder. “Sure. I’ll tell you about Leo, if you’re equally willing to answer questions about you and Huli.”
A horrible choking noise escaped Xiao Dan as if he’d sucked in a great gasp of air and it had gotten lodged in his throat. Junjie had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.
“What?” Xiao Dan croaked. “Me and Huli? What questions could you possibly have? There’s nothing going on between us.”
Junjie rolled his eyes. “Don’t try that with me. I’m not Chen or Xiang. Huli might be the most self-centered, immoral creature I’ve ever met, but he worships the ground you walk on and would do anything you asked. That includes behaving according to your moral code and putting his life in danger for a bunch of people he doesn’t care about at all. Everything he does is to make you happy, which he is actually quite good at.”
Xiao Dan frowned at Junjie and let out a huff. “Well, this completely backfired on me.”
With a chuckle, Junjie settled on a stone bench set under a maple tree. It faced the rear of the house, giving them a good view of the lights glowing through the windows. Even from his distance, he could hear Erik’s giggles as he played with Yichen and Rei. Both of them had started off very uncomfortable with the little boy. Yichen had never spent much time with the younger children in the sect, and Rei had never been around human children. Erik offered a wealth of new experiences.
Thankfully, Erik was very outgoing and seemed to sense that Yichen and Rei needed help, so he would be the one to seek them out with toys and show them how to play with him. After a couple of playdates like this, they caught on, learning to relax and following the child’s lead.
“Chen and Xiang can complain about the fox spirit all they want, but if you make each other happy, what do I care that he’s not human? We aren’t technically human any longer,” Junjie continued.
Xiao Dan sat next to him, a tiny smile playing across his lips. “Huli is…special.”
Junjie kept his snarky comments to himself. This had to be one of Xiao Dan’s first times actually talking about the fox spirit. For as long as he could remember, his shixiong had spent his time either defending the huli jing or denying that there was anything between them other than friendship. One had to watch Huli for only five seconds to know that he was hopelessly infatuated with Xiao Dan. But if you watched them a bit longer, Xiao Dan would inevitably soften toward the fox, and it was clear there was more going on in his heart than mild affection.
“I was there when he was simply a fox learning some human words. I was there when he shifted into a human for the first time.” Xiao Dan shook his head, his smile fading away. “What if he is attached to me simply because he’s not spent time getting to know others in the world? What if he’s meant to give his heart to another fox spirit?”
“In all the legends about huli jing and jiuweihu, there’s little of them giving their hearts to anyone. They’re known for being sneaky and selfish. They take. In this instance, Huli wants very much to take you, but he’s also willing to give all of himself over to you. That’s got to count for something. Maybe you should think about trying to meet him halfway.”
“And will you be following your own advice with Leo? Your relationship with the cat shifter has progressed even further than mine with Huli.”
Junjie tried to ignore the sudden burning in his cheeks. There was no such thing as being quiet enough in a house full of vampires with superhuman hearing. With Chen, Yichen, and Xiang gaining mates, it was in all their best interests to learn to be selectively deaf. Sadly, when Leo had driven him over the edge with his mouth, he couldn’t even claim that he’d tried to be quiet. Nope. The cat had broken him, and all of his clan had heard it. As well as some of the Variks.
“That was…it was just a stress reliever. We’re friends. That’s all. He’s only interested in having some fun, while my focus is on protecting Erik and getting rid of Jiang Chong.”
“Mn,” Xiao Dan grunted in agreement, but that noise didn’t sound as if he particularly believed Junjie.
“It’s the truth. Leo isn’t the type to get involved with a single person. Cat shifters prefer their independence and don’t want to be tied to one person. Besides, he’s probably sticking close to make sure that we’re a good match for Erik. Once he’s sure the child is in good hands, he’ll move on.”