Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 65856 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 329(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65856 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 329(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Huli jumped to his feet and paced across the room. Except he didn’t get far. The bottoms of his pants slipped over his feet so that he was stepping on the hem, pulling them lower while tripping on them. Xiao Dan leaped up and grabbed him by the waist as Huli tipped forward while fighting to pull the pants up.
“Grrr…stupid pants! Stupid Huli! I should have killed her years ago. Then you would never have to know how stupid I am.”
“Huli isn’t stupid,” Xiao Dan whispered into his hair. He wrapped his arms around his waist, holding him close when Huli would have darted away. “My fox spirit saw something he wanted, and he put in so much hard work to get it. I’ve always been proud of you for working so hard to get your tails. I admire your dedication.”
“Please, stop,” he begged. “Huli is bad. Evil. I planned to kill another huli jing to keep her away from you. I wanted to be powerful so I could make you all mine. It was about what I wanted. I didn’t care about what you wanted.”
Xiao Dan’s arms tightened despite Huli’s words. “Do you care about what I want now?”
Something inside of Huli shattered. He turned in Xiao Dan’s arms and hugged him while pressing his face into the vampire’s chest. “Yes. It’s the only thing that matters. If you don’t love me anymore, that’s okay. I will take care of Min and go away forever if it makes Gege happy.”
“See? You’ve grown up. You’ve learned to care about the wishes and feelings of others. You’re not the same young, impulsive huli jing you were the morning I first found you.” Xiao Dan put two fingers under Huli’s chin and forced his head up to meet his gaze. “And the one thing I want is for Huli to stay by my side forever. No matter what.”
“You’re sure?”
“Very sure.” Xiao Dan leaned in close and kissed away the tears that slipped down Huli’s cheeks before taking his mouth in a slow, deep kiss. The saltiness of his own tears was lost to Xiao Dan’s sweetness.
After a thousand years, he had the man who’d claimed his heart that very first morning in the woods. And he was going to risk everything to keep him until Huli drew his last breath.
Chapter 7
Huli
Huli’s stomach growled. He flinched and glanced over his shoulder to see Xiao Dan still comfortably sprawled across his bed, his blankets pulled up to his chin as he slept undisturbed. After releasing a silent sigh, Huli slipped out of the room and padded along the hall, only to stop at the next intersection. Normally, if he woke while Xiao Dan slept and he needed a snack, he’d head into the woods to hunt something quick and meaty.
But with Min lurking around and threatening his Xiao Dan, he was unwilling to leave the estate even long enough to grab a bite.
The clan’s kitchen always had yummy treats, though. Maybe he could sneak a bite and be back under the covers before Xiao Dan noticed he was missing.
Yes, that was an excellent plan.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one who’d had the same idea in mind.
When he arrived in the kitchen, the two people he didn’t want to see were already in there. Xiang and Chen. His relationship with Xiao Dan’s clan mates had always been a little hit or miss based on how annoying he was being. However, Xiang’s and Chen’s hatred for him had never wavered in one thousand years.
At least, it hadn’t until recently and he was starting to believe that it was the handiwork of Moon and Kai.
“Huli,” Chen said in a low, hard voice. “What are you doing here?”
He forced a wide and bright smile because he knew it would annoy the vampire. “I would imagine the same thing as you—searching for something to eat.”
“Moon’s hungry,” he corrected as if it were some sin that a vampire his age should feel something a low-born as hunger.
“Aren’t those Xiao Dan’s pajamas?” Xiang demanded.
Now that got Huli to smile for real. He held his arms out and gave a spin. “They are. Don’t they look great on me?”
“I’m sure Da-ge won’t appreciate you stealing things out of his bureau,” Chen grumbled.
“Not stolen. Gege picked them out for me. Gave them to me to wear after we…” He let his words drift off, and his smile grew wicked.
Chen held up both hands in front of him as if to ward off more words. “Enough! I don’t want to hear any more.”
Huli snorted. “As if I’d tell you more. You don’t deserve to hear about Gege’s happy moments.”
“Like you even care about Shixiong’s happiness. The only thing that matters to you is what you want,” Xiang muttered. He disappeared into the pantry. A second later, he could hear the sounds of crinkling bags and the shifting of containers along the shelves. “Where the hell did Rei hide those cookies with the frosting?”