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)
Xiao Dan had given him this pendant in the name of friendship, in the belief that Huli would one day become something great. He would gain all nine tails and become a powerful creature worthy of Xiao Dan.
But now he was not. He’d lost one of his tails, brought danger into his life, and he might never regain that lost tail.
Huli pushed to his feet and shuffled out of the bedroom. He glanced out a window to find that night had fallen, but was it the same night? It couldn’t be. Had he been asleep for an entire night and day?
Where was everyone? At night, the manor was usually buzzing with activity. There were thirteen people living here, counting himself. While there was ample room for all of them, a person still couldn’t go far without tripping over someone, or at least hearing the echo of laughter down the halls.
Had they all gone out to fight Min?
No, that couldn’t be. There had to be at least a few people there to protect Erik.
“I want her dead!”
Huli froze. That was Xiao Dan. But he’d never heard his sweet and tender vampire speak in such a hard, bitter voice. He wasn’t simply angry. He was enraged. Fury shook in his voice.
He bit the inside of his cheek and forced himself forward through the house toward the main meeting room, where the clan always made their big plans, especially for dealing with the fae. This time, it sounded like Xiao Dan had called them together to deal with Min.
“She hurt Huli. She stole his tail and nearly killed him. I will not rest until she is dead. No! That’s not enough. I want all of her tails. I want her pelt and her head.”
“Xiao Dan, stop and take a breath,” Chen coaxed.
“Take a breath? Were you calm when the fae king nearly killed Moon?”
Huli flinched at the answering silence. There was no need to comment. He’d seen the way Chen had struggled even after Moon had become a vampire, narrowly escaping a permanent death. The memory of the fae king’s attack on Moon had haunted him for weeks following that horrible night.
He stepped into the open doorway to see Xiao Dan pacing at the head of the room. His pale skin appeared almost gray in the light, and dark shadows stretched from under his eyes. Even his normally soft and perfectly styled hair looked messy and greasy. His vampire had not been taking care of himself. He was making himself sick with worry. All the clan watched him with expressions of fear and sadness, as if they didn’t know what to do for him. Huli could not allow this to continue for another second.
“Zhang-ge?”
Xiao Dan whipped around, his wide eyes jumping to Huli’s face. “Huli.”
His name became a prayer exhaled in relief. Xiao Dan started to approach him, but Huli took a step back and bowed low.
With the jade clutched in both hands, he thrust it forward, holding it out to the man who would be his mate. “Forgive me, Zhang-ge. I have failed you. I’m not worthy of this precious gift any longer and must return it to you.”
As he forced the words out, the jade trembled in his shaking hands. He squeezed his eyes shut so he couldn’t see the dangling ribbon swinging in the air. “I brought Min into your life. Put all of your clan in danger. I thought I could defeat her, protect you, but she beat me and even stole one of my tails. Your Huli is a weak nothing.”
Large, powerful hands covered his and lifted them up, forcing Huli to straighten. Huli’s gaze followed those hands as they rose to Xiao Dan’s smiling lips. With tears shining in his eyes, Xiao Dan pressed kisses to Huli’s fingers while careful to keep them curled around the jade pendant.
“I gave you this because I love you, Huli. It’s a symbol of my love for you. Are you saying that you don’t want my love any longer?” Xiao Dan whispered between kisses.
“No,” Huli choked out. “But I’m not worthy of your love. I’m just a stupid huli jing with eight tails. I might never regain my ninth tail. I might never be as strong as I used to be.”
“You are my huli jing.” Xiao Dan squeezed his hands a little more, his smile growing stronger as he spoke. “I fell in love with you when you were a tiny ball of orange fur that liked to jump at my feet. I grew to love you more and more over the years, not because of your tails, but from your determination, bravery, and sense of adventure. You make me laugh, and you love me even though I’m boring.”
Huli’s pain and disappointment was forgotten for a second at Xiao Dan’s words. “You are not boring! You sit under the stars in the plum orchard and tell me stories. Those have always been my favorite memories.”