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 darted off in a slightly different direction, running as fast as he could to reach their private place ahead of the vampire. The trees changed and gave way to a large orchard rich with the scent of plums perfuming the night air. He shifted into his human form. Out of habit, he shoved his fingers through his short hair and ran a hand over his shirt and pants. When Xiao Dan saw him, he needed to be perfect.
But as the vampire stepped into the broken moonlight of the orchard, it was easy to see that something was wrong. A hand covered his mouth and his steps were uneven, as if he were carrying a great burden on his shoulders.
“Zhang-ge?” Huli called out as he walked toward him.
“Huli!” His name broke from Xiao Dan’s throat in a sob. Huli rushed the last several meters that separated them, catching his vampire as his legs gave out. He wrapped his arms around Xiao Dan’s body and he eased them both to the damp ground, clasping him as he cried.
What was happening? In all the years he’d known Xiao Dan, he couldn’t recall ever seeing his vampire so broken. Xiao Dan’s fingers twisted in Huli’s shirt and pulled him close even as his cool tears fell on Huli’s skin, sending a chill through him.
Who had hurt his dearest love? They were going to die. Huli was going to hunt down this person and slaughter them for hurting his gege.
“Zhang-ge, what has happened? Tell your Huli, and he will make it better.”
Xiao Dan shook his head as he sucked in a ragged gasp of air. “Took him. Someone…took him.”
That was…shocking. How could anyone be strong enough to steal one of the Zhang clan vampires? They were each two thousand years old. He didn’t know of anyone else who was as old or powerful as these vampires. Huli thought he was pretty impressive, but he was no fool. With Xiao Dan and his clan, he was barely more than a pup, even with all of his nine tails, and that would never change.
“Who?”
“Yichen. Our littlest shidi. Someone has taken him.” Each word was hard, sounding as if Xiao Dan were forcing a shard of glass out of his throat.
Huli frowned. That was the one he hadn’t seen in a while. Out of all the vampires, Yichen and Ming Yu were the most tolerant of his presence. Not going out of their way to chase him from the buildings and orchard. Junjie and Mei Lian pretended he wasn’t there. It was Xiang and Chen he had to avoid. They would chase him with weapons. They had become especially violent when they’d learned he could masquerade as a human.
But Yichen wasn’t a bad sort. Quiet. Kept to himself. He liked to pick fights with Xiang occasionally, and Huli enjoyed those moments.
“Do you know who has taken him?”
Xiao Dan’s crying calmed so he could speak more clearly. “He disappeared a few nights ago. We found a place just outside of town in the woods where there were signs of a fight and…and some of his blood.”
Still, Huli struggled to wrap his brain around what he was being told. The vampire had studied the martial arts of the Sword of the Heavenly Garden sect for thousands of years. Who could have been strong enough to take him? How could no one have noticed an entire army attacking one man?
Unless, maybe, they’d surprised Yichen…and then what? Drugged? Could a vampire be drugged? This made little sense, but that didn’t make it any less terrifying. Would the villains who stole Yichen come for his Xiao Dan next?
“Do you know who—”
Xiao Dan was shaking his head before he could finish his question. The vampire lifted his head from Huli’s shoulder and wiped the tears from his cheeks. Huli frowned at the man who held his head in his hands. He was too pale, and the shadows under his eyes were far too dark. Xiao Dan was wearing himself ragged with worry about Yichen, and most likely keeping it all hidden away from the rest of his clan mates. Shouldering all the burden while never whispering a word of complaint.
“We don’t know. There’s another vampire who lives in the next town over who spoke of humanlike creatures with pointed ears and blond hair who spoke a foreign tongue. Creatures of nature and magic.” He paused and stared at Huli for several heartbeats. The fox spirit caught on and violently shook his head.
“I’ve never seen them. They’re not huli jing; I’m sure of that.”
Xiao Dan sighed. “I’ve never thought for a second that you had anything to do with this. You would never do anything to hurt me.”
That was true. However, he was sure that the rest of Xiao Dan’s clan did not think the same.