Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 117167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
“I’ve never seen you do something like that.”
Yichen’s voice had him spinning around to find the vampire approaching on the narrow stone path. He was holding something in his hands, but Rei couldn’t identify it. But then, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from the soft look in Yiyi’s hazel eyes.
“Until now, everything was about fighting and protection. Swords. Knives. Bows and arrows. But that wasn’t about fighting, was it?”
“No. It was a simple spell to feed the plants some much needed energy from the earth. My way of saying thank you for housing me these past several days.”
“It was stunning. Beautiful.” Yichen looked away from Rei and cleared his throat as his eyes skimmed over the trees. “Everything seems healthier now.”
Rei bit his bottom lip to keep in his teasing comment. Every word out of his mouth didn’t need to rankle the vampire. Just every other one.
Wiping away some sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, Rei took a step toward Yichen. “What are you holding?”
“Oh, this. Something Moon found tucked away with the things he brought to the house. I thought it would help to cool you off.”
Rei parted his lips to ask about it, but the words never got to leave his tongue. Yichen hurled the item in his right hand straight at his chest. The item crashed into him and exploded in icy water that soaked into his T-shirt.
“Apparently, something called a water balloon was invented while I was away from the human world.” Yichen cackled before sending a second one at Rei.
This one he caught, but it was more fragile than he expected. The bright-blue ball exploded in his hand, sending water across his face.
Yichen’s bright laughter filled the garden, making Rei forget about the water dripping from the tip of his nose and clinging to his eyelashes. While the vampire was forever trapped in the body of a twenty-one-year-old man with a face filled with the freshness of youth, the weight of his two thousand years could be found in his eyes. Except for now. As he cackled himself breathless, all those years and worries disappeared, releasing a carefree soul.
And Rei had seen nothing so lovely in all his life. He wanted to bottle that sound and pull Yiyi into his arms. His soul screamed to wrap him up and protect him from everything, just so that this joy never faded.
Rei shook off the thought as soon as it formed. There was no wrapping up Yiyi. The vampire was a force that couldn’t be stopped. Stubborn and brave in equal measures. The best he could do was try to keep up with his vampire for as long as he could stay at his side.
“Oh, that’s your mood this evening,” Rei drawled as he wiped the drops of water from his face. “Please, allow me to reply.” With a brisk wave of his hands up his body, he drew all the water from his clothes. The droplets hopped from his flesh and gathered in a growing ball in front of him.
“Shit!” Yichen swore, though chuckles edged the word. He turned on his left foot to run for the house, but it was already too late. Rei shoved the ball of water at Yichen, sending it slamming into his back. The ball exploded, soaking his clothes and hair.
A hiss escaped Yichen on impact, but it didn’t stop him. He ran for the house, stopping by the stairs to pick up two more water balloons. This time, Rei understood the game. He ducked behind the trees and twirled out of the way as each of the balloons sailed past him.
“I’m not done with you! I won’t be the only one drenched!” Yichen shouted as he headed for more ammunition.
Rei snorted and closed the distance between them. Before the vampire could reach the house, he wrapped his arms around Yichen’s waist and put his chin on his shoulder. His heart hammered against Yichen’s shoulder blade and his cheeks hurt from all his smiling. Breathing deeply, he dragged in Yichen’s soft, woodsy scent, holding it in his lungs. The man’s smell was finer than the rarest flower.
“Take another step and I’ll toss you in the koi pond.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“I—” Rei’s words became lodged in his throat when the door opened and Xiang stepped out, one eyebrow raised in question at their embrace. Rei brazened through the moment, flashing the intruder an enormous grin as he released Yichen.
“Rafe called. Zelda is going to be at Phoenix in an hour. If we want to meet with her, we need to leave soon,” Xiang announced.
“Great! I just need to get changed,” Yichen replied. He turned to give Rei’s shoulder a playful shove, and then he stepped past Xiang into the house.
“Guess I should make myself presentable as well,” Rei murmured as Yichen disappeared. His foot touched the first step, and Xiang’s soft words stopped him.