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)
“What?” Chen gasped. At that, the vampire grabbed Moon and jerked him into his lap, wrapping him up tight as if trying to shield Moon with his own body.
The witch’s expression softened, a smile tugging up her lips. “Blood magic and vampire magic are not the same thing. They are close. Almost cousins. But not the same. Necromancy and vampire magic are much closer. You would have been better off being a necromancer and turning into a vampire.”
“Lovely. I’ll tell Sky he’s got a backup career as a vampire,” Moon muttered from the depths of his embrace.
Zelda made a dismissive sound. “Don’t you dare. The boy is finally on a good track with Nolan. If he can stay away from that demon king, he’ll be fine. The point is, blood magic is similar enough that you can still access it. Unfortunately, the two magics are tearing you apart. It takes a full century for vampire magic to settle in every cell of your body. While that magic is trying to take over and remake you, the blood magic you keep tapping is tearing you in the opposite direction. You’re creating a war within your body. When you use blood magic, you lose control, right?”
“Yes,” Chen answered when Moon remained silent.
“That’s the vampire magic fighting for control of both you and that magic you have access to. If you continue, bad things will happen. Not only to you, but potentially to anyone near you. That includes possibly killing your mate.”
“No!” Moon’s voice cracked. He twisted in Chen’s arms, holding him tight as he buried his face in his lover’s neck. “Never,” came out muffled.
“I don’t wish to scare you, but if it means you stop doing magic for your own good, so be it.”
“I won’t. No more magic,” Moon agreed. “I will never hurt my Ah-Cheng or my clan.”
“At least for a hundred years,” Zelda tacked on with a sigh. “Become a vampire first. Get good at that first. Then try out a little magic. It might still be waiting for you.”
“Plus, you still have to receive your vampire gift,” Xiang chimed in. “You might get something good. You never know.”
“I’m so sorry, baobei. I know how important your magic is to you,” Chen whispered into Moon’s hair.
“It’s okay,” Moon replied, though his voice wobbled a bit. “I had fun with it, and I think my mom would argue that loving my mate is more important than a bit of magic.”
The hand resting on Rei’s shoulder tightened, and the pressure seemed to reach down to his heart. He wanted to look back, to see the emotion in Yiyi’s eyes. Was it pride in the love and support of his clan? Or was it more like the deep, desperate envy that was twisting in Rei’s own chest? Did Yichen long for someone to love him like that? Someone who would give up everything to stay at his side?
“Now, you two.” Zelda’s weary voice tore Rei from his thoughts and forced him to his feet.
With a small smile, he bowed to the witch. “I am Crown Prince Wistari Elnaril Reymaris, but you may call me Rei. This is Prince Wu Yichen of the Zhang clan.”
Zelda chortled. “A pair of royals in a tangle.” She winked at Philippe, who sat in the chair beside her. “I told you my nights are never dull.” She clapped her hands and rubbed them together. “Rafe told me something about a blood bond between you, and yep, there’s no missing that.” She turned her attention to Yichen. “The fae kidnapped you. Guess they forced you to drink from this one.”
“No one forced me to drink his blood!” Yichen roared, taking one step toward the witch before Rei could catch him. “I was injured and left for dead. Rei saved my life. He freely offered. If I hadn’t drunk his blood, I would have died.”
“Are you sure that’s what he was doing? Saving you?” Zelda needled.
Rei flinched as all the eyes in the room snapped to him. He’d been expecting this. Much sooner than now. It was as if the thought hadn’t crossed the minds of Yichen’s clan mates that maybe Rei’s offer hadn’t been so altruistic. That maybe he’d done it to gain control of the vampire.
“How dare you! Who the fuck do you think you are? First you torment Moon and now you’ve set your daggers on Rei. Why? Because he’s an elf. To hell with this! We’re leaving!” Yichen stomped to the exit while a heavy silence blanketed the room.
After breaking from his momentary shock, Rei jumped in front of Yichen, placing his hands on his chest to stop him from leaving. “Wait. She can help.”
“I don’t care,” he snarled. He grasped Rei’s wrist, pulling his hand from his chest, but he didn’t release him. His fingers tightened, as if he intended to drag Rei out of the room. “I’m tired of everyone staring at me like I’m broken and looking at you like you’re some evil monster. They don’t care about the sacrifices you made for me. They don’t care…” His voice broke and the last of his sentence fell away unspoken.