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Yichen’s head snapped up at Xiao Dan’s firm tone. The vampire stood over him, his left arm extended with his hand turned up so that his pale wrist pointed at his face.
His body and mind were at war with each other. The bloodstone had left him feeling as if he hadn’t fed in years, as if it had sucked every drop of blood from his body. And yet his mind was screaming to not reach for Shixiong. The memory of those failures was still sharp. What if it didn’t work? What if he vomited up his shixiong’s blood? The shame of it would crush him.
And what about Rei?
He glanced over at the elf, who was watching him. The smile on his lips was reassuring, but it didn’t touch the mix of fear and worry in his bright-green eyes. Before reaching for Xiao Dan, he slipped a hand around Rei’s nape and pulled his lover in close, touching their foreheads together.
“This changes nothing between us. You still belong to me and only me,” Yichen whispered.
Rei swallowed hard enough for Yichen to hear it. “And you’re still mine, always.”
Yichen brushed a quick kiss to the corner of Rei’s mouth and released him. He might have caught sight of Chen’s smug smile as he turned to Xiao Dan, but he ignored it as he dropped to his knees in front of Xiao Dan. With shaking hands, he took Shixiong’s arm in both of his.
“I’m not worthy of the gift you are offering me,” Yichen murmured.
Xiao Dan’s right hand rested on the top of Yichen’s head, gentle and soothing. “You are my beloved shidi. Our didi. I am happy to give everything I am to keep you and all of our clan safe.”
Yichen didn’t hesitate another second. Raising Xiao Dan’s smooth wrist to his lips, he bared his fangs and bit down. Warm blood gushed into his mouth. It was cooler than the normal human’s but it was so rich and powerful, filled with the magic and strength of a two-thousand-year-old vampire. And it tasted like heaven. There was nothing off or strange as it hit his tongue. Not like the last time he’d fed from someone other than Rei.
The power poured through him, saturating starved cells and muscles, soaking in to all the places wounded and raw from having Rei’s magic pulled from his body.
For the first time since returning to his clan, he felt like he was home. That he belonged among them.
Tears slipped along his cheeks, and he swallowed against the lump that had formed in his throat. He was home.
After a hundred years, he was finally home.
Chapter 31
Rei
Rei ran his thumb over the plastic card, his teeth digging into his bottom lip as a swell of giddiness tried to bust forth as a giggle. After everything, why did this silly thing make it all real? But it did.
“Hey! Huli said that the sneaky vampire was here. Who’s he talking about?” Swift footsteps accompanied Yichen’s grumpy words, which only made Rei’s smile even wider.
Turning to face his mate, Rei moved the card behind him and tried to temper his smile to something less manic. “Sneaky vampire? I’m guessing he’s talking about Winter Varik. He stopped by to drop something off. He’s already left.”
Yichen’s brows snapped together over his nose, and his lips thinned into an even darker frown. “Already? Is something wrong? Problem with the Variks?”
Rei shrugged one shoulder, keeping both hands behind his back. “Not that I know of. He didn’t mention any problem to me.”
His mate continued to stare at him, seeming unconvinced. “And no news about that dragon?”
Rei shook his head. It was safer than talking.
“Okay, what’s going on? Now you’re being weird. Why did Winter stop by? What’s behind your back?”
“What? Weird?” Rei winced as his voice cracked on the second question. This was not going well. It was hard to act when he was excited and trying to hide something from Yiyi.
The frown softened on Yichen’s lips, and something like a spark of amusement lit his soft hazel eyes. He took a single step closer, and Rei’s heart skipped. “I said, what’s behind your back?”
“Nothing. Why would you think anything is behind my back?” As he spoke, aware that his act of innocence and nonchalance wasn’t believable, Rei retreated, moving toward the main hall. He was close to the front door, but Yichen would have him in the time it took for him to open it. The hall was a better option if he was going to escape.
“Where are you going, my prince? You know there’s no escaping me. I can run just as fast as you.”
“Run?” A breathless laugh broke from his throat as he took another step that was answered by a step from Yichen. “Why would I need to run? I’m not running.”
“Rei…” There was a warning in that low, dark drawl of his name.
