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“Be polite, Huli. Rei is a friend of Yichen and a guest in our home,” Shixiong admonished.
Huli huffed in Rei’s direction. “Be grateful, elf. I wasn’t allowed inside until I was bleeding and near death.”
“Not close enough to death for my liking,” Xiang muttered under his breath.
The fox made an annoyed barking noise at Xiang and then bounded off to the dark shadows and the trees.
“Is…is that the same huli jing—I mean jiuweihu—that we glimpsed near our home in Luoyang?” Yichen inquired.
“It is,” Xiao Dan murmured.
“Gods, I pray it is. I cannot accept the idea of being cursed with more than one,” Chen added.
“Shhh…be nice,” Moon chastised Chen even as he wrapped his arms about his waist and snuggled close.
“Things have changed,” Yichen mumbled. He didn’t know which was more peculiar—that they were on good terms with the fox spirit or that Chen had found a mate.
“Yes, but most things have not,” Junjie reassured him.
“Let’s move inside. We can show you to your rooms and catch up on everything that’s happened.”
Xiang snorted behind him as they began the slow walk toward the house. “A century of catching up. I think we’re going to need more than Shijie’s soup and spareribs.”
“We don’t have to cover everything in one night,” Jun-Jun grumbled.
“There is one thing that we’re hoping to cover soon,” Rei spoke up for the first time.
A knot formed in Yichen’s stomach. Part of him didn’t want to talk about it. He didn’t want to talk about any of what had happened to him in the past hundred years. He longed to slide back into his old life with his family and pretend the horrible things he’d experienced had never happened.
But that wasn’t an option. Rei was right. For either of them to move on, they needed to tackle this blood bond first.
“He’s right,” Yichen began. He cleared his throat when those two words got caught in his throat. Gentle fingertips brushed against the palm of his hand and the knot in his stomach eased at Rei’s reassurance. He wasn’t alone. His family would not turn on him. “We’re hoping Moon can help us. We need to find a blood witch.”
Bright, loud laughter exploded from Moon while everyone seemed to stop and stare at them, their mouths hanging open. Only Chen didn’t look shocked or even amused. Moon had collapsed on him, and Chen easily held his mate while gazing at his still-giggling face.
“You’re ridiculous,” Chen said while a smile played on his lips.
Moon lifted his head and pointed at Yichen. “I might be ridiculous, but your luck is amazing. I’m your blood witch.”
Chapter 4
Rei
Awkward didn’t begin to describe the situation.
Rei didn’t need to read the minds of the vampires to guess what they were thinking.
What the hell was their precious little brother doing with one of the monsters who’d kidnapped him?
Would they believe he wasn’t there for nefarious reasons?
He had no desire to make things difficult for Yichen, but if something were to happen to him and Yichen needed blood, it was better if Rei was close.
Not to mention, Rei needed someone to watch his back so he could close his eyes each night without worrying some assassin would kill him.
Regardless of the discomfort that had become an itch he couldn’t quite reach, he wiped his face of all emotion and followed the vampires inside their home. It was exquisite. Warm woods, delicate artwork, soft colors. A haunting scent that somehow reminded him of Yichen. Everything about the place offered soothing serenity for the mind and soul.
“Is your home in Luoyang like this?” Rei inquired in a low voice.
