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Not the most reassuring news, but Yichen couldn’t claim he was surprised. He’d felt it the first time he’d bitten a human after returning to this world. Only something powerful could have rewritten a vampire’s ability to survive on the blood of humans. To fix it, they’d need formidable magic.
But it seemed as if the blood witch in Chen’s arms wouldn’t be the one supplying that magic. The spell he’d used to examine their blood appeared fairly simple. If Moon attempted to fix him, terrible things were likely to happen.
They were now left with the question: who could they turn to for some powerful magic if the blood witch cradled in Chen’s arms wasn’t an option?
“Don’t give up hope!” Moon exclaimed, pointing a shaking finger at him and Rei. “We need to think and research. I’ll talk to my friends and some other covens. We’ll figure something out.”
“The first thing we need to do is get you some rest and possibly some blood,” Chen declared. As he spoke, he helped Moon to his feet and swung him up into his arms.
“Wheeee! Princess carry!” Moon cried, almost losing his words to a fit of giggles.
“Because you’re my princess,” Chen murmured as he walked away.
Yichen lowered his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. This…this was too weird. How could this be Chen? Since returning, his er-ge had shown glimpses of the grumpy stiffness he’d known all his life, but this doting on Moon was…strange.
Except there had been times when he was younger and Chen had displayed a surprising warmth and loving side to soothe Yichen’s frustration and pain. Maybe Moon drew out that side of him he always kept hidden.
“It doesn’t get better,” Junjie muttered under his breath from Yichen’s left.
He lifted his head and glanced at his clan brother, who was smirking. “They’re disgusting together, but on the bright side, Moon has mellowed Chen out. He hasn’t tried to kill Xiang in over a week.”
“That’s unusual?” Rei asked from the other side of Yichen.
“Mn. Definitely. Xiang is usually driving Chen so crazy that Chen threatens him at least once a day.”
Ming Yu swept in, clicking her tongue at a snickering Junjie and waving her hands at him to shoo him away. “Enough. Our guest doesn’t need to know that you’re all insane.”
“It’s okay,” Rei countered. He flashed his most easygoing smile that almost drew a groan from Yichen’s throat. He knew that devilish grin. “Yiyi spent most of the past century telling me stories about his life with the Zhang clan. I knew you all couldn’t be sane if you called someone like him brother.”
“Ugh. Whatever. Let’s go inside.” Yichen reached out and finally did the thing he’d been itching to do for what felt like hours—he grabbed Rei’s elbow and pulled the elf after him.
“I’ll show you to the rooms we’ve put aside for you. We have more to discuss, but I think it would be prudent to spend some time settling in.”
As usual, his shijie was wise. It was wonderful to be home, but he’d been away too long. Things felt different. He felt different, and not because of his unusual tie to Rei. No, this was something deeper. Some peace would help to calm his soul and mind. Maybe even help him get rid of this nagging need to run to the city and the shabby apartment he’d shared with Rei.
Chapter 6
Rei
He couldn’t sleep.
The sun was still a few hours away from rising, but this was an excellent opportunity to catch up on some sleep. After three weeks of hiding and having only each other as protection, all the stress should be falling off his shoulders, sending him straight into a deep, exhausted slumber.
Except now Yichen’s family, who couldn’t decide if he was their didi’s savior or his doom, surrounded him.
Of course, they weren’t giving any outward signs that they wanted to murder him—other than Xiang’s brief attempt to strangle the life from him. Yiyi seemed to have talked them down, and now they watched him with cautious, curious eyes.
But how was he supposed to reassure them that he didn’t mean any harm to their precious brother? Their worries and unease added stress to Yichen, distracting him when he needed to focus on dealing with the king and queen.
A soft sigh slipped between his parted lips, and he rubbed his eyes. They both needed to focus on his parents and not this blood issue.
A sharp but quiet knock on his door cut through the silence of the room. He lifted his hand and narrowed his gaze on the door in the darkness. There had been no sound of movement in the hallway to announce anyone’s approach, but the awkward skip of his heart claimed that it was Yichen sneaking over for a secret visit. Was it wishful thinking on his part while he was amid a vampire clan who could move with the same level of stealth? Probably.
“Yes?”
The door opened, and Yichen slipped through the small opening. He closed it behind him without making a sound and turned to face Rei where he lay on the bed.
“What’s wrong?” Rei inquired, taking in his companion’s deep frown and the pucker of his brows.
