AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“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.
Rei placed his free hand on Yichen’s cheek, tilting his head so their eyes met. “It’s not that they don’t care. They don’t know. You’re not broken, but your family is still wounded. A horrible hole was cut into your clan when the fae stole you. It’s not enough to have you home to heal that injury. They need time, like you need time to find your way in this world again.”
“Rei,” Yichen whispered. His name was a raw sound that sliced through Rei’s heart, but he forced a smile on his trembling lips in answer.
“Yiyi, it’s not us against the world any longer. You have your family back, and they only wish to help you. These Varik vampires are taking risks to help you as well. You’re not alone anymore.” With his thumb, he wiped away a stray tear as it slipped from the corner of Yichen’s eye. “You’re home and you’re staying here. I swear it.”
“Us,” Yichen said roughly.
“What?”
“Us. They’re helping us. Not just me. We’re not alone anymore,” Yichen corrected.
Rei could only nod. A lump had suddenly formed in his throat to block his words. It was for the best. If he could speak, the only thing that was going to come tumbling from his lips was, “I love you.”
I love you with everything that I am.
I love you. Please don’t let me go.
“Didi,” Chen broke in, saving Rei from his own stupid heart. “We never meant to make you feel this way.”
Yichen lifted his gaze to meet Rei’s eyes. With a reassuring grin he prayed didn’t look forced, he motioned with his head for Yichen to look at his clan brother.
With painful slowness, Yichen turned to face the room. Concern and maybe a touch of heartbreak were written on everyone’s faces. Even the witch appeared contrite.
“Sorry about that,” Zelda murmured. “I had to be sure the elf wouldn’t fight things when we went about getting you separated.”
“I want Wu Yichen to be happy and safe with his family,” Rei replied from behind his Yiyi. The vampire was still stubbornly trying to protect him from everyone.
“Okay, okay. Come sit. The fix is both easy and complicated.”
