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A tiny one.
So minuscule that he’d never notice it missing.
For the first time since leaving the fae realm, Rei missed his old wardrobe. Not that the clothes he’d gained in the human realm were all that bad. A little plain and rough. He’d had clothes for hunting and fighting, as well as embroidered linens and silks that were a caress on the skin. He’d resembled a handsome crown prince in those clothes.
Now that he was receiving Yiyi’s kisses, he wanted something to continue to woo the vampire. Would Yichen still want him dressed in a pair of brown pants with many useful pockets and a hunter green T-shirt? Turning to his left and right in the mirror, he admired the way the cotton stretched across his shoulders and tapered to his waist. Not bad, but he’d look better shirtless.
However, the rest of Yichen’s clan didn’t deserve to see all his beauty. That was for his Yiyi alone. The shirt stayed on. For now.
Clean and dressed, Rei left his room and ducked into Yichen’s. The vampire was in the same position he’d been in when Rei had departed. Yichen’s left arm rested on his pillow and bent over his head. His breathing was slow and deep.
He should go. Yiyi needed his sleep. It was Rei’s fault that Yiyi was sleep deprived. If they were to come up with plans for defeating King Ash and getting the bloodstone, Yichen needed his sleep.
All very logical reasons.
So then, why weren’t his feet moving?
“How did I not realize until now you were so creepy?” Yichen inquired in a low, rough voice.
Shoulders slumped, Rei shuffled over to Yichen’s bed. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
He really hadn’t. But after all of Yichen’s training, combined with his experiences in the fae realm, Yichen was a light sleeper. He’d probably woken up the moment his bedroom door opened. Or maybe he’d sensed a stirring of the air as Rei slipped inside.
Before he could sit on the edge of the mattress, Yichen caught his elbow and pulled him down so that he gracelessly landed on top of the vampire, which was where he wanted to be, but he wasn’t about to be so forward. Well, not when Yichen was sleep deprived. He preferred his prey to be of clear and sound mind. It was more fun that way.
“At least you got a shower,” Yichen murmured as he nuzzled Rei’s neck.
Something incoherent tumbled from his lips. Was he thinking about Yichen being the prey? That was idiotic. His own body was betraying him while his brain stopped at the first brush of Yichen’s lips across his throat.
“Are you hungry? Need a bedtime snack?” Rei asked the moment he could get his stupid brain working.
A long pause stretched between them, coiling tension throughout Rei’s body, but it disappeared without relief when the vampire grunted.
“No, I’m fine.”
“You can. I’m happy to feed you. Anytime. Please?”
Fantastic. Now he was begging. What did it matter? He was willing to beg, plead, and toss all of his self-respect out the window for his Yiyi.
Another noise escaped Yichen that he couldn’t quite name, but it sounded happy as he re-situated them on the bed so that Rei was lying next to him. “Why did you come back? You need to get something to eat. I’ll be up in a few hours. I need only a little sleep.”
Guilt flashed through him at Yichen’s words. He was being ridiculous. Of the two of them, Yichen was the one who’d been harmed and needed time to recover. A nap in the garden had been enough to recharge Rei’s batteries. “No, you need more than that. I’ll leave. You rest.”
As he pushed against the mattress to climb to his feet, Yichen’s arm tightened around his waist. “Stop. Something is bothering you. Tell me.”
Rei’s eyes fell shut and he resettled, his head resting on Yichen’s shoulder. Of course, Yiyi knew that something was off. He might not be able to guess what, but they’d spent too many hours together for them not to read each other.
“Was it real?” he whispered.
“What?”
“The kiss. I keep replaying the moment from last night, and my brain says I imagined it.”
“What about the kisses we shared today when you sneaked into my room the first time?”
He could taste the smile playing on Yichen’s lips as he spoke, and Rei found a grin spreading on his own. “A hallucination. Or a mistake. You’re going to wake up and regret it all. Tell me you were sleep deprived and delirious. Or that you were driven by guilt and fear.”
“You’ve always been a fan of spewing nonsense, but this is impressive even for you.” Yichen turned his head so that his lips brushed across the bridge of Rei’s nose. “You’re not hallucinating. I don’t regret kissing you. I’m sleep deprived, but not yet delirious. And guilt has never driven me to kiss anyone.” With each sentence he spoke, he placed a kiss on Rei’s closed eyelid, the apple of his cheek, the corner of his mouth, and his lips. Slow and sweet, as if he were trying to heal old wounds with his tenderness.
