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He glared at the marble countertop, though he didn’t see the swirls of white amid the black. Maps of the area and potential plans that his father might pursue filled his mind. It made little sense that King Ash was wasting time hunting him when he needed to focus on crushing the humans. Eventually, the humans were going to face facts that they were up against some serious magic and bring out their bigger weapons. The fae needed to be in a position of strength before that happened.
All he could figure was that his father was insane and obsessed with him, or he truly believed that the person most likely to have a shot at killing him was Rei.
That was fine. Rei very much wanted to be the person who killed King Ash.
“We need information. Reconnaissance. We can’t make any effective plans until we have an outline of where my father has set his forces and where he’s making moves,” Rei grumbled as he tapped an index finger on the counter. Unfortunately, since he was the only member of the fae who’d sided with the vampires and humans, he was their best option for sneaking through the forest. It was just that he was one person. How much ground could he cover? Not enough.
“Winter Varik has been monitoring things during the past month, making notations on a map when it looks like the fae are shifting their forces. When Shixiong wakes up, we can see if he’s received an updated version,” Xiang stated.
Rei’s head snapped up. “What? How? A vampire has watched them undetected? That shouldn’t be possible.”
Xiang’s grin was positively wicked. “Winter Varik’s power is walking through the dead realm. He can move past most of the fae undetected. There are a few who can sense him, but he can get closer than the rest of us.”
Rubbing his hands together, Rei cackled. “Brilliant! That could come in handy. With that information, we can make plans to kill King Ash.”
“If he’s dead, will that stop the fae’s plans? You know, cutting the head off the snake.”
Rei was quick to shake his head. “Maybe, but unlikely. Queen Belladonna can easily wield the might of the fae army and she seemed as eager to take over the human realm as King Ash. Killing the king will force them to retreat and regroup, buying us more time. But, most importantly, it gives us the bloodstone Yiyi needs to be free of me once and for all.”
“I thought you didn’t want to break this blood bond.”
He glared at the vampire, tempted to grab a knife from the butcher block on his right and throw it at his head. “No, I don’t. The selfish part of me wants him to feed from me and only me for all time. The idea of him feeding from anyone else makes me stabby.” He paused and drew in a deep breath through his nose. When he released it, he grinned stiffly at Xiang. “However, that’s irrational. We’re going into battle soon. If something were to happen to me…” He licked his lips, shoulders slumping as it felt like the knife he’d wanted to throw at Xiang was now plunged into his own chest. “I don’t want Yiyi to suffer because of me. We need to get the bloodstone.”
“Even with information about the fae army’s movements, we’re going to need more help,” Xiang muttered. “The last time we went up against them, we knew we had no hope of beating them. Our goal then was to buy Chen and Moon time to find Didi. If we’re going to kill the king, we either need a much bigger army or we need someone on the inside who can sneak in close to him.” He counted their options off on his fingers. “Is there anyone else like you who holds a grudge for the king and queen? Maybe a faction who doesn’t want to take over the human realm but wants to go home.”
Rei shrugged. “I’m sure there is, but I haven’t been in contact with them. Not too many members of the fae would dare to side with a crown prince who was regularly locked up with a vampire prisoner.” He paused and tapped his bottom lip with the tip of his finger, a slow smile spreading across his face. This was an idea. A lovely, wicked, nasty idea.
“However,” he drawled out as he lowered his hand to fold it in front of him with the other. “There might be someone who hates King Ash and Queen Belladonna as much as I do. Someone who would take pleasure in seeing them fall…and more.”
“Who?”
“Trin, my half brother.”
Xiang blinked at him, staring wordlessly at him for a second before his mouth finally moved. “You have a half brother? I was starting to think you fae ate your young.”
“Almost. But yes, I have a half brother on my mother’s side. They have killed all my direct siblings off, but I have a few half siblings running around. Or more accurately, hiding from my demented parents. Trin is one of the few I’ve ever been in contact with. He’s a very skilled fighter, and even appeared at the skirmish at Moon’s house. That means he’s currently involved in my father’s plans. Do you think we could get this Winter Varik to deliver a message to Trin?”
“Probably not,” Xiang answered with a frown. “That’s getting closer than he’s been able to so far. But Huli was able to get deep into fae territory to locate Yichen. I bet he could deliver a message.”
“Huli?” Rei lifted one eyebrow at the vampire, who was already grinning. “Is this the same creature you wish to bleed so I can make the stone to remain in the human realm?”
“Yes, but keep that to yourself. I haven’t had the chance to tell him the good news yet!”
Rei rubbed his forehead and sighed softly. “I’m wishing for Zhang Xiao Dan to tell the huli jing about this development. I fear that if you tell him, I might never get my stone made.”
“Shixiong will talk him into it. Don’t worry.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to ask why Xiang and so many other members of the clan had a problem with the fox spirit, but he pushed aside the question for another time. Yichen was a better option for that information. For now, he let Xiang’s animosity toward the huli jing go.
“If we can get a message to your brother, are you sure you can trust him?”
Rei shook his head. “No, I’m not. Not unless I can give him what he wants. The good thing is, I think I have a trade he will find very appealing.” He didn’t say more and thankfully, Xiang didn’t press. The important thing right now was getting someone on the inside who could help them. That would not be a simple task.
Chapter 17
Wu Yichen
By the time Yichen awoke that night, phone calls had been completed and information exchanged. And they had guests arriving at their home. Vampire guests.
