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“How are you so calm about this?” Yichen muttered as he stood beside Xiao Dan while they watched a sleek black sedan roll down the driveway toward their home. Shixiong appeared at ease on his left. Chen was stiff, at least, but it didn’t look as though it was from worry. This was just Chen being proper. Strangers were entering their private domain. Vampire strangers.
When they’d been living in China, they had met very few other vampires outside their own clan, and those meetings hadn’t gone well. In other words, they’d killed those vampires, or the survivors had run off to inhabit another part of the country. The Zhang clan did not abide anyone else invading their domain of Luoyang.
Of course, it had been their experience until now that other vampires couldn’t be trusted.
“I’m calm because there is nothing to worry about. The Variks were key to finding you and bringing you home,” Xiao Dan replied with a smile. “I’ve also had many conversations with Aiden. He’s a wise and compassionate man whose only goal is to protect his children and their mates. As long as we are no threat to his family, he is happy to regard us as a friend of the Varik clan.”
“Besides, they’ve lived in this region far longer than us and have developed a sizable network of vampires, witches, and shifters,” Chen interjected.
He got it. Information was something they were running short on, and it was dangerous for any of them to head into the woods to find the fae on their own.
The car parked next to one of the Zhang SUVs, and three doors opened. However, before anyone could step out, an enormous wolf with white-and-gray fur leaped out and began sniffing around the driveway, edging closer and closer to the grassy areas. Its large, bushy tail wagged behind him.
A few seconds later, a lanky man in a suit and bow tie tumbled through the same door, a backpack clutched to his chest. “River! Don’t go far. We haven’t asked permission for you to go sniffing about.”
Two more men climbed out of the front seats. The driver was taller and broader than the other two men but had the same dark, wild hair as the bow-tie man. The third vampire was shorter with blond hair and an affable grin that was in direct contrast to the tall man’s scowl.
“Which one is this Aiden?” Yichen inquired under his breath.
“None of them.” Xiao Dan chuckled. “Two of them I’ve never met, but I believe the one calling after the wolf is Beltran. The tallest is Marcus Varik, Aiden’s eldest son and his right hand in all political and clan matters. It would be my guess that the younger, blond vampire is Marcus’s mate, Ethan.”
“And the wolf? A pet?”
“If that is Beltran,” Chen started, “then the wolf is one of his mates.”
“Oh, I—” Yichen stopped and leaned forward to stare openmouthed at Chen. “One of his mates?” he repeated as his brain tried to call up the memory of Xiang mentioning something about that earlier.
Chen’s smile was wicked as he nodded. “Yes, he’s the one who has two mates—both of them wolf shifters.”
This guy? This guy with the crazy hair and bow tie has two mates?
Yichen straightened. “I have questions.”
“You should talk to Xiang and Meimei,” Chen grumbled. “They also had many questions when they discovered he had two mates. Questions I am still attempting to bleach from my brain.”
Xiao Dan cleared his throat, though it sounded like he was also trying to muffle a laugh as Marcus and the others walked across the driveway. The blond vampire had fallen into step next to him, his lips parted in a small O as he took in the beauty of their home. Beltran was several steps behind, calling the wolf to his side.
“It’s like I stepped into one of those Chinese martial arts movies,” the blond whispered. “Is this even real?”
“Oh, my! This is quite stunning and spacious!” the other vampire murmured as he got the wolf to come to his side.
“Thank you so much for your kind words,” Xiao Dan greeted. “We are thrilled to welcome you to our home.” He turned his attention to Marcus and extended his hand. “It is good to see you again, Marcus. I hope that your father and his mate are well.”
“Aiden and Ronan are well, thank you,” Marcus replied in a low, deep voice as he shook Xiao Dan’s hand. “He sends his apologies for not coming in person.”
“No apology is necessary. We are honored by your visit.”
Marcus drew the blond vampire close, his hand lingering on the back of his neck. “I would like to introduce my mate, Ethan Varik.”
“An honor,” Xiao Dan said, and they all bowed their heads to Ethan.
“And this is my younger brother, Beltran Varik. I believe you met his twin brother, Rafe.”
“Yes, it was an interesting experience,” Yichen murmured.
Beltran chuckled. “It usually is, though most people aren’t so restrained in their comments about Rafe. He—” A deep, angry growl from the wolf cut him off. “What?”
The word had barely left his lips when the wolf let out a vicious snarl and darted away from the gathering toward a small stand of oak trees. A sharp yip rose from the trees and a fox with many lush tails zipped through the trees.
