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“Bel! What the hell is River doing?” Marcus snapped.
“I don’t know! He wouldn’t go after a normal fox. Not like that.” Bel wrung his hands in front of him, his arms wrapped about the bag while appearing as if he wanted to run after the angry wolf.
“Sorry about this. River said he wanted to sniff your property to make sure the fae haven’t been getting too close,” Ethan explained. His brow furrowed, only to have his expression brighten. “Oh! River is a wolf shifter and one of Bel’s mates. He’s very nice, but a little overprotective.”
“We appreciate his concern, but he doesn’t need to worry about that fox. He’s a friend,” Xiao Dan said. His voice was tight, and lines of worry were stretching out from his eyes.
“I’m sure Huli could use the exercise,” Chen added with a chuckle that made Yichen choke on a laugh.
“Shit! That’s Huli, the fox shifter, isn’t it?” Marcus swore. “Bel! Call him off right this second! Huli isn’t a threat to anyone!”
“That’s a matter of opinion,” Chen muttered, causing Xiao Dan to poke him in the shoulder.
“Stop.”
Chen looked chastened when the fox and wolf changed direction and ran right for them. Huli slipped within the gathering and hid behind Xiao Dan’s legs, his many tails wrapping Xiao Dan like an orange-and-white cloud.
“Really, Huli? You could have shifted and ended this before it began. River is our guest,” Xiao Dan scolded. The fox tipped his head up toward Xiao Dan, and Yichen swore he was smiling.
He glanced over at the wolf, who was now seated next to Bel, panting, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth as if he were laughing as well.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Bel said, giving the wolf’s large ear a flick. “You scared me to death.” The bow-tie vampire turned his attention to them and winced. “Sorry about that. River says they were having some fun. They didn’t mean to scare anyone. Apparently, Wyatt had told him about Huli.”
“Maybe we should go in so these two can’t stir up any more mischief,” Xiao Dan suggested, motioning to the front door.
With a murmur of agreement, all except for Huli followed Xiao Dan into the house. The huli jing trotted off for the woods, his tails waving behind him.
Yichen swore he heard Bel admonishing River as they walked in.
“There better not be any dirt on your paws.”
River slipped away with the backpack in his jaws to a bathroom at Chen’s direction so he could change, while the rest of them settled in the large reception room. River joined them a few minutes later as a young man about the same height as Bel with light brownish-blond hair and pale-hazel eyes that glittered with amusement.
“Sorry about earlier,” River apologized, rubbing his hand through his shaggy hair. “My other mate, Wyatt, told me about the interesting fox living on your land. I smelled him trying to sneak up on me and just had to chase him. He gave me a good run.”
“So, this wasn’t about sniffing for fae trying to invade our territory?” Chen asked.
“Maybe a little. But yeah, there’s been a member of the fae on your property. The entire area smells like them.”
“That sounds like my cue.” Rei’s light voice drifted into the room and Yichen found himself automatically rising to his feet as the elf entered. As if a new lightness in his chest carried him upward.
There was something different about Rei that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. His long hair still shone like gold in the lamplight with the braid that started at his temple, now hooked behind one pointed ear. His skin was the same flawless jade, and teasing lit his green eyes.
No, it was his smile. It was easier, losing the bladelike sharpness for something softer and warmer. Genuine happiness. Was that what the elf was feeling?
All those thoughts popped along with the bubble of warmth in his chest when Rei took a step toward him, his limp more pronounced than usual. Something had happened.
The elf moved to his side and pressed his finger into the spot right between his eyebrows. “Stop glaring at me. You said I could sit in on your meeting.”
“It’s not that.” He batted Rei’s hand away and motioned for Rei to take a seat next to him. “Your knee…”
“It’s nothing. When Huli and the wolf ran through, it frightened Junjie’s cat. It jumped in front of me, and I twisted my knee a bit.”
And now I’m going to skin Junjie’s stray cat.
With Rei on his right, he could rest his hand on the elf’s injured left knee and massage it. A happy sigh slipped almost silently from Rei, and he leaned against his shoulder. It was an old habit that Yichen would not stop now just because he was earning questioning looks from Shixiong and Er-ge. This was a thing he’d done for Rei for decades, whenever it was aching and they’d had a moment alone.
“You’re an elf!” Bel exclaimed, capturing everyone’s attention. The vampire leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his chin resting on his hands as he stared with wide eyes at Rei. “A real live elf. I can’t believe I’m in the same room with an elf. It’s so amazing. Just think, a few years ago, I didn’t even know shifters and witches were real. Fast forward to now, and I have both in my clan. But this! A real elf!”
