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Before Rei could withdraw his short sword and straighten, Trin’s bloody blade was pressed to his throat.
“And you swear you have no interest in the throne?” Trin growled.
“That depends,” Rei squeezed out between clenched teeth as he fought to keep his limbs from trembling under the weight of holding that awkward position after the fight. His father’s body had already slipped off his sword and tumbled to the ground. Muscles burned and his head swam under a flood of endorphins.
“On?” Trin prodded.
“Yiyi?” Rei shouted. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited. The sounds of the fighting had grown distant and even the elf spellcasters were silent.
“I’m here. And in one piece,” Yichen called out. His voice was tired, but he didn’t seem hurt.
Rei opened his eyes and fluttered his eyelashes at Trin. “Yes, I have no interest in the throne.”
Trin snorted and lowered his saber as he took a step back, putting a more comfortable distance between himself and Rei. “All for a vampire.”
“Hardly,” Rei scoffed. With a grunt, he straightened and rolled his shoulders. “It’s all for love. You should try it sometime. I suspect you’ll find more satisfaction out of it than you ever will the throne.”
“Whatever.” He turned his attention away from Rei and pointed his sword at the five spellcasters that surrounded them. “What should we do with them?”
Rei shrugged one shoulder, his eyes already leaving them to search for where the crown had rolled on the ground. He needed that fucking bloodstone now. The rest could wait. “I don’t care. Kill them, I guess.”
The words were barely out of his mouth when the soft shing of several knives being drawn filled the circle. His head snapped up in time to see each of the elf spellcasters bring the blades to their own throats and slash. The five elves toppled one after another to the ground like dominoes.
That…had to be a bad thing.
But he couldn’t worry about it now. He’d just spotted the crown. After shoving one short sword into its sheath, he dove for the crown. Kneeling on the ground, he dropped his sword and pulled a dagger. With more speed than care, he pried out one gem after another using the point.
“Rei!”
His head popped up at Yichen’s voice. His mate was jogging across the blood-soaked field with Aire following a few steps behind. Rei smiled at him and held up the bloodstone. “Got it! Are you okay?”
“Fine. Aire and the rest of Trin’s army helped us to hold back the king’s guards. I just got a message from Shixiong. The rest of the army in the woods has scattered.” As Yichen reached him, he pulled a black leather bag from his pocket and handed it over to Rei, who quickly scooped the gems into it. Once it was closed, Rei stuffed it into his own pocket.
“Done robbing the royal family?” Trin sneered.
Rei matched his expression as he snatched up the remains of the old oak crown. “I’m giving up my claim on the throne to you. I thought you could at least pay me for it.” He marched over to one of the torches and thrust the crown into the flames. The ancient wood caught in a flash and Rei tossed the burning crown to the ground. “When you start your new court, throw out the old. Try making something stylish for once. Interesting. Not boring.”
“You’re such a fucking pain in—”
“Fuck! Enough!” Yichen snapped. He moved between Trin and Rei, glaring at the dark-haired elf. His sword wasn’t drawn, but Rei was sure Yichen’s fingers were resting on the hilt of a throwing knife. “Let’s get out of here while we can and argue about the throne later. We still have one royal to get rid of, right?”
“Yes.” Rei bounced up and threw his arms around Yichen’s shoulders while burying his face in the vampire’s sweaty neck. “But my father is dead, and we have the bloodstone you need. We are one step closer to our happily ever after, my precious mate.”
An arm wrapped Rei’s waist and pulled him in even tighter against Yichen’s side. He could feel almost every inch of Yichen’s stout body relax. “Yes, my love. My prince. We are much closer now.” Even his words sounded choked up. “Let’s go home.”
The words had barely tumbled free from his lips when the ground under their feet violently shook. Trees creaked as if they were lifting up their roots to march back to the Zhang clan house with them. And the magic that had been building quietly in the background since he’d stepped into the clearing finally exploded outward.
Apparently, they had one last problem to deal with before they could celebrate their victory.
Chapter 29
Wu Yichen
The ground roiled and rumbled underfoot. Yichen grabbed Rei’s arm to steady his lover, and just maybe himself against falling over. The relief he’d felt at seeing the king’s headless body was draining away almost as fast as it appeared. There was no time to celebrate their victory. Mostly because it was starting to feel less and less like a victory.
“What’s going on? What did he do?” Yichen demanded.
Rei shook his head, his eyes wide with fear. “I don’t know. The king had the spellcasters working on a spell when we arrived, but I don’t know what it was.”
