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“I’m going to take that for a no,” Moon drawled.
The glare didn’t ease. “Pointy-eared monsters think they own the forests and waters of the world. No, I have no relation to them.”
“Sorry. Sorry.” Moon held up both hands. “I didn’t mean to insult you. I’m trying to protect the Zhang clan from the fae while they’re living here.” He lifted the point of the knife still in his right hand toward the ward above his head. “That ward is supposed to keep the fae out, or at least warn us when the fae are close. At least, I hope it will when I’m done carving it. But now I’m wondering if I’m wasting my time, since I didn’t even feel a flicker from it when you drew near.”
The fox’s ears perked up, and the tails resumed their lazy swish through the air. “No spell you cook up, witch, will ever keep me out.”
Moon rolled his eyes. “Huli, I don’t know whether to be impressed or scared.”
Huli tilted his head to the side and scrunched up his face like he was thinking. With a sudden nod, he announced, “Both. I have faith in you, witch. I think you can be both.”
“Thanks for that.” Moon chuckled.
“But as for your concern, I think this ward is powerful enough to hold out most of the fae. At the very least, the scouts. It wouldn’t stop the royal families or their most accomplished warriors. If that ugly king shows up, you’re going to have more problems than just a ward failing.” Huli frowned at the design. “Your most pressing problem is that you need a lot more of these.”
Before Moon could explain that he was still carving the wards into the stone, the fox pressed one of its paws into the center of the ward. A faint glow rose from the design, filling in every line, curve, and swirl. When the light faded, Huli pushed away from the wall and trotted down to a blank spot just five feet away. The fox rose onto his back paws and pressed the same paw he’d used to touch the ward into the blank wall. A cascade of white light flared and dimmed all along the wall in both directions, like dominos falling over.
Moon rushed to the wall to find that Huli’s magic had carved a new ward where the light had flashed. His heart thudded hard enough to knock the air from his lungs. It was perfect. Or rather, it was a precise copy of the ward he’d carved both in lines and depth.
“Huli, this is fucking amazing!” he shouted. Not only had the fox saved him days of work, but he’d created an even tighter barrier than he’d been able to weave.
“Of course.” Huli sat on the ground, his head held high and tails dancing. “You’ll still have to activate the spell with your blood, but this will help keep those vampires safe.”
Moon bit the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning. Those vampires. Five minutes of talking to the fox had made two things very clear. Huli was fond of Xiao Dan. He was not as fond of the rest of the vampires. If anything, he was getting the impression that Huli didn’t much like them at all.
But considering Chen’s reaction to Huli, Moon couldn’t blame the fox for his dislike.
Was it possible Huli could be of more help than they were considering? Hell, he was willing to bet Chen and his brothers hadn’t considered Huli at all when it came to searching for the fae.
Moon shoved his knife into his sheath on his hip and plopped onto the ground next to the fox. Just far enough away to remain out of the reach of the swaying and flicking tails, but closer than he had been. The fox’s ears twitched, and he looked more curious about him, as if surprised Moon was brave enough to draw so close.
“Since you’ve got such a strong opinion about the fae, I’m assuming that means you’ve seen them. You’ve had to deal with them,” Moon began, trying his damnedest to sound nonchalant. His racing heart was giving him away.
The disgruntled snarl returned to his upper lip. Even his long whiskers twitched. “Yes. Evil beasts.”
“And with your amazing powers, you’d be able to track them and locate all the places where they’re hiding, right?”
The fox stretched out and rolled onto his back, all four black paws hanging limply in the air. Huli gave a long, wide yawn. “Sure. I guess.”
“Do you think you could locate Yichen?”
Huli wiggled and rubbed his face along the soft grass. “That missing vampire? Yeah, I guess so. Why would I want to?”
“Huli!” Moon shouted. Moon bit his tongue to hold in the frustrated words that nearly poured out.
Huli was not human. He had to remember that. Huli was a mischievous, self-centered fox spirit. It wasn’t right of Moon to assume that he functioned with the same morals and motivations as humans.
