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“Nothing to forgive,” Xiao Dan replied, a bowl of rice cupped in his left hand while a pair of chopsticks rested in his right. “I didn’t want you to miss out on this meal. Xiang and Moon worked hard on it.”
Chen sat and automatically picked up his chopsticks but didn’t move from there. His eyes continued to skim down the table at the colorful array of food. “This is a lot of food. We barely ever eat food. How will we manage all of this?”
“Don’t worry about that,” Moon said. “Most of it will keep, and I’m a big fan of leftovers. If I’m going to be a prisoner here, you’re gonna need to feed me.” He flashed Chen a wicked grin at the mention of being a “prisoner,” and Chen nearly rolled his eyes. If Chen kicked Moon out, the witch would simply climb over the high wall that surrounded their property to get back in. Moon had no intention of going anywhere.
“Do you like spicy food?” Moon asked.
“A little spicy is fine,” Chen murmured.
Moon reached out and plucked things off the various plates, putting them on Chen’s individual plate. As he worked, he explained what each item was and how spicy each thing was.
A noise like a muffled laugh came from the other side of the table, and Chen’s head snapped up. He glared at his clan brothers and sisters watching them with their lips pressed together as if it were the only way to hold back the laughter.
Even Shixiong was trying—and failing—to hide his smile behind his bowl of rice.
It wasn’t as though Moon realized that what he was doing was very intimate and familiar. Finding the most choice pieces of food and giving them to someone was something you did for a family member, a very close friend.
Or a mate.
“Yes, yes,” Chen grumbled, clicking his chopsticks at Moon before picking up his rice. “I can manage on my own.”
“I know. I just want you to try these new things. Sean and I did a mix of traditional Chinese and eclectic American fare,” Moon said, unruffled by Chen’s sharp tone.
“Since we’re all here now,” Xiao Dan broke in, most likely to stop Chen from being a grumpy ass. “There is something we would like to ask you, Moon.”
The witch had the audacity to grin at Shixiong. “I have a feeling I can guess what you’d like to ask.” Moon put his chopsticks on his plate and rubbed his palms on his thighs. Was he nervous?
“You’ve indicated there are different types of witches and that we specifically need an earth witch to help us,” Xiao Dan continued.
Xiang leaned forward and chimed in, “What kind of witch are you?”
Moon smirked, his eyes on his bowl of rice. “There are lots of variations on witchcraft and witches. The power is usually hereditary through our mothers. And the type of witch you’re likely to become is chosen at birth. Though there are a lucky few who can hone their focus later in life.”
He was stalling.
Chen frowned, placing his chopsticks and rice down again. Moon didn’t prevaricate or stall. The witch had always presented himself as forward and honest. If he was stalling, he was uncomfortable.
“Moon, if you don’t wish to answer that question, then do not. It is enough for you to admit honestly that you cannot help us with your magic.” Chen reached out to place his hand on Moon’s tense shoulder but caught himself at the last second. He jerked it back, balling his hands together in his lap.
The witch flashed him the brightest smile, and it was like being hugged.
“I can help you, but not with this specific request.” Moon paused and took a deep breath. “I’m a blood witch.”
That…meant nothing to Chen. Did that sort of make Moon similar to a vampire?
He glanced over at Xiao Dan and the rest of his clan to find the same blank, confused expressions on their faces.
“Forgive us, Moon, but what does it mean to be a blood witch?” Ming Yu asked.
The witch’s wide eyes shifted around the table before settling on Chen, who offered him a nod.
“Are you like a vampire?” Chen inquired.
The wide smile returned, and he released a heavy breath that sounded as if he’d been holding it in. “No, not a vampire. All my magic is blood based. I usually use a small amount of my blood to power my spells, but…I can use the blood of others. Sometimes animal blood, but usually human blood works best.”
“This differs from earth witches who use nature to power their spells, correct?” Jun-Jun said.
Moon nodded. “Exactly.”
“I’m confused,” Chen admitted. “Why were you so hesitant to tell us? What’s so wrong with being a blood witch?”
“There’s nothing wrong with it, per se. It’s just…we’re very rare. The only other blood witch I’ve ever met was my mother. Most people are wary of blood witches. Other witches call our style of magic dark and evil, like the magic of necromancers. There are spells…” He stopped and licked his lips. One of his hands shot out and grabbed his chopsticks to play with them. “There are spells that would enable a blood witch to control someone with nothing more than a drop of their blood.” His eyes darted up to Chen, and he winced. “Vampires are wary of me and my friend Sky, who is a necromancer. There’s a belief that we could have a heavy influence on vampires because of our type of magic.”
