Page 93 of Two Thousand Blades

I love you too, my mate. My vampire.

“Home, Kai. We have a family to celebrate with.”

And a war to plan.

Chapter 31

Kai

Kai ached to keep flying. Just soaring higher and higher. Let the wind caress his scales and whisper joyous songs. Up here, he could smell the rain and the freshness of all the world. He longed to keep going on and on, with his mate and sword in his arms, but they couldn’t.

Without being told, he knew Xiang was eager to get back to his clan. They might have retrieved his sword and witnessed the death of Queen Belladonna, but the fae problem was turning into a hydra. As soon as they lopped one head off, another popped up with the same maniacal glee for death and destruction. Plus, Xiang needed to be reassured that his family was all safe and well.

Their family.

Yes, the Zhang clan belonged to him now. They’d welcomed him as Xiang’s mate. They were family, and he needed to get to them to ensure their safety from this Jiang Chong and the fae.

Rolling across the sky, Kai shifted direction slightly and dove toward the earth, wringing excited laughter from Xiang. The vampire was finally learning that Kai would do nothing to harm him, especially while they were flying. They circled the property once to find all the vampires were exactly where Kai had placed them—in the center of the driveway. He shifted while he was still a few meters in the air, using his magic to put Xiang’s feet on the ground before joining his side.

Mei Lian squealed and bounced over to his side, grabbing his arm with both of her hands. “Next time, can I go flying with you and Xiang? The magic zap was nice, but I want to fly,” she begged.

“Of course. We’ll plan a flying trip,” Kai agreed happily.

Xiang moved from person to person, looking them over. “Everyone is okay? Nobody was hurt? We all got out?”

“As if I would have forgotten anyone!” Kai gasped.

Chen snorted while Moon outright cackled. At least Xiao Dan had the good grace to clear his throat to keep the laughter out of his voice. “We are all here. I think the worst sustained are some minor bruises and abrasions. Nothing serious.”

“Is that it?” Junjie demanded with a jerk of his chin toward the sword in Xiang’s hand. “Is that the sword Kai received from Huangdi?” All eyes snapped to the sword and even Xiang appeared to stare dumbfounded at it, as if he’d forgotten he was holding it at all.

“Yes, it is,” Kai murmured.

“Shit! Sorry.” Xiang held the sword out laid across his palms, and Kai hesitated for a heartbeat to pick it up. It was as if his brain expected it to disappear if he so much as reached for it.

A smile trembled on his lips as he wrapped his fingers around the hilt and lifted it from Xiang’s hands. A familiar energy buzzed through the sword and jumped into his own body as if it were excited to be in his possession. With it came a roll of thunder through his mind and the soft whisper of Huangdi’s voice thanking him for his service to the people.

His eyes inspected every millimeter of the blade, from the tip to the pommel. Nothing seemed out of place or damaged despite being in the fae’s care for more than a century. It still appeared as sharp as the day it was forged. Huangdi’s blessing had protected the sword while it was out of his reach.

“It’s an exquisite sword.”

Xiang’s soft words jerked Kai’s gaze from the blade to his smiling face. His heart picked up to look at those warm brown eyes and his wildly windblown hair. Blood smeared that beloved face from the battle past, but it didn’t detract from his perfection.

Kai glanced at the sword and…felt nothing. Maybe a trace of sadness and frustration, but nothing compared to the joy that rose when he gazed at his mate.

“It is a lovely sword.” With a push of magic, the sword disappeared, returning at last to its rightful spot in his hoard. “But it is just a sword.”

“What?” Someone squawked. He wasn’t sure who because he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Xiang, who had some new pink tint rising in the apples of his cheeks.

“Maybe we should go in the house and discuss the return of Jiang Chong and the new problem of the fae,” Xiao Dan suggested.

Ming Yu sighed. “I had hoped I’d imagined you saying he was back.”

Huli bounded ahead of them, tails flying. In a blink, he shifted fully into his human form, all tails gone. “No! He was there and as scary as Gege said he was! Disappearing and reappearing in the blink of an eye. Just like that Varik.”

“Actually, I think he might be faster than Winter,” Rei murmured. Yichen was instantly at his mate’s side, wrapping a supportive arm around his waist, coaxing Rei to lean on him as they both appeared battered and exhausted.

Once they were inside, Ming Yu mentioned something about tea followed by Rei mumbling something about snacks, which caused Kai’s stomach to rumble. Before they knew it, all eleven of them were shuffling down the hall to the kitchen. Thankfully, it was a large kitchen. The vampires were content with tea, while Kai was more than happy to join Rei and Moon in raiding the pantry and refrigerator for bits of food that had been tucked away.

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