Page 32 of Two Thousand Shadows

The teasing and playfulness evaporated as a fiery ball of anger formed in his chest. “What about the dragon? Why isn’t the dragon protecting your team, too?” The dragon had to be the one weapon the Zhang clan had that would make the fae reluctant to attack them.

Junjie tilted his head at him, his thick, arched eyebrows lifting toward his hairline. “He has wrapped himself around most of the buildings of the manor, protecting Erik with the help of Xiang, Moon, and Ming Yu.”

“Okay,” Leo mumbled. Part of him wanted to argue that it might be overkill to have three vampires and a dragon protecting a child when the fae had no reason to go after him. Then again, it was a relief he couldn’t quite explain to know Erik was so safe. It was just that something inside of him also wanted Junjie to be the same level of safe. But there was only one dragon.

That settled it. He’d have to take the place of a dragon.

Leo snorted and nearly choked on the laugh he tried to hold in. The heads of all three vampires swung about and they stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. Leo clapped both hands over his mouth to hold in his giggles.

Take the place of a dragon?

Yep, he’d lost his damn mind.

Junjie put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. He dipped close to look into Leo’s eyes as worry dug lines into his brow. “Are you all right? What happened?”

Leo fell into those deep, warm-brown pools of concern. All his silly laughing was forgotten, and a hundred memories flashed through his mind of all the early mornings they’d spent together. As the sun crept toward the horizon, Junjie would sit on the patio, stroking his fur and whispering stories about other cats that had kept him company during the long, endless centuries. He’d learned to envy every one of those cats as he filled his belly with fish and cream, soaking in that affection. It didn’t matter that Junjie saw him as another stray to pass the time with. At that moment, he was Junjie’s stray. His one and only.

Now he stood next to him in the dark woods and something in his chest rose and cried out. It wasn’t enough to be a stray, grabbing a random meal here and there, stealing affection and giving nothing in return. Peering into those large, perfect eyes, Leo wanted so much more. He wanted to be worthy of Junjie’s soft heart and his beautiful soul.

“Leo?” Junjie repeated. This time he licked his lips and Leo’s gaze snapped to that slight movement, following it like a cat watching a bird hop along a fence railing. Yes, he wanted to be something more to Junjie, but right now, a taste of those lips sounded best of all.

He lowered his hands from his mouth and reached for the vampire, ready to pull him in close so he could taste that concern and everything else about Junjie.

A soft rustle of leaves not too far from where they were standing drew Leo’s eyes from Junjie to a point over his shoulder. His eyes widened as something metallic flashed as it caught a thin ray of moonlight. The warning was still on the tip of his tongue when Junjie moved. As he spun to face their attackers, Junjie shoved Leo behind him with one hand and reached for a sword with the other.

Yet before he could finish turning, two arrows slammed into his chest. Junjie stumbled under the impact, his heavy weight falling onto the cat shifter. Leo grabbed him and jerked him behind a large tree. He pressed Junjie into the rough bark, his hands trembling uncontrollably, his mouth dry. He’d been about to kiss this man, and he now had two arrows sticking out of him. One of them was far too close to his heart.

“Leo. Leo, look at me.” Junjie’s firm voice jolted Leo’s eyes up to his face. His expression was tight and pained, but his words were steady. “I won’t die.” The vampire punctuated this statement by pulling one arrow from his abdomen.

Leo lunged forward, covering the open wound with both hands to staunch the bleeding. “But?—”

“I won’t die,” Junjie repeated and pulled out the second arrow. He tossed it aside with a curl of his upper lip. “But I need to get to my clan to help them. Shift to a cat. It’ll be easier to escape that way.”

“I want to help,” he choked out.

“Get out of here!” Chen shouted. His long sword flashed through the night, cutting down elves and blocking arrows with ease. “You’re a distraction.”

Chen’s words sliced him to the bone, but it was Junjie’s lack of argument that was the fatal blow.

“Run while we take care of them,” Junjie ordered.

He darted into the fray even as blood soaked into his shirt. Each fist clenched a sword as he fought, but he turned them into silver blurs, slashing through one elf after another.

Mei Lian was just as impressive with her spear. She could make it strike with the speed of a cobra and zip back again. No one could get close to her.

Leo shifted into his cat form and darted up a tree, but he didn’t leave the scene. His eyes were glued to Junjie while indecision tried to strangle him. He possessed none of the samefighting skills as the vampires, but he wasn’t worthless like Chen seemed to think. Cat shifters had more than their fair share of secrets, but once those secrets got out, all their advantages disappeared.

Yet, Junjie needed him.

Maybe not in a fight, but he needed him to not be useless.

Little Erik needed him to not be useless.

When the kitten grew up and Junjie told him stories about other cat shifters, what would Junjie say? That the only cat shifter he ever knew was a selfish, lazy flirt and coward.

A tiny nagging voice whispered,What did it matter? You pawned the kid off on him. Who cares what he or the kid thought? They’re nobodies.

Leo dug his claws into the bark and hissed at himself. Junjie wasnota nobody. How could someone who looked at him like that be a nobody? He took in a kid his own kind didn’t want!

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