Page 33 of Two Thousand Shadows

No. Junjie was special. He needed to be protected at all costs.

Leo jumped from his perch and crept through the brush toward one archer hanging to the rear of the group.

Without a plan in his head, Leo shifted into his human form behind the elf and picked up a sturdy log. He hefted it, thinking he would bash the elf on the head, but he wasn’t as stealthy as he thought.

The archer spun as he brought the branch down, blocking it with his bow. The creature with the sharp features and cold green eyes sneered at him. “Stupid human. Really thought you could sneak up on me?”

With his left hand, the elf palmed a dagger from his waist and slashed at Leo’s stomach. Leo’s heart surged into this throat as he jumped away. He swung the branch like a baseball bat at the elf’s head, hoping to keep some distance between them as he scoured his brain for another plan.

Run? No, dagger in the back.

Shift and run? Nope. Too close. Elf could still catch him.

Beat him with the log? Not likely.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.He was still useless. He wanted to help Junjie, but he still needed the vampire to save him.

The elf slashed at him again and again. Each time Leo dodged or blocked the blade with the branch until the damn thing snapped.

A horrible laugh rose from the elf, but it was cut off, changing to a thick, wet gurgle. His body lurched and bowed forward. Hot blood sprayed across Leo’s face. He looked down to find the point of a sword sticking out of the elf’s chest. His head snapped up to see Junjie straightening after throwing the sword into the elf’s back.

Junjie had saved him.

1 Er-ge – second oldest brother. A term of endearment. Referencing Chen Bo Cheng here since he is the second oldest behind Zhang Xiao Dan (a.k.a. da-ge)

Chapter 9

Zhang Junjie

“Itold you to leave!” Junjie raced across the short distance that separated them and seized Leo’s tense shoulders. The cat’s face was pale and splattered with blood from the elf, but he appeared fine otherwise.

“I-I-I wanted to help,” Leo stammered, his eyes blown wide. It was the first time he’d ever seen Leo so shaken and out of sorts.

Junjie lifted a hand and wiped the blood from Leo’s cheeks and nose the best he could. “I appreciate that, but you could have been killed.”

“I’m not useless,” Leo snapped, knocking Junjie’s hand aside.

Junjie froze for a breath and stared at Leo. “I’ve never thought that about you.”

“Hey!” Chen snapped. “You don’t want to be useless?” Both of them turned to see Chen and Mei Lian standing over dead elves. “Help him to the car. He’s lost too much blood. We’ll check the dead for clues.”

“Awww! This job sucks!” Meimei whined, but he barely noticed because Leo had jumped back to life.

The cat shifter gripped his arm and pulled it across his shoulder while wrapping his own arm around Junjie’s waist. The other efforts to be this close had been flirty and silly. This time, Leo radiated fear and concern.

“How do you feel? Can you walk?”

“It’s not that bad. I—” Junjie’s words fell off sharply as he gaped at the front of his shirt. Blood soaked it completely. His blood. He peeled it from his skin to find that the arrow wounds had closed but were still in the thin and tender stage. If he wasn’t careful, they would tear open with little effort.

“Let’s get you to the car before someone notices these guys are missing,” Leo prodded.

Junjie released his shirt and pulled his sword from the dead elf who’d tried to kill Leo. “I should be okay to walk on my own.”

Except his legs immediately called him a liar when they buckled on the first step. His head swam, but it cleared as Leo tightened his hold on his waist.

“How about I help you for a bit?”

The walk was painfully slow and awkward. Not because of the two arrow wounds, but rather, thanks to his outburst. He hadn’t expected to look up and see Leo facing an elf. His brain had shut down and panic had swept through him. What right did he have to be shouting at that man? None.

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