Page 52 of Two Thousand Shadows

Junjie didn’t know what to say. His tongue lay like a dead fish in his mouth. The thought of returning home with Erik, showing him the enormous manor and grounds that awaited him, was very appealing. But there were snags to that dream, beginning with him not wanting to leave his clan behind. A fight was coming—a big one—with the fae and Jiang Chong. He needed to be there, to stand with all of them. Part of him wanted to believe that Xiao Dan was trying to get him out of the way, but he knew better. His martial arts skills were as strong as the rest of the clan. He was an excellent fighter. This wasn’t about doubting him.

The other concern was Leo.

Things had shifted between them. Junjie had no regrets about what happened, but he didn’t quite know what came next. He was damn sure it wasn’t stealing Leo and running off to China with him and Erik. But leaving now meant never knowing if there could have been something more between them. Was Leo supposed to be the mate he’d been hoping to find, like Chen, Xiang, and Yichen had found theirs?

He wanted to get to know Leo better. Dreamed of spending time together when they both weren’t afraid of being murdered.

But was it selfish to want to remain behind to find out what kind of future he could have with Leo? Erik needed him.

“Junjie?”

“I don’t know what to say,” he murmured. He stared at the sword sheath in his hand and frowned. “I wish to do what is best for Erik, but I don’t want to leave my clan as they face such dangerous foes. Even with the Variks at your side, you’ll still need me. Have you considered sending Ming Yu to Luoyang with Erik?”

“I have. My concern is that Erik has latched on to you as his central parent.” A smirk twisted Xiao Dan’s lips. “He may call you gege, but his eyes say baba.” He allowed that word to hang in the air, pressing on Junjie’s heart, before he continued. “Erik is comfortable with you, but I worry he will be further traumatized if he doesn’t have you with him while he’s traveling and learning a new place.”

“You are being quite evil, Shixiong,” Junjie grumbled.

“Unless you have another reason for wanting to remain in the United States. Possibly a small, furry reason that loves fish and belly rubs.”

“Is that what this is? An attempt to weasel information about Leo and me?” Junjie lifted his chin and shrugged a shoulder. “Sure. I’ll tell you about Leo, if you’re equally willing to answer questions about you and Huli.”

A horrible choking noise escaped Xiao Dan as if he’d sucked in a great gasp of air and it had gotten lodged in his throat. Junjie had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

“What?” Xiao Dan croaked. “Me and Huli? What questions could you possibly have? There’s nothing going on between us.”

Junjie rolled his eyes. “Don’t try that with me. I’m not Chen or Xiang. Huli might be the most self-centered, immoral creature I’ve ever met, but he worships the ground you walk on and would do anything you asked. That includes behaving according toyourmoral code and putting his life in danger for a bunch of people he doesn’t care about at all. Everything he does is to make you happy, which he is actually quite good at.”

Xiao Dan frowned at Junjie and let out a huff. “Well, this completely backfired on me.”

With a chuckle, Junjie settled on a stone bench set under a maple tree. It faced the rear of the house, giving them a good view of the lights glowing through the windows. Even from his distance, he could hear Erik’s giggles as he played with Yichen and Rei. Both of them had started off very uncomfortable with the little boy. Yichen had never spent much time with the younger children in the sect, and Rei had never been around human children. Erik offered a wealth of new experiences.

Thankfully, Erik was very outgoing and seemed to sense that Yichen and Rei needed help, so he would be the one to seek them out with toys and show them how to play with him. After a couple of playdates like this, they caught on, learning to relax and following the child’s lead.

“Chen and Xiang can complain about the fox spirit all they want, but if you make each other happy, what do I care that he’s not human? We aren’t technically human any longer,” Junjie continued.

Xiao Dan sat next to him, a tiny smile playing across his lips. “Huli is…special.”

Junjie kept his snarky comments to himself. This had to be one of Xiao Dan’s first times actually talking about the fox spirit. For as long as he could remember, his shixiong had spent his time either defending the huli jing or denying that there was anything between them other than friendship. One had to watch Huli for only five seconds to know that he was hopelessly infatuated with Xiao Dan. But if you watched them a bit longer, Xiao Dan would inevitably soften toward the fox, and it was clear there was more going on in his heart than mild affection.

“I was there when he was simply a fox learning some human words. I was there when he shifted into a human for the first time.” Xiao Dan shook his head, his smile fading away. “What if he is attached to me simply because he’s not spent time getting to know others in the world? What if he’s meant to give his heart to another fox spirit?”

“In all the legends about huli jing and jiuweihu, there’s little of them giving their hearts to anyone. They’re known for being sneaky and selfish. They take. In this instance, Huli wants very much to take you, but he’s also willing to give all of himself over to you. That’s got to count for something. Maybe you should think about trying to meet him halfway.”

“And will you be following your own advice with Leo? Your relationship with the cat shifter has progressed even further than mine with Huli.”

Junjie tried to ignore the sudden burning in his cheeks. There was no such thing as being quiet enough in a house full of vampires with superhuman hearing. With Chen, Yichen, and Xiang gaining mates, it was in all their best interests to learn to be selectively deaf. Sadly, when Leo had driven him over the edge with his mouth, he couldn’t even claim that he’d tried to be quiet. Nope. The cat had broken him, and all of his clan had heard it. As well as some of the Variks.

“That was…it was just a stress reliever. We’re friends. That’s all. He’s only interested in having some fun, while my focus is on protecting Erik and getting rid of Jiang Chong.”

“Mn,” Xiao Dan grunted in agreement, but that noise didn’t sound as if he particularly believed Junjie.

“It’s the truth. Leo isn’t the type to get involved with a single person. Cat shifters prefer their independence and don’t want to be tied to one person. Besides, he’s probably sticking close to make sure that we’re a good match for Erik. Once he’s sure the child is in good hands, he’ll move on.”

“Erik has been ingood handsfor almost a month now,” Xiao Dan countered. He turned his head to pin Junjie with a hard stare. “He might spend more time with Erik, but you’re the one who has his full attention.” He sighed and rocked to the side, bumping his shoulder into Junjie’s. “I understand not wanting to get your hopes up too high. Leo is a fascinating person. You should get to know him better. I think I might have been premature in suggesting that Erik leave for China early. Jiang Chong has no actual interest in the boy, and the clan is stronger with you here to help fight him and the fae.”

Junjie nearly threw his hands up in the air. Had Xiao Dan been sounding him out with this idea, or had he been fishing for information about him and Leo?

“You’re a damn evil vampire when you want to be,” Junjie grumbled. “It’s not just about you being a good influence on Huli. He’s also been a bad influence on you.”

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