Page 18 of Two Thousand Shadows

Xiao Dan threaded their fingers together, but before they walked off, he stared at the tree where Leo remained hidden behind a wall of thick, green leaves. There was no way Xiao Dan should be able to see him, but Leo swore he could feel those piercing, nearly black eyes slicing through him. Leo hunkered low, trying to make himself smaller.

Yet, as Leo prepared to run, Xiao Dan lowered his gaze to Huli and looked at him so warmly, not saying a single word to Leo. They walked off together, hand in hand, moving to one of the other gardens. As they disappeared from sight, the back door slid open and Junjie appeared with the little boy cradled in one arm and the canister of fish food in the other hand. Today, the child was wearing a pair of blue shorts and a red T-shirt with a cartoon character on it. The shirt rode up on his rounded belly and Leo relaxed on the tree limb as he watched them approach the pond. Every time he saw them, there were such happy expressions on their faces. He understood all too well Huli’s jealousy of the boy.

The only difference was that the child’s open joy warmed all the places deep inside of Leo that had grown cold and numb with time. This was his favorite time of the entire day.

As they got close to the water, Junjie kneeled and set the boy on his feet. The child held up his left hand for Junjie to take so they could walk hand in hand to the water’s edge. The koi spotted the approach of Junjie and the boy and rushed towhere they were standing, their mouths poking out of the water, opening and closing as they begged for food. A high-pitched squeal and giggle rang out.

“Gege! Fish!”

“Yes, they’re happy to see you.”

“Food! Food!”

Junjie nodded and opened the fish pellet container with his thumb, keeping a tight hold on the boy to make sure he didn’t tumble headfirst into the water. “Yes, they want you to give them their dinner.”

“Mn. Dinner.”

Leo struggled not to chuckle as Junjie poured some food into the boy’s tiny hand. The kid flung it out into the water and squealed as the fish splashed and jumped to snap up the pellets. This went on for several rounds until all the fish were fed.

Junjie closed up the container of food and left it beside the bank of the pond. He stood and led the child across the bridge and into the grassy area under the trees, drawing closer and closer to where Leo was hiding. The cat fought the urge to move, potentially giving away his location.

When they were a safe distance from the water, Junjie released the little boy’s hand, allowing him to wander through the grass. He appeared unbothered by the growing darkness, but then the child of cat shifters would have already developed superior night vision.

“Are you going to come down or stay lurking up there?” Junjie inquired without even gazing up into the trees.

Caught.

There wasn’t much point in hiding any longer.

Leo leaped from his perch and shifted into a human before his feet even touched the ground. He’d opted for a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt rather than being naked like he had duringtheir first real meeting. Junjie didn’t seem in the mood for his silliness. The vampire didn’t act cold toward him, just cautious.

“Hey.”

“This is your third visit in a week,” Junjie murmured as he sat on the grass near where the child was gathering up some sticks.

Leo swallowed hard and rubbed a hand through his messy hair. “You knew?”

“We always know when someone has entered the boundaries of our home.”

Well, that was both creepy and reassuring. It also proved that he wasn’t as stealthy as he’d hoped. Each time he’d watched the two of them during their nightly fish feeding, Junjie had been aware of his presence.

“Gege! Gege, ’ticks.” The little boy hurried on chubby legs and held up a handful of sticks in front of Junjie’s face.

“Those are lovely sticks. Would you like me to hold them for you?”

The boy nodded and handed them over before wandering off to search for more interesting things.

“Gege? You’re teaching him Chinese?” Leo blurted out without letting his brain catch up with his mouth.

Junjie’s eyes narrowed on him, and Leo took a step back. “You gave a child to a Chinese family. Is it surprising to discover that he’s learning some words and phrases?”

He held up his hands and waved them. “No. No. You’re right. I wasn’t thinking. I guess I was surprised that he picked it up so quickly.”

The tiny lines of tension around Junjie’s eyes disappeared and his shoulders lowered. “He has learned only a few words. Gege and jiejie are the two most common. Oh, and?—”

The boy raced over to them and stopped with wide eyes locked on Leo. He stared for a second; then his mouth spread into a grin. With his empty hand, he pointed at Leo. “Mao!”?1

Junjie lifted his hand to cover his own mouth, but Leo caught the hint of a smile as the vampire fought to clear his throat. “Yes, you’re right. That’s Leo. He’s a mao.”

---