Page 21 of Two Thousand Shadows

Erik had been living with them for over a week, and he now had a closet filled with clothes and a room overflowing with toys. He also had a small bed set up in the room across the hall from Junjie, but more often than not, he ended up sleeping in Junjie’s bed.

It wasn’t his fault!

How was he supposed to say no to those enormous eyes and that sweet baby giggle?

Impossible. Simply impossible.

“Are you sure you don’t want to be in the meeting?” Junjie called out as she walked down the hallway.

She snorted. “Planning? Strategy?Ugh. No, thank you. Just tell me where to be and who to kill. That’s enough for me. I’d much rather play with this adorable man.”

Okay, when put like that, Junjie was tempted to join them. Unfortunately, Xiao Dan entered the foyer and smiled at him. “Ready to meet with the Variks?”

“Yes, Shixiong.”

Xiao Dan’s smile broadened. “Meimei will take excellent care of Xiao Ping Guo while he’s out of your sight.”

Junjie arched a brow at his older brother. “Are you implying that I am being too protective of him?”

“No, I’m not implying it.” He paused and covered his mouth with a hand as if to hold in a laugh. “I’m saying it. You’re muchtoo protective of him. The rest of us can’t get any time with him without you there to boss us around.”

“Ha!” Moon barked out as he and Chen joined them. “Shixiong burn!”

Junjie was still reeling from that assessment only to have Chen chime in. “It’s only natural. Shifu was the same way with Jun-Jun starting from the day he arrived at the sect manor. You could tell it was killing him to allow Jun-Jun to run off to play with the other disciples.”

“What?” Junjie gasped.

“Shifu never spoke of it, but I could always tell he missed his didi after he left,” Xiao Dan explained. “Your sudden appearance was a gift. You were a tie to the brother he’d lost and the son he never had.”

It was tempting to point out that Xiao Dan would always be Zhang Shi Lie’s adopted and first son, but he let it go. Shifu had always shown great love and care for him, regardless of how he’d ended up with the Zhang clan.

“Holy shit! Fox is here!” Moon shouted and was out the front door before any of them could react.

They followed at a slower pace to greet their guests to find that the former witch turned vampire was, in fact, part of the Varik contingent along with King Aiden, Ronan, and Fox’s mate, Winter.

The American vampire clan was a pleasant surprise and much-needed help upon arriving in the country. In their home country, they’d run across very few vampires. Or rather, few vampires had been willing to cross the Zhang clan, thanks to their extreme old age and training.

But the Variks were different. Outgoing and eager to bicker amongst each other, they were the first clan they’d ever heard of to include four blood brothers. What Junjie appreciated most about them was that their moral center matched the Zhangclan’s. They believed in doing no harm and protecting those who needed it most. Namely, the humans.

Moon crashed into Fox, wrapping his arms around the newborn vampire’s neck. Chen was right there a second later, pulling Moon off Fox by the back of his T-shirt. Fox laughed, but he was also looking pale.

“Lesson one, baobei,” Chen bit out. “Use caution with very young vampires. They are still honing control of their bloodlust and instincts. You do not throw yourself at one.”

Junjie swallowed a laugh. Moon was still a baby vampire himself, but he’d always been impulsive and reckless. Thank all the ancestors that Chen lurked a step behind, ready to pull Moon from the brink of disaster.

“Oops! My bad! Sorry about that,” Moon apologized while leaning against Chen. “I got excited. The last time I saw you, you weren’t good.”

Fox’s smile was lopsided, and he breathed easier when Chen pulled Moon off him. “No problem. I get it. Winter has told menumeroustimes about how I almost didn’t make it.”

The vampire in question joined his redheaded mate and wrapped an arm across his waist, pulling him in close. “And I’ve also told you I’ll stop reminding you when I stop having nightmares about that night.”

“Welcome, Variks,” Xiao Dan greeted as he joined them along with Aiden and Ronan. “Fox, you appear to be much better. We’re glad to hear you recovered.”

“Yes, it has been a slower process than I wanted, but I understand I owe the fact that I’m even here at all to you and the Zhang clan.”

Xiao Dan waved him off. “We were happy to help. You owe us nothing.”

“Since becoming a vampire, have you been able to…you know…” Moon trailed off, seeming unwilling to say the words.

---