Page 20 of Two Thousand Promises

Chapter 7

Huli

Huli’s stomach growled. He flinched and glanced over his shoulder to see Xiao Dan still comfortably sprawled across his bed, his blankets pulled up to his chin as he slept undisturbed. After releasing a silent sigh, Huli slipped out of the room and padded along the hall, only to stop at the next intersection. Normally, if he woke while Xiao Dan slept and he needed a snack, he’d head into the woods to hunt something quick and meaty.

But with Min lurking around and threatening his Xiao Dan, he was unwilling to leave the estate even long enough to grab a bite.

The clan’s kitchen always had yummy treats, though. Maybe he could sneak a bite and be back under the covers before Xiao Dan noticed he was missing.

Yes, that was an excellent plan.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one who’d had the same idea in mind.

When he arrived in the kitchen, the two people he didn’t want to see were already in there. Xiang and Chen. His relationship with Xiao Dan’s clan mates had always been a littlehit or miss based on how annoying he was being. However, Xiang’s and Chen’s hatred for him had never wavered in one thousand years.

At least, it hadn’t until recently and he was starting to believe that it was the handiwork of Moon and Kai.

“Huli,” Chen said in a low, hard voice. “What are you doing here?”

He forced a wide and bright smile because he knew it would annoy the vampire. “I would imagine the same thing as you—searching for something to eat.”

“Moon’s hungry,” he corrected as if it were some sin that a vampire his age should feel something a low-born as hunger.

“Aren’t those Xiao Dan’s pajamas?” Xiang demanded.

Now that got Huli to smile for real. He held his arms out and gave a spin. “They are. Don’t they look great on me?”

“I’m sure Da-ge won’t appreciate you stealing things out of his bureau,” Chen grumbled.

“Not stolen. Gege picked them out for me. Gave them to me to wear after we…” He let his words drift off, and his smile grew wicked.

Chen held up both hands in front of him as if to ward off more words. “Enough! I don’t want to hear any more.”

Huli snorted. “As if I’d tell you more. You don’t deserve to hear about Gege’s happy moments.”

“Like you even care about Shixiong’s happiness. The only thing that matters to you is what you want,” Xiang muttered. He disappeared into the pantry. A second later, he could hear the sounds of crinkling bags and the shifting of containers along the shelves. “Where the hell did Rei hide those cookies with the frosting?”

“Top shelf, in the green tin,” Huli answered as he dropped to one of the stools at the center island. He didn’t want to help these two idiots, but the sooner he got them out of the kitchen,the sooner he could find something to eat and return to that toasty bed and Gege’s arms.

There was more noise from the pantry and then a long pause before a slightly muffled “Huh” left Xiang.

The vampire stepped out of the pantry, holding the dark green-and-white circular tin in one arm and holding the lid in his other hand. Within the container were a variety of shortbread cookies of different shapes and sizes. A thin layer of white frosting with colorful sprinkles covered each one.

“How did you know that?” Xiang asked as he stepped closer.

Huli braced one forearm on the counter as he leaned across and plucked a star-shaped cookie from the tin. “Rei told me. He also said that he and Yichen had ordered another tin of cookies with Halloween colors, and we can’t leave the States until the cookies arrive. What’s Halloween?”

“An American holiday where the humans dress up in costumes and celebrate spooky things like ax murderers and superheroes,” Chen explained. “Parents also send their children out to go door to door begging for candy.”

That was confusing. He paused, just about to bite into his cookie. “Are the parents taking the candy from the children? Using them as a sort of slave labor? Or are they hoping the children will be stolen away? Like culling their ranks?”

“Moon says it’s a community-building event and fun for children,” Chen replied, though he sounded doubtful.

“Humans are weird,” Huli mumbled as he shoved the cookie into his mouth. Maybe it was the Americans who were weird. The costume part sounded like fun. “Will Junjie and Leo send their new baby out to beg for candy?”

Xiang choked on the cookie he’d been eating, and Chen sighed as he thumped him on the back. “Erik is too young to go on his own. Besides, the humans are still recovering fromtheir troubles with the fae. Most of the neighborhoods are still empty.”

Which meant there was no one to give Erik candy.

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