Page 22 of Two Thousand Promises

Huli walked out of the pantry with his new snack. He’d barely gotten the box open when a hand reached over his shoulder and dove in, snagging a bunch.

“You mean she’s close to the manor?” Xiang shoved at least four crackers into his mouth at once.

What happened to vampires not needing food to exist, especially after they got to such an advanced age? It was clear living with a fledgling vampire, an elf, the cats, and a dragon had fixed their stomachs and turned on long-dormant urges.

“What I mean is that she’s not hiding because hiding means she’s got something to fear, and Min’s not afraid of anyone.” Huli clutched the box of crackers close to his chest as he walked around the island to resume his seat, not that he honestly believed the expanse of counter would keep Xiang from stealing more. “No, I’m sure she’s busy hunting humans while she searches for an opening to steal Xiao Dan’s soul.”

He watched as Chen and Xiang stared at each other for a second, their brows furrowed and their expressions twisted in concentration.

“Where would she be hunting humans at?” Chen inquired.

“Somewhere there’s a large gathering of them,” Huli chimed in with a mouthful of salty goodness. It wasn’t hot, red meat, but Chen and Xiang were at least being entertaining, so that helped. “Seeking for prey one by one is tedious and boring. Large groups are faster. Also, places where humans are relaxed with their guard lowered. The few times Min and I hunted together, we preferred gambling houses, pubs, and brothels because the humans were happy and usually drunk.”

“Does the United States have brothels still?” Xiang asked.

“I don’t believe so. At least not in this area.” Chen narrowed his eyes at Xiang and glared down his long, slender nose at his clan mate. “And I dare you to explain to Kai why you’re planning to go into a brothel looking for a huli jing.”

Xiang gave a full-body shiver. “Not a chance. Kai’s got an enormous jealous streak, and I’d rather not trigger it for any reason. Pub?”

“Bar,” Huli corrected. He closed up the box of crackers and wiped the crumbs from his lips. “She’s most likely hitting up the bars and nightclubs.”

“Fine,” Xiang shrugged. “We make a list of all the bars and nightclubs in the area that are seeing a lot of humans. Then we break up into teams to look for her.”

Chen grunted. “It’s a good place to start.”

“Glad we got that worked out. I’m going to drag a lazy dragon out of bed and begin my rounds.” Xiang strolled out of the kitchen with a fresh spring in his step.

Chen stared wordlessly at Huli for a heartbeat before finally picking up the box of crackers and returning it to the pantry. Hegrabbed a damp cloth and wiped the island, removing all traces that they’d had an early-morning snack.

As Huli was about to jump from his perch and return to Xiao Dan’s waiting arms, Chen’s voice stopped him. “Considering what you know of Min and your own powers, do you think it’s possible for Min to steal Da-ge’s soul?”

Huli frowned at the newly cleaned counter. He pressed his fingertip into a single bead of water and smeared it across the surface. “Steal it? No.” He vehemently shook his head at the thought. “No, not possible. Zhang Xiao Dan is far too strong and powerful for any huli jing to steal his soul.”

“But…” Chen nudged when the silence to stretch for too long.

“She could trick him out of his soul. Or he could choose to give it to her.” He lifted his gaze to the vampire, one corner of his mouth twisted in a smirk. “It’s not often that a huli jing bothers with brute force magic to get what we want. Don’t forget that trickery and seduction are our two most powerful weapons.”

“You’re not reassuring me.”

“This isn’t about being reassuring. This is about being honest with you,” Huli replied in the same flat, measured tone. “If she can’t steal it, she’ll force Xiao Dan to give his soul away willingly. You need to protect him from such a thing. Watch for his weak spots.”

“You mean, you.”

“And his clan. There’s nothing Gege wouldn’t do to protect those in his clan.”

Chen nodded and shuffled to the entrance of the kitchen. “Stick close to him, huli jing. Keep him safe. I’ll warn the rest of the clan. We won’t let Min touch a single member of our clan.”

Huli grunted and slid off his stool, but his footsteps halted sharply as he replayed Chen’s words in his head.

He’d said “our.” Not “my.”Ourclan. Did that mean he counted Huli as one of the clan members? Would he really let Huli keep Xiao Dan at last?

Chapter 8

Zhang Xiao Dan

985 CE

Luoyang, near Zhang manor

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