Page 9 of Two Thousand Promises

“Then we’re safe?”

“Yes.”

“So, this pacing is foryourfox spirit?”

He wanted to argue with her unnecessary emphasis, but there was no point. Huli was his, as much as anyone could possess a fox spirit. They were carefree creatures who wentwhere the wind took them. Sometimes he thought he might never see Huli again because the fox had lost interest in him.

“Yes, I’m worried about him doing something reckless.”

“Ah. Well, you’re wearing a groove in the floors. You can worry and help me stuff buns at the same time.”

Xiao Dan opened his mouth to argue, but he couldn’t figure out what to say. The words became stuck in his throat. Thankfully, Jiejie didn’t wait for him to agree. She simply grabbed his elbow and dragged him to the kitchen, where a bowl of meat and the dough for buns waited.

“Jiejie, it’s been centuries since I last helped you make steamed buns,” Xiao Dan admitted as he washed his hands.

“That’s fine. We’ll tell everyone that you made the lumpy, lopsided ones.”

Xiao Dan choked on a laugh. “I doubt anyone would believe you’d made anything that wasn’t perfect.”

A soft noise of agreement came from her throat. “I’ve had plenty of time to hone my craft.”

With a practiced ease, she stepped up to the island, picked up some flattened dough, ladled a dollop of meat in the center, and worked around the ball, closing it flawlessly with flying fingers. She made it look so easy.

“After getting a break from cooking for several centuries, you are now in the kitchen every day.” Xiao Dan tried to mimic her movements, but his pork-filled baozi really was pathetic. Jiejie tsked and took it from him. In the blink of an eye, she fixed his bun and added it to the bamboo steamer basket. She handed him another flattened circle of dough to try again.

“I worry we rely on you too much to handle all the cooking,” Xiao Dan continued. “You haven’t been a servant of the Zhang clan for almost two millennium. We can pitch in more. Handle more of the cooking.”

Ming Yu clicked her tongue at him as she accepted his second bun. “Smaller pleats, but this is better. And I appreciate your concern. No one treats me like a servant. I enjoy cooking, especially for the new mates. Rei, Leo, and Moon are completely new to our cuisine. Kai just raves about my dumplings as if the dragon hasn’t had a good meal in centuries.”

“And Xiao Ping Guo?”?1 Xiao Dan asked with a growing smile.

“Feeding a little one?” Ming Yu sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. “I used to feed and hold all the children in the Zhang clan. After we became vampires, I thought I’d never have that again.”

“Erik is our perfect treasure.” Xiao Dan frowned at his baozi. This one felt like it was a step backward.

“And Huli always appreciates my cooking.” She snatched the bun out of his hand, tweaked it a bit, and added it to the bunch. “The point is, my greatest joy is caring for my family and seeing them happy. If I ever wish to take a night off, the others have all offered to cook. I will take them up on the offer. Right now, it is more than enough that Moon and the others always offer to clean up the kitchen after every meal I make for them.”

“I’m glad.”

“But me spending more time in the kitchen is not what has been preying on your mind.”

Crap. He’d known this was coming.

“Xiang mentioned Huli struck some bargain with that other fox spirit. That he promised that woman your soul.”

Xiao Dan lowered his head until his chin nearly touched his chest. He kept his eyes locked on the bun in his hands. His only reply was a soft grunt.

“You don’t care, do you?”

“No. I’m worried about Huli’s safety. What kind of trouble could he be in that he would agree to such a bargain?”

“That fox is very good at finding trouble for you,” Ming Yu murmured.

“Is that any different from Xiang or Yichen? Or even Mei Lian? They all went through restless periods and caused mischief. Besides, my soul doesn’t belong to Huli. He can promise it to whomever he wants. It doesn’t mean they’re going to get it.”

“And that is the end of you helping.” Ming Yu reached over and pulled the squished remains of a bun from Xiao Dan’s clenched fingers. “You’d think Erik was helping me. Go wash your hands.”

“Sorry, Jiejie.” He crossed to the sink and washed the bits of pork, spices, and dough from his fingers. He hadn’t even noticed he’d squeezed the bun until she was taking it away from him.

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