Page 39 of Two Thousand Promises

Huli

Huli frowned at the big brown truck that rumbled along the driveway and stopped in the main circle near the stairs. It was the middle of the afternoon, and all the vampires except for Xiang were asleep. This was when his mate was the most vulnerable, and intruders on the Zhang property were not welcome.

“It’s a delivery van,” Xiang stated as he stepped around Huli to pull open the front door and step outside. An icy breeze swept into the house, but Huli didn’t move from his spot in the hallway, blocking any unknown people from entering.

The situation went from bad to horrible the second a smaller blue van pulled down the driveway and parked behind the brown van.

Kai stood beside Huli, his hands on his hips and his narrowed eyes locked on Xiang as he accepted a stack of four medium-sized boxes from the driver of the brown truck. “It’s nothing to worry about. The vampires and mates receive packages regularly. These vans appear at least once a week, if not more often.”

“Yes, but Min is still out there, causing trouble. How do we know she won’t use this as a distraction or other way to sneak inside?”

The right corner of Kai’s mouth lifted. “You huli jing might be powerful, but I can still sense the moment you’re close. She hasn’t stepped foot onto the property. I don’t sense her anywhere near us.”

Huli grunted. Apparently the first time Min had entered the property, Kai had mistaken her for Huli because all he’d been able to pick up was that she was a huli jing. He’d more recently reassured Huli that he could tell the difference between them a little better.

If Kai said she wasn’t near, he was a bit comforted, but he wouldn’t relax until both strangers had gotten back into their vans and driven out the gate.

“Why don’t you use your magic to kill her?” Huli inquired. “Then we wouldn’t have to worry about her at all.”

“Xiao Dan has asked me not to.”

For the first time since the gates opened, Huli jerked his gaze away from the vans to stare openmouthed at the dragon beside him. “What? He did?”

Kai made a noise of agreement. “My regular interaction with you has made it easier for me to tell the difference between you and Min. However, Xiao Dan fears an accident. I believe he is hoping to settle this dispute with Min without taking her life. He stressed to me that huli jing are rare in the world and it would be terrible to destroy such a rare creature if it wasn’t necessary.”

Huli kept his huff silent as he returned his attention to Xiang and the delivery people. If Xiao Dan were aware of the number of humans Min had killed for her amusement, he might feel differently about sparing her life. However, he was a big supporter of not using the dragon’s magic if there was even the slightest chance he could accidentally slaughter the wrong fox.

“Hey, Grumpy Tails!” Xiang shouted, capturing Huli’s attention. “If you don’t want people here during the day, tell your boyfriend to stop placing so many orders.” Xiang dropped the four boxes he’d been carrying onto the porch and turned to the driver of the blue van to accept three more boxes and two packages wrapped in large, white plastic bags.

Huli stood frozen for a second, struggling to unpack everything Xiang had just shot at him. He was not a Grumpy Tails, but he loved hearing Xiang refer to Xiao Dan as his boyfriend. And why was Xiao Dan placing so many orders?

A low snicker from Kai broke through his muddled thoughts and got his feet moving. He stepped outside to find that all the packages Xiang had set on the porch were addressed to Xiao Dan. With some difficulty, he picked up the four, while Kai moved to assist Xiang with the other set.

As they returned to the house, both of the delivery trucks trundled down the driveway and disappeared out the gate. Huli hesitated at the door, allowing Kai and Xiang to go in first while he watched the gate completely close. Yes, Min could jump the wall with incredible ease, but the gate gave him a sense of security. He’d waited too long to have his Xiao Dan. Nothing was going to take him from Huli now.

“I don’t get what he’s doing,” Xiang muttered as he placed all the boxes to the side of the foyer, out of the main footpath. “We’re going home soon. What could he have needed? Won’t he just have to ship all of this to China?”

“I will move most of the clan’s belongings with my magic when we return home,” Kai said, brushing a light kiss to Xiang’s temple. “Shixiong was considerate enough to ask me about these orders prior to making them, and I told him it was fine with me. A few extra items won’t make a big difference.”

Xiang grinned at his mate as he grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him in closer for a proper kiss. “You better becareful with your generosity. I saw Junjie and Leo eyeballing a clubhouse for Erik that would fit in the back garden. That kid has a ton of toys, and they are going to keep adding to it if you let them.”

Kai wrinkled his nose and made a clicking noise with his tongue. “I saw the one they’re looking at, and it’s not nearly as big as it needs to be for Erik, his uncles, and his aunties. I promised I would build a proper treehouse for Erik upon our return to China. Something permanent and not plastic.”

“Gods, that kid is so spoiled,” Xiang moaned as he pulled Kai toward the door again.

“Pfft…you’re jealous you didn’t think of it first.”

“Maybe I want to help design it.” Xiang turned his attention to Huli as they passed him. “Can you take the boxes to Xiao Dan’s room? We’re going to do a patrol of the grounds now that the deliveries have been made.”

If Kai could sense anyone near the property and when they sneaked over the wall, was it necessary for the couple to conduct a patrol?

Or were they slipping off to do some things that Huli didn’t want to contemplate because one half of the couple was Xiang?

Huli shuddered and turned his attention to the boxes stacked in the foyer. That was a safer thought. What had Xiao Dan been ordering recently? Since discovering that bath time was now a new kind of fun time two nights ago, he’d noticed Xiao Dan playing with his phone more often and smiling to himself. He’d thought the vampire had been sending silly messages to his clan mates. Could he order things with that tiny computer?

Still inspecting those thoughts, Huli picked up some of the boxes and ambled down the hallway to Xiao Dan’s room. It was getting near the time of day he usually woke up. The sun was setting much earlier now, and the vampires were enjoying the longer hours they could be active.

He eased the door open enough to stick his head inside and found Xiao Dan sitting on the side of the bed while he pulled on a pair of soft sleep pants. His tousled hair and his sleepy eyes made him look so warm and cuddly. It was one of Huli favorite parts of the day because Xiao Dan’s brain wasn’t fully awake and he was so much easier to cuddle when he hadn’t started thinking about the rest of his clan or the long list of things he needed to do that day.

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