Page 41 of Two Thousand Promises

Huli gasped and jumped to his feet, ready to race straight to his poor suffering vampire, regardless of the fact that he was the reason Xiao Dan was suffering.

Yichen moved a step faster and jumped in front of Huli, blocking his path. “Pay attention, Huli. This is an important lesson in relationships.”

“I don’t have time for your lessons. Zhang-ge needs me.”

With a roll of his eyes, Yichen placed a hand on Huli’s shoulder and gave him a shake. “I’m trying to save you from making this situation worse, as well as future misunderstandings.”

Oh.That might actually be a good idea.

“Calmly go into the parlor, sit next to him, and ask him to tell you why he bought all those things. Listen to his answer. And I mean reallylisten to him. Afterward, tell him how you feel about those gifts. Okay?”

That seemed too easy. Of course, Huli’s first instinct was to charge into the room, leap into Xiao Dan’s arms, and blanket him in apologies, but Yichen’s idea might be good too.

“You…you’ve been doing this relationship thing for a long time with that elf, right?” Huli inquired.

“Decades. I’ve made most of the big mistakes. Let me save you from a few of them.”

That was an excellent idea.

He nodded. “Thank you. I will go talk to Xiao Dan.”

Yichen released his shoulder and stepped out of the way. “Good luck.”

Huli didn’t run, but it was a brisk walk through the house and down the corridors to the right parlor, where he found Xiao Dan as Yichen had described. The room was dark, with only some thin light slipping in through the open doorway. Xiao Dan sat on a cushion before a low table, but there was neither tea nor a book in front of him, which was his preferred way to start the evening.

It took every ounce of Huli’s restraint not to throw himself at Xiao Dan. He walked into the room and sat next to the vampire with the slumped shoulders.

“Gege?”

“Huli?” Xiao Dan raised his head and flashed him a tiny smile. “I’m so sorry?—”

The fox reached out and took one of Xiao Dan’s hands in his, squeezing his long, cold fingers. “Gege, will you please tell me why you ordered those things for me?”

Xiao Dan stared at him for a second and then dropped his gaze to the table. One of those strong shoulders lifted in a halfhearted shrug. “I wanted you to be comfortable. To feel like you belonged here with me.”

Huli risked a small kiss to the top of Xiao Dan’s hand. “I belong wherever you are. And I am a fox. I’ve spent most of my existence sleeping in a burrow in the ground.”

“True.” Xiao Dan drew in a shaky breath and released it slowly. “I think I also liked the idea of opening my bureau and seeing your clothes folded next to mine. I wanted your clothes hanging beside mine in the closet. Your toiletries positioned next to mine on the bathroom counter. The times you were away cultivating and gaining your nine tails, I never knew when you would return. Decades passed between our meetings. Sometimes, I was afraid that you’d never return. That you’d find someone more interesting than me and wouldn’t come back. Butif I see your things next to mine, I feel better. I know you’ll return to me.”

Huli’s heart was shattered to hear Xiao Dan’s words. He released his hand and cupped his cheeks, turning his head so that the vampire had to meet his eyes. “Since meeting you, my every waking moment has been about how to be as close to you as possible. How I can be worthy of you. If I could have been happy as a simple huli jing resting at your feet, I would never have left to cultivate. There is no one more interesting. No one is more kind or loving in all this world. I want to spend every day and night at your side. Nothing is going to separate us again. Even if I don’t have a single scrap of clothing, I will still be here with you.”

Xiao Dan huffed out a broken laugh. He blinked and two fat tears rolled down his cheeks. “You must think I am silly.”

“You are my silly vampire, and I wouldn’t change a thing about you.” He swooped in for a kiss that was a little salty from their tears of relief, but sweet from their shared laughter.

Huli pulled away and rested his forehead on Xiao Dan’s. “But will you still love me when you learn how silly your fox is?”

“How silly?”

Huli cleared his throat and sat on his heels so he could see Xiao Dan’s eyes. “I thought you bought those things for me because you didn’t want me wearing your clothes and using your shampoo. I thought…you didn’t love your Huli any longer.” He might have dropped his voice to a whisper for that last part, but Xiao Dan still heard him.

The vampire wrapped his arms around Huli and pulled him into his lap. “I will never stop loving you. If you wish to wear my clothes and use my soaps, I am fine with it. I love seeing you in my pajamas and smelling like me. I just thought you might like some things of your own.”

“We are both very silly,” Huli said as he soaked in the affection. There was no better place in all the world than being in Xiao Dan’s arms.

He had a point, though. It might be nice to be settled in a home and have some things that he didn’t have to conjure up using magic. His only real possession was the yupei, and he had it hidden behind stacks of protective magic, so no one could ever find it.

Plus, Xiao Dan had picked out and paid for all the things that he’d given to Huli. Even if they weren’t Xiao Dan’s clothes, Xiao Dan had chosen them for Huli.

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