9. Li Xiang

Xiang lingered near the open doorway, his hands opening and closing at his sides. Here and there, he would dart out into the dark cave with the flashlight on his cell phone shining in front of him, but he never got more than a few dozen meters before he was cursing himself and returning to the hoard.

With each new step into the cave, he would argue that he was trying to find his way out so he could later show Kai.

But then he was backtracking, calling bullshit on his reasoning. If anyone knew his way along the twisting paths of the cave, it was Kai. He wouldn’t need Xiang to show him the way.

Minutes later, he was stepping out again, arguing that he wanted to find the man to make sure he was okay. He hadn’t looked good in those last minutes.

But if Kai wanted to be found, he’d appear in the cavern.

Back and forth he went. Even with the clock ticking in the middle of the treasure room, he had lost all track of time. His mind was a mess. What the hell had happened to Kai? Where was he? What was going on with the dragon? He’d mentioned something about the queen summoning the dragon, yet none of this made any sense.

A summons from Queen Belladonna couldn’t be good for any of them, though. It was clear she had control of the dragon. Was she right this second ordering the dragon to attack his clan?

That image alone sent him running into the darkness, but his feet carried him only a couple of meters and he was stopping again. What the fuck was he supposed to do against a dragon? And that was assuming he could even find his way out of the underwater cave.

What about Kai? He’d promised the man that he’d take him to his clan. There was no way he was leaving him behind.

With a shout, Xiang stomped to his glittering prison. He paused, his eyes snapping over to the section that housed all the dragon’s weapons. Countless blades of all shapes and sizes glinted in the flickering candlelight, as if calling his name.

He could fight his way out.

If the dragon was going to decimate his entire clan, he could at least try to take his revenge on behalf of his brothers and sisters.

Heart pounding in his throat, Xiang took a step toward the weapons when a horrendous noise echoed through the entire network of caves. A chill rushed along his spine and the hair on the nape of his neck stood on end. Even the rushing heartbeat threatening to choke him stopped.

It had begun as a dragon’s roar, but ended in the anguished cries of a man.

Kai!

That had to be Kai.

Without another thought, Xiang raced forward, the flashlight streaking across damp stone ahead of him, shoving aside shadows where it could. He didn’t know where he was running or how he could even find the man. There were no other sounds. He tried shouting Kai’s name, but there was no answer except for the drip of water and the slap of his shoes on the rocks.

He had to find him. It couldn’t be too late.

As he moved deeper into the cave, he cursed himself for not grabbing a sword. How was he going to fight off the dragon with his bare hands? It didn’t matter. Nothing did. His only thought was to reach Kai before it was too late.

The silence of the cave was driving him mad. There was nothing he could use to locate Kai. Just as hopelessness threatened to choke him, his light flashed across a body stretched out prone. He was wearing the same clothes he’d last seen him in and there didn’t appear to be a single scratch on him, but blood soaked through the garments like he’d bathed in it.

Xiang dropped to his knees beside Kai and, with trembling fingers, touched the side of his neck. A choked gasp broke from his throat when he felt the erratic pulse beat against his skin. Kai was cool to the touch and his breathing was shallow, but he was still alive.

With extreme care, he rolled Kai over.

“Xiang?”

Kai’s voice was low and raspy, as if it took all his energy to say his name.

“I’m here. I’m taking you to the hoard.”

Kai’s eyelids fluttered but didn’t open. “Leave me. Not safe.”

“There’s no fucking way I’m leaving you here,” Xiang growled. “I dare the dragon to show his ugly face to me. I’ll tie his tail in a knot and break off both of his horns for laying a single claw on you.” As he spoke, he draped Kai across his back with his arms dangling over the front of his shoulders. He thought he heard the weak huff of a laugh, but it also could have been an exhale of pain escaping the man.

With his friend settled as best he could, Xiang walked toward the hoard. Or at least, he hoped that was the direction he was headed in. He couldn’t remember any of the specific turns he might have made on his trek to find Kai. No, he’d relied on desperation and instinct, which were the same two things that guided his feet now.

After what felt like an eternity, Xiang at last spotted the golden glow of light pouring out from the entry to the hoard. He let out a fractured sigh of relief to step into that sanctuary. Once inside, he kicked the door shut. The resounding metallic echo gave him a sense of security for the first time. It wouldn’t keep the dragon out, but at least it created the illusion of safety.

Xiang rushed into the bathroom where he ran a warm bath and stripped Kai of his blood-sodden clothes. There wasn’t a single scratch to mar his porcelain skin, but he was covered in blood, as if it had leaked out of his pores. With extreme care, he put him into the water and washed away the blood.

He lifted him out of the tub, wrapped him in the fluffiest of towels, and carried him to the bedroom where he laid him on the bed, covering him in layer after layer of blankets to keep him warm. Even after the hot bath, Kai remained as cool to the touch as a vampire, and that was not normal.

Through all the movement and bathing, Kai never made a sound. His eyelids never flickered. The only proof Xiang had that he was still alive was the pulse he checked repeatedly, and the shallow breaths he drew in.

Xiang sat on the edge of the bed and ran a hand through his hair to find that it was damp with sweat. “This isn’t fair, you know?” he mumbled. “Tending to injuries and illness is not my forte. That’s more of a thing that Jiejie is good at. She knows how to bandage wounds up so the gauze doesn’t come loose or cut off the circulation. And she has this amazing soup she makes with tofu and radishes.” Xiang held up his hands, as he could see Kai’s answering skeptical look in his mind. “No, I’m serious. I know it doesn’t sound appetizing, but really, it’s wonderful and it would fix you right up. We—” The lump that blocked his throat choked off his words.

The longing for home and family swept in from out of nowhere and left his eyes stinging with unshed tears. He wanted to go home. It had been the one constant in the passing days that never left him, but right now, it was a knife carving away at his heart and soul.

Yet, he didn’t want to go just for himself. He needed to take Kai with him. Su Ming Yu would know what needed to be done to make Kai feel better.

Even after Kai healed, he wanted his new friend to be there with his family. In his heart, he knew Kai would get along so well with Shixiong, and there was some wicked part of him that so wanted Kai to kick Chen’s butt at weiqi. He wanted to see Kai’s reaction to the crazy things that came out of Moon’s mouth and the smile that would slide across his lips at the first taste of Jiejie’s cooking.

For now, there was only one thing he could do to help Kai, and that was to keep him safe. He strode across the room with a practiced ease and stopped when he reached the armory. With lightning quickness and precision, he tucked four small knives on his body and then grabbed his favorite sword from the collection. In his free hand, he snagged a spear before marching to stand at the foot of the bed.

He stood between the doorway and the bed. If the dragon had it in his mind to finish off Kai, he’d have to go through Xiang to do it. Shixiong was a patient teacher. Chen was a brilliant strategist. Both Yichen and Meimei had their sneaky ways that made them excellent spies and assassins. Ming Yu was their healer and heart. But he and Junjie were born fighters.

Gods, I wish Jun-Jun was here.

There was nothing like having his martial brother fighting at his side to make him feel invincible.

Yet, even without Jun-Jun at his side, he would keep Kai safe.

“Xiang?”

He jerked at that whisper and almost dropped the spear in his left hand to see Kai’s eyes open a slender crack.

Kai licked his lips and spoke softly again. “What are you doing?”

“I’m protecting you from the dragon,” he answered, while trying to get his brain to fully engage. Kai was awake and talking to him. That was enough to throw his thoughts to the winds.

To his shock, Kai’s pale lips twitched into a tiny smile. “Who is going to protect you?”

Some of the twitchy energy that had been zipping through his body for the past several hours released its hold on him and he could drag in a deep breath of relief. Xiang walked around the side of the bed and leaned the spear on the wall near the headboard while still keeping it close at hand.

“How are you feeling? Can I get you anything?” Xiang asked.

Kai’s face scrunched up as he shook his head. He shifted on the bed as if he were trying to sit up, but Xiang was there to put a gentle restraining hand on his shoulder, easing him back down to the mattress.

“You…you need to leave.” He panted, as if that slight movement had worn him out. “Not safe…it’s not safe for you.”

Frowning, Xiang placed the sword on the foot of the bed and sat on the edge beside Kai. He reached out and brushed aside some of the damp hair that had fallen across his forehead. “I’m not going anywhere. When I found you, you were covered in blood. I don’t know what happened between you and that monster, but he and I are going to have words if he dares to show his face.”

“No. Listen. You need to leave.” Kai’s eyes lifted and even their silvery depths were clouded over with pain, as if he couldn’t see Xiang. “I…I can tell you the way out. If…if you start ahead of sunset, you should reach shelter prior to the next sunrise.”

“Kai, stop. I’m not going anywhere.”

“But—”

Xiang tapped Kai’s bottom lip, and the man flinched, his eyes widening and focusing on him. Xiang tilted his head so that Kai could see his smile. “I’m not leaving you. I swore we’d get out of here together, and that’s what we’re going to do. The dragon doesn’t frighten me.”

A soft sigh escaped Kai’s parted lips, and he closed his eyes. “Idiot,” he whispered, but there was a ghost of a smile still lingering on his face.

The laugh that tripped from Xiang’s mouth was mixed with fear and relief as he stared at Kai. He appeared beyond exhausted, as if the life had been drained from him. His color was still too pale. Even his lips had lost all their pale-rose tint. But he was here and breathing, so that had to be a positive step. Or so he desperately told himself.

“Look who’s calling who an idiot,” Xiang teased. “I’m not the idiot who took on a dragon all by myself.” Xiang would do it to keep Kai safe, though. Without thinking, he reached out and threaded his fingers through Kai’s hair because he couldn’t help himself. Touching him meant he was safe and alive. “Can you tell me what happened? Why did the dragon attack you?”

Seconds ticked by as the silence stretched until it was at last broken by the clock chiming the hour. Kai must have fallen unconscious again and Xiang was debating whether to smash the clock to pieces since it was supposedly a gift from the dragon, but Kai’s thready voice stopped him.

“The dragon didn’t attack me.”

Xiang’s gaze jumped back down to Kai to find the man’s eyes had opened a sliver to watch him. “What happened? Is someone else in the cave?” He reached for the sword he’d placed on the bed when Kai’s hand slipped out from the covers and grabbed his wrist with startling strength.

“No. Just us.”

“But—”

“The queen wants you dead.”

That wasn’t news to him, though he was pretty sure the top of her list went to Rei and Yichen for killing her husband and a good portion of the fae army. However, he figured in for thwarting her plan to steal Yichen by pushing him out of the way.

Kai’s eyes shut, and he drew in a couple of breaths, as though he were attempting to muster some strength. The hand holding his wrist loosened and Xiang pulled free, only to thread their fingers together, trying to lend Kai any support he could.

“Is that what happened? The queen summoned the dragon and ordered him to kill me.”

Now that was a chilling thought. Even as the queasiness was taking over his stomach, the most wonderful smile spread across Kai’s lips. The only time he smiled like that was during their weiqi games.

“Never going to happen. I’ll die before I follow that bitch’s order to kill you.”

What?Xiang’s mind screamed.

Kai’s voice faded until it was barely even a whisper. “You belong here now. Mine.”

The fingers he held went slack, and Kai’s body seemed to relax as if he’d fallen into a deep sleep.

That was fine with Xiang. He was too busy freaking out to speak with Kai anymore.

What had he heard?

Just us.

I’ll die before I follow that bitch’s order to kill you.

Was Kai confused…or was he the dragon who’d abducted Xiang in the first place?