13. Li Xiang

Aaarrrrggghhh!

The man was driving him insane.

No, dragon.

What the fuck ever!

Kai was making him crazy.

How were they supposed to discuss this problem if Kai kept storming off and disappearing every time he lost his temper?

As soon as the thought occurred to Xiang, he swore he could hear his shifu laughing from the underworld. Karma was coming back to bite him hard.

Yes, he had a temper.

Yes, he jumped to conclusions and had poor listening skills when he was angry.

There was no need to throw it in his face as a godly dragon who’d existed since the dawn of time.

Xiang punched a pillow and shoved to his feet, storming off to the kitchen. There, he snatched up the teakettle and filled it with water. He slammed it on the burner and turned on the fire to heat the water.

Kai was being unreasonable. The idea of returning to his clan while riding on a dragon hadn’t even crossed his mind. It wasn’t a bad idea once Kai said it out loud, but it hadn’t been his intention. He genuinely wanted to know what it was like to fly around with a dragon.

And sure, going with Kai to spy on the fae sounded brilliant, but he hadn’t thought of that either.

That damn dragon had serious trust issues.

He grabbed the tin of tea and halted. So maybe Kai had a good reason for having those trust issues. He’d already suffered from the fae sneaking into his hoard and stealing his most prized possession. There was no telling if the fae had stolen other things from him while his attention was elsewhere.

In addition, the fae were now using Kai as some attack dog. That was unspeakable. Kai was a dragon! The most revered and honored of all the creatures in the world. They stood for strength, intelligence, grace, beauty, and power. Most from mythology had risen to the level of godhood and those who hadn’t were a tiny step behind.

Xiang wanted to slaughter the fae for even daring to degrade Kai in such a fashion.

But was he any better? He’d lied to Kai. He hadn’t truly needed to hunt.

Well, he hadn’t been as desperate as he’d made it sound. His goal had been to reach his family. Maybe if he’d told Kai he wanted to reassure them he was still alive, he would have gone along with it.

Instead, Xiang had sneaked behind his back.

Groaning, Xiang finished preparing his tea even though he’d lost his appetite for it. His temper continued to simmer at Kai for jumping to conclusions and not giving him even a sliver of a chance to defend himself, but at least he could see Kai’s point of view.

There, Shifu! See? I am learning.

It might have taken him about two thousand years to get the lesson down in his thick skull, but he’d caught on at last.

Kai would never trust him without proof that he could. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure if Kai was ever going to give him the opportunity to prove he was trustworthy.

Xiang had another two hours to stew in his frustration before Kai reappeared in the treasure room. The dragon in human form walked over to him with a look of expectation on his face, but Xiang turned away, stomping over to a little-used corner of the hoard to flop onto a very uncomfortable divan. He glared at his phone, refusing to lift his eyes from the game of Solitaire he was playing. He would not be the one to apologize for that ridiculous blowup. Kai hadn’t even given him the chance to explain anything.

Kai made a disgruntled noise as he followed Xiang. “Why do you keep fighting my efforts to keep you safe? Don’t you understand how dangerous the fae are?”

His teeth ground together so hard and tight, it was a wonder they weren’t pulverized to dust. The damn dragon was missing the entire point, but he wasn’t talking to him. Nope. Wasn’t even going to look at him. Just keep his eyes on the game until either Kai apologized or left the hoard.

“Xiang!”

“Take a hint. I’m not talking to you.” Xiang swung his legs off the divan to stand, and Kai dropped into the empty spot. He grabbed Xiang’s ankles and pulled his legs across his lap, trapping him on the divan.

“We are talking!”

Xiang struggled against Kai’s firm hold before giving up to growl at the man. “What’s the point? You have no interest in listening to anyone but yourself. You jump to conclusions and then storm off so you don’t have to hear how fucking wrong you are. No, I didn’t want to spy on the fae, and I wasn’t using that as an excuse to return to my clan. I really did just want to fly with you.”

Kai jerked, his face clouding as if his brain was struggling to take in Xiang’s words. But after less than a second, his brow was furrowing and his lips dipped into a hard frown. “Fine, but don’t deny that you still want to return to your clan. Maybe not that time?—”

“No, I won’t deny it! I want to go home. I need to go home. My clan needs me, and I need them. Sure, you’ve made me comfortable here, but that doesn’t change the fact that I have to return.” Some of the burning anger had faded from his chest at being able to get the words out, but it did nothing to get rid of the urgency he felt to see his family.

“The fae are going to kill you.”

“I know how dangerous the fae are. I’ve seen the humans and vampires they’ve killed. My didi and his mate have told us stories of their cruelty. I’ve seen both their scars. But that changes nothing. Going home means stopping the fae from hurting any of my clan again.”

A bright-red flush filled Kai’s cheeks and his eyes glittered with a mix of rage and unshed tears. He leaned in close, placing one hand on the back of the chair beside Xiang’s head. Each breath broke from his parted lips in short pants. “This is where you belong. You are mine.”

Xiang’s brain didn’t have a chance to process those words. Kai placed his other hand behind his neck and pulled him forward. Their lips slammed together in a violent kiss that was more pain and desperation than anything. Xiang’s hands came up to rest on Kai’s chest, but he stopped himself from trying to push the dragon away.

Instead, he turned his head a little to ease the pressure and pain. That movement seemed to wake Kai from his burst of possessive rage and he jerked away on a horrified “No!” as he broke off contact. But that wasn’t what Xiang had wanted at all.

Balling his fists in Kai’s shirt, he pulled the dragon in close and captured those parted lips in a softer, tender kiss that sent fire racing through his veins. Unfortunately, Kai was now stiff in his arms, not returning the kiss, but he also wasn’t pulling away, as if this sudden turn of events had frazzled his brain. Welcome to the club.

Xiang smiled against his mouth and sneaked his tongue out to sweep across Kai’s lips before pulling away. Maybe it wasn’t the best kiss of his life, but it worked to calm Kai. The dragon stared at him, eyes wide and not breathing. One hand drifted up to hover above his lips as if he still couldn’t believe what had happened. Xiang wanted to laugh. Kai was the one who had started it. Obviously, he’d not expected Xiang to get with the program.

“Are…are we still fighting?” Kai inquired, as he lowered his hand.

“I don’t know,” Xiang admitted. The kiss had worked at getting them both to stop shouting, but that didn’t mean the air had been cleared between them in the slightest.

Kai released a huff that sounded irritated, if not frustrated, with Xiang. The man slipped out from underneath Xiang’s legs and zipped across the hoard, shifting into his dragon form. Well, that put a serious damper on any more kissing coming Xiang’s way. But maybe that was the point. They needed to work this out.

With a sigh, Xiang shoved to his feet and walked over to where the dragon was wrapped around the giant mound of tassel and silk cushions just like earlier. As Xiang was attempting to climb over Kai’s long tail, the dragon shifted positions and slipped his hand about Xiang’s waist. A little yelp escaped Xiang as he flew through the air and settled onto the cushions right next to Kai’s body. Someone wanted the cuddles they always enjoyed.

As Kai released him, Xiang caught the massive hand that was bigger than his entire face. Not to mention black talons that resembled scythes. Kai froze, allowing him to inspect each finger and even trace the claws. Such strength and power. With a single swipe, Kai could eviscerate any creature he wanted, and yet he’d held Xiang with the same care a person might show when cradling a newborn.

He released Kai’s hand and gazed at the dragon’s long body to stare at one of his feet. “You have five toes!” Xiang turned to grin up at Kai’s face as he watched him. “You’re an imperial dragon.”

Kai grunted and settled his head on some cushions. Bunch of nonsense, he grumbled in Xiang’s mind.

It had been a rule established during the Han dynasty that while others, such as nobility and government officials, could wear dragons on their clothes, only the emperor could wear dragons who possessed five toes. The rest of the world was relegated to three-toed dragons. The five-toed dragon was the imperial dragon.

“Are you the reason five-toed dragons were the exclusive realm of the emperors?” Xiang teased as he dropped onto the cushions.

I might have spent some time playing weiqi with a few of the Han Dynasty emperors, but just one or two saw me in this form.

Xiang sat up, a chill threatening to freeze the blood in his veins. “Did you know Emperor Wu?”

Kai paused for a second before shaking his head. Never met him. The emperors I knew lived and ruled in the early part of the dynasty. I don’t think I was in Chang’An during Emperor Wu’s reign.

Something inside of Xiang relaxed, and he felt like he could breathe. His memories of those early years serving the emperor with Jiang Chong guiding them were too dark. He didn’t want to think of Kai being part of that. Didn’t want the dragon to be tainted by the ugliness he’d barely escaped.

Silence fell between them as Xiang settled against the dragon, his mind searching for some safe place to begin their conversation. He didn’t want to fight with Kai any longer.

I know you have to return to your clan.

Kai’s soft words not only shocked him, but the fragile tone threatened to break his heart. Xiang swore he could hear him saying, “I know you have to leave me.” It was on the tip of his tongue to shout that he had no intention of leaving Kai. That he’d stay there in the cave forever.

But that was nonsense.

“Going back to my clan doesn’t mean that I’m leaving you,” Xiang replied the moment he could get his own rampaging heart to settle. “You’re coming with me.”

You said that when you thought Kai was human.

“And I still feel that way about Kai the dragon. You’re going home with me. You have no choice.”

The dragon shifted his massive head so Xiang could see him lift a questioning eyebrow at him.

Xiang smirked. “You have to meet with my clan. It’s the only way we’re going to figure out how to steal your sword and defeat the fae with my family.” He lifted one finger and wagged it at Kai. “Don’t forget, we have an elf fighting on our side. He’s got to know some inside information that will help us defeat the queen and her army.”

There were other reasons that began with the kiss they’d shared and the tightness that grew in his chest whenever he thought about them going their separate ways. But he didn’t have any answers about these tangled feelings that were developing. Those things could only be sorted out after he was with his clan. Then he’d have time to figure out why everything within him was demanding he lock Kai up with his clan and never let him out.

Fuck. Now I’m thinking like Kai.

Nope. Getting home to his family was critical for both him and the dragon.

Okay.Kai’s agreement whispered across his brain.

“What?” Xiang’s head whipped about so he could look up at the dragon, who was resting on some pillows with his eyes closed.

I’ll return you to your clan…tomorrow.

“No.” Kai’s eyes popped open and his head lifted. Xiang pointed a finger at him and tried to slap his most fierce expression on his face while he was bubbling over with joy on the inside. “We’re going to my clan together. You’re not allowed to dump me off like some unwanted rubbish and fly away. You’re staying.”

Kai stared at him for several heartbeats before giving a small nod. Yes, I need to apologize to your clan for keeping you.

Xiang released an irritated sigh. Kai knew how to drive him crazy. That was not why Xiang wanted him to stay at all. “You need to stay so we can help each other. My clan and I are stealing your sword back.”

They will help even though I kidnapped you?

As insane as it sounded, it was time to take a page out of Moon’s playbook. “Nope. You rescued me. And for that, they’ll be happy to help you.”

He didn’t know if dragons could laugh, but Xiang couldn’t shake the feeling that amusement was rising out of Kai. It even wrapped around the thought he sent to Xiang.

Okay. Tomorrow.

Xiang smiled to himself as he settled on the dragon, a lingering tingle playing on his lips. He wasn’t sure if it was from the kiss they shared or his overwhelming joy at the idea of returning to his family, though.

Tomorrow, he would be where he belonged with the Zhang clan.

But how in the world was he going to explain Kai to them? Would they accept him even though he had technically kidnapped Xiang and held him against his will?

Pfft. Of course they would. They accepted Rei, and he was an elf. Who wouldn’t want a dragon in their clan?

This was going to be no problem at all.