26. Li Xiang

Xiang woke to the smell of food.

But this wasn’t Jiejie’s usual cooking.

This was different. It smelled heavy and greasy and so very unhealthy. This was American food.

The soft crinkle of paper bags had Xiang’s eyes snapping open, and he rolled over to find that Kai had placed a small table in the center of his bedroom. From the glow of the light from the adjoining bathroom, he spotted piles of food in paper wrappers.

“What did you do?” Xiang demanded as he sucked in another deep breath. Oh Gods, he loved greasy American food! It was so different from the flavors he grew up with. They’d only discovered them on random trips away from home and even then, the tastes weren’t the same as what they’d found since coming to Connecticut.

While he might not eat food often thanks to his vampirism, he still enjoyed tasting new things. Especially since Moon had joined their clan. The baby vampire continued to possess a human brain and human instincts. He might not need to eat three meals a day any longer, but he continued to do so out of habit.

Xiang tumbled bleary eyed out of bed and sat opposite of Kai at the table, wearing only his underwear. Kai clicked his tongue at him, and Xiang suddenly found himself wrapped in a soft T-shirt and a pair of sweat pants.

“I wanted to provide a meal for you, but I also didn’t want to disturb Su Ming Yu after she helped you to heal me. So, I dragged Moon and Rei out with me before sunrise. Moon taught us about drive-thru.” Kai cocked his head to the side, his brow furrowing slightly. “It is the strangest human thing. You don’t have to get out of your rolling death box?—”

“Car,” Xiang corrected, trying very hard not to giggle at the dragon’s earnest demeanor.

“They have a mechanical box you talk to, and then there’s a special window where they pass you the food.”

Xiang looked over the spread, taking in the different colored wrappers and small boxes. “How many places did you hit?”

“Four. Moon said there were only four open at that hour, or we would have stopped at more. I told Moon to order all the things with meat and rice, but no one had rice. Apparently, Americans are more concerned with the potato.”

With a bark of laughter, Xiang stretched a hand across the table and caught Kai by the nape of his neck. He pulled him in for a rough kiss. Not the easiest thing, since he couldn’t stop chuckling.

“I take it you’re feeling better,” Xiang murmured.

Kai smiled against his mouth and pressed another kiss to his lips. “I am feeling much better. Thank you for saving my life.”

Xiang tried to extend the kiss, but the table was between them, and Kai pulled away with a warning scowl. “Your food will get cold. You must eat.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to argue that the only meal he wanted was every inch of the dragon seated across from him, but he bit back those words. Kai had gone to the trouble of kidnapping two of his clan mates to procure this meal for him. He could at least eat some of it before had nibbled on the dragon.

With a wiggle, Xiang started ripping open wrappers and containers, checking out the selections. There was sausage and chicken on biscuits and muffins, pancakes, eggs in a variety of forms, and potatoes. Lots of potatoes. The only slightly out-of-place items in all this were the pot of fresh tea and the two cups placed to one side of the table. That had obviously been made here.

Kai picked up the teapot and poured a steaming cup for both of them. “Moon said that Americans survive on coffee or juice. I didn’t know if you liked coffee, so I made tea when we returned.”

“Coffee isn’t bad.” Xiang shrugged. He lifted one of the sausage sandwiches and took a huge bite. The mix of biscuit, meat, egg, and cheese were a delight. “Though I’ll admit I prefer the fancy ones with the flavors and lots of sugar.”

“I will keep that in mind for next time.” Kai nodded and took a sip of his tea.

Some part of Xiang’s brain giggled at the image of Kai walking into one of these fast-food restaurants and demanding they give him a fancy coffee with flavor and lots of sugar. It would make for an interesting encounter, at least.

“Here. Eat,” Xiang ordered, waving at Kai to join him. “Help me. There’s far too much food here for just me.”

Kai put his cup on the table and leaned closer, wrinkling his nose as he inspected all the items. He nibbled a bit on a small chicken sandwich and picked up a round, golden brown tater tot.

“That’s a tot,” Xiang informed him around a mouthful of eggs.

Kai’s widened, and he jerked back away from the object pinched between two fingers. “Isn’t that what humans call their children?”

Xiang barely got his hand up to keep from spewing egg across the table to Kai. He coughed and choked while Kai continued. The dragon pulled the tot in half and inspected the interior. “How long have humans been eating their young? Is that an American thing? We don’t eat our children in China. That is not at all what I expected a fried human to look like.”

“Potato!” Xiang gasped when he could finally speak. “It’s called a tater tot. It’s made of potato.”

A sigh escaped Kai and Xiang swore the dragon’s shoulders slumped. “Oh. I guess that makes more sense.” He popped the two halves into his mouth and chewed. Judging from his expression, he was only mildly impressed.

“I’m not sure I want to know, but have you eaten a lot of humans in your lifetime?” Xiang asked. He took a drink of his tea to clear his throat before diving into his food.

“I wouldn’t say a lot,” Kai hedged. Xiang raised one eyebrow at him, and the sexy man huffed, throwing his hands up slightly. He returned his gaze to the food and refused to meet Xiang’s eyes. “Over my entire lifetime, I’d say there were probably a dozen. Definitely fewer than two dozen.”

Xiang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It was a very stark reminder that at his core, Kai was not human.

“But I didn’t eat any of them out of hunger,” Kai urgently declared, pointing another tot at him.

“Why did you eat them? They get too close to your hoard?”

“They pissed me off,” Kai mumbled. “Some of them wanted to cut me up and harvest my organs for medicines. They always want to steal my horns.” As he spoke, a pair of golden horns similar to a young stag’s appeared on Kai’s head. He waved one hand at them, looking very distressed. “They’re very nice horns, right?”

“Are they made of actual gold?” Xiang reached out but pulled his hand away as soon as he realized how rude he was being.

“Oh, no!” Kai lowered his head and moved it closer to Xiang, inviting him to touch. Xiang quickly wiped his fingers on a paper napkin before sliding his fingers along one of the smooth horns. “They’re horns, not technically antlers, so I think they are the same material as your fingernails.”

“Amazing,” Xiang breathed. Even if they weren’t made of gold, they were gorgeous, even coming out of the head of a creature that looked human. “You have beautiful horns.”

The dragon across from him sat up straight, his head held a tiny bit higher, as he mumbled a rather regal, “Thank you.”

Xiang returned to his meal. If Kai got any more adorable, Xiang would have to leap across the table and eat him up instead. Right now, they were enjoying a private meal together that Kai had organized for him. His dragon was an excellent provider. Sure, he might have kidnapped a couple of people to get the job done, but he was a born problem solver. When he wanted something, he figured out how to get it done.

Which made it a little surprising that Kai hadn’t figured out how to steal his sword from the fae yet. Was there something else holding him back? Fear? A sense of failure considering the fae had invaded his hoard and stolen it from him in the first place. Whatever the reason, Xiang was determined to fix this problem for Kai. His days of being harmed by Queen Belladonna were over.

“Just so you don’t worry, I don’t actually care for the taste of human,” Kai continued as if he were trying to reassure Xiang. “They made me angry, and I had to take care of them. Do you like the taste of blood?”

Xiang almost choked on his hash brown. He could follow the logic of Kai’s mind. He hadn’t expected the words to come out of his mouth so quickly or bluntly.

“I…I…don’t mind the taste,” he stammered at first, his brain rushing around to organize his thoughts. “I didn’t much care for it at first, but when you’re a young vampire, you need to feed every night. You learn to crave it, which then teaches you to appreciate the taste. I guess I like it more when I’m hungry.”

“And you’ve never tasted dragon blood?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

A strange expression flitted across Kai’s face that left Xiang believing that the dragon was pleased with that information. Possessive little monster.

Not that he didn’t want to take a nip from Kai. He longed for that connection between them. They’d shared their bodies, their lives, and now his clan. It felt strange as a vampire not to have tasted his lover’s blood.

But there were dangers and consequences that came with drinking the blood of a powerful creature. Bel had reported that vampires got drunk from the blood of shifters. Chen had received a temporary magical boost drinking blood from a blood witch. Who knew what would happen if he drank the blood of an ancient dragon? With his questionable luck, it would probably make him sick, but it would be cool if it gave him the ability to fly like Kai.

Xiang ate as much as he could while Kai picked at things here and there. Clearly, fast food would not be something he was a fan of. They cleaned up the wrappers together and Xiang placed the leftovers in the refrigerator. Moon would demolish them later.

When he returned to the bedroom, Kai had turned down the lights and poured them fresh cups of tea at the table, which he sat frowning at. That didn’t seem to be a good sign. Was the greasy human food not sitting well with him?

“Your stomach bothering you?” Xiang inquired after shutting the door.

Kai shook his head, but didn’t look up at him. At a guess, the dragon had something to tell him.

Sitting on the opposite side of the table, Xiang folded his hands in his lap and waited. His lover would not speak his mind any faster with prodding. If he’d learned anything during their time together in the hoard, Kai had to work up to things at his own pace and figure things out on his own.

“I have spoken to Xiao Dan and Yichen about this matter, and they have explained that I need to speak plainly with you. To not be subtle or rely on hints,” Kai began.

Xiang pressed his lips together, cursing Shixiong and Didi. Okay, so maybe picking up on subtle cues was not his strong point, but he would never have considered Kai’s style as being subtle.

“I also spoke with Junjie this morning. He caught me when I was intending to leave.”

That wiped away the lingering embarrassment and kicked his heart into racing. “What do you mean leave?” Xiang snapped.

“I had intended to leave you and this clan. My tie to the fae has made it clear that I’m a danger to you and your family. I don’t want that for you.”

“That is fucking bullshit! I—” Kai held up one hand, cutting Xiang off midroar. He froze, breath stuck in his throat, balanced on his knees while waiting for Kai to continue. The dragon was going to fix this or throw more fuel on the fire.

“Junjie explained it was disrespectful of me to not value your wishes and skills. My need to protect you from danger could not overshadow your wants and desires. You wish for me to stay. You also have the strength and skills to protect yourself. Even if I am not happy about this threat to you and your desire to fight the fae, I have to respect it.”

Xiang instantly deflated, sitting back on his heels. Obviously, he owed Junjie big for talking some sense into Kai while Xiang had been asleep.

“I don’t wish for you to be hurt, ever. Especially because of me.” The words left Kai in barely more than a whisper.

Catching one of Kai’s hands in both of his, Xiang lifted it to his lips and pressed a sweet kiss to his knuckles. “I understand. I hate seeing you hurt. You’ve returned from the fae twice now near death, and it has torn me apart. I know that bitch was ordering you to kill me and you fought her.”

“I would rather die than harm you.”

Xiang swallowed hard and pointed one finger at the dragon. “And there will be none of that. You are not allowed to die. Do you hear me? There are too many things we need to do together. You still need to get the stone out of my stomach.”

Kai shifted, digging into his pocket. When he held up his free hand, there was a black weiqi stone balance between his thumb and his forefinger. “I retrieved it while you slept. I wanted something to remember you by.”

“No! You can’t leave. I won’t allow it. You…you…” His voice died off as the reality of the words coming out of his mouth sank into his brain. Kai was one of the great ancient dragons of the world. He was practically immortal, living for thousands of years. His powers were immense. Who the hell was he to tell Kai what to do? The dragon could go anywhere he wanted in the world in the blink of an eye.

All the food he’d eaten with Kai was now a lead weight in his stomach, and a chill was sweeping across his skin. An ache echoed through his heart with every beat, and his throat tightened. He wanted to crawl away from this conversation and back into bed, where Kai’s words couldn’t reach him.

Just as his hand was about to fall away from Kai’s, the dragon caught it and squeezed it almost painfully. Those soft silvery eyes flashed bright gold, while the pupils turned to black slits for a heartbeat. It was as if something had made Kai lose control of his human form.

“You are my mate.”

The world stopped. Xiang’s breath was caught in his lungs a second time and his brain turned to electric snow.

What?

“You are my mate,” Kai repeated, and Xiang was grateful. He’d nearly convinced himself he’d heard him wrong. “I don’t know things like love. I don’t want to use that word without understanding it, because I know humans put so much weight and value into that emotion. But I know you are my mate. You belong to me and no one else. You are more precious to me than all the items within my hoard.”

Kai had barely finished saying those words when a thousand invisible threads dove into Xiang’s soul and streaked back across to Kai, binding them together. He gasped at the feeling, but Kai continued as if he felt nothing.

“I would give up all of my hoard to keep you. I would give you all my hoard and more if it would make you happy. And if you asked, I would give up my life for you.” Kai lifted his empty hand, his fingers curling like long talons, while eyes once again flashed bright gold. “You are mine, and I will never part with you.”

For a second, within his mind, Xiang swore those threads flashed gold and then faded from sight. But he could feel them even now, binding him permanently to Kai. Pure, unadulterated joy pumped briefly through his veins, but it froze almost as quickly.

He wanted nothing more than to belong to Kai, to have Kai at his side for all time, but Kai was a dragon…and he was just some vampire who’d done some truly horrible things within his lifetime. How could he be worthy of Kai?

“But…you’re…you’re a dragon. You’re practically a god. I’m not worthy,” Xiang stumbled, trying to untangle his tongue enough to speak, but his brain wasn’t cooperating.

“Why?” Kai’s hold on his hand tightened, stopping Xiang’s attempt to pull his fingers free. “Because of decisions you made in the past? I don’t care about those things. What you have survived and learned from in your past are the very things that make you so priceless to me now. You are mine.”

Xiang could feel the echo of those three words through his entire body, branding him in the very best way.

Swallowing past the lump that threatened to block his throat, Xiang cupped Kai’s cheek with one hand and pulled him closer. “Does that mean that you’re mine? That I won’t have to share you with anyone else?”

A soft growl rumbled from Kai. “Dragons don’t share.”

Their lips met across the table in a hungry, desperate kiss that soothed old aches and insecurities. Xiang lost himself to the heat of Kai’s mouth, the caress of his tongue along his own. He pushed away thoughts of the strange magic spell that bound him to Kai. It wasn’t important. The only thing that mattered to him was that Kai wanted him completely. That Kai would never leave his side.

He slowed the kiss to a series of small, slow nips and brushes, as if they couldn’t quite get enough of each other. With his forehead pressed to Kai’s, he smiled. “Come to bed with me. You need to give your body more time to heal.”

Kai pulled away and grinned. “Will we have sex?”

A bark of laughter jumped out of Xiang’s throat and forced his head to tip to the ceiling. “No sex. Healing.”

The dragon released him and smoothly stood. He stripped off his clothes, tossing them about the room without a care. “You know, I’ve heard that sex has many healing properties.”

“No,” Xiang repeated as he also stripped to his underwear.

“I assure you that my ass suffered no injury in the fight with the fae. It is perfectly fine.”

This dragon was trying to kill him with temptation.

Kai flashed him that evil pouty expression, but Xiang ignored him as he climbed under the blankets. Kai’s warm body soon joined him. They wrapped their arms around each other and tangled their legs.

“I just want to hold you and listen to your heartbeat,” Xiang murmured, his head resting on Kai’s chest.

Strong arms tightened on Xiang, and a contented sigh escaped Kai’s lips. “Yes, this. I need this too. You are mine, and no one will ever take you from me.”

Mine.

Kai was his at last. And Xiang would allow no one to separate them.

Which meant they needed to come up with a plan to defeat the fae now.