27. Kai

Kai did not want to leave the cozy cocoon he and Xiang had built in his bed. For almost the entire day, they’d remained in Xiang’s bed, wrapped in blankets, napping, kissing, eating, napping, and—when he finally convinced Xiang he was healed—having sex. Kai had no interest in leaving this happy spot. The only thing better would have been cuddling within his own hoard.

But there was no leaving while the sun was up and Xiang’s clan was vulnerable. He didn’t mind sticking close, protecting the Zhang clan with his mate. Plus, his hoard was right below them. He could feel that everything was safe and sound there. It was more a drive to drag his mate to the place where they had their special, secret moments away from the world. He wanted to put Xiang back in his hoard so he could create more happy memories there.

And also have sex on his bed.

Later.

All of that would have to come later.

Right now, they needed a plan for taking out Queen Belladonna and forcing the fae from the human realm. Defeating Belladonna meant freeing both himself and Rei from her clutches. He wouldn’t have to worry about her possibly controlling him any longer, and Rei could breathe without fearing her striking the world and family he loved.

“Aren’t any of the Variks joining us for this meeting?” Meimei inquired as she dropped into one of the empty seats.

Today she was a kaleidoscope of bright colors and furry cat ears sticking out from the top of her head. Kai frowned at them and reached out so he could poke one with a finger when Xiang leaned in close. “They’re not real.”

Kai grunted and dropped his hand to his side. He wasn’t entirely sure what Mei Lian’s vampiric gift was, but he didn’t think it was shapeshifting into other creatures.

“I don’t wish to bother the Variks on this mission. They’re still recovering from the last attack,” Xiao Dan replied.

Ming Yu leaned forward as she picked up a cup of tea. “Have you heard any news from them? Is Fox okay? What about Bel and his mates?”

“Fox has recovered. While he has lost his powers as a witch, Aiden has stated that he can still protect Winter from visions of the ghosts. In fact, it seems Winter is the one who is still recovering from nearly losing his mate.”

“Oh, thank God,” Moon muttered with a heavy sigh as he dropped his face into his hands. “Fox was worried about losing that.”

Chen placed an arm around his mate’s shoulders and squeezed as he stated. “Apparently, there have been other troubles in the vampire world that are taking up King Aiden’s time and preoccupying the Variks. Marcus hasn’t come out and said what the issue is, but I feel they would be thinly stretched if they attempted to assist us as well.”

Xiang clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “Fine with me. We’ve taken out plenty of dangerous targets in the past with no one else. We can kill Queen Belladonna and force the fae into their realm on our own.”

Yichen snorted. “I love how you make that sound so simple, and yet they’ve been here for months killing people and torturing your own mate.”

Kai was torn between wanting to preen over the fact that Yichen had called him Xiang’s mate, but he also wanted to hit the vampire for saying such mean words to his mate. Of course, Xiang didn’t need his defense. His highly trained and very skilled vampire could take care of himself—as shown by the mantou?1 he chucked at Yichen’s head.

“Hey!” Moon cried out as he lunged for the bowl of innocent white buns in the center of the table. “Ming Yu made those for me. They’re not for throwing.”

Meimei wrinkled her nose at them. “Why did you ask for mantou? Jiejie makes an amazing egg and chives baozi?2.”

Moon clutched the mantou to his chest. “Sometimes a boy just wants some soft, yummy bread.”

Xiao Dan cleared his throat. “Maybe it would be more productive if we got to the matter at hand. I was waiting?—”

“Here! I’m here!” Huli bounced into the room and scurried around everyone else to land in the seat right next to Xiao Dan in a flurry of orange tails. Kai cocked his head at the huli jing, marveling at how he had appeared as mostly human, except for his many tails dancing behind him and a pair of triangular orange and black ears poking out from the top of his head. Now that he saw the difference, Meimei’s ears were definitely fake compared to Huli’s, which twitched and moved constantly to reflect him reacting to all the various sounds and his own mood.

“Why the hell is he here?” Xiang snarled, jumping to his feet. He balled his hands at his sides and he looked as if he were ready to launch his body across the table at the fox spirit to pull him away from his shixiong.

“Because Huli can keep a closer watch on the movements of the fae than we can,” Xiao Dan argued, doing nothing to pry free of Huli’s tight grip. Not only did he have his arms wrapped around Xiao Dan’s waist and his head on his chest, but he also wrapped Xiao Dan up in many of his tails. There was no missing it—Huli was staking his claim.

But why was Xiang so against the fox spirit?

Yes, they were usually filled with malicious mischief, but Zhang Xiao Dan struck Kai as someone more than capable of caring for himself.

“In addition, this is going to be a sneaking mission,” Rei emphasized. He spread out a large map across the table while others moved aside cups of tea they’d been sipping. Moon continued to cradle the bowl of mantou like they were his little bun children, not trusting Xiang near them.

“Rei and I have been working on this pretty much since we returned to the clan,” Yichen announced. Xiang dropped into his seat, only to scoot to the edge like everyone else as they peered at the map. Kai couldn’t help it. He slid his hand down and threaded his fingers with Xiang’s, hoping to ease some of the anger that still bubbled in him over the presence of the huli jing.

Xiang surprised him. The devilish vampire flashed him a bright smile before lifting their joined hands and brushing a kiss across Kai’s fingers. Right in front of his entire family.

A sound of disgust erupted from Huli. “Really? Li Xiang got a dragon? He should have been mated to one of Moon’s mantou.”

Xiang sucked in a breath and tightened his hand in Kai’s, but Xiao Dan reacted first, lightly bopping Huli on the tip of the nose.

“Be nice, or I will ask you to leave. We will do this mission without you,” Xiao Dan admonished.

Huli’s tear-filled eyes appeared to double in size as he peered up at Xiao Dan. “I want to help. I’ll be nice.”

Rei leaned over to Yichen. “See. I told you—your family is far more interesting than mine.”

“It’s a different kind of crazy,” Yichen muttered. “Anyway…” The vampire lifted his voice above the chaos. “As you can see, the map is incomplete. Rei and I have been drawing it from memory. There were a lot of places within the castle that I didn’t see. Most of my experience was within the outer courtyard.”

“And I didn’t explore as much as I should have.” Rei picked up the explanation. “My primary concern was planning our escape. However, I visited the throne room and the various guard quarters. I also know the location of the private quarters for the king and queen. At least, I’m assuming that my mother hasn’t changed her quarters since the death of her husband.”

“We will have two goals when we go in—to regain Kai’s sword and to kill the queen,” Chen stated. He turned his head toward Rei. “Unless there are other power players in the royal court that you feel we need to eliminate as well. Anyone who you believe will pick up the baton and continue to attack the humans?”

Rei scrubbed a hand over his face and glared at the map. “The fae are sticklers about bloodlines. After Belladonna’s death, I am first in line for the throne. After I renounce, that puts my half brother Trin in the lead. There is possibly a scattering of other half siblings still alive, but they’ve stayed away from the royal court after my father slaughtered most of their ranks. They might cause problems down the line, but I don’t think any of them will be in place to seize power once we take out Belladonna.”

“What about Trin? Will he pick up where she left off?” Junjie asked.

“No,” Rei replied with a shake of his head. “The power might be tempting, but he will need to solidify his claim. That will be better handled in the fae realm, where he will be at his strongest.”

“Not to mention, he would have to likely take on a very pissed off dragon.” Huli cackled.

Meimei snapped her fingers and joined the fox’s cackle. “Exactly! Kai could just crush them all.”

Xiang’s hand tightened in his and Kai glanced over to find his mate glaring at the map, his jaw so tight his muscles were jumping and flexing as if he were grinding his teeth. What could he not like about that statement? Kai was very much looking forward to crushing some fae and tearing apart that castle.

“But not until we gain the god-gifted sword,” Xiao Dan reminded them.

“Where is that likely to be kept? Would the queen keep the sword on her at all times?” Chen inquired.

Rei sighed. “I don’t know. When Yichen and I were still stuck in the castle, I saw it occasionally. My father was the one usually carrying it. He also had a stand for it next to the Dawn Throne.” He shoved a hand through his hair, pushing it back and threading a braid behind one pointed ear. “I swear I never thought much of it. He was always demanding the blacksmiths make him new weapons. I thought this was a new design they’d come up with.”

“It’s understandable,” Kai chimed in. “You were more concerned with Yichen’s safety and your upcoming escape. They didn’t dare attempt to summon me for the first time until that night I stole Xiang away.”

“So, what’s the plan for going after the queen and the sword? Two teams?”

“Actually, I was thinking five teams,” Xiao Dan answered with a broad smile. “Our clan has a great deal of experience sneaking past guards and other security. Huli has been sneaking past their guards for months now. Since we can’t be sure where the queen or the sword will be, I think our best option is to send as many teams as possible to complete our goals. Rei and Yichen will be a team with the goal of taking out the queen. Xiang and Kai will focus on going after the sword.”

While Kai’s heart soared at the idea, Xiang’s frown deepened. This did not bode well. What was troubling his mate?

“Huli and Chen will also go after the queen, while Mei Lian and I will seek the sword.”

Moon jumped to his feet and pointed at Huli. “Wait a minute! Why is he going with my mate?”

Huli snorted. “Trust me, I’m not too thrilled, either. I’m better as a solo.”

Xiao Dan’s expression hardened. “Moon, hard truth. You have slacked on your training for the past couple of weeks. You do not have access to your magic, and you are not a skilled fighter. Placing you with Chen would force him to split his focus so that he is looking for the sword and protecting you. Whereas Huli is fast and has ample magic at his fingertips. It is smart to combine him with Chen’s fast and aggressive magic. You will hold Chen back.”

“Shixiong!” Chen gasped.

Yet, it was Moon who stopped him. With shoulders slumped, he bowed to Xiao Dan. “Shifu is right. I would put Chen in danger.” Moon sat on the bench beside Chen, his slender shoulders slumped in defeat.

“I know you wish to fight side by side with Chen.” Xiao Dan’s voice softened, becoming so very reassuring. “If you work hard, one day you will be just as strong and skilled as the others in the clan. For now, I want you to be with Junjie and Ming Yu outside the castle grounds. You will supply a distraction if needed as well as clear an exit when the time comes.”

“I’ll do it, Shifu,” Moon agreed with a weak smile.

“Shifu…” Xiang whispered with a shudder.

“What?” Moon asked, his head whipping around to Xiang. “I’ve been accepted into the clan and Zhang Xiao Dan has agreed to be my shifu, training me to fight like you guys.” Moon tipped up his chin and puffed out his chest. “What? Don’t think I can do it?”

“No! No! That’s not it!” Xiang said, holding up his hands to ward off Moon’s defensive grumpiness.

“It’s that we have all used that term to refer to one person—Zhang Shi Lei,” Junjie answered. “We had finished with the bulk of our training when he died. Xiao Dan grew up with us. He’s always been Shixiong or Da-ge.”

“Moon is the first disciple of the tenth generation of the Sword of the Heavenly Garden Sect,” Xiao Dan announced. “I officially accepted his bows while Xiang was gone.”

A devilish grin spread across Xiang’s lips, and he pointed at Rei. “What about that one? Does that make him the second disciple of the tenth generation?”

Rei’s lips twisted in a smirk. “Not yet. While I might not have much of a conscience, what little I have won’t allow me to join your clan officially until the last of my ties are broken with the fae.”

Yichen wrapped one arm around Rei’s waist and pulled him in tight. With his other hand, he drew a finger across his throat. “We kill his sweet mother, and he is mine for all time.”

Rei sighed and fluttered his eyelashes as he laid his head against Yichen’s. “I love when you get all bloodthirsty for the death of my family.”

“Ugh,” Mei Lian groaned. “I’m usually down for all the sappy BL stuff, but you two are gross. You’re my brother and…ugh!” She added a shudder with her eyes squeezed shut, which only made Rei chortle.

Xiao Dan’s sigh was loud and very heavy. “I think we are getting off track. Are there any more issues we need to discuss with how the teams are broken up?” Huli drew in some air and Xiao Dan’s hand shot up, halting his next words. “Other than complaining about who your partner is.” Huli’s mouth snapped shut.

But Kai’s breath was stolen away by Xiang’s next words.

“Kai won’t be joining our raid on the fae castle,” Xiang announced, silencing the room.

“What are you talking about?” Kai growled as soon as he could get his brain working past his initial shock. How could Xiang not want him to accompany him on their mission to steal back his sword?

“It’s too dangerous for you to go on this mission. The queen has nearly killed you twice. What if she already has her hands on the sword when we locate her? Do you think I’ll be able to ignore your suffering while I’m trying to kill her and her guards?”

“And do you truly believe I am going to stay behind while you put yourself in danger for my sword? That I’d let you take my revenge from me?” Lightning flashed in the windows and a loud crack of thunder split the air.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Huli fully climb into Xiao Dan’s lap while Moon half hid behind Chen.

“Only Xiang would be insane enough to argue with a god,” Chen muttered.

Yet that was what made Xiang great. He didn’t think about Kai’s power. No, his mate turned completely around to face him, his face flushed and eyes sparkling. “I will not let you get so close to death ever again! This is the one way I have of keeping you safe. If we can’t get the sword from her before we can kill her, she’s going to summon you and command you to kill us. Staying here will buy you and us more time.”

“This is my sword. A thief violated my hoard. I have suffered years of humiliation. I demand retribution!” Kai shouted.

“And you’re my mate! I’m not letting you get hurt by that elf!” Xiang bellowed back in his face.

“Actually, I don’t think the sword is going to have the same power over Kai any longer,” Chen broke in, snapping both of their glares to him.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Xiang demanded.

Chen rolled his eyes and flicked a bit of ice in Xiang’s direction in irritation. Kai’s hand zipped out and caught the ice, crushing it in his fist. It wouldn’t have hurt Xiang, but no one could throw things at his mate. “What are you saying?”

“You said that the sword was a special gift from Huangdi because of a great deed you did. Its importance to you made it the heart of your hoard, and that’s why it has power over you.” Chen paused and smirked at Xiang. “However, I would argue that its level of importance in your life has changed over the past several weeks. Especially recently. What if you had to choose between Xiang and your sword?”

“Xiang,” Kai blurted out. “I would choose Xiang.”

Chen shrugged and dusted his hands off against each other. “I’m convinced she won’t be able to control you any longer. At least not to the point of putting your life in danger. The real threat is if she gets her hands on Xiang, which is unlikely to happen. First, she’d have to know that Xiang has usurped the sword’s power. And second, she’d have to catch him. With Kai there to protect Xiang, it won’t happen. Plus, Xiang is somewhat skilled. He should be able to protect himself better than a sword.”

“Screw you,” Xiang snarled, looking around as if he wanted to find something to throw at Chen’s head.

Kai’s heart frantically thudded in his chest while his thoughts raced in his brain. It was a struggle to round them up and analyze Chen’s logic, but he could find no fault in it. “No, he’s right. I would give up all of my hoard to keep you. My every desire is to place you in my hoard and keep you safe. You are the heart of my hoard now.” After sucking in a deep breath, he turned to Xiao Dan. “Chen is right. I am going.”

“What? No!” Xiang shrieked.

“I am going, and that is final.” Another crash of thunder punctuated that sentence.

And to make sure Xiang couldn’t argue with him further, Kai disappeared from the room and reappeared in the center of his hoard. Of course, he could still hear what was happening in the meeting room, particularly Xiang.

“Where did he go?” Ming Yu gasped.

There was a moment of silence before Xiang growled. “I bet he went to his hoard.” Above Kai’s head, he could hear the stomp of a foot on the wooden floorboards. “Get back here, you freaking dinosaur! We’re not done arguing!”

Dinosaur!

Kai was more than happy to show the vampire what this dinosaur could do.

1 ?Mantou – steamed bun that doesn’t have a sweet or savory filling

2 ?Baozi – steamed bun that contains a meat, vegetable, or meat and vegetable filling