4. Kai

His attempts to put more distance between himself and Xiang proved to be a complete and utter failure.

He should never have stayed for that meal.

It wasn’t even all that good. After two thousand years, Xiang wasn’t showing much promise in the culinary arts.

But what Xiang lacked in cooking skill, he made up for by being able to tell interesting stories. Most of them involved Xiang annoying his clan mates or finding trouble that he only narrowly escaped. As the night passed, it became harder and harder to hold on to his blank expression as little bubbles of mirth rose within his chest.

Yet what stuck with him the most was the turning of his clan. Even as Xiang tried to hide it, there was no missing the pain that filled his dark eyes or the tremble that coursed throughout his frame with his words. Time might have passed, but those old wounds were far from healed. It left him wanting to find this vampire who’d descended on the Zhang clan and rip his head off.

Yes, that would be nice.

Of course, he couldn’t remember quite where he’d been two thousand years ago. Hibernating under Mount Kunlun? Or had he been slumbering deep in Taihu Lake?

Not that any of it mattered. It wasn’t as if he could go back in time and protect the Zhang clan. He might be powerful, but manipulating time was beyond him.

So, instead, he returned several times a day and lingered longer each time. And just maybe, he secretly moved a few pieces of furniture to his reserve hoard chamber. Not because he wanted to give the vampire more room, but it needed to be protected from Xiang’s recklessness. With those items out of the way, they rearranged the rest of the furniture to make some practice space for the vampire. If he had a place to practice his martial arts, he was less likely to get into trouble.

At least, that was the lie Kai told himself while they moved a heavy sofa with rich yellow brocade together.

It was the same reason he’d allowed Xiang to talk him into taking sword fighting lessons with him. Kai knew how to use a sword. He’d studied it centuries ago. But if Xiang was teaching him, the vampire wasn’t causing mischief. Usually.

They had proceeded like this for more than a week. Sword training. Meals. Coercing Xiang into helping with the dusting. Random conversations punctuated by outbreaks of boredom on Xiang’s part.

However, they were on borrowed time. Kai knew it. With each passing minute, he clenched his teeth and growled at nothing. Any day now, Queen Belladonna was going to summon him to her side using his sword, and she was going to order him to kill the vampire. What the hell was he supposed to do? There was no fighting that magic.

He’d tried once when she’d first gotten her hands on his sword, and the attempt had almost killed him. Now he bided his time. Once he could uncover a way to retrieve the sword, he would decimate all the fae who thought to control and command him. When he was done, the humans would have nothing to fear from the fae. They would be reduced to half-forgotten folklore and misty nightmares.

Kai shoved those thoughts out of his mind as he slipped into the treasure room and searched for the vampire. It was quiet. Ominous, stomach-twistingly, the-vampire-is-up-to-trouble quiet. Kai hesitated after a few steps, wondering if maybe it was better to retreat and return after the vampire was done creating his chaos.

But he didn’t want to stick his head into the sand with Xiang. So, with a heavy sigh, he continued forward until he located the man with the fluffy black hair sitting on the floor. One leg was bent before him and his arm rested on his knee. His phone dangled black and lifeless from two fingers.

“What is wrong?” Kai demanded when Xiang didn’t react to his presence.

“I need you to talk to the dragon,” he started without preamble or his usual teasing remarks. Not even a single whine about being left alone in the treasure hoard for over six hours all by himself.

Kai took a half step back and tried to reinforce his defenses. Xiang hadn’t mentioned the dragon in at least four days. It had been enjoyable. But reality slammed into Kai’s chest. Xiang was a prisoner, and Kai was his jailer.

“Talking to the dragon is no simple task. What do you want?”

Xiang turned his head to narrow his eyes on Kai. “You mean other than to be set free?”

Kai returned the glare. Apparently, he was in a testy mood. “Yes, other than that.”

“I need to feed.”

Biting on the side of his cheek, Kai watched the man, who continued to hold his gaze unblinking. He didn’t know how long vampires could go without feeding on blood. It was a common belief that the older ones didn’t need to hunt that often, but Kai didn’t know what that meant in days. Xiang had been in the hoard for approximately two weeks. There were no signs he was starving for blood. His color was unchanged and there was the usual clarity to his eyes.

But there was a new sharpness to his mood. Something he’d not seen since Xiang’s first nights in the cave. Was this hunger? How much longer could he stretch before Xiang was in physical pain?

Not that he had any desire to make Xiang feel hunger pains. Or any pain, for that matter. His imprisonment was nothing Kai desired. If anything, it was for his own protection. There was no reason to make him suffer.

Yet, how was he supposed to feed a vampire? It wasn’t like he could offer the vampire his own blood. That would give away his secret in a heartbeat. Plus, there was no telling what the effect on Xiang would be. Blood carried magic, and dragon magic was some of the oldest in all the world. Xiang could be hurt if he attempted to feed from him.

That meant he needed to supply Xiang with a human blood donor.

Unless he stole a bag of blood from a blood bank or a hospital. That was an option, right? Maybe he could even get several bags and create a stockpile in the refrigerator for the vampire.

“Does the blood need to be fresh?”

Xiang broke eye contact when he shut his eyes and twisted his features up in a pained wince. “I am afraid to ask what is running through your mind,” Xiang muttered. “Yes. I can’t drink old blood. It will make me sick, and then I’ll need even more blood to repair the damage created by the old blood.”

“So…not bagged blood from a hospital or something like that?”

With his empty hand, Xiang placed it flat on the floor and pushed himself to his feet while shoving his broken phone into his back pocket. “No, bagged blood isn’t a great help. It buys a little time, but not much. Particularly since I’ve gone so long without feeding. I need to get it straight from the source. The dragon has to let me out to hunt, or there are going to be problems very soon.”

Kai retreated another step. “What kind of problems?”

“Hunger problems. The blood lust will cloud my mind. I won’t be able to think or reason. You won’t be able to come in here anymore. No matter how hard I try, I won’t be able to stop myself from attacking you.” Xiang reached out and clapped a hand on Kai’s shoulder. “I don’t want to hurt you. I know you’ve got some kind of dragon magic working for you, but it won’t be enough to keep you safe.”

Ignoring the sudden flutter in his stomach, Kai pulled free of Xiang’s hold and walked over to the nearest chair. He dropped onto the floral-patterned cushion with only the softest creak from the old wood and frowned, not really seeing the glistening wood coffee table in front of him holding one of his collections of gold and jewel-encrusted snuff boxes.

“What if…what if the dragon brought a human to you? Could you feed off the person and then the person would be set free?” Kai blinked, focusing his gaze as he looked up at where Xiang was hovering over him. “That’s how vampires hunt, correct?”

“You mean catch and release? Yeah, that’s how we do it. We don’t drain them dry or change them. They’re all free to go when we’re done.”

Kai got the painful irony. He was suggesting bringing a new prisoner in and letting them go before Xiang could taste his own freedom. It was cruel, but right now, keeping Xiang hidden away in his hoard was the safest thing for him. If Xiang was in the hoard, there was no chance of him encountering one of the fae. In the passing days, he’d even begun to lie to himself, saying that maybe the queen would forget about Xiang’s existence.

“Unless you’re offering to supply me with blood while I’m stuck in here,” Xiang said as he sat on the sofa diagonal to where Kai was sitting. Kai’s head popped up to find Xiang tightly smiling at him, but there was no matching amusement in his eyes.

“I can’t,” Kai replied, his voice low, barely more than a whisper.

“Yeah, I kind of figured.” The air in Kai’s lungs froze. Did Xiang know he was the dragon holding him prisoner? Had he been playing along all this time?

Xiang continued, allowing Kai to breathe again. “I don’t get the impression that dragons are the sharing type. The colossal beast wouldn’t appreciate me nibbling on you.”

Kai choked on air. That was not what he’d been expecting Xiang to say, and now images of being wrapped in Xiang’s tight embrace filled his mind. Those pink lips moving up the length of his neck until reaching?—

“No!” Kai shouted as he jumped to his feet. Xiang jerked back in his seat, his eyes going wide. Kai had no idea why he was standing or shouting. Was it getting hot in there? Why the hell was it so hot?

Clearing his throat, Kai returned to his perch on the edge of the chair, keeping a tight rein on his wandering thoughts. “I mean, you’re right. I don’t think the dragon would permit it.”

“So, you’ll talk to the dragon? Tell him he has to let me hunt, or things are going to get fucking complicated fast,” Xiang pressed.

Kai swallowed hard and nodded once. “I’ll pass along your message. I’m sure something can be arranged.”

A single finger appeared in Kai’s line of sight, and he blinked to find Xiang pointing at the tip of his nose, his expression stern. “And no bagged blood. That won’t fix anything.”

“Right. No bagged blood. No bringing donors here. You need to hunt,” Kai repeated.

They sat in awkward silence as Kai fought to hold in an apology that wanted to trip from his lips. Yes, he was sorry for Xiang being stuck there. He didn’t want to keep the vampire away from his family and his life. He didn’t want to make his life difficult. Yet he believed that the only way to keep him alive and safe was to keep him hidden away in the hoard. The fae couldn’t find him. No one could find him.

But hiding Xiang created problems for the vampire. He needed to feed.

Of course, that sent his stupid brain rambling down the previous path. What was it like to watch a vampire hunt? He’d seen a few in his long lifetime, but he’d never watched one hunt their prey, let alone feed.

“What…” Kai paused and licked his lips before making another attempt. “What is it like to bite someone?”

Xiang cocked his head to the side and narrowed his gaze. “What do you mean? Like for the donor? Or for me?”

“Both, I guess.”

Lifting one hand, Xiang scratched his jaw, seeming to give it some thought. “I don’t know. It’s been a long time since I considered it. Fast. Easy.”

He lowered his hand and his lips spread into a wide grin, revealing a perfect set of long, white fangs. Kai’s heart skipped a beat as he watched Xiang slide the tip of his tongue along one fang to the slightly curved point. There was an answering ache in his own mouth, as if his body were demanding his shift into its proper form so he could show Xiang what a pair of dragon fangs looked like.

“My fangs are sharp, so piercing a human’s skin and artery is super easy. And after all this time, I can hit an artery blindfolded. There’s no missing.” Xiang settled against the sofa and lifted his slippered feet as if he meant to put them on the coffee table in front of him.

Kai gasped and smacked his feet. “Don’t you dare! That table is over five hundred years old and belonged to a British noble who had it made to order in Russia.”

Xiang snorted and returned his feet to the floor, a smirk twisting up the corners of his mouth. “But for vampires, it’s not about the bite. The best part is that first drink. That initial splash of hot blood as it hits your tongue and courses down your throat. Especially if it’s been a while since you last hunted, or if you’ve been hurt. There’s nothing like it.”

The vampire’s smirk turned into a sexy grin as he placed his hands behind his head. “With the first swallow, all the aches and pains recede to a shadow in your mind. On the second swallow, it’s ecstasy. All this fresh energy floods your system, and you feel like you can take on the world. You’ve never felt so powerful. Every worry and fear falls away. It’s why you have to keep such a close eye on the fledglings. They’ll drain a person chasing that high.”

“And…the humans? They all taste and feel the same?”

Xiang lifted one shoulder in a halfhearted shrug. “Mostly. If you grab one who’s sick or hurt, you can taste it. Not that any disease they have will hurt me, but it’s not as enjoyable. It’s why most vampires will only go after someone in their late teens to early thirties. Someone physically fit. Their bodies can tolerate the blood loss and rebound, plus it tastes better.”

Dropping his hands to his lap, Xiang leaned forward, his grin turning into something a little darker. “But if you want to know about the real prizes when it comes to hunting, it’s the other races besides the humans that are amazing.”

“Like the fae?”

Xiang jerked away, his nose wrinkling. “Hell, no. That’s how Yichen got himself in trouble with that elf.” He flopped back and waved a hand at Kai. “It all worked out in the end for Didi, but he got lucky on that front.”

“Then…?” Kai prodded.

“Other vampires—particularly if they are older than you—can be tasty. Shifters are amazing! You gotta be careful with them. Their blood is powerful and addictive. Like a buzz from a really fine wine.” He paused and rubbed his jaw with his hand. “Chen enjoyed Moon’s blood prior to him being turned, but I don’t know if that was because Moon was a witch, a blood witch, or because Chen was attracted to Moon.”

Kai lifted an eyebrow. “Could it be all the above?”

A sharp bark of laughter jumped from Xiang’s lips. “Probably. I’ve never tried a witch.”

“What about a dragon?”

The vampire chuckled. “Haven’t tried a dragon. I doubt any vampire in the world has sipped from a dragon and survived to tell the tale.” He chuckled again, but the sound was softer and drifted off faster. His gaze grew unfocused as he stared off into the hoard. “I wonder what that would be like. A person’s power lives within their blood, and a dragon’s power…wow, that’s got to be immense.”

“I think it would be safer for all the world if you kept your fangs away from the dragon,” Kai muttered, snapping Xiang from his thoughts.

His companion lifted his chin and grinned at him. “No dragons for me. I’m fine with humans.”

“Speaking of humans, what is the bite like for them? Do they remember it? Are they afraid when you’re drinking from them?”

Xiang was quick to shake his head. “Nah. They don’t remember it. Unless you’re a fledgling or an idiot. Most vampires can’t wipe their memory or fog their mind. So you give them a tap on the head or hit that one nerve in the neck, knocking them out.”

“Giving them a concussion,” Kai chimed in.

Xiang made a face at him. “It’s just a little concussion. Don’t be so negative.”

“Yes, yes, just a little head trauma. Not a big deal.”

His companion sighed and looked as if he wanted to give Kai some head trauma by pitching something large and heavy at him. Somehow, the vampire refrained. “Sometimes, you run across a human who knows about vampires and volunteers their blood. Yes, at first, the bite is painful, but that only lasts a second or two. After that, you can take away all the pain. If you’re feeling generous, you can make the experience feel very nice.” As if to further make his point, the devious vampire waggled his eyebrows at Kai.

“Lovely,” Kai muttered, breaking eye contact with the vampire. Why was the cavern so hot today?

From the corner of his eye, he could see Xiang leaning forward, that wicked smirk cocking up one corner of his mouth. “If you don’t think the dragon would be too angry at us, I could give you a nibble. For educational purposes, of course.”

Kai was on his feet in a flash, walking away from Xiang. “And that’s enough of that. We won’t discuss biting any further. I’ll see what I can do about arranging an opportunity for you to hunt.” Xiang’s deep cackles chased him through the cave even though the vampire didn’t move an inch from where he sat.

With a touch of magic, he disappeared from the hoard but reappeared on the other side of the door. He swore he could hear Xiang’s laughter following him.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Kai stood with one hand braced on the cool stone wall of the cave while the other rubbed his eyes with trembling fingers. Even now, his brain was reaching for the image it had conjured of Xiang kissing along his neck until he reached the spot where he’d plunge those sharp fangs into his flesh. Blood rushed through his body, and his heart pounded as if he were still running from the vampire.

He was losing his mind. That was all this was. He’d never spent this much time with any other living creature, and Xiang was driving him crazy. That was all it was. The sooner he could get rid of the vampire, the sooner he could return to his normal life.

A life that didn’t include nibbles and ridiculous laughter.