9. Zhang Junjie

Chapter 9

Zhang Junjie

“ I told you to leave!” Junjie raced across the short distance that separated them and seized Leo’s tense shoulders. The cat’s face was pale and splattered with blood from the elf, but he appeared fine otherwise.

“I-I-I wanted to help,” Leo stammered, his eyes blown wide. It was the first time he’d ever seen Leo so shaken and out of sorts.

Junjie lifted a hand and wiped the blood from Leo’s cheeks and nose the best he could. “I appreciate that, but you could have been killed.”

“I’m not useless,” Leo snapped, knocking Junjie’s hand aside.

Junjie froze for a breath and stared at Leo. “I’ve never thought that about you.”

“Hey!” Chen snapped. “You don’t want to be useless?” Both of them turned to see Chen and Mei Lian standing over dead elves. “Help him to the car. He’s lost too much blood. We’ll check the dead for clues.”

“Awww! This job sucks!” Meimei whined, but he barely noticed because Leo had jumped back to life.

The cat shifter gripped his arm and pulled it across his shoulder while wrapping his own arm around Junjie’s waist. The other efforts to be this close had been flirty and silly. This time, Leo radiated fear and concern.

“How do you feel? Can you walk?”

“It’s not that bad. I—” Junjie’s words fell off sharply as he gaped at the front of his shirt. Blood soaked it completely. His blood. He peeled it from his skin to find that the arrow wounds had closed but were still in the thin and tender stage. If he wasn’t careful, they would tear open with little effort.

“Let’s get you to the car before someone notices these guys are missing,” Leo prodded.

Junjie released his shirt and pulled his sword from the dead elf who’d tried to kill Leo. “I should be okay to walk on my own.”

Except his legs immediately called him a liar when they buckled on the first step. His head swam, but it cleared as Leo tightened his hold on his waist.

“How about I help you for a bit?”

The walk was painfully slow and awkward. Not because of the two arrow wounds, but rather, thanks to his outburst. He hadn’t expected to look up and see Leo facing an elf. His brain had shut down and panic had swept through him. What right did he have to be shouting at that man? None.

And now he was depending on Leo’s support to get to the SUV, the fiery bite of bloodlust chewing on his stomach and tendons.

“Um…I’m sorry for shouting at you,” Junjie began. The awkward meter shot higher, and he cringed at himself. Could someone stake him now?

“No. It’s okay. Um…thanks for saving my life.”

At least he wasn’t the only one lost in the land of awkward.

“You’re welcome.” The hand he had resting on Leo’s shoulder tightened as he stepped over a fallen log. His limbs felt weighed down, and Leo’s racing heart beat a hypnotic song in his ear. Since his scare with the elf, it was slowing into a nice steady rhythm. The scent of the elf’s blood was masking the shifter’s rich scent, but he knew if he pressed his nose to Leo’s throat it would come in perfectly.

No!

No biting the shifter. It was wrong.

The second Chen and Meimei joined them, he could take a nip off them to stave off the worst of the bloodlust. Later, he’d be able to hunt for a proper meal.

Someone who didn’t know him. A faceless person who wouldn’t remember their encounter.

Just the thought of it soured his stomach.

Why would he want a stranger when sexy Leo had been flirting with him only minutes ago?

No. It was wrong.

His brain couldn’t remember why it was wrong, but it was. He needed to think about something else.

“I thought you left,” Junjie said, snapping the silence that had stretched and twisted between them. “Why did you come back?”

“I didn’t want you to think I was some useless coward.”

Junjie stopped sharply and partially turned so he could better meet Leo’s eyes. “I have never thought you were a coward. It would not have been cowardly to run. The elves we’ve encountered are soldiers, trained in weapons and fighting. All the members of my clan have over two thousand years of experience in combat. That’s why we fight. I would never expect the same of someone who does not have formal training.”

“But I’m useless. I dumped that kid on you without even asking.” Leo ripped his eyes away, yet Junjie caught his chin and turned his face to meet his gaze.

“Leo, that doesn’t make you useless. You were putting the needs of that child first. Yes, you should have asked me prior to taking me to Erik, but I understood your fear that I wouldn’t take him in.”

The cat shifter tossed up his one free hand and gave Junjie a nudge to get them moving. “My life is a mess, and I like it that way. I come and go as I please. I work when I want to work. Nothing tying me down or complicating my life. It’s the way I want it, but I know that’s not the kind of life you put a kid like Erik in. He’s lost his parents. He needs a lot of love, stability, and support so that he can have a chance at growing up into a somewhat functioning human being. There was no way he was going to find any of that in my life.”

Junjie nodded. He hid his growing smile behind a grimace as they started up a steep hill. “So rather than force this kid into your life where you’d both be unhappy, you found a family in which he had a chance of getting everything he needed.”

“Of course! I mean, look at your clan. You’ve been together forever and supported each other through everything. You have discipline and keep a regular schedule. From some things you’ve said, it sounds like you’ve trained and raised other kids, so having Erik around won’t be too much of a shock for you. I thought…” Leo’s voice drifted off and he sighed. “I thought he’d be happy there, and you’d eventually forgive me for forcing him on you.”

“You know, you didn’t force anyone to do anything. We could have walked away.”

Leo gave Junjie such a disbelieving glare that Junjie had to clear his throat and brush his nose, trying to hide his burning cheeks before he continued.

“We could have,” he pressed, a little quieter.

“Yeah, you could have, but I think I know you well enough after the past few months to understand that the chances of that were pretty fucking slim.”

“You’re probably right. But that’s not the point. You made a hard decision. I think most people would have attempted to take Erik in out of feelings of guilt or responsibility, regardless of whether it was the best decision for him. You examined the situation, understood that you were not the best for him, and found someone else who was. My clan and I are honored that you chose us.”

Leo huffed out a soft, breathy laugh. “You’re crazy.”

“Maybe, but we adore him. He’s so smart and sweet. I’ve never known a child who enjoyed being cuddled so much. Did you know one of his favorite things is to crawl into Chen’s lap in the evenings and have Chen read to him?”

The cat’s eyes looked as if they were going to pop right out of his head. “Chen? That Chen?” he demanded, pointing with his thumb over his shoulder in the direction they’d come from.

“That Chen.” Junjie lowered his voice to a whisper. “I think that’s part of the reason he’s so grumpy tonight. We had to leave prior to story time. When we return, Erik will be down for his nap.”

“I don’t believe it.”

Junjie smiled at his companion. “Chen has a magnificent voice for telling stories. He’s had a lot of experience with little ones. He was with the clan for several years prior to my arrival, and he helped with training and getting the youngest new disciples adjusted to their new homes. Shifu and Xiao Dan had a way of feeling like a second father, but it was Chen who was great at taking on the role of older brother that protected everyone. Made them feel like they belonged.”

Leo touched his fingers to his temple. “My head is spinning. I can’t see it. Chen is an asshole.”

A snort escaped Junjie, and he tried to cover it up by clearing his throat. “I never said that he couldn’t be that too. It’s just that he’s a natural with making kids feel at home in the clan.”

“Fine. I guess it’s good to know that he’s not scaring the crap out of Erik.”

“You know…” Junjie drawled. “Even if you’re not taking on the role of caretaker for Erik, that doesn’t mean you can’t visit him. There are a lot of things that he can learn from you. Things that we can’t teach him.” He tipped his head to the side so that he could see Leo’s face. “I understand that you probably don’t want to share all your shifter secrets with us, but I worry about him feeling lost and frustrated as he gets older. He needs to understand himself and his kind if he’s going to be happy.”

The cat shifter chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before giving a small nod. “You’re right. I know it. I…I feel guilty because I couldn’t be enough for him.”

Junjie squeezed Leo’s shoulder. “Maybe the job fate had planned for you was simply bringing him to me. Maybe your job is to help me prepare him for the life head of him. My shifu liked to say that life has many paths laid out ahead of us. There isn’t only one that we must set our feet to. I ended up at one of the greatest martial arts sects in all of ancient China, but that doesn’t mean that my only path was to be a great warrior. Chen is a great fighter, but he is an even better strategist. I am a strong fighter, but I am an even better healer and counselor to my clan. Ming Yu is a talented fighter, but her heart lies in being a caretaker.”

This time, it was Leo’s turn to tip his head toward Junjie and squint at him as if he were attempting to peer beneath all the layers to read what was written on his soul. “You don’t actually enjoy the fighting and combat, do you?”

“What? Of course I do!” Junjie gasped.

“No, you don’t,” Chen chimed in behind them, making Junjie and Leo jump.

Junjie’s head whipped around, and he almost knocked his forehead into Leo’s in his rush to see that Chen and Mei Lian had caught up.

“I do!” he repeated.

“No, you don’t,” Meimei argued. “Everyone knows it. You’re good at it, but you don’t enjoy it like the rest of us do. The only thing you like is fighting with Xiang, because he’s an annoying asshole and you like making him eat his words.”

“We all enjoy that,” Chen muttered as he came to walk on the other side of Junjie. “How are you feeling? Are you still bleeding?”

Junjie shook his head, glad to be moving on from his supposed dislike of combat and fighting. “The bleeding stopped when we started for the car. I’m fine. I…” He stopped and swallowed hard, not wanting to continue when Leo could hear him. He didn’t want to make the shifter feel uncomfortable.

“What’s wrong?” Leo demanded. He halted and reached for Junjie’s shirt as if he meant to pull it up and inspect the wounds on his chest.

“No, it’s fine,” he said, snagging his hand to stop him.

“You need to feed,” Chen announced with all the tact he’d come to expect from the vampire. It was a wonder that Moon hadn’t tried to strangle his mate long before now.

“Yes,” he hissed at Chen. With a look, he attempted to convince Chen to keep his mouth shut, but the vampire was too dense to read the nonverbal signals he was being sent or he didn’t care. Either was possible.

“Oh!” Leo released his shirt like it had caught fire in his hand. “Um. Sorry.”

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for.”

Thankfully, the SUV they’d parked at the side of the rutted and broken road came into view and appeared to be untouched. Mei Lian jogged ahead with her spear clenched in one fist as she checked over the vehicle.

“I don’t need much. Enough to stave off the craving and clear my head,” Junjie continued. “Once we are at the manor, I’ll shower and go hunt for a meal.”

Instead of offering his blood to help Junjie, Chen frowned. “Do you think you can wait until we reach the manor?”

Junjie’s heart stumbled as he listened to Chen’s words. “I…I guess. What’s wrong?”

“We found some interesting things on the elves we can’t make sense of. We need to get them to Rei. Mei Lian texted the other team to report that we are heading home, but she hasn’t received a reply from them.” Chen hesitated, his lips parted as if he had more to say, but the words weren’t coming out.

“What?”

“More fae are close by,” Leo finished for him.

“You can hear them?” Junjie asked.

“Nope. Just an uncomfortable tingling sensation. Think of it as a cat’s sixth sense. It’s never steered me wrong. And right now, it’s saying that we’re not out of danger.” Leo leaned forward so he could look at Chen on the other side of Junjie. “Can he feed from me? That way, you and Mei Lian remain at full strength if we run into trouble?”

“What? I can’t do that!” Junjie wheezed in horror even as a thrill of excitement pulsed within him. While part of him might be against the idea of feeding from Leo, most of him was completely on board with the idea. He might have even allowed himself a fantasy or two featuring a very naked Leo underneath him as he sank his fangs deep inside of him.

But that was a fantasy!

This was real life.

Friends didn’t bite friends. They weren’t food.

Family was different. His clan mates had shared their blood with each other frequently, usually as a stop-gap measure until they could hunt.

“It’s not a good idea,” Chen murmured.

That wasn’t a no.

“Neither is him feeding from you or Mei Lian, leaving one of you weaker when you might be needed in a fight. We all know I’m not good in a fight, so I can afford to lose a bit. Like a pint, right?” Leo turned to look at Junjie, his smile crooked and nervous. “You wouldn’t need more than that, right?”

“I wouldn’t dare to take even that much. I won’t take a drop.”

“But feeding from me now means that there are three vampires at full strength to take on the fae instead of two.”

An irritated groan rose from Mei Lian. “The car is good. Chen drives and I got shotgun. Jun-Jun is in the back with Leo, taking a quick bite so that I’m not the only one fighting the fae if they come after us.” Junjie started to argue with her, but he stopped when she pointed her spear at him. “He’s offering. Take it.”

Okay, she had a good point.

With a sigh, Junjie nodded and allowed Leo to help him into the SUV. The rest of them climbed in, and Chen got them the hell out of there with a spray of gravel and dirt from the tires.

They were on the road for a couple of minutes when Leo touched his clenched fist and grinned at him. “How do you want to do this?”

Junjie rubbed a trembling hand across his lips. His fangs were already sliding down into place from a mix of hunger and the promise of a hot meal waiting to be taken. “Give me your wrist. I’ll take a tiny bit from there or maybe the inside of your elbow. It won’t take more than a minute. I’ll try to make it fast.”

“Really?” Leo said in a whine.

“What’s wrong?”

Leo gave a single shoulder shrug while hanging his head. “It’s not very sexy or romantic that way.”

It wasn’t easy to ignore the snickering from the front seat, but Junjie pushed on. “I don’t understand. I didn’t think you wanted to do this. You seemed nervous a minute ago.”

“I was. A minute ago. But I’ve had time to think about it, and all the vampire movies I’ve watched are so sexy the way the vampire holds his victim and kisses along their neck before biting them. Besides, it’s not like the mated members of your clan are all that quiet. You don’t need a cat’s hearing to pick up on Moon shouting, ‘Bite me! Bite me! Bite me, my sexy master!’ at the top of his lungs every morning.”

“Enough!” Chen roared, but no one paid attention to him. Mei Lian was laughing so hard, she was choking on air. If she hadn’t been wearing a seat belt, she would have fallen to the floor. Junjie buried his flaming cheeks in his hands. Only Leo would have the balls to say something like that. They’d be lucky if Chen didn’t pull the car over and skin Leo alive.

“I’m just saying that if I’m going to be a blood donor, it can at least be fun. I want you to bite my neck.”

Junjie lowered his hands enough to see Leo stretch out his neck and tap a prominent vein, begging for his fangs. If hunger wasn’t gnawing on the remains of his brain, he would have denied Leo’s request and refused to feed until they reached the manor.

But the blood loss from the damned fae arrows had left him hungrier than he’d felt in a long time. He wanted to feed, and snatching up some innocent human wouldn’t cut it. Right now, he wanted to feast on Leo.

“Fine,” Junjie growled. He’d pushed him to his limit with this mix of temptation and painful need. He pressed the button on Leo’s seat belt and freed him. The cat shifter was still shrugging the strap from across his body when Junjie grabbed his arm and pulled him into his lap.

“Whoa!” Leo gasped, his hand pressing against Junjie’s shoulder to steady himself at this sudden change in the seating arrangement.

“I hope you’re not having second thoughts, because we’re now past that point,” Junjie warned.

“No, I…” Leo exhaled, and the words fell away as he seemed to lose his train of thought the moment Junjie shoved his hand into Leo’s hair, cradling the back of his head. With so little effort, he turned and tilted the cat shifter’s head just right, giving him access to the sweet spot as Leo stiffened in his lap and clawed at the seat behind Junjie.

The rest of the SUV and its occupants disappeared as Junjie buried his face in Leo’s neck at long last and breathed in his scent. As he’d expected, below the smell of elf blood was the rich, full aroma of Leo’s blood as it rushed through his veins. It mixed with his musky and soft scent. Nothing could have stopped Junjie from licking a line up his throat, pausing ever so slightly over that throbbing vein before continuing up to his ear.

A tiny whimper broke from Leo and the hand that was trying to hold on to the seat slipped to Junjie’s shoulder. Fingers dug into his muscles, egging him on. Withdrawing his tongue, he brushed his fangs across that tender pulse point while exhaling across the damp flesh.

“Fuck, Jun-Jun. Now you’re just being evil,” Leo moaned.

“Maybe a little. I’ll try to be quick.”

He struck as Leo started to speak, but the words stopped after the first syllable. His fangs sank deep, piercing the vein. A gush of hot blood hit his mouth and flowed down his throat. He squeezed his eyes shut and tightened his arms around Leo, pulling him in even closer as the most delicious blood he’d ever tasted washed across his tongue. The heat of him was incredible. It was like holding the sun in his arms as warmth and vitality bathed every one of his organs.

A groan crawled up Leo’s throat and his hand slid along the front of his damp shirt. It was itchy and gross and he very much wanted to be naked with this cat. To bite all the fun places and make Leo writhe beneath him. Make him beg for everything Junjie could do to him.

“Junjie?” Chen called out. “Are you still drinking from him?”

Junjie grunted and a tiny noise left Leo as Junjie slipped a hand between them to caress his soft belly. The cat did say he gave the best belly rubs.

“You really gotta ask?” Mei Lian mocked.

“Junjie! You said you only needed a small amount. Release him.”

“No. Tastes good.” Junjie’s voice was muffled as he kept his lips on Leo’s throat.

“You’re going to hurt him if you don’t,” Meimei warned, which helped to penetrate the intense fog of pleasure clouding his thoughts.

“I’m good with him taking everything,” Leo slurred.

Mentally sighing, Junjie ran his tongue over the puncture marks several times until they sealed. He continued to lap at Leo’s neck just because he liked the taste of him.

Junjie dropped his head on the headrest and licked his lips, his eyes falling shut as he savored the very last taste of Leo. He was more than two thousand years old, and he’d spent most of his long existence as a vampire. He’d feasted on countless blood donors, but he couldn’t remember a time when anyone’s blood had tasted as amazing as Leo’s. Everything in him demanded that he keep drinking, but he would never do anything to harm the man still sitting in his lap.

“You okay?” Leo inquired.

His eyes opened so slowly and a grin spread across his lips. “I’m very okay now.”

“Holy shit!” Leo threw back his head as laughter exploded from him. “You look like you’re drunk.”

“What? I am so very not drunk,” he declared, which made Leo laugh harder.

“I don’t even know what you said. Half of that was in Chinese.”

Junjie tried to frown at him, but it felt like his lips weren’t obeying him. Now that he thought about it, everything was feeling very relaxed. Even a bit swimmy. But he couldn’t be drunk. It wasn’t possible for a vampire to get drunk on someone’s blood.

“Leo, move! Let me see him,” Mei Lian commanded.

Yet, the second Leo attempted to shift out of his lap, Junjie’s arms clamped around him, locking him in place. “No! Mine!” Junjie grunted. Pulling Leo in closer, he rested his head against the shifter’s shoulder. “Hey, Er-ge?”

“Yes? Are you feeling sick?”

“Do you remember that time we found those six jars of plum wine buried in the western field and we stayed up all night drinking them? This feels like that.”

“Ah,” Chen said, and Junjie closed his eyes, content to listen to the steady pounding of Leo’s heart.

“What’s ‘ah’? Is he drunk? Did Leo’s blood make him sick?” Mei Lian demanded.

“No, he’s not drunk. He’s completely wasted.”

Chen’s words sounded right, but Junjie couldn’t make himself care. Everything was feeling very nice right now, and he couldn’t remember the last time things had felt quite this wonderful. Maybe it was that night on the hill under the silvery moonlight. Chen and Xiao Dan had been there as they’d opened jar after jar of plum wine and emptied them down their throats. They hadn’t been vampires yet, Shifu had still been alive, and the world had been stretched out in front of them full of possibilities.

A warm hand cupped his cheek, and he opened his eyes to see Leo staring at him. His lips were smiling, but there was worry in his gaze.

“Did I hurt you?” Junjie asked.

“Not a bit. Are you sure you’re okay? I’d heard rumors that shifter blood packs an extra punch for vampires, but I guess I didn’t believe it until now.”

“A very good punch,” Junjie agreed with a nod. “I want to bite you again.”

“I think it might be a good idea if we wait a little while before you get any more nibbles.”

Junjie’s grin grew even wider, and he ran the tip of his tongue over one of his fangs. “Want to bite you again.”

“Do you only bite? Or do you know how to kiss, too?” Leo purred.

“Hey! No seducing him while he’s drunk!” Chen shouted from the driver’s seat.

“I like biting and kissing,” Junjie said, ignoring Chen completely as he tipped his lips up toward Leo’s.

His eyes fell shut at the first brush of tender flesh against his lips. The soft heat mixed with the gentlest pressure to sweep him away. It wasn’t the kind of kiss he’d expected from the flirty cat, and yet it was utterly perfect in every way. He wanted it to go on. For their lips to part and their tongues to explore their mouths. He wanted to taste Leo’s moans and feel their bodies press together as the kiss grew deeper.

The only problem was…he passed out.