10. Leo St. George

Chapter 10

Leo St. George

T he fae never attacked them on the way to the manor.

Of course, with Junjie passing out after becoming intoxicated on his blood, Chen felt free to make it very clear that Leo was unwanted.

Not that Leo felt insulted in the slightest.

He would have been more upset if Chen hadn’t gotten fussy about his shameless flirting with Junjie, not to mention kissing a man who didn’t have his full faculties about him.

So, he left the manor only to return day after day to see Junjie. His one problem was that his vampire was now avoiding him.

Junjie had stopped bringing Erik out into the garden to feed the fish and play among the trees, which seemed very wrong for Erik and the fish.

He stopped by in the afternoon to discover that Xiang and Kai had taken over the job. Erik’s schedule had shifted to include a midday wander through the backyard and fish feeding.

Yep, Junjie was avoiding him.

That would not last.

While Leo didn’t think he could sneak past a dragon, he believed Kai was a troublemaker and romantic at heart. Kai glanced in his direction when Leo crept through the flowers, but the sneaky dragon said nothing to give away his presence. He even helped to distract his mate with the child as Leo opened the rear door a crack and squeezed his slender body inside.

On silent cat paws, he padded through the house where all the good little vampires and one elf were sleeping. He hurried straight to Junjie’s room, where he was planning to curl up on the foot of Junjie’s bed and nap until the vampire woke for the evening.

But he was in luck. Junjie was awake, and by the sound of the running water, in the shower.

Leo slipped into the room and shifted into his human form so that he could close and lock the door behind him. It was so very tempting to appear naked on Junjie’s bed once again, but he was afraid that such a move would shut down any attempts to talk to Junjie before they’d begun.

Junjie exited his bathroom with a thick white towel wrapped around his waist. He’d dried the water from his pale skin, but drops fell from his hair to dot his chest and shoulders. The poor vampire gasped upon finding him in his private chambers and lurched back, only to have his foot catch on one of Erik’s toys. As he was falling, Leo lunged forward and caught him by the waist while Junjie grabbed his shoulders.

“What are you doing here?” Junjie demanded.

“Surprise!” Leo giggled.

“No surprise. You shouldn’t be here. Did Xiang and Kai let you in?”

“Not technically.” Leo grimaced, closing one eye. “Kai might have looked the other way as I sneaked past him and Xiang with Erik.” He opened his eye and let his gaze travel over all the handsome muscles in front of him. “You look to be in good health. Nothing wrong?”

Junjie cleared his throat and released Leo. He tried to take a step away to put some space between them, but Leo took an answering step forward, keeping them close and the empty air charged with something that tingled along his skin.

“No. I’m fine. Everything is fine.”

“Ah. So, you’re avoiding me?”

“What? No. Of course not. Why would I be avoiding you?”

It was becoming almost impossible to not laugh directly in Junjie’s face. The vampire was talking faster, and his pitch was inching higher with every word.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Leo drawled, taking a step closer to Junjie. The vampire backpedaled, bumping into a low, long dresser. “Maybe it’s because you held me in your arms, licked my neck, and drank my blood like it was the finest wine you’d ever tasted. And when you were drunk on my amazing blood, we kissed.”

“For that, I most sincerely apologize. I should never have taken such liberties.”

“You took nothing that wasn’t freely offered.” He took another step closer, his gaze locked on those perfect lips as they trembled inches from his own. “And I am still offering to kiss you senseless.”

Junjie slipped past him and darted across the room, holding up his hands to keep Leo at bay. “We shouldn’t have kissed. I regret that I pushed things so far while I was not in my right mind. It was wrong of me. Of us.”

Leo’s smile never wavered. It wasn’t the first time someone had said they’d regretted kissing him, and Bastet knew Junjie wouldn’t be the last. The only difference was that Leo very much wanted to convince the vampire that the kiss wasn’t an unfortunate decision and that they should do it far more frequently.

He slowly crossed the room toward Junjie and pointed a finger at his chest. “It looks like you’ve completely healed from your injury.”

Junjie glanced where he’d indicated. There was only flawless pale skin stretched across the hard muscles of his chest. He was exquisite, as if a marble statue had come alive and escaped the Louvre to wander through Connecticut on holiday.

“Oh. Yes. It’s very rare for a vampire to be scarred or have trouble healing from an injury. The wounds healed within an hour.” Junjie lowered his hands and narrowed his eyes on Leo. “What about cat shifters? Can you heal quickly from an injury?”

One corner of Leo’s mouth tilted upward into a smirk. “Are you planning to injure me?”

Junjie glared at him, his perfect lips flattening into a hard, unamused line.

A huffed laugh escaped Leo. “Yes, we are fast healers. Like wolf shifters, I believe. Though I never tried to do serious harm to a wolf shifter to test that theory. I don’t think we’re as fast at healing as vampires.”

“We’re not testing that theory either. It’s good to know. For Erik’s sake.”

That last bit felt tacked on, but Leo kept that thought to himself.

“I stopped by because I hoped we could talk. I was wondering if you’d learned anything interesting about the fae after our walk in the woods. Chen shooed me away when we arrived here.” Leo turned on his heel and wandered in a slow circle around the room, his hands behind his back. “Plus, someone has been avoiding me.”

“I haven’t been avoiding you.”

Leo swung about and pinned Junjie with a pointed stare. “You stopped taking Erik out for his evening walks and fish feeding.”

“We’ve switched up the schedule so I could get more sleep. Erik is getting up in the afternoons and spending a few hours with Xiang and Kai while I sleep. I take him in the late afternoon through the evening hours. Xiang and Kai enjoy taking him to feed the fish.”

“Uh-huh,” Leo drawled. It was a good explanation, and he couldn’t argue with Junjie’s need for sleep. Leo had suspected that he’d been pushing himself too hard to accommodate the little boy. But it was also a good way to avoid what Junjie would likely describe as an awkward conversation. “Well, I was just stopping by to get some fae information. You also said that you wanted me to share some info on my kind for Erik, but if you don’t have time?—”

“No! I never said that. I have time. I…” Junjie glanced at himself, his eyes widening as if he suddenly remembered that he’d been talking to Leo all this time while wearing only a towel.

Leo leaped across the room and landed on the bed with a bounce. He laid across it with his feet still on the floor and his head propped up on his hand. “I’m happy to wait while you get dressed.”

Junjie rolled his eyes as he marched over, grabbed Leo’s arm, and hauled him to his feet. “I was thinking you could go spend time with Erik while I get dressed. I’ll join you in a couple of minutes.”

“Are you sure?” Leo inquired as Junjie marched him to the door. “I could help you dress. I’d hate for you to suffer a relapse from your injury. It would be no trouble at all.”

“Out, cat,” Junjie ordered as he shoved him into the hall and shut the door behind him. He might have been put out, but Leo could have sworn he heard a tiny bit of mirth in Junjie’s tone.

Besides, he was still in the house with a promise to talk more later. That was better than he’d been expecting when he’d gone to find Junjie. He’d been sure the vampire would toss him out with the command to never return.

Humming to himself, Leo wandered through the winding hallways until he located Erik sitting with Xiang and Kai in a parlor of sorts that opened into a courtyard garden with more elegant statues and a smaller pond. A large, retractable awning extended to block the sunlight so any of the other vampires could join them without worrying. The boy sat on the ground with a selection of toys. A bowl rested off to the side with some sliced up fruit from what was likely his afternoon snack.

Erik caught sight of him first and let out a squeal that shot straight into Leo’s heart. He had a bright-red ball in one hand and held it out to him as if he were offering to play. That child had no right looking so happy to see him. Not after he’d failed him as one of his own kind.

You did what was best for him.

But instead of Leo’s chastising and belittling voice, those words came to him in Junjie’s voice. A soothing balm that swept across his soul.

Was that voice wrong?

It didn’t seem like it. Erik was happy, dressed in nice new clothes, and well fed. Every time he saw the kid, new older brothers, uncles, and aunties surrounded him. No, it was easy to see that Erik was in the best possible place for him following the death of his parents.

“What are you doing here, cat?” Xiang growled.

“I stopped by for a visit. Jun-Jun suggested I spend some time with Erik while he finishes getting dressed,” Leo explained with a smirk. Kai grinned while Xiang scowled. That answered the question of who was likely to help him remain close to Junjie if the vampire tried to dodge him again.

Dragon, good.

Annoying vampire brother, bad.

Before Xiang could say anything else, Leo shifted into his cat form and hopped over the vampire seated on the ground next to Erik. The little boy laughed and clapped his hands. Leo walked close and rubbed his long body against Erik’s arm and across his back. Erik reached out and patted him on the head, with surprising gentleness for one so young, and rubbed his soft fur.

Leo flopped on the ground next to one of his legs and rolled onto his back, exposing his belly and batting at Erik’s hands, careful to keep his claws retracted so there were no accidents. The boy’s giggles filled the garden courtyard as they played.

“You know, it looks like you’ve gotten fatter since you first started coming here,” Xiang observed. Leo’s ear pinned to his head as he glared at the vampire and hissed. “Is that your winter fur coming in, or are you eating too well?”

Leo debated whether to claw his eyes out, but it wasn’t necessary. Junjie walked up behind Xiang and smacked him on the head.

“Leo hasn’t gained a single ounce. He’s perfect exactly as he is.”

A ridiculously loud purr erupted from Leo’s throat. It would have been embarrassing if Leo had known how to feel even an ounce of shame when it came to his attraction to Junjie.

The vampire picked up a cushion from inside the house and carried it to a deeply shaded area near Erik and sat. The child forgot all about petting the soft kitty in favor of taking his red ball to Junjie.

Xiang snickered as Leo lifted his head toward Erik when he found that he’d been abandoned so easily. “Doesn’t matter who you are. Jun-Jun is the only one who matters to Erik.”

Kai poked Xiang in the shoulder and smiled. “Ming Yu is a very close second.”

A scoff tripped from Xiang’s lips. “Because she’s always got something good to eat.”

“ Mmmm …” Kai hummed. “That is true.” He shifted where he sat, peering into the house. “Do you think she has any more of those special cakes in the pantry?”

“Mooncake season hasn’t even started yet, dragon,” Xiang reminded his mate as he leaned in and placed a kiss on his jaw.

The dragon sighed, his shoulders slumping. “The red-bean ones are always the best. I could feast on those for days.”

“I’m sure you will,” Xiang mumbled.

“I think he was talking about the teacakes that she made for the Variks’ visit,” Junjie supplied as he helped Erik climb into his lap. “I think she has another container of them in the refrigerator. Please don’t devour them all. I promised the one with the flower on top to Erik after his dinner.”

“Well, since you’ve got things under control here, Kai and I are going to raid the kitchen pantry.” Xiang rose to his feet and brushed off his hands. He paused to glare at Leo. “Do you want me to toss the cat over the wall before I go?”

“No, thank you. Leo is going to tell me about his kind and spend some time with Erik.”

“Whatever.” Xiang waved an absent hand at them. He wandered into the house with Kai following behind, whispering things in his ear that Leo really wished he couldn’t hear.

When they were alone, Leo shifted into his human form, wringing another squeal of laughter out of Erik. The boy sat on Junjie’s folded legs and clapped his hands as he stared at Leo as if he were the most wonderful magic-man in all the world.

“Please don’t mind, Xiang,” Junjie said.

Leo snorted. “Or Chen? I don’t think I’ve managed to get on Mei Lian’s or Yichen’s good side either.”

“My clan has learned to be suspicious of outsiders. Over the long years, we’ve met too many who wanted to kill us. And those who didn’t want us dead usually wanted to use our strength and skills for their own dark ends.”

With a nod, Leo leaped toward the little boy, shifting the second his feet left the ground to land a few inches away from him as a cat. He darted about the yard, up a tree and down again to wring more giggles out of the child. And just maybe show off some of his athleticism to a certain vampire.

“Xiao Dan doesn’t seem too opposed to me,” Leo continued when he changed into a human and sat beside Junjie under the tree.

“Shixiong is more diplomatic and willing to give people the benefit of the doubt, but don’t mistake his politeness for trust,” Junjie warned.

Leo chuckled, joy rising in his chest as Erik climbed out of Junjie’s lap to run over and pick up a blue dump truck. He brought it to Leo and held it in front of his nose, a steady stream of babble, English, and Mandarin pouring out of him in a run-on sentence. It was easily the most he’d ever heard the child say in one go.

“Wow, chatty guy.”

“He’s been talking more and more, recently. Chen and Shijie say it’s a sign that he’s comfortable here.”

“That was my first thought.” He accepted the truck and placed it on the ground. Growling truck noises rumbled up from his throat as he pushed it along the ground. Erik grabbed a handful of pebbles that he dropped in the truck’s bed. They spent some time playing with the truck and a couple of cars before Leo recalled that he’d come over specifically to see Junjie. Not to play with the boy.

He glanced over his shoulder to find a look of such open joy on Junjie’s face. His dark eyes twinkled, and his lips drew up in an enormous grin. It was hard to believe this beautiful man could become even more heart-stopping, but it was true. Junjie was the sun when he smiled.

Junjie caught him staring and cleared his throat, his eyes plummeting to his hands in his lap. “Um…the fae. You asked about what we found. Not much, actually. Chen found some papers that he couldn’t read, so we brought them to Rei. It turns out they were notes on places they had checked as potential sites for their next ritual. Rei has been working with Marcus to get our maps updated and make some guesses as to where the fae are going to search next.”

“Do you think that will get you closer to the leader of the fae?”

Junjie grimaced, twisting his fingers in his lap. “Probably not. Trin has access to an entire army now and ample scouts. He wouldn’t go out unless it was necessary. Huli and Kai are focusing their trips into the woods on trying to find where Trin’s headquarters are. Rei will try to locate where they will perform the ritual if we can’t stop Trin ahead of it.”

“I won’t be able to get any cat shifters to help, but I could go out searching for this Trin’s hideout.”

Leo hadn’t even finished speaking and Junjie shook his head. “No! It’s too dangerous.”

“My fighting skills might not be great, but I have some excellent sneaking skills.”

Junjie chewed on his bottom lip as he watched Erik. “I will leave that decision up to you, but please, don’t go unless you’re sure you can do it safely.”

Leo leaned closer to Junjie on his elbow and tipped his face up. “Are you saying that you’d be worried about me if something happened?”

“I’m saying that Erik needs you to tell me about his kind so I can help him as he grows.”

Leo rolled his eyes. He didn’t believe that to be the only reason for Junjie’s concern, but he didn’t bother pressing him.

“Since you are here, I would love to talk to you about cat shifters, so I may better help Erik.”

Leo shrugged one shoulder and pushed into an upright position. “Okay, but I think you should also trust in nature taking her course. He’ll figure things out.”

That earned him a new frown. Junjie said a bit sharply, “We’ve recently discovered that cat shifters can see ghosts and the dead realm.”

“Oh. Really?” Leo said, lifting his eyebrows in polite interest as part of him panicked. How the hell had Junjie and his clan figured that out? Erik giggled and Leo’s eyes shot to the boy as he pushed one of his cars after a bug crawling on the ground. Right…that was how.

He looked at Junjie, who was not impressed with his response and was expecting more out of him. Especially since they both knew he was asking these questions for the benefit of the child.

He shoved a hand through his hair and scratched his head, grinning awkwardly at the vampire. “Sorry. Yes. Sort of.”

“Leo…” The heavy sigh that accompanied his name made it clear he was pushing the limits of Junjie’s astounding patience.

“No, I’m sorry. The dead. Yes, we can see ghosts. Not all of them, from my understanding. Usually just the newly dead because they have the most energy.” His smile dimmed as he stared at Erik. “I take it the little guy had a scare that you couldn’t explain.”

“Not quite. Winter Varik frightened him by accident when the vampire came for a meeting. Winter can walk in the dead realm. So far, we’ve found that only Erik can see him when he’s there.” Junjie paused and licked his lips. “Jiang Chong can also walk in the dead realm.”

“Oh, shi-oooot!” Leo corrected at the last second. That was big news. It gave them a way to keep an eye out for the bastard. And maybe gave him an extra reason to stick close to the Zhang manor. Erik might be an excellent warning system, but his cries could too easily be mistaken for something else. Leo could at least tell them there was an invading evil vampire lurking in their domain.

“Yes, it was a surprise and offers a small amount of protection.”

Leo shifted on the ground so that he could lay his head on Junjie’s lap. “Well, you’re in luck. I am happy to spend even more time hanging around your place at night to act as an early-warning system against this Jiang Chong asshole.”

Junjie frowned at him, his eyes flicking to Erik before darting back to him. “I wouldn’t want to impose upon your time and safety. If Jiang Chong discovers you can see him, it will make you a target.”

“I’m not worried when I’ve got such a sexy vampire close by to keep me safe.” He grinned and fluttered his eyelashes at Junjie. The vampire’s lips twitched and pinched, as if he were trying so very hard not to laugh at his nonsense.

A heartbeat passed and Junjie shocked him by slowly running his fingers through Leo’s hair, brushing it from his face. Leo held his breath, waiting to see if Junjie would repeat the motion or if it was a one-time thing. After another heart-stopping pause, Junjie continued to stroke his hair, a tiny smile forming on his pale-pink lips like a rose bud unfurling in the morning sunlight.

“The members of the Zhang clan will always protect you whenever you come to visit us,” Junjie murmured.

“I’m only worried about one clan member in particular protecting me.”

“Chen will protect you even if he doesn’t like the idea of it. He understands his duty to protect all of our guests.”

“Oh, ha ha ha. You’re so funny.”

Leo was debating getting up and tickling Junjie when Erik let out a fierce “Rawr!” and flopped on Leo’s chest. Leo’s oof turned into chuckles as he grabbed the boy and lifted him to his face so he could blow raspberries into his neck and cheeks. Erik giggled and kicked his feet as if he wanted to escape. Yet the second Leo released him, the child stretched out across Leo’s chest and closed his eyes, a bright smile on his face.

“Is this a cat shifter thing, too?” Junjie teased.

“Lying on people to get attention? Definitely.” Leo lifted his hand and rubbed Erik’s back. “When we find someone we like or trust, we’ll lounge on them and soak up the attention until we’ve had enough, then pop up and go about our business.”

“And how long does that take?”

“Depends on the person. Sometimes a few minutes.” Leo looked up at Junjie and grinned. “You? I don’t think I’ll ever get enough.”

A hint of red tinted Junjie’s cheeks, but his hand didn’t stop running through his hair. “Shameless flirt.”

“I don’t know the meaning of the word when it comes to you.”

“I’ll buy you a dictionary.”

Before Leo could cook up a response, Erik shoved off him and wandered over to his trucks as though he’d not stopped for an attention break.

Junjie chuckled. “Apparently, he’s had enough.” The vampire watched the little boy with an expression of such fondness that Leo’s heart squeezed. As if sensing Leo’s gaze, Junjie glanced at him and cleared his throat. “Is there anything else you can tell me? I know you’re reluctant to share your secrets, but I only wish to help Erik.”

Leo’s smile disappeared, and he sat up so he could face Junjie. A breeze swept through the courtyard, carrying with it the rich scent of fading summer and the distant chirp of birds. He threaded a lock of hair behind his ear for something to do with his hands.

“I’m sorry about earlier. It’s just that…you have to understand…” He paused and frowned at the grass in front of him. “There have always been very few cat shifters in the world. The wolf shifters are pretty free with the information about their kind, but they’re almost always found in packs. They’ve got other wolves to rely on to protect their backs if they’re in danger. Cats are always on their own. We live a very solitary life. Solitary hunters. If you get into a fight, you’re on your own. So, our secrets give us an edge. I’m not trying to be cagey or mysterious or even difficult. Once those secrets are out…” Leo let his words drift off and held out his open hands toward Junjie.

“I understand. I promise that anything you tell me, or any member of my clan, will remain a secret within the Zhang clan. We will protect that information with our lives.” Junjie’s handsome face softened. “As Erik grows older, I don’t want him to feel alone or scared. I want him to understand his kind and feel pride in what he is.”

Leo nodded. It came down to whether he trusted Junjie and his clan. That wasn’t a hard question to answer. He’d given them a two-year-old kitten to raise.

“We are skilled hunters,” Leo began with a grin. “We have excellent balance and grace. Erik will still be a clumsy and awkward teenager, though. Most of that grace and balance doesn’t kick in until we’re older, like twenties and thirties. Unless he’s an early shifter. Then he might get some of that at a younger age.”

“Speaking of age, do cat shifters age slower like the wolf shifters?”

“Yes!” Leo leaned in closer to Junjie, tipping his face up to him. “How old do you think I am?”

Junjie jerked back, trying to put some more space between them as he gazed at Leo’s face. “Twenty-seven or twenty-eight?”

Leo pulled away, his mouth falling open. “Ouch! I thought I aged slower. I’m twenty-six.”

Junjie slapped a hand over his mouth so that Leo couldn’t tell if he was horrified or trying to cover up his laugh. “I’m so sorry. I’m a poor judge of human ages based on appearance.”

A grunt slipped past Leo’s lips. “I guess that makes sense. You all look super young to me, but you’ve said that you’re all more than two thousand years old, right?”

“Correct.”

“But how old were you when you became a vampire?”

“Twenty-four.”

Leo whistled. Twenty-four sounded insanely young, but it had also been two thousand years ago. Everyone accomplished big things earlier in life during that long ago time. He would have been married with kids and the lord of an entire manor at that age.

At twenty-six, Leo still felt he was far too young to settle down and be responsible. Getting a regular job seemed like it was too much. He couldn’t imagine it.

Thankfully, Erik ran over on his chubby legs with his ball in hand, wanting Leo to play with him. His thoughts drifted away from Junjie’s old life to the present day’s worries of keeping Erik and his new gege safe. The evening passed in lazy conversation for a few hours before the boy grew fussy.

“I should take him inside for lunch. He’ll need to take his nap soon,” Junjie announced as he gathered the grumpy child in his arms with an expert ease.

“Okay. I should mosey on as well. Got things to do,” Leo said, even though it was a complete lie. He didn’t have anywhere to be or anything to do. At least, the only thing he wanted to do was hang on Junjie, but space was a good thing.

“Thank you for the information you’ve given me. I will guard it closely.” Junjie walked into the house but stopped in the doorway and partially turned to Leo. “After our talk today, I’m regretting our kiss much less now.”

“Cool. Cool,” Leo replied with a slight bob of his head.

He held it together until Junjie left the room and disappeared along the hall. He thrust his fists into the air and threw back his head. “Yessss!” he hissed.

That was some damn good progress.