Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 111252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Would Kai be interested in more than kissing?
No! Bad brain! Later. Much, much later.
Xiang opened his eyes and stared into silvery-gray ones that were filled with the same wonder that was swelling in his chest. He wasn’t alone in this. He flashed Kai what he hoped was a reassuring smile and swung back to his clan, who were watching him with a mix of confused and shocked expressions. This was not how he expected to be introducing Kai to his clan.
Shoving aside his own anxieties and swirling thoughts, he stepped up to Xiao Dan first and bowed his head. “I’m sorry for worrying you, Shixiong. I am home now and would like to introduce to you Kai. He is a dragon and needs our help. The fae stole a sword from him.”
Kai cleared his throat and edged forward. “It was a gift from Huangdi1 for help I offered a village during a fight with his brother.”
Xiang swung around, his face stark white and eyes wide. “Huangdi? You came to the aid of Huangdi, and he gave you the sword?”
Gasps erupted from the thick gathering in the foyer, and everyone suddenly bowed to Kai.
Everyone except for Moon and Rei.
“Now I’m confused,” Moon complained.
“Yep. Totally lost,” Rei agreed as he rubbed his jaw.
Chen’s hand shot up, landed on the back of Moon’s head, and pushed him into a bow. “Heathen,” he snarled between clenched teeth.
“Huangdi was China’s first and greatest emperor. He later became a god,” Yichen mumbled.
“Dragons are gods,” Meimei hissed.
“Are you shitting me? Xiang is fucking a dragon god?” Moon shouted.
“Please, don’t. This is unnecessary,” Kai pressed. He took a step forward, one hand extended in front of him as if he wanted to straighten each one of them. The dragon’s cheeks had turned crimson, which was probably the same color as his own face, judging by the heat he could feel rising. He was feeling a little grateful that Kai had given no names when talking about that sword, or he wouldn’t have been able to function for days afterward.
“I’m not fucking Kai,” he grumbled, trying to stomp on the one bit of insanity he could wrap his head around. His dark gaze swept over each and every one of them gathered there, pausing for an extra second on Moon and Mei Lian.
“Why not?” Rei called out, and Xiang considered throwing something at the elf’s head.
“Wait a minute!” Junjie broke in. “If he’s the dragon who came to answer Huangdi’s request for help, wouldn’t that make him Yinglong2? Why do you call him Kai?”
“That’s right,” Ming Yu added. “Yinglong was the dragon who drank up the flood waters to save the people. He became so full of water that he couldn’t fly up to the heavens again.”
“He said his name was Kai,” Xiang groaned, while his brain screamed Yinglong repeatedly. He was the first imperial dragon.
“Actually, I told you I didn’t know my name. You decided it was Kai,” the dragon broke in with a hint of teasing in his tone.
Xiao Dan cleared his throat, though it sounded more like he was choking on a laugh. Shixiong stepped forward and smiled warmly at Kai. “We are honored to have you in our home. We hope you will stay and tell us about your experiences with the fae. It sounds as if we have a common enemy.”
Xiang was tempted to give Xiao Dan a hug for his ability to coolly smooth over the awkward moment. Yet considering how Kai had reacted to Meimei trying to hit him, throwing himself at Da-ge3 wouldn’t go over well either.
“Thank you for your hospitality,” Kai agreed, and they finally moved out of the foyer. Xiang could only hope this was the start of his clan mates forgetting about his love life.
Xiao Dan led the way, with Ming Yu at his side. Xiang grabbed Kai’s hand and pulled him along, past his nosy family, into the main meeting room with long cream-colored couches and coffee tables. Ming Yu disappeared as they reached the room, and she snagged Mei Lian along the way as she headed for the kitchen. She was going to make some tea for their guest.
As soon as they sat, all eyes snapped straight to Kai, who kept his eyes locked on his own hands clenched together in his lap while his lips formed a pained frown. Xiang could imagine that he’d probably not been the focus of so many people in a long time. This was awkward for him. To keep him from scurrying to his hoard, Xiang straightened and seized the reins.
“When the door between realms opened more than a hundred years ago, the fae immediately began searching for an item with a great deal of magical power. It was the sword Huangdi gave to Kai, which had been hidden with his hoard.” Xiang paused and rubbed his hand over his jaw. “To this day, Kai doesn’t know how they located the sword, but they got past all his protection spells and stole it. Shortly after, the door between the realms closed, making it impossible for Kai to reclaim what was his.”