Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 105815 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105815 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
“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.