Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 117167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
They approached the man together, but there was no shaking the feeling that he felt familiar. As the car reversed onto the road, the stranger dropped his hand to his side.
“Good grief! Do they have to make headlights that bright?”
Without the bright glare of the headlights, it was easier to make out the slender man with almost-white hair dressed in baggy shorts and a T-shirt. “You’re the one who was with Chen-ge at the castle!” Yichen cried out, some of the tension falling off his shoulders.
“Yep. That’s me. I’m Moon. It’s good to see you.”
Yichen couldn’t help looking around the area in front of the gate, but there was no one else. When he returned to the sect, he’d expected to be greeted by all of his brothers and sisters. Not by a stranger.
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m not the welcoming committee.” Moon laughed as if reading his thoughts. “I’m here to get him safely through the protective barrier.” As he spoke, he pointed right at Rei.
“So, you are a witch,” Rei breathed.
“I am. Witch and mate to Chen Bo Cheng, if you can believe it.”
“I’m not sure I can,” Yichen muttered.
“Most can’t.” Moon snickered. He knocked twice on the wooden door behind him and then strode toward Rei with one hand extended. “But we can talk about all that later. I’m sure we have a lot of catching up to do. First, though, I need to walk your elf friend through the barrier. Right now, it’s keeping out some not-too-powerful fae and acting as an early warning system. Walking you through means you’re not breaking it and forcing me to set the whole thing up again.”
Rei stared at Moon’s hand and even took a tiny step closer to Yichen. “If I allow you to take me inside, will I be your prisoner? Will I be able to leave?”
“Whoa! No! Definitely not a prisoner.” Moon backpedaled, his hands up in front of him. “You’re Wu Yichen’s friend. Not a prisoner. My barrier won’t stop you from leaving. I just don’t want you to break it. Once you are past the walls, we’ll make some spell adjustments so you won’t affect it. You’ll be able to come and go whenever you want without setting it off.”
“What’s taking so long?”
Yichen’s heart leaped into his throat at that familiar voice. His head jerked up to find a smirking Li Xiang standing on the wall with his hands braced on his hips.
“San-ge!”1 Yichen shouted, the endearment slipping from his lips before he could stop it.
“Don’t let Moon scare you off. If he does, he’s not allowed inside. I don’t care whose mate he is,” Xiang teased.
“Screw you! My Ah-Cheng2 loves me! He’d never let me go!” Moon bellowed with a wide grin on his face.
The double wooden doors swung smoothly open, giving them a glimpse of the winding drive leading to an enormous home of ancient Chinese architecture that whispered of secret gardens, pavilions, bamboo floors, and a serenity Yichen hadn’t tasted in a century. And in front of the main doors was his family.
“Ready to go?” Moon asked, extending his hand to Rei.
“I am. Thank you for the thoughtful escort, Mr. Witch.”
“It is my pleasure, Mr. Elf.”
With every step forward, Yichen became more and more convinced that he was going to have a heart attack. His heart was pounding so hard it felt as if it were bruising other organs. A lump tightened in his throat, nearly choking him.
As soon as the doors closed behind them, Moon released Rei’s hand and smiled. “See. Piece of cake. You’re both safe and sound in here now.”
Yichen managed a nod. He wanted to say something, anything, but he couldn’t get any words out. They continued walking as though he wasn’t dying to break into a run.
“Oh, screw this waiting!”
Someone within the group finally snapped. A young woman slithered through the gathering and broke into a fierce run, closing the distance between them in almost a heartbeat.
She launched herself at Yichen, and he caught her easily.
“Yichen!” she squealed.
He hadn’t seen her face clearly yet, but something in her voice triggered a memory at last. “Meimei?” he whispered brokenly. He was holding Gao Mei Lian—though as the youngest of the clan, everyone called her Meimei.3
She squealed a second time, hugging his neck almost tight enough to break it. “Home! You’re home!”
He was. Even if he wasn’t lucky enough to be in Luoyang, the only thing that mattered was that he was with his family. His clan. Squeezing his eyes shut against the burn of tears, Yichen hugged her with everything he had.
At the light sound of feet hitting the ground behind him and the approach of the rest of his family, he released Meimei. Moon had stepped away to join the others approaching from the house. Everyone appeared so relieved and happy to see him with wide smiles, hearty laughs, and the soft shimmer of unshed tears, but their gazes turned wary each time they strayed toward Rei.