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)
“But—”
His brother began to argue, but Rei cut him off. “Leave now and you can at least think about what I’ve told you. Stay, and you’ll have no choice but to choose a side.” He seized Yichen’s arm and retreated the way they’d come, his heart thudding hard enough to bruise his ribs.
“Go! We’ll buy you some time!” Yichen snapped.
Rei wanted to argue that they’d do nothing of the sort. Trin had some fucking soldiers at his back. What the hell did they have? Yet, he understood what Yichen was trying to do. Olive branch. Buy some goodwill in hopes Trin would make a smart decision later.
Assuming they survived that long.
To his credit, Trin didn’t linger to argue any further. The elf darted into the darkness with Aire at his side, swords and bows already drawn. Silence descended on them in a matter of a couple of heartbeats, leaving the crackling torches and the blinking of the fireflies between the trees.
“How long do you think we should give him?” Yichen stood tall, his shoulders straight, and his sword held out in front of him, ready to take out anyone who dared to attack.
“How long? Fuck Trin! We need to leave now!” Rei gripped Yichen’s left wrist and tugged him in the direction they’d walked earlier.
“What? But shouldn’t we try to offer him and his army some cover?”
“Just the two of us? Besides, the king doesn’t give a damn about Trin and his followers right now. I’m sure he believes if he snaps his fingers, Trin will immediately come to heel.” And while his brother might hate it, Rei was confident he wasn’t far from the truth.
“Yeah. Right.” Yichen’s growl was nearly lost to the sound of rattling leaves and snapping branches.
It was too late.
Arrows arced through the air, briefly lit up by the firelight. Yichen acted half a breath faster, pulling Rei by the hand that was still holding Yichen’s wrist. They just made cover behind an enormous tree trunk. Arrows whistled by them, cutting the air and thunking hard into the surrounding trees.
“Kill until you have an opening and then run. We don’t wait for each other,” Rei ordered.
Yichen grunted. “Our odds are better if we separate.”
A snicker bubbled up in his throat and he glanced over at Yichen to find the same mocking grin on his lips. Yeah, logic said it would be easier to escape if they separated, because his father’s forces would have no choice but to divide up. Yet, there was no way in hell they’d abandon each other.
Pulling a pair of short swords strapped to his back, Rei leaped out from the cover of the tree and charged the elves who had reached the small clearing. He moved to the left, while Yichen was a blur on the right. A half smile lifted the left corner of Rei’s mouth. It was the one thing that gave Yichen an edge over the fae—his vampiric speed. The man was a fucking blur. Elves were fast, but nothing compared to a vampire.
Add in his centuries of training, and his Yiyi was walking death.
Fuck, could he get any sexier?
No! Bad brain! Focus on the fight and not on the sexy vampire. Fuck Yiyi senseless later.
Outnumbered as they were, this was not a fight for finesse. It was all about speed. Kill each attacker with as few strikes as possible before another could join him.
Rei blocked and stabbed, blocked and slashed. He didn’t see their faces. There was no point. All he would see there was hate. Familiar features twisted in hatred, jealousy, and greed. They were his father’s supporters, people not caring who got hurt or even if the king was spouting madness. They either bought into his insanity or were seeking to profit off this crazy coup attempt.
A blade passed close to his throat and Rei flipped backward, landing somewhat awkwardly on his left hand prior to continuing on to his feet. He brought his sword up to block a second attempt, but it never came. Something tiny and silver streaked through the air and hit in the center of his attacker’s throat. The elf choked and gargled blood as it spilled over his lips. He clawed at his throat, dying so slowly.
Twisting around, he tried to spot the person who’d helped him. The angle was all wrong for Yichen.
“Up here!”
His gaze darted up to find Junjie standing on a slender tree limb not far away, small throwing knives pinched in the fingers of both hands. “You were taking too long.”
“Too long? We should have come with you. What was the point of waiting?” This time the voice came from his right. As he turned, two shots exploded from guns held by Rafe Varik. The strange vampire was dressed in a suit with thin silver pinstripes while his handsome face was streaked with red as if already smeared with the blood of his enemies.