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“How do you know they weren’t Variks? Your careless actions could have started a war!” Xiang roared. All the blood in Chen’s face rushed to his knees, and he swayed. He hadn’t even thought of that. What if they were Variks? Or even friends of the Varik clan? In one careless act, he would have plunged his tiny clan into a war. Not that they couldn’t handle it. Regardless, it was the last thing they needed right now. The only reason they’d come to America was to retrieve Wu Yichen. There was no time for a war.

“Variks? Oh, hell no!” Moon interjected, saving Chen from his eminent panic attack. “Those fucksticks weren’t Variks. I’ve met them. Those are some nice vampires.”

Silence fell on top of them. The man had a special way of stealing away all their words.

Moon might not be the witch they needed, but it was obvious he could provide them with information about the reigning vampire clan of the region.

“Shixiong,” Mei Lian whispered. “What’s a fuckstick?”

“Like an asshole but worse,” Moon replied, matching her soft tone. “More like a douche tool.”

Chen squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his head. There was nothing he could say.

“I think we should move this conversation inside so we can further explore what damage has been done and if…Moon can help us,” Xiao Dan said.

“Yes, Shixiong,” Chen murmured. He began to rise, and a hand gripped his forearm. He flinched, head jerking up to find Moon standing right there, a smile on his face, as he helped Chen rise to his feet. “Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be okay.”

As he stood, he caught a questioning look from Shixiong and pulled his gaze away. How did he explain the behavior of this strange witch who had flirted with him almost nonstop since they’d first met?

Moon remained glued to his side as they entered the house and Xiao Dan led them to the meeting room. Every step of the way, the witch marveled at everything from the wood floors to the art on the walls to even the hint of incense drifting through the air.

But it wasn’t just the incense he was enjoying.

Moon stopped, lifted his nose in the air, and hummed. “You’re all the same age and so amazingly old. I thought King Aiden and his mate were old, but wow, you guys are…wow.” That last wow took on an almost dreamy quality that had Chen exchanging glances with his brothers.

Moon’s hand jumped up to his mouth, and he laughed. “Crap. Sorry. Is it rude to talk about a vampire’s age? It probably is. Sky complains all the time that I have zero filter on my mouth. It’s just…” Moon leaned in and drew in a noisy deep breath, his nose so close to Chen’s neck he could feel the heat radiating off the man. “You all smell so wonderful. Especially Chen. It’s so heavenly.”

“You can tell our age by our smell?” Jun-Jun inquired.

Moon rolled back to his heels and shrugged. “Sometimes it’s a smell. Sometimes it’s a feeling. Like the weight of your powers. I haven’t spent a lot of time with vampires. I deal with shifters more often. That’s usually a smell, but it’s not related to their age. It’s linked to the animal they can shift into. But apparently, you guys have hit that perfect age where you’re wonderful.”

Chen frowned as he placed a hand on Moon’s shoulder and pushed him back, reestablishing a sensible amount of personal space between them. The witch did not need to keep sniffing him. Yes, it was nice that he smelled pleasant, but Moon was making him self-conscious. Moon didn’t appear bothered by it at all as he continued to grin at him.

As they reached the comfortable meeting room, Moon turned his full attention away from him to his clan brothers and sisters. Ming Yu had joined them when Moon’s raptures over their home carried to wherever she’d been. “I hate to ask, but could I get a glass of water? It’s been a crazy night, and I’m a little parched.”

“Of course.” Xiao Dan offered a small nod of his head. “Forgive us for our poor manners. It’s been a while since we entertained.” He turned to Xiang. “Could you get our guest some water?” He shifted his gaze to Moon, brow furrowing. “You mean cold water, correct?”

“Sure. I—” Moon stopped himself and whipped his head around to face Chen. “Why does asking for cold water seem like the wrong answer here? Is that crazy? That sounds crazy, doesn’t it?”

He wanted to point out that everything out of Moon’s mouth sounded crazy, but now wasn’t the time. “Hot water is better for you. Warms you up,” Chen answered. He looked over at Xiang. “Please make our guest some of my blackberry chá.”1

His annoying brother made a point of lifting his eyebrows at him. “From your private reserve?”