Page 27

“You mean control us. Like puppets,” Xiang stated.

Moon’s nod was jerky, his eyes locked on the chopsticks clutched in his fingers.

“Moon,” Xiao Dan started, waiting for Moon to lift his gaze to meet his. “You have a skill, and I believe that no skill is innately good or evil. It is all up to the intentions of the user. You have said that you have no evil intentions toward us, so we will not look at you with suspicion until you give us a reason.”

The witch’s shoulders slumped, and he released a big breath as if he’d been holding it. “Thanks. Really. Thanks. I’ll admit that I don’t know how my magic could affect a vampire, because I’ve interacted with so few in my life. I’ve never attempted to control one. Or even a human. Most of my work has been with the local shifter pack and my own witch coven. Lots of random protection spells and stuff like that.”

“You have a coven?” Chen inquired.

Holding up his thumb and forefinger spaced a small distance apart, Moon replied, “A tiny one. It’s just the four of us. Male witches are rare, and we kind of lucked into finding each other over the years. I’m the only blood witch. Sky is a necromancer. Maddox and Redstone are old friends from school and are both earth witches.”

“Interesting,” Chen murmured. He turned his attention to the food Moon had placed in front of him and picked at it. Eating food was a rare thing. Even drinking blood was a rare thing now that he’d crossed the two-thousand-year mark. He was just sort of existing, floating through life with his clan.

Spice exploded on his tongue, and he let out a gasp. It was hot and tangy, but also sweet. Like Moon.

“Like it?”

“It’s…interesting,” Chen said, earning a laugh from Moon and Jun-Jun.

“That means he likes it,” Junjie interjected.

“Good. I’ll get you more.” Moon plucked up more of this spicy chicken and placed it on Chen’s plate.

“That’s enough. I have plenty.” He was sure his stomach was the size of a teacup now and wouldn’t hold much food.

“What if you got fae blood?” Xiang asked with a wicked grin. “Could you control a fae?”

Moon froze, a piece of chicken pinched between his chopsticks, hovering in the air between the platter and Chen’s bowl. “I…I don’t know. In theory, I should be able to, but I don’t know how fae magic works. It could negate blood magic.”

“No,” Xiao Dan declared loudly.

All eyes snapped to Shixiong at the head of the table. A dark frown marred his handsome face, while eyebrows came together over his strong nose. “Moon will not be drawn into our disagreement with the fae. We only ask that he introduce us to a witch who could locate where the door will open. After that, we will not ask any more of Moon.” Xiao Dan’s expression softened as he turned his gaze on Moon. “You will be free to return to your life without our interference.”

Something squeezed in Chen’s chest, and his eyes snapped over to Moon, whose smile had disintegrated.

“I appreciate your desire to protect me, but I think you’re going to need me for more than an introduction. You’re completely new to this area. Unless you can swoop in and grab your brother immediately, you’re going to be here longer than a few days. As I proved to Sean at the grocery today, I know the Variks and the local wolf pack. You’re going to need me to help you navigate the other magical peoples for at least a little while,” Moon pressed.

“He has a good point, Shixiong,” Junjie said. “We’ve been trying to avoid everyone since we’ve arrived, but if we fight the fae, it’s going to draw attention whether we want it or not. Moon could provide us with information that—”

“No,” Xiao Dan snapped. “We can’t guarantee his safety.”

“No one is asking you to,” Moon argued. He waggled his fingers at Xiao Dan and smirked. “Don’t forget. I’m a witch. I’m pretty good at watching out for myself.”

Xiao Dan’s expression didn’t clear as he turned his gaze over to Chen. “What do you think?”

That was the complicated question, wasn’t it? He understood Shixiong’s desire to send Moon away as quickly as possible. There were only six of them taking on an unknown number of fae. It was unlikely that any of them would survive the battle that was ahead, but they’d all made their peace with that idea. They’d lived for more than two thousand years. If they could not save Yichen, he was more than content to die fighting for him.

But they had no right to drag Moon into that battle, to put his life in danger for someone he’d never met.

Yet, some part of Chen was instinctively reaching for Moon, refusing to let him go. Even if it meant seeing his goofy smile for just one more night.