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“I don’t know. We can tell him that any obligation he feels to our sect is concluded now, but Moon strikes me as the type of person to do as he wishes. If he is determined to help us fight the fae to reclaim Didi, that is what he is going to do.”

“Why? Why would he do something so insane? This isn’t his fight!” Chen balled his hands into fists so tight they trembled at his sides.

Xiao Dan surprised him by huffing a soft laugh. “Shidi, if you must ask that question, you either haven’t been paying proper attention to the witch, or you’re in denial.”

“Da-ge—” His argument froze in his throat as he stood there straining to hear. Had that been a car door slamming shut under the last roll of thunder?

Another followed seconds later, muffled by the house and rain, but it didn’t matter. Xiang and Moon were back.

Both Xiao Dan and Chen wordlessly raced through the house and onto the front porch. Chen hesitated. Years of conditioning to fear the daylight holding him stuck under the roof’s cover. Yet when his eyes fell on Moon leaning on Xiang, his arm slung across his shoulders while the rain washed blood from his body, he couldn’t remain still a moment longer. Chen launched himself into the storm.

Cold water pelted him, soaking through his clothes and leaving it sticking to his frame. His glasses spotted with rain drops, obscuring his vision, but he still found Moon without a problem.

He didn’t ask questions. They were pointless right now. The only thing that mattered was that Moon was injured. Hows and whys could wait for later. Lifting Moon’s free arm, he placed it across his shoulders before sweeping the witch into his arms.

“Eep!” Moon squeaked, followed by a soft groan of pain.

“What the hell!”

“You’re just jealous!” Moon called to Xiang as Chen carried him past a wide-eyed Xiao Dan and straight into the house. He didn’t stop until he had Moon in the bathroom that was directly off his own bedroom.

He set the witch on the sink counter and quickly pulled off his soaked jacket. He was reaching for the hem of Moon’s drenched T-shirt when Moon captured his hands. That was the first time conscious thought entered his brain. He’d been running on pure instinct, driven to take care of Moon.

His head snapped up, and he saw a blurry frown on Moon’s face. Moon released one hand to pluck his rain-covered glasses off his face. Then he could at last see Moon’s soft amber eyes and weary smile.

“I’m fine,” Moon said as he placed the glasses on the marble with a soft click. “I am fine.”

“But Xiang was helping you, and the blood…” Chen trailed off as his gaze swept over Moon’s tanned skin. The rain had washed away nearly all the blood. There were several marks on his arms and throat that were sharp red lines and raised skin, as if newly healed wounds.

Moon squeezed his hand, dragging his gaze to his face. “I healed most of it on the car ride back here. My hip is bruised to hell from where Sean dropped me. I twisted my fucking ankle when I tried to get up and slipped in some mud. It’s nothing that a few hours of rest won’t cure.”

“I-I—” His brain had completely locked up. “Why was Xiang carrying you? And why did he drop you?”

Moon smirked at him. “The answer is the same for both questions, actually. We ran into witches.”

“What—” His words were cut off, but this time it was Moon pressing a chilled finger to his parted lips.

“I promise to answer your questions, but could you run into my room and grab my backpack? I need a change of clothes. It’s kind of cold in here.”

Yes. Moon was sitting in drenched clothes. He had to be freezing. Cursing his thoughtlessness, Chen snagged a thick towel from the linen closet. He wrapped it tightly around Moon before darting into the guest bedroom, where he grabbed the bag off the floor. He needed to change from his wet clothes as well, but that could wait until he was sure Moon was taken care of. It wasn’t like he could catch a cold or freeze to death.

When he returned to the bathroom, he found Moon still sitting on the sink, but he’d kicked off his muddy sneakers.

“Sorry about the mess,” Moon said with a wince.

He placed the bag on the counter beside Moon and stepped away, his arms crossed over his chest. “The mess doesn’t matter. Tell me what happened.”

A slow grin spread across Moon’s lips. He shrugged off the towel and ripped the sodden T-shirt over his head. Chen’s eyes ate up the expanse of bare skin kissed by the sun. Lean muscles danced under that flesh. They looked like the type built from countless hours of physical activity under the summer sun. It was only when he followed Moon’s hands down to the button and zipper on his pants that he even realized that he was ogling the man.