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Guilt for taking so much of Moon’s blood that the witch was now quite literally drained. Moon needed food and water to speed along his recovery, but he had neither to offer the man. He also needed to be somewhere safe, as far from the fae as he could get.

Of course, as soon as Moon was out of the woods and safe, Chen very much wanted another meeting with the fae king. Not only was the bastard in the way of their retrieving Yichen, but he’d put Moon in danger. Chen was willing to throw all of Connecticut into a new ice age if it meant killing King Ash.

“You’re grumpy again,” Moon mumbled.

Chen jerked his gaze down to the witch’s face to find his eyes were still closed, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips. “How could you know that? Can you sense my emotions now that I have your blood inside of me?”

That got Moon’s lips to twist into a wicked smirk. “That’s not the only thing of mine I want inside of you. But no, you’ve been grumbling to yourself for the past several minutes. You’d think you’d be happy that I saved your life.”

“I promise I passed the first two and a half hours overjoyed that you saved my life.” Chen pushed his fingers into Moon’s filthy, blood- and sweat-crusted hair, brushing it from his forehead. “The last thirty minutes have been spent in contemplation of the many ways I wish to torture and kill King Ash.”

Moon’s eyes popped open. “Three hours!” He tried to lurch upright, but Chen’s arms tightened on him, allowing him to sit up slowly.

“You must move cautiously, or you may hurt yourself. I took too much of your blood, and for that, I’m so—”

Chen didn’t get to finish his apology because Moon’s lips crashed into his, eating up his words. A moan rumbled in his throat, and he tightened his arms on the man. He held him flush against his chest, making sure he could feel the heart that was still pounding because of him. Chen reluctantly ended the kiss as Moon’s tongue began to aggressively explore his mouth. He tasted like blood, and that wasn’t the most romantic thing, even if it was Moon’s own blood.

“No more sorries between us, okay? I did that because I wanted to. I would have given it all to you,” Moon murmured, his lips moving over Chen’s as he spoke.

How was he ever supposed to let this man go? It wasn’t possible when he kept whispering sweet things like that.

“Thank you, but no more frightening sacrifices. Blood witch or not, you’re still fragile.”

Moon snorted. “So says the man who had a fucking hole in his chest. Speaking of…” The witch shifted in his arms, forcing Chen to release him so Moon could inspect his chest. The wound was healed, but there was a new gray scar that cut over his heart. Moon carefully laid his hand on the wound, rubbing his thumb down it in a featherlight caress. “Does it hurt?”

“There’s a little soreness as if I were bruised, but I’ve suffered through far worse.”

“I’m sure you have,” Moon muttered. His fingers strayed lower, following other scars that crisscrossed his chest before pulling his hand away. “I’m assuming you’ve been awake the entire time?”

“I have.”

Moon sighed, but he didn’t bother to admonish Chen any further. “Have you felt okay other than the chest wound? Any palpitations, organs melting, or new powers, thanks to my amazing witch blood?”

“I think your blood has made me more tolerant of your sass and sarcasm, which is quite a spectacular power. Otherwise, I’ve noticed no other changes. The extra energy I first felt when I drank your blood has largely dissipated.”

Moon gasped. He lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Chen’s neck, hugging him tightly. “Holy shit! My blood gave you a sense of humor! It’s a freaking miracle!”

He wanted to groan and shove Moon away, but Chen clung to him, smirking into the witch’s shoulder as the man giggled like a fiend.

It was ridiculous if Chen allowed himself to think about it. The sun was getting higher and higher in the sky, trapping him in this tiny cave for at least another ten to twelve hours. And let’s not forget that the woods are crawling with the fae. He could handle most of the little monsters easily enough, but they could risk being outnumbered.

Despite the bleakness of his situation, Chen couldn’t help but smile. Moon reminded him that as long as his heart was still pounding, he would fight on.

Right now, fighting meant coming up with a plan for their next step. They needed to get somewhere safe and away from the fae. He needed to get in contact with his clan to reassure them he was still alive. There was also the worry of Junjie’s injury and finding Ming Yu and Meimei.