Page 54

November 4, 2023

Zhang Manor, Connecticut

It was time to take proper care of his mate. The whispers, stares, and giggles of the rest of his clan didn’t matter any longer. For the first time since the death of Shifu, Xiao Dan was going to stop worrying about what was best for the clan. Only Huli mattered.

Xiao Dan bent and scooped up Huli, draping his smaller frame across his arms as Huli gripped the nape of his neck with both hands. A sharp squeal of surprise jumped from the fox spirit, and he buried his face in Xiao Dan’s shoulder.

“Gege! What are you doing?”

“I’m taking care of my mate.” He cut through the room, weaving them past the others standing there with wide eyes and big grins.

“But I can walk. You don’t need to carry me.”

“Maybe I want to carry you.” A smirk lifted a corner of Xiao Dan’s mouth as they strolled down the hall. “Besides, I thought you liked when I carried you.”

“I do, but usually it was because it annoyed your other clan mates, which made me laugh. Now they aren’t annoyed, and I’m…”

“You’re what?” Xiao Dan asked as he nudged open his bedroom door with his foot.

“I’m embarrassed,” Huli mumbled into his shoulder.

Xiao Dan closed the door behind them with a soft click and stopped in the center of the room. “We’re all alone now. Are you still embarrassed?”

Huli lifted his head from Xiao Dan’s chest and looked around as if to confirm his location. There was a small lamp burning, casting the space in heavy shadows. Sandalwood and the sweet scent of orchid lingered in the room from the incense he’d burned while Huli recovered. The muffled noises from the rest of the clan fell away.

A sly grin spread across Huli’s lips and his hands tightened on Xiao Dan’s neck, pulling him in closer. “No, not embarrassed. What is Gege planning to do to me?”

“I thought I would inspect every part of my huli jing to make sure he is healed. You’re not allowed out of bed until I’m satisfied that you are better.” As he spoke, his lips brushed against Huli’s.

“Gege, I think you should just fuck me,” Huli stated in return.

A loud bark of laughter broke from Xiao Dan’s throat to bounce through the room. This was what he got for trying to be smooth and seductive with Huli. The fox wasn’t big on grasping subtle hints.

“What?” Huli demanded.

No more time for talking. Xiao Dan answered with a searing kiss that had Huli moaning into his lips. His tongue slipped intoHuli’s mouth, tasting him. He released his hold on the fox’s legs, allowing him to slide slowly down his body while pressing their chests together. Huli’s heart pounded, seeming almost in synch with his own.

Why had he waited so long to claim his mate? Huli had lived within his heart for centuries, claiming more and more of Xiao Dan with each passing year. With remarkable patience and determination, Huli had conquered all of Xiao Dan’s doubts and swept aside his fears. Xiao Dan was not worthy of Huli, but he wanted to be.

As the kiss grew hungrier and more desperate, Xiao Dan worked his fingers under the hem of his lover’s shirt and smoothed his palms over the expanse of warm, soft skin, following along the curve of his spine.

A soft, joyful noise escaped Huli as he broke off the kiss and bowed his body into Xiao Dan. It was as though he couldn’t get close enough.

“Are you going to be mean and tease me? Have pity on me. I lost a tail,” Huli howled.

It wasn’t a laughing matter at all, but Huli sounded so adorably pathetic that a giggle might have sneaked out.

“No, I’m not teasing. Because my sweet Huli was injured, I’ll give him anything he wants.”

“Whoohooooo!” Huli shoved out of his arms and staggered a step away so he could rip his shirt over his head. He tossed it across the room, where it hit the door. With an exaggerated shimmy of his hips, he pushed his pants to the floor. Huli wasn’t a fan of underwear and refused to wear it. Despite Xiao Dan’s attempts to explain the necessity, the fox spirit couldn’t understand the human need to wear two sets of pants. And right now, Xiao Dan agreed with Huli’s policy that less clothes was best.

Completely naked, the surprisingly spry huli jing leaped onto the bed and stretched out on his side, facing Xiao Dan. He smoothed one hand across the large open space next to him and gave it two pats.

“Plenty of room right here if you wish to join me.”

Xiao Dan took a step toward the mattress, and Huli’s hand shot up.

“Wait! Only naked vampires are allowed in this bed. You’re wearing too many clothes.”