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A devilish grin spread across the cat-man’s lips, making Junjie’s heart speed up, but he told himself it was out of rage. Not because the man was ridiculously sexy.

“Are you sure about that?”

“I am very sure. What happened between us during the past several months occurred under false pretenses. I thought you were a simple cat, and not…not…” Junjie’s words drifted off as he waved a desperate hand in the man’s direction. “Now, I demand you to tell me who you are and what you want this instant, or I shall summon the rest of my clan. I don’t give a damn if you are naked.”

A heavy sigh escaped the stranger’s lips, and he sat up on the bed, throwing his legs over the side so he could better face Junjie. Thankfully, the robe that was resting across his lap remained, covering all the important bits. Junjie could do without those distractions.

“My name is Leo. Leo St. George. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Is this what you do? Go around, begging food off unsuspecting people and laughing at them behind their backs because they don’t realize you’re a shifter?”

“No.” Leo paused and scrunched up his face. “Okay, maybe a little. Usually, I pop by a place, get a nibble, and move on. I’ve never stayed at a place as long as I’ve stayed at yours. It’s just that the food you offered was so good, and you’re so handsome. Why wouldn’t I want to stay close to you?”

Junjie narrowed his eyes at the man. He would not be sweet-talked. “So, you’re a freeloader.”

“Sometimes. You didn’t seem to mind when you thought I was a cat.”

“That’s because a cat is a helpless creature and needs our help.”

Leo lifted one eyebrow and smirked. “Cats are not helpless. They’re skilled hunters and predators.”

“Then you’re lazy.”

“Precisely.”

Junjie threw up his hands. Maybe it would be best if he went to find Xiao Dan or Chen to help him with Yiguo. No,Leo. Leo St. George.

He must be losing his mind. Wasn’t it bad enough that they were still in danger from the fae, and now Jiang Chong had returned to make their lives a nightmare? Did he need a lazy cat shifter in his life causing problems? He lifted a hand and pressed his fingers to his eyes, praying to Shifu for strength.

“Sorry,” Leo murmured, and he sounded remorseful. “Normally, I don’t hang out with a single family like this. When I saw this interesting place being built, I came back to see who was moving in.”

“After that, you returned for the food.”

“True. And the belly?—”

“Please, stop talking about the belly scratches.” Junjie dropped his hand from his eyes and glared at Leo, who seemed like he was still trying to tuck away his grin so that his expression matched his remorseful tone.

“You all turned out to be vampires who added a witch and an elf. A fox spirit was hanging about. You appeared to know what was going on with the fae, so I stuck around for information.” Leo pressed his hand to his chest. “It’s not my fault that you and your companions became so damn interesting.”

Junjie sighed. Talking to Leo was draining the last of his will to live. Maybe it wasn’t entirely Leo’s fault that he’d remainedclose. His life had become interesting in the past several months. Too interesting, in fact. He was very much looking forward to returning to China, where his life would be a lot less interesting.

The fastest way to getting a less-interesting life was to help Leo with the problem he’d mentioned when he first appeared. Hopefully, it was something they could tackle quickly, and he could return his full attention to the problems of the fae and Jiang Chong.

Junjie paced his room, hoping none of his clan mates had overheard any of this insanity. He’d have to come clean about Leo and his true nature, but couldn’t they have a few hours of peace and quiet after their fight with the fae and Jiang Chong? “Let’s put aside the fact that you’ve spent the past several months deceiving me.”

“That would be great.”

He threw Leo a quelling glare. “You mentioned something about having a problem and needing my help. What’s wrong?”

“Yes! I need your help!” Leo jumped to his feet and Junjie squeezed his eyes shut, not trusting Leo to keep his private region covered with his robe. A firm hand grabbed his and Junjie gasped, lurching back to pull free.

“Don’t!”

“Mr. Zhang.” Leo’s voice was filled with a mix of amusement and exasperation. While the address was formal and proper, it felt wrong coming from Leo’s lips. He didn’t know this man. Not properly. But Leo was also Yiguo. They’d spent countless hours together since the Zhang clan had moved to the United States.

“Junjie is fine,” he bit out. He opened one eye and then the other when he found Leo was still covered up.

“I won’t hurt you. What sense is that? You’ve taken care of me for months now, and I need your help. I’d like to think of us as friends.”