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“No!” he howled while jumping out of reach so he couldn’t be pulled into the dead realm. “Coward! Don’t run! Face me!”

The doorway remained open and Jiang Chong’s taunting voice drifted out to haunt him.

“If you wish to kill me, you’ll have to come after me.”

“I’m no fool.” There was no escape from the dead realm. In those first years after Jiang Chong had taken over the clan, he’d watched too many of his clan mates disappear into the dead realm, never to return.

“But you’ll come in to stop me from killing your brothers and sisters one by one. Shall I start with Xiao Dan and Chen Bo Cheng? They were the doting gege who always shielded and coddled you. How about that useless fledgling Chen has made? So eager to help you. So eager…to die.”

Junjie gritted his teeth and held back a scream of rage. He couldn’t go in, no matter what Jiang Chong said. It was suicide. He’d never be able to protect his family by falling for Jiang Chong’s tricks.

His creator must have figured that out as well, because the doorway closed and true fear gripped Junjie’s heart, almost stopping it dead. Now he had no way of tracking where Jiang Chong went. The bastard could move soundlessly around him, invisible until the doorway opened, and he struck.

With his fist tightening on his sword, Junjie spun in place, eyes narrowed as he peered into the darkness. The welcomingglow of the light pouring out the windows squeezed his heart tighter. How easy would it be right now for Jiang Chong to slip past Junjie and enter through one of the many doors? Moon and Ming Yu were no match for that monster. It would be nothing for him to kill Moon, Ming Yu, and little Erik before Junjie even knew he was inside the house.

No, it was best if he kept Jiang Chong outside and occupied with tormenting him. If he was lucky, Moon had reached Chen. The rest of his clan was on its way to help him. Better yet, Kai was in the air at this moment, racing to devour Jiang Chong.

Junjie swallowed against the knot forming in his throat. A bead of sweat trickled along his neck and he tried to reach for the elusive feeling that had warned him the first time of Jiang Chong’s presence. He didn’t know if he was sensitive to a ripple of magic in the air, a shift in the wind. Something told him that the monster was close, and he had to find that warning signal one more time.

No cricket chirped or frog croaked. Even the wind was still, waiting for Jiang Chong to strike.

Junjie’s entire body vibrated with tension as he slowly pivoted to face the house. Was he too late? Had the vampire sneaked around him and entered the manor? Should he chase after him?

Something in the air shifted on his right and Junjie moved to escape Jiang Chong, but this time he was a half breath too slow. Pain ripped through his right arm as the monster’s blade sliced deep. Muscles and tendons were cut, and his sword fell from limp fingers. As Junjie spun away, he caught the tumbling blade with his left hand and raised it, blocking Jiang Chong’s next blow.

“Too slow, old man,” Junjie taunted. “I can kill you with my right hand or my left hand. It makes no difference to me.”

Jiang Chong shouted his frustration and hammered wildly at Junjie with his sword. Junjie backpedaled under the onslaught, but he held his own, deflecting every slash.

A great roar rent the heavens, and Junjie’s smile returned with a wicked bend. Jiang Chong’s pale face turned almost gray and his eyes widened in their sockets. Yes, the dragon had returned home.

“What’s wrong, Jiang Chong? Afraid to face a dragon god?” Junjie mocked as lightning flashed across the night sky only to be immediately followed by a crash of thunder. The bright light glinted off white scales as the dragon raced to Zhang manor.

“No!” escaped Jiang Chong in a harsh whisper, and a black doorway opened behind him yet again.

“He’s going to devour you whole.”

The ground shook, and another roar shattered the night as Kai landed in the garden, uprooting trees and even knocking some tiles off the roof. It didn’t matter. His golden eyes locked on the dark slit in the air that Jiang Chong had disappeared into. Kai rushed for the opening, but Jiang Chong closed it before the massive dragon could reach it. Kai clawed at the air and roared, causing Junjie to flinch.

“Thank you,” Junjie called out when Kai stopped his frustrated roars and growls.

The dragon huffed and turned its giant head toward him. No matter how many times he saw Kai in his true form, Junjie knew he would never stop being in awe of the creature. It was hard to believe that this magnificent creature could adore Xiang so thoroughly, but he’d seen it with his own eyes.

You’re hurt!Kai’s voice slipped into Junjie’s thoughts as if it were his own.

“I’m healing. It’s nothing serious.”

Sorry I was slow. We encountered many fae, and I was afraid to leave my mate.

“I understand. Can you stay and guard the outside for a while? I need to check on Moon and the others.”

Of course. Xiang and the rest of the clan are returning now.

That was a relief, but a question did pop into his brain. “Why didn’t all of you return with your magic?”

Kai shifted into his human form and grunted as he glared at the mess he’d made. “I wanted to, but Xiang wanted to remain and kill the fae rather than allow them to escape. He also believed seeing my dragon flying would scare some of the fae away if they dared to approach our home. I thought it would be fine, since I was only a couple of minutes away.” His gaze slipped to Junjie’s bleeding arm and his frown deepened. “But I was too slow.”

“You weren’t too slow. It gave me a chance to fight Jiang Chong. If I were a little faster, I might have killed him.”