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“Time-out.” Leo lifted his hands and made a T sign with them. “What the hell is a bakeneko? And jiuwei-something? I need an English translation.”

“A jiuweihu is a nine-tailed fox spirit. That’s what Huli is. You’ve seen him about the manor,” Junjie explained.

Leo dropped his hands to his lap and relaxed in his seat. “Oh! Yeah, that crazy psychopath who likes to pick fights with the fae. Hangs all over Xiao Dan. I’ve seen him. He’s a fox shifter.”

“No, he’s a fox spirit who shifts into a human.”

“I don’t understand. What’s the difference?”

“A fox shifter is a human who can change into a fox, but at his heart, he is human. Huli is a fox spirit who wears the guise of a human, but at his heart, he is a fox spirit.”

Leo sank even lower into his seat and pressed his hand to his forehead. “Whoa.”

“A bakeneko,” Junjie continued, “is a Japanese yokai—a supernatural entity. At their heart, the bakeneko are cats, but after a long time, they grow in size and can even learn to shiftinto human form. It’s believed they can even reanimate the recently dead and use their bodies as puppets.”

“Bakenekos are bad news. They bring bad luck and curses to all who know them,” Xiang added.

“So,Leo,” Kai drawled. “Are you a bakeneko or just a cat shifter?” There was a heaviness to Kai’s tone that hadn’t been there earlier, making it obvious that Leo’s life hung in the balance if the dragon thought he was going to bring curses down on their heads.

“Hey! Whoa!” Leo sat up straight and held his hands in front of him as if to ward off Kai. “I’m not one of those bakeneko. Totally American. No Japanese in me at all. A cat shifter. I’m human, but I spend a lot of my time as a cat because Junjie gives the best belly?—”

“Don’t say it!” Junjie snapped. He’d heard enough about his infamous belly rubs.

Leo cleared his throat and offered Junjie a modest smile, but he didn’t continue. “There!” he shouted suddenly, nearly stopping Junjie’s heart. “Right into that driveway up ahead.”

“You mean the slightly shorter grass path between the trees? That driveway?” Xiang demanded as he slammed on the brakes to slow them enough to make the turn.

The headlights flashed over trees, making their shadows lurch and stretch away from them. In a couple of spots, Junjie thought he saw small bodies leaping away from the driveway, heading deeper into the forest. The SUV rumbled slowly along the narrow passage, bumping and rocking along the path until they came to a two-story structure with dim lights flickering in the windows.

“This used to be a subdivision filled with houses, but the fae trees took most of them out,” Leo commented. His voice was low and solemn, leaving Junjie wondering if he’d once known some of the people who’d lived in this neighborhood.

Xiang parked the car near the house and turned off the engine, plunging the area into thick darkness except for the thin streams of light coming from the windows.

“How many people are inside?” Xiang demanded.

“Just one,” Kai replied.

Leo unbuckled his safety belt and scooted forward. “That’s him. The shifter who needs your help. There were a few others who were protecting him, but they backed off when we approached. We need to hurry.”

That definitely sounded like a bunch of cats. Skittish and cautious. Watching from a safe distance until they could determine if the person was a threat.

Xiang placed a hand on his mate’s arm. “Fae?”

“None in the area,” Kai said with a shake of his head. “I will keep you and Junjie safe.”

“What about me?” Leo chimed in.

Kai turned his head to glare at the cat shifter. “You’ve not earned my protection yet, thanks to your sneaky ways.”

Leo opened his mouth as though he intended to argue with the dragon.

“We don’t have time for this,” Junjie muttered as he unbuckled his seat belt and shoved his door open. The sun was rising, and he needed to be home before it peeked above the horizon.

The others joined him, walking up the creaking wooden porch stairs. He scanned the area to find that there were almost no remains of the old subdivision. It was as if this dense forest had stood here for centuries, holding the secrets of animals and the fae.

A sliver of golden light slipped out where the front door stood open a crack. Junjie reached out his left hand and pushed the door open. It moaned like something out of a horror movie, but nothing jumped out to attack them. The scent of cheeseand what he could have sworn were hot dogs drifted out of the house, causing his nose to wrinkle. Not exactly what he had been expecting.

Nor was the next sight to greet him.