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“He’s close, but I’ve lost sight of him. Go inside. Get a sword,” Leo ordered while still searching the area for any ghostly sign of him.

Junjie wrapped his fingers around his wrist and squeezed. “You’re not armed either. Come with me. Protect Erik.”

“Your clan needs me out here searching for that asshole. I’ll help them while you get a weapon.” A smile lifted one corner of his mouth and the words, “I’m not leaving you again” were balanced on his tongue. But as he turned his head to look at Junjie, he spotted Jiang Chong behind his lover, the opening between the two worlds already appearing like a gaping wound in the sky.

There was no time to shout a warning. He twisted his hand to grip what he could of Junjie’s arm and pulled him away from Jiang Chong. He lunged forward, putting his body between the monster and his vampire.

The sword plunged through his chest in a flash. The first sharp pain was cold and biting, stopping everything, as if it had been the entire world on pause. But just as quickly, someone tapped the play button, and they all lurched forward. The sword came out with a gush of blood. He lurched back, key body parts no longer functioning properly. Junjie shouted and Leo tried to turn to him, but he was falling.

Damn. Junjie had been right.

Chapter 24

Zhang Junjie

“Leo!”

Junjie fell to his knees with Leo in his arms. Blood poured out of his chest, soaking his clothes. Around him, he could hear the rush of feet and the metallic clang of swords, but he couldn’t lift his tear-streaked face from Leo as life drained out of him.

The cat shifter slowly blinked green eyes at him and a crooked smile tried to form on his pale lips, but it fell away. “Don’t worry about me. Gonna…be…fine.”

“I can’t save you,” Junjie sobbed. He didn’t think his heart could break again, but for Leo, it had shattered. There was nothing left now but a giant hole in his chest that would never be filled.

Leo’s lips moved, forming the words “It’s okay” but no sound came out. His eyelashes fluttered and shut as a last breath slipped from his body. And then nothing. He was gone.

“Leo!” Junjie screamed before burying his face in Leo’s neck and giving in to wretched howls of pain. How could he lose him so quickly? They’d known each other for such a short amount of time.

How was he supposed to go on without Leo’s devilish smile? His laughter? Even just having that orange tabby cat greet him each sunset, searching for some fish and belly scratches.

He didn’t know how long he sat there crying over Leo, holding his corpse so tightly in his arms, but a hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed. With a shuddering gasp, Junjie loosened his hold and looked up to find his entire clan surrounding him and Leo, tears lining several faces. Blasts of ice and snow coated some of the grounds from where Chen had used his gift to stop Jiang Chong. Even now, tiny snowflakes drifted down to land on their heads.

“Jiang Chong?” Junjie choked out.

Xiao Dan squeezed his eyes shut, and he swallowed hard. “He suffered a few slashes, but he escaped over the wall. We didn’t want to leave you.”

“Mao Gege! Mao Gege, wake up!”

Erik’s angry voice snapped Junjie’s head around to see the boy held tightly in Ming Yu’s arms. However, he was struggling against her, attempting to break free while shouting at Leo to wake up. Junjie almost crumbled a second time, but he held it together enough to rise up on his knees and stretch out his arms toward the child.

“Give him to me,” Junjie directed in a rough voice.

Her eyes filled with worry. “Are you sure?”

He could only nod. There was no sneaking more words past the lump in his throat.

She handed Erik to him and the child immediately repositioned himself so that he was facing Leo. Junjie gathered him close and resumed his seat on the ground beside Leo’s body.

“I’m so sorry, Xiao Ping Guo, but Leo is gone,” Junjie whispered as he pressed his cheek to the back of Erik’s head. “But we will always love him and remember him.”

“No! Wake up! Mao Gege, wake up!” Erik shouted. His sweet voice trembled with anger.

Junjie was at a loss. He didn’t know how to explain to Erik that Leo was dead and gone forever, just like his parents. It seemed too cruel. Maybe it was best to take him inside and try to put him to bed. He was too young to understand death.

He squeezed Erik tight in his arms, trying to soak in some of his warmth before handing him to Ming Yu. But he never got the chance.

Leo shot upright, sucking in a huge gasp of air, only to choke on it as he fell to the ground in a fit of coughing.

Everyone standing near Leo jumped several steps away. Mei Lian screamed. Junjie sat frozen, not believing his eyes, while the two-year-old threw his chubby hands up in the air.