Page 9 of Two Thousand Shadows (Kings of Chaos #4)

Chapter 8

Leo St. George

W hat the hell was wrong with him?

Yes, he’d agreed to come visit Junjie at a later date so they could talk more about his kind, allowing him to share that critical information with the kid when he got older.

Except this “later date” was only a few days after their last encounter, and they weren’t at the Zhang manor. Nope. He was secretly following Junjie through the woods. He’d seen a group of them leave the manor and he’d stupidly followed, wanting to know what Junjie was up to. Except he hadn’t expected it to be a late-night hike, where he knew the fae were lurking. It was as though Leo had a death wish.

No. It was as though he were addicted to Junjie, and it wasn’t just about the belly rubs.

Well, of course not.

One only had to take a look at the man to see how perfect he was. Large, beautiful brown eyes that watched with such gentleness and understanding. Pale-pink lips that begged silently for kisses, always poised to break into a soft smile. His entire body was slender and powerful, his movements were all grace and balance. His soul radiated patience and kindness.

But that didn’t mean Junjie needed to be protected and coddled. He’d watched Junjie practicing martial arts with his clan mates, and the vampire was as swift and skilled as the rest of them. He was as lethal as any cat hunting his prey. If Leo didn’t know better, he would have said that Junjie was a cat shifter.

The icing on the cake was when Junjie was with little Erik. No one in the world was more patient, loving, or understanding with a child than Junjie. Every moment Leo could watch Junjie with the boy melted him into a useless puddle of goo. The vampire shone like a star fallen from the heavens, and Leo wanted to snatch him up before anyone else could.

It was after midnight and the worst of the day’s heat was long gone, dipping to something far more comfortable while he prowled about in his cat fur. The wind was light, stirring the leaves enough to mask any noises he might make as he bounded from tree limb to tree limb, following Junjie. Long gone were the fireflies and even the frogs had silenced their croaking with the fast approach of the end of summer. In the blink of an eye, the leaves would turn from green to gold. Frost would gild the long strands of grass, warning of the thick blankets of snow that would cover everything.

Somewhere along the way, he’d begun to imagine his winter nights stretched out in front of a flickering fire as Junjie stroked his fur and he read a book, but those early plans were floating away like dandelion fluff carried off on the morning breeze. Junjie was probably planning to spend the winter at his home in China, where he would now read books to Erik rather than stroking Leo’s fur.

A branch snapped, and Leo froze, his eyes narrowing. That noise had not come from Junjie. His ears flattened to his head, and he hissed at the other two vampires who were trekking through the woods with Junjie. He didn’t much care for either of them. Mei Lian constantly wanted to pick him up and smoosh her face into his but complained when she found cat hair on her many plushies.

And then there was Chen, who didn’t want him in the house or even on their property. That was before he’d revealed his true identity to Junjie. This was the same vampire who seemed to possess a great deal of ire toward Huli. The man was an animal hater. That was all there was to it.

Junjie paused and turned his head in Leo’s direction. “Are you going to follow me all night, or is there a reason for you being here?” he whispered.

Leo rolled his eyes. Of course Junjie knew he was there. Why had he ever thought he could sneak past this man?

He shifted as he jumped from his perch so that booted feet touched the ground close to Junjie. With a smirk, he crossed to the vampire without making a sound. “I thought I’d see what you were up to this evening. I didn’t expect it to be wandering through fae-infested woods.”

Maybe he was trying to make it sound like they’d just crossed paths, but he’d in fact sneaked into the SUV Junjie had ridden in.

Judging by Junjie’s expression, his nonchalance did not fool the vampire. He likely knew Leo had been in the vehicle the entire time.

“You should have remained behind. It’s dangerous,” Junjie said.

Leo sidled a step closer. “Are you worried about me?”

The vampire looked away and resumed walking through the woods, stepping over a fallen log. He held the branch of a bush as he passed by it, waiting for Leo to join him so that he wouldn’t risk making a noise.

“You know, I have been running circles around the fae for months now with no problems. They can’t catch me.”

“Have they honestly tried to?”

Leo shrugged one shoulder. Probably not. He was beneath their notice. Until recently, all their focus had been on the humans and the vampires who’d been causing them problems.

“You need to be more careful. I was going to ask for your help, but…”

When Junjie’s words drifted off to nothing, Leo hurried a couple of steps ahead of Junjie, forcing the vampire to meet his gaze. “What? What did you want to ask me?”

A frown formed on Junjie’s lips, and Leo wanted to kiss it away. This man shouldn’t be frowning. He was sparkling starlight and champagne bubbles.

“The fae have been doing more in the woods during the day. We think they’re preparing for another ritual that will expand the woods and destroy more human cities, but we can’t investigate it because of the sun.”

“You need me to spy on the fae,” Leo filled in.

“ Mn . We’ve asked Huli and Kai to help, but there’s so much ground to cover.”

“I’ll help you.” The words were out of Leo’s mouth before he could even think to stop them.

When the hell had he ever volunteered for anything?

Fuck, he was pretty sure he’d volunteer to stand before a firing squad if Junjie asked him. As long as it got him to stop frowning.

It also didn’t hurt that the vampire had adopted a kitten into his clan without a single moment of hesitation.

“I’ve changed my mind. This is a bad idea.” Junjie twisted, slipping away from him, but Leo was undaunted. No one could escape him.

He moved quickly and silently, even on human feet, getting in front of Junjie despite the vampire’s smooth efforts to escape him.

“Tell me. What’s wrong?”

Someone cleared their throat, and they turned to see Chen glaring at them from a few yards away. His expression spoke loudly— Quit fucking around.

Junjie sighed, his shoulders slumping. “I don’t want to involve you. The fae are now targeting shifters and witches. Hunting them. I don’t want to give the fae more of a reason to come after you.”

Leo grinned as he reached up and brushed some hair off Junjie’s shoulder. The vampire had been letting it grow longer so that it was falling below his shoulders and hanging in his eyes. It looked so silky and soft; Leo was dying to run his fingers through it. He hadn’t thought too much of it until Yichen had shown up with his long hair hanging down his back. Now he was obsessed with the idea of Junjie growing his hair that long so Leo could wrap his hands in it and cover his face with it.

“Oh, I know all about the fae’s efforts to kill shifters. They attacked a dive bar not too far from your place. Declared war on the wolves drinking there.”

“What?” Junjie demanded in a harsh whisper. He grabbed Leo’s wrist, his touch pleasantly cool compared to the surrounding air. “Were you in there at the time? Are you all right? Were you hurt?”

“Nah. They couldn’t get me.” Leo pulled his arm up to his face and rubbed his cheek on Junjie’s hand. The vampire let out a hiss and released him. His frown turned to a glare of irritation, but Leo didn’t miss the bit of relief that rested in his eyes.

“I didn’t stay to find out who won that fight,” Leo continued, keeping his voice low. “But I have seen the fae stepping up their attacks in town. I don’t know about the woods, though. Since they have become more aggressive, the only woods I go into are the ones near your house.”

“That is wise,” Junjie murmured. Leo tried to steal Junjie’s hand back, but the vampire remained elusive, dodging his attempts to cuddle again. “Now that you’re here, you should stick close to me.”

Leo sucked in a breath and lunged for Junjie, wrapping his arms around the man’s slender waist while resting his chin on Junjie’s shoulder. “Amazing! I was thinking the exact same thing.”

A growl escaped Junjie, and it was all Leo could do to keep from giggling in his ear. “This wasn’t what I had in mind.”

“If I get any closer, we’re going to need to remove some clothes.”

“What the hell are you doing?” Chen hissed as he marched over to them. Freaking spoilsport.

Leo lifted his head from Junjie’s shoulder and grinned at the interloper. “I’m protecting Jun-Jun with my body.”

Chen’s head jerked, and his mouth hung open as if he didn’t quite know how to respond to Leo.

“Chen, this is Leo, the cat shifter who has been visiting us and blessed us with Erik,” Junjie explained with a note of weariness to his tone. Leo was pressing his luck.

“Oh. I…” Chen stopped and shook his head, as if to reorder his thoughts. When he started again, he directed his glare solely at Leo. “We’re tracking the fae. You need to be quiet and help or get out of here.”

“I’ll handle it, Er-ge,”? 1 Junjie instructed. “You and Meimei can continue. I’ll catch up.”

The other vampire didn’t appear happy about it, but Chen nodded and walked away, disappearing into the darkness.

“Leo.”

The cat shifter slumped on Junjie. He could hear it in the man’s voice. Junjie was going to tell him to release him and behave, which didn’t sound appealing in the slightest. He’d allowed Junjie to carry him around the manor and cuddle him in his cat form, but this was the first time he’d been able to press against him as a human. This was even better than he’d expected. Why in the world would he ever want to stop? If anything, he was more eager than ever to pull away his clothes and explore his body more thoroughly.

“Just five more minutes,” he pleaded, his arms tightening on Junjie’s waist while he resettled his chin on Junjie’s shoulder.

“No.”

“Two.”

“No.”

“One minute.”

“Leo. The fae are killing humans, shifters, and vampires. The little boy you’ve entrusted to me is in danger because of the fae.”

He let out a hefty sigh and loosened his hold on Junjie. Not entirely releasing him, naturally. Relaxing enough to look him in the eye. “That’s hitting below the belt, you know that?”

“I have to do what is best for my clan.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Leo put actual space between him and Junjie and waved a hand at him. “I think I’ll tag along for a bit to make sure you don’t need my help.”

Junjie frowned, but in the end, he nodded. “You may wish to shift into your cat form. You’ll be able to make a quicker and safer escape if there is trouble.”

Leo hated to admit that his suggestion was tempting. He didn’t have any fighting skills like Junjie and the rest of his clan, but he didn’t want the vampire to see him as useless and a coward. Besides, his senses were almost as strong in this form as they were when he was a cat. Still better than a human’s.

“I’m fine. You worry about yourself,” Leo chided, motioning for Junjie to continue along the course he’d been taking through the woods.

The vampire didn’t seem pleased, but he said nothing else. He turned and headed in the direction Chen had taken. The undergrowth was thick, and the moonlight barely pierced the spaces between the leaves, but Leo had no problem seeing through the heavy gloom. As long as there was even some illumination, his eyes could adjust. While they made very little noise as they picked their way through the brush, he could hear the sounds of small nocturnal animals searching for food. An owl hooted in the distance, but there was nothing in the way of large animals near them. Was it possible that even the fae were chasing away the bigger game thanks to their murderous rampage?

As they traveled, his eyes danced over Junjie’s lithe form, taking in the short swords he had strapped to his back. When he’d wrapped himself around the man, he’d also felt a few other hidden blades. The vampire was very well armed and prepared for a fight. He would prefer it if Junjie didn’t have to put his life at risk, though.

They walked for about another ten minutes before they met up with Chen and Mei Lian, who were crouched beside an ancient oak tree with broad limbs outstretched in every direction. Mei Lian’s whispered sigh reached his ears as soon as she spotted them, and they both stood.

“About time,” she grumbled.

“Have you spotted anything?” Junjie inquired, ignoring her complaint.

Chen frowned and dusted some dirt off the knees of his jeans. “Nothing. Mei Lian was checking our position on the map. We’ve covered the area that the Variks thought we might find some activity. I was about to check in with the other team.”

“Other team?” Leo asked as he edged closer to Junjie. It was tempting to put an arm on his waist and his head on Junjie’s shoulder, but there was a new tension humming through the vampire’s frame. He was on edge, and Leo did not want to set him off.

“Xiao Dan, Huli, Yichen, and Rei are out surveying another section of these woods,” Junjie explained.

The teasing and playfulness evaporated as a fiery ball of anger formed in his chest. “What about the dragon? Why isn’t the dragon protecting your team, too?” The dragon had to be the one weapon the Zhang clan had that would make the fae reluctant to attack them.

Junjie tilted his head at him, his thick, arched eyebrows lifting toward his hairline. “He has wrapped himself around most of the buildings of the manor, protecting Erik with the help of Xiang, Moon, and Ming Yu.”

“Okay,” Leo mumbled. Part of him wanted to argue that it might be overkill to have three vampires and a dragon protecting a child when the fae had no reason to go after him. Then again, it was a relief he couldn’t quite explain to know Erik was so safe. It was just that something inside of him also wanted Junjie to be the same level of safe. But there was only one dragon.

That settled it. He’d have to take the place of a dragon.

Leo snorted and nearly choked on the laugh he tried to hold in. The heads of all three vampires swung about and they stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. Leo clapped both hands over his mouth to hold in his giggles.

Take the place of a dragon?

Yep, he’d lost his damn mind.

Junjie put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. He dipped close to look into Leo’s eyes as worry dug lines into his brow. “Are you all right? What happened?”

Leo fell into those deep, warm-brown pools of concern. All his silly laughing was forgotten, and a hundred memories flashed through his mind of all the early mornings they’d spent together. As the sun crept toward the horizon, Junjie would sit on the patio, stroking his fur and whispering stories about other cats that had kept him company during the long, endless centuries. He’d learned to envy every one of those cats as he filled his belly with fish and cream, soaking in that affection. It didn’t matter that Junjie saw him as another stray to pass the time with. At that moment, he was Junjie’s stray. His one and only.

Now he stood next to him in the dark woods and something in his chest rose and cried out. It wasn’t enough to be a stray, grabbing a random meal here and there, stealing affection and giving nothing in return. Peering into those large, perfect eyes, Leo wanted so much more. He wanted to be worthy of Junjie’s soft heart and his beautiful soul.

“Leo?” Junjie repeated. This time he licked his lips and Leo’s gaze snapped to that slight movement, following it like a cat watching a bird hop along a fence railing. Yes, he wanted to be something more to Junjie, but right now, a taste of those lips sounded best of all.

He lowered his hands from his mouth and reached for the vampire, ready to pull him in close so he could taste that concern and everything else about Junjie.

A soft rustle of leaves not too far from where they were standing drew Leo’s eyes from Junjie to a point over his shoulder. His eyes widened as something metallic flashed as it caught a thin ray of moonlight. The warning was still on the tip of his tongue when Junjie moved. As he spun to face their attackers, Junjie shoved Leo behind him with one hand and reached for a sword with the other.

Yet before he could finish turning, two arrows slammed into his chest. Junjie stumbled under the impact, his heavy weight falling onto the cat shifter. Leo grabbed him and jerked him behind a large tree. He pressed Junjie into the rough bark, his hands trembling uncontrollably, his mouth dry. He’d been about to kiss this man, and he now had two arrows sticking out of him. One of them was far too close to his heart.

“Leo. Leo, look at me.” Junjie’s firm voice jolted Leo’s eyes up to his face. His expression was tight and pained, but his words were steady. “I won’t die.” The vampire punctuated this statement by pulling one arrow from his abdomen.

Leo lunged forward, covering the open wound with both hands to staunch the bleeding. “But?—”

“I won’t die,” Junjie repeated and pulled out the second arrow. He tossed it aside with a curl of his upper lip. “But I need to get to my clan to help them. Shift to a cat. It’ll be easier to escape that way.”

“I want to help,” he choked out.

“Get out of here!” Chen shouted. His long sword flashed through the night, cutting down elves and blocking arrows with ease. “You’re a distraction.”

Chen’s words sliced him to the bone, but it was Junjie’s lack of argument that was the fatal blow.

“Run while we take care of them,” Junjie ordered.

He darted into the fray even as blood soaked into his shirt. Each fist clenched a sword as he fought, but he turned them into silver blurs, slashing through one elf after another.

Mei Lian was just as impressive with her spear. She could make it strike with the speed of a cobra and zip back again. No one could get close to her.

Leo shifted into his cat form and darted up a tree, but he didn’t leave the scene. His eyes were glued to Junjie while indecision tried to strangle him. He possessed none of the same fighting skills as the vampires, but he wasn’t worthless like Chen seemed to think. Cat shifters had more than their fair share of secrets, but once those secrets got out, all their advantages disappeared.

Yet, Junjie needed him.

Maybe not in a fight, but he needed him to not be useless.

Little Erik needed him to not be useless.

When the kitten grew up and Junjie told him stories about other cat shifters, what would Junjie say? That the only cat shifter he ever knew was a selfish, lazy flirt and coward.

A tiny nagging voice whispered, What did it matter? You pawned the kid off on him. Who cares what he or the kid thought? They’re nobodies.

Leo dug his claws into the bark and hissed at himself. Junjie was not a nobody. How could someone who looked at him like that be a nobody? He took in a kid his own kind didn’t want!

No. Junjie was special. He needed to be protected at all costs.

Leo jumped from his perch and crept through the brush toward one archer hanging to the rear of the group.

Without a plan in his head, Leo shifted into his human form behind the elf and picked up a sturdy log. He hefted it, thinking he would bash the elf on the head, but he wasn’t as stealthy as he thought.

The archer spun as he brought the branch down, blocking it with his bow. The creature with the sharp features and cold green eyes sneered at him. “Stupid human. Really thought you could sneak up on me?”

With his left hand, the elf palmed a dagger from his waist and slashed at Leo’s stomach. Leo’s heart surged into this throat as he jumped away. He swung the branch like a baseball bat at the elf’s head, hoping to keep some distance between them as he scoured his brain for another plan.

Run? No, dagger in the back.

Shift and run? Nope. Too close. Elf could still catch him.

Beat him with the log? Not likely.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. He was still useless. He wanted to help Junjie, but he still needed the vampire to save him.

The elf slashed at him again and again. Each time Leo dodged or blocked the blade with the branch until the damn thing snapped.

A horrible laugh rose from the elf, but it was cut off, changing to a thick, wet gurgle. His body lurched and bowed forward. Hot blood sprayed across Leo’s face. He looked down to find the point of a sword sticking out of the elf’s chest. His head snapped up to see Junjie straightening after throwing the sword into the elf’s back.

Junjie had saved him.

1 ? Er-ge – second oldest brother. A term of endearment. Referencing Chen Bo Cheng here since he is the second oldest behind Zhang Xiao Dan (a.k.a. da-ge)