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“Mn. The usual suspects.”
The elf checked the edge of a dagger before slipping it into its sheath on his waist. “There have been videos and images posted of actual pixies, hobgoblins, and trolls, but humans are still in denial about what they’re seeing.”
“Whatever,” Xiang muttered. “As long as they aren’t hunting vampires during the day with wooden stakes and fire, I really don’t care what they believe any longer.”
“That’s true,” Rei conceded. The elf with the black beanie pulled low on his head to hide the points of his ears, led the way between a pair of silent houses and into the deep shadows of the woods.
The temperature dropped several degrees as they walked through the shadows, their footsteps barely making a sound on the soft earth. Xiang kept his eyes peeled for any trace of movement while one hand rested on the hilt of a short sword on his hip. He’d opted for shorter blades because of the potential closeness of the trees.
“So, all this return of nature is making Queen Belladonna stronger. Are you noticing any difference?” Xiang inquired in a low voice.
“Definitely. My magic is much stronger now. The boost is appreciated.” Xiang glanced over at the elf with one eyebrow lifted. Rei lifted a hand to his lips and patted them twice, as if smacking away some bad comments. “I mean, it’s bad what’s happening to the humans. Terrible. The queen should definitely be stopped.”
Xiang sighed and rolled his eyes. “Do you even like humans?”
“It’s a complicated relationship. I hate what they’ve done to the earth, and they’ve been slow to learn. Even slower to correct their mistakes. It’s frustrating to come back every hundred years to find the world you left behind is in even worse shape.” Rei held up a hand, as if he thought Xiang was going to argue with him. “However, I like all their little gadgets and new technology. Plus, I love my Yiyi. He was a human once and still has a human’s sense of humor.”
“I knew you were beyond help,” an icy voice on their left cut in.
Xiang drew his sword, but Rei was even faster. A dagger left his fingers in a flash, slicing through the air to embed in the tree’s bark. An elf with long black hair stepped out from behind.
“Trin,” Rei greeted through clenched teeth. “Always a pleasure. I don’t think you’ve met my new clan mate, Li Xiang. He’s one of Yichen’s brothers, and I’m sure he has a few things to say about Yichen’s treatment.”
That was putting it lightly. Yichen might never talk about his experiences at the hands of the fae, but the scars and the haunted look in his eyes said plenty.
Trin’s eyes passed over Xiang before wandering to Rei, only to snap to him again. “A vampire…wandering around in daylight. I didn’t think there was such a thing in all the world.”
“And yet here I stand,” Xiang smirked. “Fully prepared to cut your heart from your chest if you even glance at your half brother wrong.”
Rei extravagantly sighed and tipped his head toward Xiang. “Ah, family. Isn’t it nice when someone gives a shit about your well-being?”
Trin’s expression soured as his narrowed eyes leveled on Rei. “There isn’t time for your nonsense. I need information.”
“Funny that. So do we,” Rei countered, his voice hardening at the end. “Have you chosen a side? Are you sticking by her side, even though you know she’s going to betray you in the end?”
“We’re both working angles to come out ahead.” Trin strolled farther away from the tree, moving into the small clearing where they’d stopped. The rest of the world had fallen away from them, making it so easy to forget that humans even existed.
“This isn’t an angle. When I tell you I don’t want to the throne, I’m serious. As you can see, I have a new family and a mate that I plan to remain with. To do that, I have to make sure mother dearest doesn’t destroy the fucking world.”
Trin’s lips twisted into a frown, and he glared at the ground. He remained silent for a couple of heartbeats before giving a shake of his head. “I’m not here about that. It’s the dragon.”
“What about the dragon?” Xiang barked, his heart leaping into his chest. What the hell was Belladonna planning now? Protecting Kai was hard enough when the dragon was so damn stubborn and didn’t believe anyone should need to protect him. It was made worse by the fact that they couldn’t guess when the fae queen would strike next.
“Can you control it?” Trin shot at him.
Xiang’s hand tightened on his hilt to the point of his knuckles cracking. Muscles ached and twitched, demanding he attack the elf standing opposite him right this second. “Kai is not some animal you can force into being your attack dog. He’s a sentient, intelligent being, and he doesn’t appreciate having his hoard raided by a pack of thieves.”
Trin blinked at him, his lips parting, but nothing came out. A moment later, he regained his composure enough to speak. “The dragon talks to you. I’ve only been there when she summoned the monster once, and it just roars at her.”
That was it. Xiang tightened his fist on his sword as he charged Trin. Unfortunately, he didn’t get more than two steps before Rei collided with him, wrapping his arms around his waist to hold him.
“He’s not a monster!” Xiang bellowed, not caring that Trin was now holding a blade in his right hand. Or that several other elves popped out from behind trees to point drawn arrows at both of them. “Would you be all that willing to talk to your captor?”
“Whoa there, lover boy!” Rei cried, trying to cajole Xiang into getting a hold of his temper. Not the easiest thing. These assholes were not only the source of Kai’s suffering, but they thought he was a simple beast to be ordered about.
“I just want to kill them a little bit,” Xiang snarled as he ground his teeth together.
Rei pressed his head against the side of Xiang’s and lowered his voice, “I’m sure you do, but you’re going to get hurt, and Kai won’t like that. Can we afford to piss him off right now?”
