Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 105815 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105815 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
That was a very good point.
He smirked at Ming Yu. “Practicing for when you have to make the same argument to Shixiong?”
She stiffened for a heartbeat, only to scamper close. “Some. Was I convincing?”
“I thought you were very convincing, but you know that Xiao Dan’s first concern will be for the child and whether we can properly care for him. Not just about the danger, but what does a group of vampires know about caring for a human…or rather, a mostly human child?”
Ming Yu straightened and waved a hand at him. “Pfft. We’ll figure that out. Moon will know some modern parenting things, and I recall plenty from my years of serving the Zhang family. What we don’t know, we search for on the Internet.” She gave a giggle. “Raising children must be so much easier now that you can buy premade food in stores and disposable diapers. We can order all the clothes and toys online.”
From there, Shijie was off and running, talking about all the things they would need to buy for the boy so that he could be comfortable. Clothes, diapers, toys, a proper bed, books, and so much more. He let her talk while she made a small bowl of congee for the child. She had no problem with the idea of the baby staying with the clan.
A soft noise rose from the child in front of him and he looked down to see that adorable, chubby-cheeked smile directed at him. The little guy was holding his blanket up to Junjie as if offering it to him. He accepted it and the boy clapped. His laughter rang out, and it was the best sound in the world. It went straight to his soul and soothed old aches, reviving him when his energy flagged.
He and Ming Yu took turns feeding him and making funny faces as he devoured the porridge she’d made. By the time she was scraping up the last bits in the bowl’s bottom, the kid’s eyes were growing heavy and struggling to stay open.
Ming Yu advised that maybe they could get by just wiping off the dirt with a soapy cloth rather than a full bath. Thankfully, she also showed him how to change his diaper.
By the time they had the child settled, he was asleep in Junjie’s bed, his blanket gripped in one hand.
Ming Yu patted Junjie on the shoulder with one hand while covering her mouth with the other as she yawned. “Get some sleep.”
“What if he needs me and I’m asleep?”
“Don’t worry. You’ll wake up.”
She was right. He was a notoriously light sleeper. He’d also never attempted to sleep with someone in bed with him.
Leo didn’t count. He’d been in cat form and slept at the foot of the bed, which he now regretted allowing with a new passion.
After Ming Yu shuffled down the hall to her room, Junjie closed his door. He turned on the light to his en suite bathroom so the bedroom wouldn’t be completely dark in case the little one woke up before he did. The main light to the room clicked off, and cool quiet settled over the room. He slipped into the bed, careful not to shift the mattress and wake the child.
For a moment, he lay there wondering how the hell he was going to fall asleep, but it swept him away as he finished the thought. When the night had begun, they’d been fighting the fae. They’d watched the death of Queen Belladonna, the rise of the tyrant King Trin, and the return of Jiang Chong. Kai had gotten his stolen sword back, and now Junjie had a child.
No wonder he was so exhausted.
1 Jie/jiejie – older sister (opposite of meimei.)
2 Shijie – older clan sister
3 Xiao Ping Guo – little apple
4 Baobei – baby
Chapter 5
Leo St. George
Leo flattened himself across a tree limb while in his cat form, his eyes fixed on the rear of the Zhang manor. Lights glowed in the interior, and more were blinking on throughout the garden, creating a warm and welcoming illusion.
Come in. You’re home. This is where you belong.
At least, that was what it seemed to whisper to him, but it was all a lie. This wasn’t home, and he didn’t belong here.
No, he was more like a cuckoo bird than a cat, hiding one of his own kind within the nest of vampires.
Or some nonsense like that.
The truth of the matter was that jealousy was eating him from the inside out. He was green with it. That helpless kitten was undoubtedly receiving plenty of cuddles and laughs from Junjie. Cuddles and belly rubs that should have been his alone.
Not that he would begrudge the orphan all the love and affection he could receive. He’d lost his parents and home. Meanwhile, his own kind, out of fear and superstition, couldn’t be bothered to take him in. Vampires were far less cold blooded about the child’s fate.