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)
Junjie closed up the container of food and left it beside the bank of the pond. He stood and led the child across the bridge and into the grassy area under the trees, drawing closer and closer to where Leo was hiding. The cat fought the urge to move, potentially giving away his location.
When they were a safe distance from the water, Junjie released the little boy’s hand, allowing him to wander through the grass. He appeared unbothered by the growing darkness, but then the child of cat shifters would have already developed superior night vision.
“Are you going to come down or stay lurking up there?” Junjie inquired without even gazing up into the trees.
Caught.
There wasn’t much point in hiding any longer.
Leo leaped from his perch and shifted into a human before his feet even touched the ground. He’d opted for a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt rather than being naked like he had during their first real meeting. Junjie didn’t seem in the mood for his silliness. The vampire didn’t act cold toward him, just cautious.
“Hey.”
“This is your third visit in a week,” Junjie murmured as he sat on the grass near where the child was gathering up some sticks.
Leo swallowed hard and rubbed a hand through his messy hair. “You knew?”
“We always know when someone has entered the boundaries of our home.”
Well, that was both creepy and reassuring. It also proved that he wasn’t as stealthy as he’d hoped. Each time he’d watched the two of them during their nightly fish feeding, Junjie had been aware of his presence.
“Gege! Gege, ’ticks.” The little boy hurried on chubby legs and held up a handful of sticks in front of Junjie’s face.
“Those are lovely sticks. Would you like me to hold them for you?”
The boy nodded and handed them over before wandering off to search for more interesting things.
“Gege? You’re teaching him Chinese?” Leo blurted out without letting his brain catch up with his mouth.
Junjie’s eyes narrowed on him, and Leo took a step back. “You gave a child to a Chinese family. Is it surprising to discover that he’s learning some words and phrases?”
He held up his hands and waved them. “No. No. You’re right. I wasn’t thinking. I guess I was surprised that he picked it up so quickly.”
The tiny lines of tension around Junjie’s eyes disappeared and his shoulders lowered. “He has learned only a few words. Gege and jiejie are the two most common. Oh, and—”
The boy raced over to them and stopped with wide eyes locked on Leo. He stared for a second; then his mouth spread into a grin. With his empty hand, he pointed at Leo. “Mao!”1
Junjie lifted his hand to cover his own mouth, but Leo caught the hint of a smile as the vampire fought to clear his throat. “Yes, you’re right. That’s Leo. He’s a mao.”
Leo cocked his head at the two of them. “What?”
“Cat. Mao means cat.”
Leo smirked. “He is a smart little guy.”
Just as fast, the boy lost all interest in Leo and turned to Junjie, handing him a tiny purple flower. “For Gege.”
“Thank you.”
Leo sat on the ground close to Junjie and braced his hands behind him, leaning back so he could watch both the vampire and the kitten.
“He seems to have settled in,” he observed, his tone still guarded.
Junjie nodded, his eyes drifting away from the boy to the sticks and flower he was holding in his hands. “Mn. He’s very resilient despite what he’s been through. He’s woken twice with nightmares, calling for his mother, but Su Ming Yu has soothed him, and he returns to me afterward. We’ve been able to establish a nice routine for him so that he’s able to be awake during some of the daylight hours and some of the night hours.”
“You…” Leo paused and rubbed his jaw with one knuckle. “You…don’t sound too pissed at me for dumping this kid in your lap.”
“Could you have taken care of him? Fed him? Clothed him? Held him when he woke crying from a nightmare he didn’t understand?”
“Jeez! Fu-fuuudggge no!” Leo exclaimed, correcting himself at the very last second. “I told you earlier that I can barely take care of myself. Every time I looked at him, all I could think about was how I was going to screw him up. He deserves a better shot at life than what I can provide.”
The thought of trying to raise the little boy was enough to make him break out in a cold sweat. His fight-or-flight instincts were hardcore triggered. He longed to shift and run up the nearest tree.
Junjie nodded and lifted his eyes to watch the toddler as he wandered the open green space without a care in the world. “Why did you pick me?”
“I didn’t pick just you. I picked your entire clan. There was no one else that I knew who is a healthy, caring, responsible family unit.” Leo stopped and let out a deep sigh. “And to be honest, we didn’t want to wait long to get him settled. The fae are lurking everywhere, knocking off shifters and witches left and right. The kid needed somewhere safe. We thought about giving him over to a human orphanage—”