10. Zhang Xiao Dan
Chapter 10
Zhang Xiao Dan
X iao Dan leaned in for a kiss, but Huli stiffened in his arms. He gazed at the playful fox to find a disdainful look filling his normally warm amber eyes. There were few things that could dampen Huli’s good mood, and Min was at the top of that list.
“Where is she?” Xiao Dan demanded. His hands tightened on the man in his arms, fear leaving him wanting to keep his mate close and safe.
“Just walked in.” Huli turned them and glanced over his shoulder through the crowd. “Top of the stairs. Blond hair and heart-shaped face. Tiny red skirt. So tacky.”
Xiao Dan bit the inside of his cheek at Huli’s catty comment and focused on finding the other huli jing. When he spotted her, there was a small frown on her bow-shaped lips as if she were confused by the humans’ Halloween attire. Clearly, it wasn’t something she’d planned for.
“Go tell Chen and Moon,” Huli ordered. “See if there’s a back way out of here. I’ll try to herd her out the front door. They can run around and meet her.”
“Got it.”
As Huli was pulling away, Xiao Dan jerked him close again, slamming their chests together. He captured the fox’s mouth in a brief but bruising kiss that lit a fire in those shining amber eyes.
“Be careful,” he admonished.
“Of course. I want many more of those.”
Xiao Dan hesitated long enough to see Huli maneuver his way through the crowd. Fox ears sprouted from the top of his head, and with each step, a new tail appeared. Humans and magical creatures both gasped as he passed by. Some remarked on his amazing costume, but others watched him with their mouths hanging open. Huli always had to make an impact wherever he was.
What did it matter if they figured out it wasn’t a costume? The fae had already opened their eyes to the long hidden world. And they were going to see much more if they couldn’t get Min out of there quickly and quietly.
Xiao Dan cut through the crowd, returning to the table where Rafe and Philippe were getting to their feet. He planted both palms on the table and leaned in toward Chen. “Min just arrived. Huli is moving to intercept her.” He glanced over his shoulder at Rafe and Philippe. “Do you have a back exit? Chen and Moon can circle around and catch her before she can escape.”
“Yes, I can show the way,” Rafe replied. He grabbed Philippe’s hand and squeezed. “Tell Lola the situation. Help her keep things calm in here.”
“I will. Ryder should also be here by now. I’ll get his help as well.”
“What about you?” Chen asked as he slid to his feet.
“I’m going to support Huli any way I can.”
His clan mate and oldest companion gave him a single wordless nod prior to running off with Moon and Rafe, while Philippe hurried to the bar where he had last seen Lola.
With their support in place, Xiao Dan could turn his full attention to his mate. Hurrying as fast as he could along the edge of the crowd in the center of the room, he worked his way closer to the bar and the main entrance.
Despite the ear-splitting music and flashing lights, no one was dancing. Most people had turned to watch the figure with the multiple fox tails as he stared at the blond woman at the top of the short flight of stairs. The low burble of conversation sounded curious, but it held an edge as if it could all shift to panic in the blink of an eye.
“How convenient,” Min purred as her gaze fell on Xiao Dan behind Huli. “You’ve come to your senses and delivered yourself to me.” She winked, the left corner of her bright-red lips rising in a smirk. “I promise it won’t hurt a bit.”
“Xiao Dan is off-limits,” Huli snarled. “You’re not allowed anywhere near him.”
“Let’s take our business outside, Min,” Xiao Dan suggested. “There’s no reason to include these people.”
Min’s smirk turned into a wicked grin as she stared out at the crowd, who was watching her and Huli as if they were putting on a show. A chill ran across Xiao Dan’s skin, and a knot tightened in his stomach. He’d just said the worst possible thing.
“Why should I? Will you hand over your soul to save their lives?”
Yep. Very worst thing possible.
“I’m giving you this one chance to walk away from here, Min,” Huli warned.
“Ha! For old times’ sake?”
“No. So Gege doesn’t think I’m a complete monster.”
“Never,” Xiao Dan swore.
His mate shrugged one slender shoulder. “I guess that settles it.”
Huli lunged at Min, shapeshifting from partial human to full fox with all his glorious tails flowing behind him. Min darted out of the way, also losing her human guise in favor of her white fox form.
Huli pivoted on his back paws and gave chase while the rest of the club fell into pandemonium. Screams drowned out the music as people rushed for the exits. The only ones who seemed to linger were the handful of vampires who’d been present within the crowd. They retreated to the edges of the vast room and dark corridors reserved for the staff.
“What are they?”
“Shifters.”
“Not like any shifters I’ve ever seen.”
“They’re fae.”
Those two words rumbled through the crowd, threatening to stop Xiao Dan’s heart cold.
“They’re not fae!” he barked at the gathering of vampires on his left. “They are nine-tailed fox spirits. Powerful magical creatures who are hundreds of years old.”
“But not fae?” a blond vampire, dressed as what Xiao Dan assumed was a sexy mailman, repeated. Americans were so strange.
“Dude!” His companion punched him in the shoulder. “He said spirits. They’re like ghosts.”
Thankfully, Philippe and Lola rushed over to save him from this conversation as Huli tackled Min into a set of stools surrounding a tall, round table. The wooden clatter and breaking furniture filled the room and set Xiao Dan’s teeth on edge.
“Getting them outside appears to be a bust,” Philippe announced as he came to stand beside Xiao Dan. The vampire had lost his halo at some point and loosened his pristine white tie as if he were preparing to jump into the fray.
“Yes. Can you get the last spectators from the club and tell Rafe that I will reimburse him for all the damage caused to his business?”
He didn’t wait to hear Philippe’s answer. With his teeth clenched, Xiao Dan rushed forward, caught the leg of a fallen stool and flung it a meter in front of Min as she ran from Huli. The white fox was forced to stop sharply and try to move in a different direction. The pause lasted a fraction of a second, but it was enough time for Huli to pounce.
Orange and white tufts of fur flew into the air, accompanied by angry growls and barks. Both creatures had shed all their human facades as they bit and clawed wildly at each other.
Xiao Dan’s heart stuttered, and his mouth went dry. If anything happened to his Huli, he wasn’t sure how he’d survive it. He wanted to jump in and help, but how could he interject himself? If this were any of his clan mates, it would have been easy. He was familiar with all their moves regardless of what weapon they were using. But this was two wild animals fighting. One wrong step and he could injure Huli instead of Min.
Not to mention, he was short on weapons. It wasn’t like they could waltz into a nightclub carrying swords and bows. He’d hidden a few small knives on his person, but throwing them at Min was impossible as she continued to be wrapped up in Huli.
A low growl of frustration escaped him as he marched to another fallen stool and broke off a leg. Not perfect, but more than enough to crack a head if he had the chance.
Huli yelped and flew across the room to slam into the bar. Breath froze in Xiao Dan’s lungs. Did he go to Huli to check on him or pursue Min now that she was free?
“Get her!” Lola shouted as she darted to his fox.
Paralysis broken, Xiao Dan zoomed across the room, swinging his chunk of wood like a sword. Min darted here and there, always a heartbeat away from being struck. Blood matted and stained her white fur. Was she wounded, or was that Huli’s blood?
Later. He would think about that when he was sure Huli was safe from Min.
The white fox bounded away from him with a throaty laugh. Xiao Dan’s hand tightened on the wood until it trembled. He’d give her something to laugh at. He threw out his left hand, and a bright-white light washed through the nightclub, replacing it with a moonlit orchard filled with plum trees. The same orchard he’d passed countless nights sitting with Huli, listening to his wild tales and silly thoughts.
“You’ve given me a forest,” Min laughed. “That’s supposed to stop me? I’ve lived my life in forests all over the east.” He caught flashes of white as she moved between the trees.
“Yes, but not this one,” Xiao Dan muttered under his breath. No one knew these trees like Huli.
He followed the flashes closely, trying to herd her away from where he’d last seen his mate. Min ran and hit a hidden wall of the nightclub with an ugly thud . She stumbled back, shaking her head, and even stepped on one of her own tails.
Xiao Dan struck, clocking the fox with his club. A blur of orange zipped in to grab one of those white tails in his mouth. Min yelped and jerked, breaking free as a white bolt of magic energy shot from her other tails. Huli flew into Xiao Dan and they both sailed across the room, slamming into the far wall.
Around them, Xiao Dan’s illusion rippled and faded like rain washing chalk from a summer sidewalk.
“She’s escaping out the rear exit!” Philippe shouted.
Xiao Dan glimpsed the white fox hurrying away with more blood on her coat and a pronounced limp. “Follow but just to make sure she leaves the immediate area,” he directed as he turned his full attention to the fox lying in his lap. Huli’s only movements were his shallow pants and the frantic beating of his heart against Xiao Dan’s thigh. Blood matted his fur, and there was now a nick on his left ear.
“My love, can you hear me? Are you all right?”
“No,” Huli whined. “I hurt, Gege. I hurt everywhere.”
Xiao Dan shifted so he could press a kiss to the top of Huli’s head. “I know, my love. I’m going to take you home so you can heal properly.”
“Were you hurt?”
“No, Min didn’t hurt me, but I think I got a bruise on my bottom when I fell.”
Huli turned his head ever so slightly toward Xiao Dan so that it looked as if there were a glint of laughter in his bright golden eye. “Does Gege need me to kiss it and make it better?”
That was the happy, flirty comment he was hoping for. The panic attempting to strangle him eased enough for him to take a breath.
“You heal for me, and I’ll let you kiss anything you want.”
“Don’t tease Huli, Gege. I want to kiss you everywhere.”
Behind him, someone cleared his throat. With burning cheeks, he glanced over his shoulder to find Chen standing a few meters away in the shadows.
“Forgive me, Shixiong. Min slipped past us. Rafe has sent a couple of his people to follow at a distance. They’ll send an update soon.”
Xiao Dan digested that info as he stared at his fox. His hand stroked his warm fur while listening to his ragged breathing. At first, he’d thought they might scare the other huli jing away. He hadn’t believed that they would need to kill her.
He’d underestimated Min and her powers, and he had no one to blame but himself. He’d judged Min on what he’d seen of his sweet fox. Huli had never used his magical gifts against the Zhang clan. When they’d fought the fae, he’d caught only glimpses of Huli, and then he’d been mostly sneaking.
He’d been wrong about Min. Not cautious enough. She had to die. And not because of the threat she posed to him.
No, she had to die for touching his mate.
No one was allowed to harm his huli jing. And she was going to pay for every drop of blood he spilled.
“Have Rafe call them off. She won’t be going far. She’ll return for me and Huli.”
“Yes, Shixiong.” There was one footstep followed by silence, as if Chen had stopped. “Will Huli be okay?” Chen inquired in a low voice.
“Oh, no! Gege, am I dying? Did Chen really ask about me? I must be dying!” Huli’s voice trembled with fake fear or genuine laughter he couldn’t quite hold in. Xiao Dan wasn’t sure which.
Chen groaned and stomped off. Xiao Dan was glad his back was to Chen so the vampire couldn’t see his grin.
“Huli, you’re incorrigible,” Xiao Dan admonished, not that either of them believed it.
The fox cracked open one eye to stare up at him. “But you still love your silly fox.”
“I love my silly fox with all of my heart.”