Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 65856 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 329(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65856 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 329(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
With that one familiar point, he moved on to the cute nose and high cheekbones. The full lips were pulled wide into a smile that felt like a Huli smile. Even though he’d only ever seen a fox’s face, Huli had this way of laughing with his mouth held wide open and he could imagine the fox’s smile looking like this if he were human.
His hair was thick and lush. Some shorter strands were full of body, as if they wanted to curl.
“So?”
Xiao Dan swallowed hard as he pulled his gaze up to Huli’s face. “You…it…I don’t know what to say. This is amazing.”
“Do you like it?”
Again, he was tongue-tied. He cleared his throat twice before attempting to speak, and Huli still beat him to it.
“Because if you don’t like it, I can change it. I have other ideas. Or if you have someone in mind that you want me to—”
Xiao Dan placed his hand over Huli’s running mouth to stop his words, but there was laughter shining in the eyes just above his hand.
“Huli, I appreciate your ability to change your appearance. It is an astounding bit of magic, and I am so proud of how hard you’ve worked to do this.”
The fox in human form grabbed his hand and forced it off his mouth. “But…?”
Xiao Dan pulled his hand free of Huli’s grip and pressed the tip of one finger to the center of the man’s chest. “But the Huli that I love is the soul inside this form. Honestly, yes, this face is beautiful, and I find this man attractive. However, I think part of the reason I find this body attractive is that he has your eyes. He also has a smile that I always thought you’d have if you were human. The important thing to me is whether you’re happy, especially if you plan to spend many hours walking around as a human. Have you seen your own reflection? Do you like this body?”
“I do!” he said enthusiastically and then sank on his heels. “Except…”
“Huli, I will love you no matter how you look. Be happy with yourself first.”
There was a tiny flare of white light over Huli’s face, but when it disappeared, he appeared the same. Maybe.
Xiao Dan squinted at the young man, trying to figure out what he changed, but he still couldn’t spot it. “What did you do?”
Huli pointed at his chin. “I made it a little rounder. I thought the other one was too pointy. It reminded me of Chen’s.”
A loud bark of laughter escaped Xiao Dan, and he rocked back. He began to shake his head, but stopped as soon as he noticed something else new. “You gave yourself a dimple, too!”
“I did. I thought it made me cuter.”
Xiao Dan succumbed to more laughter. After his initial fear of seeing Huli in human form, he was coming to realize that his fox was the same no matter what he looked like. His soul felt lighter being in his presence again.
“Gege, can I hug you?”
He hesitated for a heartbeat, but nodded, giving in to the notion that it was something he’d been wanting for a long time, too.
Huli threw himself at Xiao Dan. A surprised “Oof!” erupted from Xiao Dan as Huli hit his chest, nearly knocking him on his back. Slender arms wrapped behind his neck and a warm face nuzzled his throat the same way Huli the fox always did. With a tremble in his hands, Xiao Dan closed his arms on Huli’s slight but muscular frame, pulling him in tight. His heart skipped. There was a sudden tightness in his throat, but he ignored it as he closed his eyes and let his brain revel in the feeling that he was finally hugging his sweet fox. His closest friend for more than five hundred years.
“I’ve missed you, Huli,” he whispered into his hair.
Huli sniffled and squeezed him tighter, as if he were trying to merge himself with Xiao Dan. “I miss you every time I must leave. Your Huli hates it. So much. Never want to leave my vampire.”
Xiao Dan swallowed hard, angry at himself for letting those words slip out. He shouldn’t have said that and possibly thrown the fox off his chosen path. “I know, but getting your tails is so important to you. Just two more, right?”
Huli loosened his hold enough to gaze at Xiao Dan’s face. He wiped away a tear and then glared at it on the back of his hand before turning his attention to him. “Only two more. You’ll be so proud of me for being a jiuweihu.”
He tapped the tip of Huli’s nose. “I am proud of you now with seven tails. I was proud of you when you had two tails.”
The smile on Huli’s human face turned a little sly, and Xiao Dan’s heart tumbled in his chest, trying to break free. It wasn’t fair that he’d loved this fox for years because of his adorable nature, but now all that cuteness was stuffed in an attractive human package. How was he supposed to keep his distance?