“I’ll let you know when I can think again.”
Chapter Nine
Xias’s stomach was one big knot as he climbed out of the backseat of the car. He was still nervous, and it had nothing to do with standing in front of the biggest mansion he had ever seen.
Well, maybe it did a little.
The thing was frigging huge. It had to be at least four stories tall, and it was made of white stone that had faded over time so it had an aged look as if the building had stood there for hundreds of years.
Maybe it had.
The armed guards standing on either side of the entrance weren’t making his stomach settle one damn bit. They looked as if they ate rocks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Xias was pretty sure the automatic rifles they carried were just for show. They could probably crush someone with just a look.
“Not to worry, Xias,” Zhuang whispered in his ear. “They’re on our side.”
Xias wasn’t so sure he believed that, simply because he wasn’t so sure what side he was on. He knew things had changed on the ride here. Zhuang had explained to him about the pressure he had felt in his head along with the sense that he belonged to something bigger than himself. He just had no idea what it all meant.
He had been born into Osamu’s clan and lived there his entire life until he ran away with his cubs. He had never felt a connection to Osamu or his birth clan like he felt with Zhuang and Tao since the bonding ceremony, and he didn’t understand that either.
Hell, he didn’t understand any of this. His life felt as if he were lost in crashing waves during a tsunami. Just when he thought he was going up, he went down. Once he got a handle on going down, he was flipped around and shot back up again.
Xias readjusted the baby sling Zhuang had insisted they stop and get for the cubs. He carried Bai in his sling, and Zhuang carried the girls in another sling strapped to his own chest. It was actually a great idea and made carrying the cubs much easier.
“They can’t take the cubs from us, can they?” That was Xias’s biggest fear—that they would take his cubs and give them to Osamu or some stranger. He would prefer a stranger over Osamu. At least then, the cubs might have half a chance.
“No, Xias. The cubs belong to you.” Zhuang spoke with such conviction. Xias just wished he could believe him.
His eyes nearly bugged out of his head when they reached the guards at the door and the two men merely reached over and pulled the double doors open. He really hadn’t thought he would be let inside the massive mansion.
And the inside was just as foreboding as the outside. Dark paneled walls lined the entrance. Gray marble flooring stretched from the entrance down the entire length of the large room. Xias didn’t know who had painted the paintings hanging on the wall, but he was pretty sure they were older than he was.
He blinked when a man in a dark suit appeared in front of them as if he had walked right out of nothing. He was very…stiff.
“How may I be of service?” the man asked.
“Please tell Elder Shen that his son is here to see him.”
The man gave an empirical nod before walking away.
“Who was that?” Xias asked.
“The butler.”
“Your father has a butler?”
Zhuang chuckled. “He’s assigned to the council estate. He doesn’t belong to my father.”
Xias felt his cheeks heat. How was he supposed to know something like that? He’d never even seen a butler before. He was actually a little surprised Osamu didn’t have one. The man liked the finer things in life.
“Please come this way.”
Xias jerked when the butler reappeared as if walking out of nothing. How did he do that? Was it something all butlers did or just shifter butlers? It was creepy as hell and made Xias’s skin crawl, which was probably why the guy did it.
Zhuang’s arm wrapped around him. “It’s okay, Xias.”
Xias wasn’t so sure about that. The knot in his stomach was tightening. Even sandwiched between Zhuang and Tao, he didn’t feel safe. He just knew any minute now someone was going to tell him he didn’t belong here. They were going to take his cubs away and banish him.
Xias blinked up at Zhuang when the man pulled him to a stop. Zhuang grabbed his face and leaned in close. “Breathe, baby.”
