07.00am Sunday
"Wei Ying!" Lan Zhan is so happy to see him.
He's striding forward, pushing past everyone in his way, eyes blazing with anger.
Lan Zhan has never seen him looking so hot.
But Wei Ying is furious, not only at these stupid bars holding him back from his beloved, but the fact that Lan Zhan is in there in the first place, and now that he's looking properly, he can see that Lan Zhan is hurt.
For a second, Lan Zhan could swear that his eyes flash red in a sudden rage.
"Stand back!" A-Qing calls out, and then she's pulled out twin scythes with jagged edges like saw mill blades, and then she's closing her eyes, muttering under her breath, and they blaze alight with a celestial fire.
Baoshan Sanren pulls Wei Ying away from the metal bars of the prison, warning the ones inside to take cover. Wen Qing has to help Lan Zhan move away, and she shields him from the thundering sparks as they explode in the air around them, wincing when her back feels a few of them.
And then Wei Ying is there, in all his heavenly lotus flower and vanilla scent, pushing Wen Qing out of the way, and climbing onto Lan Zhan's lap.
Lan Zhan is so glad that he's partially recovered from the strange tasering, because his arms come around his precious Wei Ying, holding him close.
Wei Ying is shaking.
"I am alright." Lan Zhan tells him, but Wei Ying is already shaking his head.
He turns his head sideways and yells, "LEAVE US!"
Again, his expression is almost feral as he takes in all of Lan Zhan's injuries, from the slashes on his arms and chest, his winces as Wei Ying shifts on his lap, and he is furious.
They can hear everyone leave them alone, here in this prison cell.
Now it's just the two of them.
"Who. Did. This. To. You?" Wei Ying demands, his tone too measured with a forced calmness. Each word is bitten out, a pause in between because Wei Ying is livid.
Lan Zhan is a little scared of him when he's in this mood.
And extremely turned on.
He's not just hot, no... Wei Ying is incandescent.
"Both of the Wen brothers." He answers quickly, just as a look of relief passes over Wei Ying's face, as he envelopes Lan Zhan in another hug.
For a few seconds, Lan Zhan lets himself relax and fully enjoy this feeling, one that only Wei Ying can give him.
The thin robes easily absorb liquid, because Lan Zhan can feel hot tears on his shoulder, and he knows that Wei Ying is crying.
"My love...Sweetheart..." he can't form any more words than that, and Lan Zhan wishes he hadn't been hurt in the first place, because of this pain that Wei Ying is feeling.
His large palms rub Wei Ying's back in soothing circles, wondering how to make it better because he can already smell Wei Ying's blood; it's a mix of sweet and spicy, like hot sauce.
"Is Wei Ying alright?" Lan Zhan doesn't know how they've suddenly arrived, but he's here, safe, and in his arms.
Nothing else matters.
"You need to feed from me." Wei Ying tells him, as soon as he can form the words.
"I am alright," Lan Zhan tells him softly, glad that he's sitting down already.
Look at his lover!
He might be hurt, he might be scared, and he's most definitely angry, but Wei Ying's first thoughts are for Lan Zhan's wellbeing.
There's something so uniquely heartwarming about that, and that old familiar burning feeling returns in Lan Zhan's eyes with the need to cry.
It will pass.
"You're not. You're not alright. And I need you to be okay, so please, don't fight me on this." Wei Ying is looking into his eyes, a silver fire that begs an even more seriousness to his words.
Lan Zhan takes his wrist, but Wei Ying snatches it away, tilting his head just so and offering up his neck for Lan Zhan to bite.
His first instinct is to recoil, push Wei Ying off his lap and retreat, but his legs aren't working yet, and besides, nothing is worth seeing the surefire hurt that would be on Wei Ying's face. So he forces himself to relax, because Wei Ying looks as if he's about to shatter from even one wrong word uttered by Lan Zhan.
"My love," his lashes are wet, the stars in his eyes shining with tears. "I promised myself that I was going to stop playing games with you. If you want to get married, then my answer is yes. But only if you break through this last step. Don't hold back any more."
Somehow, in Wei Ying's mind he's connected feeding directly from the source with Lan Zhan being at the prime of health, and it only being possible like this, with no more barriers between them.
He's not wrong.
It's not the first time Wei Ying has suggested it, and Lan Zhan is full of trepidation at this new and unexpected challenge to rise up in front of him.
"What if I lose control?"
"What if you don't?" Wei Ying shoots back with a matching conviction.
"The risks-"
"Far outweighed by the benefits. Now do it! Or don't you want to marry me?" The cocky smile is what does it for Lan Zhan.
He doesn't even think about it.
It's as instinctual as breathing used to be.
His canines are out and in a heartbeat, he's pierced that soft, sweet skin, tasting the bloody goodness inside. Wei Ying makes a sound, and it's more like a moan than one of pain, and Lan Zhan's mouth fills with endorphin saturated red liquid. He savours the mouthful, immediately licking the wound closed after he swallows that wonderful meal.
"Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan," Wei Ying moans, out of his mind with pleasure.
Lan Zhan is vaguely aware of the warm weight of him, chasing his own high. This feeling, he was wrong about it. It wasn't just like charging his engine with super unleaded petrol, it was that and so much more, like sticking his hand into a live socket, feeding straight from the source. The power surge inside his body is phenomenal.
Wei Ying squirms in his lap, definitely on edge and skittish, and when Lan Zhan pulls back, the marks on his neck are already fading away.
Wei Ying's eyes are glazed with the high that dances around pain, like melting wax upon one's skin, and the ensuing pleasure/pain that sparks through nerve-endings.
Wei Ying is blissed out.
There are no other words for what he's feeling.
Minutes pass by and he's swimming in a pool of water full of peace and contentment.
"Now will Wei Ying marry me?" Lan Zhan remembers to ask him, ignoring the racy feeling inside his own body.
He's on fire in the best possible way, as his body hurries to heal itself using this sudden nourishment, and he knows he's back to normal because pins and needles rush through his legs first.
"Ahuh...ahuh...I love you, silly fuddy-duddy," Wei Ying replies with a nod and a loopy smile.
Lan Zhan steals these precious few moments a little longer, fully aware that the threat surrounding them is no less now than it was a few hours ago, but this time is theirs, and theirs alone.
Wei Ying is really here.
He cradles this beloved face, stormy, brilliant eyes staring back at him, and Lan Zhan slants his lips over Wei Ying's, because it feels right, because they both need this.
Wei Ying kisses him back, their lips dancing together as familiar as coming home. Sweet and chaste for now, it is healing them in more ways than they could imagine. That same magic fills the air around them and they stop to breathe, euphoria humming in their bodies.
Lan Zhan hugs him tighter once more before standing up.
Wei Ying has completely melted against him, not even wrapping his legs around Lan Zhan's waist like he normally would. They're just dangling on the side, swinging as Lan Zhan moves.
It's terribly endearing to see Wei Ying like this, and such a polar opposite to how he had been not even ten minutes ago.
Lan Zhan feels like he can take on the world.
He finds Baoshan Sanren giving Wen Qing the stink eye, and they've tied her hands up, meaning they don't trust her, either.
Once broken, trust wasn't easily given again, and Wen Qing had a lot of ground to cover before they were willing to listen to her.
"Wen Qing is on our side." Lan Zhan says, addressing the whole group.
She's looking down, unwilling to meet their eyes.
"I'm really sorry it's come to this," she says.
"Yeah, well, that remains to be seen. Prove it, and we'll think about it." Baoshan Sanren replies, and there are murmurs of agreement.
"Where's A-Ning?" Wei Ying lifts his head to look around.
Wen Qing doesn't say anything at first, and the only sound is of her tears as they land on the floor.
"You can put me down, my love," Wei Ying tells him, planting a warm kiss on Lan Zhan's cheek. When his lips graze the soft curve of his ear, he whispers, "see? I told you, you had nothing to worry about feeding from me."
Lan Zhan simply smiles at him, letting Wei Ying slide down his body. Wei Ying wobbles, and cheekily grins at Lan Zhan when he steadies him.
"Next time, we are so going to be lying down for that," he declares, adamantly.
"Mn."
Lan Zhan watches as Wei Ying makes his way over to Wen Qing, wrapping his arms around her.
"I'm glad you're okay, and that you're still a good person. Now, do you know where A-Ning is?" He asks her, gently.
She hugs him back just as fiercely, her bottom lip trembling.
"They are keeping us separated as a way to control me. Wherever Uncle Rouhan is, that's where A-Ning will be."
Wei Ying nods, thinking.
He was still super happy, but now the adrenaline was spiking through his system too, of where they were and what they were about to do.
"Why did you say that stuff about A-Yi?" He asked Lan Zhan, who repeated everything he'd learned from Wen Zhong.
Wei Ying's fists are clenched tightly now, as he realises the implications of JingYi's birth, and what the Wens might do to him. If JingYi was a Wen, and so was A-Yuan, that meant they were cousins, however distantly related. And both were in danger. Wen Rouhan didn't know about A-Yuan yet, and he thanked the Universe for the changing of his name when Wei Ying had done it.
But it was only a matter of time before Wen Rouhan found out about it.
"I'm so glad that my mama warded that place," he tells Lan Zhan, without actually mentioning where the children were.
It was better to err on the side of caution, especially when they were dealing with vampires who could compel someone to tell them their location. Wei Ying wasn't willing to risk them at all, in this conflict.
"And that means we have to eliminate both of your uncles before we leave here." Wei Ying throws Wen Qing an apologetic look. "Since they're not going to give up, and we're not going to give them the children." His voice is hard, eyes flashing red.
Lan Zhan really takes him in, looking at him properly now.
Those wine coloured pants hug his thighs so well, and now there's a thigh holster attached, complete with daggers there, and around the waist hanging off his belt. His trademark ponytail is wrapped up in a tight bun with two black jade hairpins, and only a few wisps have escaped. His cream silk shirt is open at the top with two loosened buttons revealing his delectable collarbone, and Lan Zhan can almost taste the smooth skin, remembering how he loves to let his tongue dip into the hollows by his throat.
And every time his beautiful silver eyes turn red, just a hint of scarlet, changing diamonds into rubies, a bolt of desire shoots through his body, leaving Lan Zhan weak at the knees.
He sees the HeartStone attached to the heart locket hanging off his neck, and Lan Zhan is so happy he was right.
"What is it, Sweetheart?" Wei Ying comes closer to him.
Lan Zhan reaches out with a single finger and traces the outer curves of the strange device.
"This looks nice. Has Wei Ying figured out how to use it yet?"
Wei Ying shakes his head.
"Working on it. I think I have to apply the second key and that will activate it. But I'm waiting until we really need to use it." This part is said very quietly, as if Wei Ying didn't want the others to hear him.
But vampires could hear even better than bats, and that was saying something, Lan Zhan thought to himself.
The sound of waves that he had heard before, when they first put him into the cell, is much louder now, still rising and falling like bellows next to a fire. Something is telling Lan Zhan that they should go and check it out.
So when Baoshan Sanren and the rest of them turn back to go towards the elevator, it's Lan Zhan who stops them.
"We should check out what else is down here."
"Okay." Wei Ying simply accepts this, but Wen Qing looks frightened now.
"If you want to prove your loyalty, then now is the time to start talking." Lan Zhan tells her. He's trying not to glare at her, and not accidentally compel her into telling them what she knows.
That would do the opposite of earning everyone's trust, and he wanted to give her a chance, for Wei Ying's sake.
"Firstly, my uncles have lived too long on this earth. I fully support any wish to dispose of them. Secondly, I'm not too sure of what is down here, but whatever it is, it can't be good. You probably won't believe me, but I've never been down here."
Everyone tried to hide their sceptical glances in her direction.
"Well, only one way to find out." Baoshan Sanren pulls out Zhengyi, the black sword from her back and rotates it a couple of times.
"Let's go."