Trancing the Tiger (Chinese Zodiac Romance Series Book 1) by Rachael Slate Page A

of the mountainside and smiled. “It’s lovely.”
    In fact, her father had spoken to her of this place. Tenderness had coated his every word. The impulse to experience what he had, to seize one tie to her past, flared inside her chest.
    “Shall we?” Sheng jerked his chin at the elaborate entranceway.
    After she cast him a wide smile, she focused on the extensively decorated tunneled pathways. Her neck twisted back and forth as she struggled to survey her surroundings while keeping pace with his long strides.
    He paused at the end of the corridor. “These walls used to be crammed with vendors, selling everything from ice cream to cheap t-shirts for tourists.” He sighed as he pressed his hand against the stone. “One of my first memories is coming here as a child.”
    Just when she concluded she had him figured out, he went and unveiled another side of himself. She chewed her bottom lip, unsure of what to make of this enigmatic man.
    “Come on.” Suddenly, he winked at her and ensnared her arm with his, dragging her forward.
    They darted under passageways, wound through twisting tunnels, and popped out into a clearing. He didn’t give her a moment to catch her breath as he snatched her hand and tugged her over to a large pond.
    A large, wriggling pond.
    She squinted. The rippling effect didn’t come from any motion of water, but from hundreds of squirming turtles. “Aww… They’re so cute.”
    “Cute?” he scoffed. “They’re a symbol of longevity, strength, endurance. The turtle is a wise and—”
    “Okay, I get it.” She shoved her elbow into his side to stop his turtle rant and laughed at the slashes of his brows. “Turtles are great. You’ve sold me.” She strolled to the edge of the pond, peering over the railing.
    He strode up behind her, clasped one hand on top of each of hers, blocking her in with his large frame.
    “We call this the Sacred Turtle Pond or Liberation Pond.” His deep, rough voice smoothed over her. The hint of a British accent, like her mother’s, tugged at her heart. “Each of these turtles was released into this pond as a symbol of spiritual liberation. Here.” He reached into a bucket beside them and produced a long, leafy stalk. “Want to feed them?”
    She laughed as she accepted the stalk and dangled it in front of the clamoring turtles. “ Hmm. ” She studied the grouping until a smaller one off to the side caught her eye. To divert the attention of the bigger turtles, she broke off a portion of the leaf and flung it across the pond while tossing most of the stalk in front of the little guy.
    “Nicely done,” Sheng murmured in her ear. “Most people don’t think to distract the bigger ones.” He disengaged from her, spinning around to lean back against the railing, arms sprawled on either side of his big body.
    She almost detected the squeak of the wheels spinning in his mind as he regarded her.
    “How else is he going to eat?”
    “He isn’t.” Ice crept into his tone. “The weak ones die off. The strong survive.” A hardness clouded his features, and she gathered they weren’t speaking of turtles anymore.
    “You’re wrong.” At her challenge, intrigue sparked in his dark eyes. “Strength isn’t all a person needs.” Her explanation rushed from her mouth. “A clever mind can out-survive a strong body any day.”
    “Is that so?” Amusement curved his lips. “I’m going to enjoy enlightening you.”
    “Or maybe…” she quipped, bumping her hip against his, “you’re going to learn something from me.”
    ***
    Sheng scratched at the back of his neck as Lucy sauntered over the bridge to the other side of the pond. Learn from her? From Rabbit? Both he and Tiger took offense at the notion, rejecting it straight up. He’d spent years training for this role. She didn’t even fathom what she was. That didn’t mean his senses weren’t aflame, his body and mind titillated by whatever Lucy believed she could offer him.
    Fighting back the