She waited while they gathered around her. The last one, in the back, didn’t jump to attention, however. She frowned. Must be the undeclared. There was always one who had to prove they didn’t need the regimen.
In her training group, she’d been that one.
She covered her amusement by pressing her lips together in a firm line. Attitude wasn’t as much fun on this side of the instruction. She set her hand on her hip and glared in his direction. “I suggest you join us.”
The man set the bar back on the bench-press and raised to sit, facing away from her, but those glorious honed back muscles were impossible to forget. Her stomach tightened as he faced her. The clipboard slipped from her frozen fingers and thumped to the mat.
Kassian. Her lips couldn’t even part to form his name. The smile on his face faded; his eyes darkened in lust. He launched to his feet and strode toward her, wrapped his hand around her neck, and slanted his mouth over hers.
Her mind stumbled on how this was possible while his lips fought to keep her focus. Finally, she settled on one simple fact: she had to protect him.
She shoved one hand against his oh-so-hard pecs. “You. You can’t be here.” Dread iced the lust in her veins. “What the hell have you done, Kassian?”
She shook her head, unwilling to accept his presence here. Being inducted into the program meant there was no out.
Kassian’s life…was over.
***
As Nat eased back in his arms, every word of the Matchmaker’s warning crashed through Kassian’s mind.
Are you sure she loves you? Maybe you fell for one of her ruses.
He swallowed hard and held up his wrist. Perhaps Nat required proof he hadn’t slicked the Matchmaker’s palm to pull off a prank. “I sure as hell hope I’m in the right place because I’ve got the standard-issue tat.”
Her gaze stayed riveted on the lotus tat on the inside of his wrist. “Once a member, always a member,” the tattoo artist had joked.
Yeah, well, the joke was on Kassian.
“You can’t have that. Why did you do that?” She snatched his arm and scrubbed at the ink like she expected it to rub off.
“Ouch, hey! Easy. It’s real enough.” He wrenched out of her grasp, wincing. Not at the tender flesh of his arm, but at the organ inside his chest.
“You don’t belong here. You can’t be here.” She picked up the clipboard with shaky hands.
Her words set Ox off. “That’s your reaction? I do this for you, for us, and all you can tell me is to fuck off?”
He towered above her. “No. I love you, Nat.” His tone softened as tears glistened in her eyes. He drew her aside, away from the curious crowd of students. This was better entertainment than they’d paid for.
“Shhh…” Hauling her against his chest, he rubbed her back. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not okay.” She pushed off him and tilted her chin. “You weren’t supposed to have this life. My life.”
He was about to spew another shitload about her lack of gratitude, but she pressed her fingers to his lips. “This isn’t any kind of life for anyone. I wanted more for you.”
Ah, Nat was trying to protect him.
“If it’s a life with you, then that’s what I choose. Tell me I didn’t do this for nothing.” Geez, that was definitely desperation in his voice.
“I—” The heavy doors flew open. In walked the Matchmaker.
Ah, fuck.
He released Nat’s hand and let her rush to the front of the room. The Matchmaker’s lips curved. Why? Because he’d failed or because he might succeed?
Who the hell knew with her.
“I have decided to change the order of your training for this session,” the Matchmaker announced to the group.
“What?” Nat rifled through the papers on her clipboard.
“You will be partnered in teams of two. The task is this. Ensure the survival of your partner. Follow me.” She spun on her heel and exited the room. Seven students. Would that mean he’d be partnered with Nat?
“Complete the course. If either you or your partner does not return, then neither of you will. Kassian, you may partner with Natalie.” The Matchmaker addressed him, then ushered the pairs into the blinding light of an open door.
Kassian marched toward her. “What is this, Matchmaker?”
She lifted her shoulder. “A test. Like the others.”
“Well, good. Because I’m going to pass it. Just like the others.” He eyed her for any hint of emotion. Was she planning his demise? “I’m going to be with Nat because I love her.”
“Good.” She pursed her lips as she regarded him. “Prove it to me.” She extended her hand toward the door.
He narrowed his gaze on her for a second before clutching Nat’s hand.
“What’s the plan?” she whispered as he tugged her into the light. He blinked, shapes focusing. This sure as hell wasn’t an average obstacle course.
They stood on a pile of fluff. No, a cloud. “Whoa.” He held Nat back and assessed the situation. “You’ve done this before, right?”
She shook her head. “Not like this. The tests change every time.”
“Wish we could borrow Dragon’s wings for this one, eh?” He squinted into the clouds, searching for the other students. “Where is everyone?”
Nat slid her hand into his. “I believe this is the part where we take a leap of faith.”
“You sure about that?” He eyed the flickering image of the opposite side of the canyon. Before he could argue for or against the merits of leaping across, Nat released his hand, paced backward, and sprang forward.
Shit. She flew over the expanse and did, indeed, land on the other side. Well, here goes nothing.
He vaulted across the chasm, sneaking a glimpse downward. Instead of a blank canvas, images mingled below him. Memories. Of him and Nat.
Whoa. This was the test? The entire obstacle was about him and Nat. “Prove it to me,” the Matchmaker had said. If he didn’t, there’d be no Nat and him to fight for.
What kind of proof would satisfy her?
He landed beside Nat and, this time, the expanse before them appeared in the form of an ocean. Great, so they had to swim?
Nat tensed and jumped in. He hopped in with her. The second he hit the water, powerful currents dragged him under.
He flung open his eyes, scanning the swirling waters for Nat. Fuck, he’d let go of her hand. He refused to lose her. Why the hell had he let her out of his sight? He spun around and around, kicking the water, but no matter how hard he bucked, he couldn’t breach the surface to breathe. Despite how far he dove under, he didn’t spot Nat.
The air in his lungs dissipated, hissing out of him like a balloon. The current wouldn’t allow him to go up or down. Only forward. What if he’d left her behind?
The burning spread through his veins. No choice. He had to search for the shore and pray she was doing the same. That she would make it on her own.
He threw out his arms and kicked his legs, slicing through the water. Eventually, his feet hit the sandy bottom and he hauled himself onto the shore.
He crawled to face the ocean and scanned its shimmering surface. Where was Nat?
His lungs heaved in oxygen, and he shot to his feet, preparing to leap back in to search for her, but a hand slashed the surface.
Nat. She slithered onto the shore and he scooped her into his arms. Too relieved to do anything but clasp her against his chest, he indulged in the comfort of holding the woman he loved. “You all right?”
“I’ve been better, but yes.” She smiled and the knot in his gut loosened.
“Up for whatever’s next?”
“You bet.” She panted, stretching to her feet.
He helped steady her. “Rest for a minute.” She did, leaning against him. “I couldn’t leave you behind, but the current wouldn’t allow me to go back.”
“Me either.” She glided her hand up and down his arm. “It was part of the test.”
; He opened his mouth to ask what she meant, but the path before them cleared, revealing a thick expanse of trees.
“Okay, what’s next?” He surveyed the jungle. Nothing popped out at him as being devious. Just a bunch of trees tangled with vines.
“Guess we’ll find out.” She ventured forward and, the second she did, the innocuous vines became…alive.
They crept downward, along the tree trunks to cover the path, writhing and slithering like snakes.
Nat plucked a stick and flung it into their midst. The vines pounced on it like a pack of wolves tossed a meaty bone. “Dammit. Looks like we’ll be swinging.”
He eyed the thin trees. “They’ll never carry my weight. I’ll have to take the ground path. Ox can handle those vines.”
“Hmm.” She tapped her fingers on her hips. “Well, we have to do this together.”
“Hop aboard.” He grinned at her a second before cloaking Ox. He lowered Ox’s head for her to climb on. She settled onto its shoulders, one hand braced on its horns.
Ox grunted, assessed the situation, and bolted forward. The vines snapped at him like greedy tentacles. Ox stamped its hooves on them, smashing the vines in a spray of green ooze.
Nat didn’t just come along for the ride. Snake’s tail whipped at the vines, slicing them with more precision than a machete.
As the end of the jungle came into view, a dark figure swayed in front of their path. Another obstacle?
Panicked grunts hit his ears.
Shit.
***
Nat tugged Ox’s horns and jerked the beast to a halt a few feet from the dangling figure. He wasn’t a test.
He was a student. Caught in the vines. She scanned the treetops and searched for his partner.
“She went ahead without me,” he grated through a clenched jaw, tugging at the vines around his neck threatening to choke him.
Crap. Why would the woman do that? The Matchmaker had specifically warned, no partner, no pass. Some people didn’t listen.
Nat bit her lip. If they didn’t help him… Best case scenario, he’d become the toilet scrubber for one of the Eight Immortals.
The worst? Plant food.
“What should we do?” she asked Kassian. This was, after all, his test.
“He’ll be bloody heavy to carry and he’s injured. He’s dead weight.” Ox’s shoulders tensed beneath her. “Still, it wouldn’t be right to leave him.”
“Okay, then.” She flicked Snake’s tail and sliced through the vines. The man crashed to the ground, thudding on impact and cursing. Lots of cursing.
He rose. “You couldn’t have caught me?”
“Hey, watch it, mate,” Kassian snarled. “Or we’ll leave you to the vines.”
“Sorry.” The man rubbed his ass and tore a length of cloth from his shirt to tie around his bleeding leg.
Vines snaked around Nat’s ankles. “We have to move.”
The languid vines snapped to life, coiling around and snaring them. The ground rumbled beneath her feet and the pathway crumbled, the dirt collapsing in on itself, forming a gigantic crater. They tumbled into it, the man on the bottom and she in the middle. Kassian claimed the top spot of their dangling trio.
The vines had saved them. The plants stood between them and falling into the pit, likely to their deaths.
Kassian grunted as he thrust one hand onto the ledge. A few seconds later, he’d scaled out of the pit and his extended hand dangled toward her. “Grab on. I’ll pull you up.”
Hesitating, she glanced down. The man hadn’t been captured by the vines like she had. He hung by one thin rope that threatened to slide out of his grasp at any second.
Crap. He pleaded, desperation in his green eyes. “Help me, please. I can’t hold on.”
“We have to save him. He’s going to fall.” She grasped Kassian’s hand.
“I can’t hoist you both up at the same time.” Kassian shook his head. “He’ll have to wait.”
The man below her cried out as the vine snapped.
She whipped Snake’s tail faster than she ever had, snaring the man’s waist as he dropped.
Clinging to her tail, he stared at her with wide eyes. Half in horror and half relief. “Please don’t drop me.”
“I won’t.” She nodded once and tightened her hold on Kassian’s hand. Lines of strain creased his features as he bore the brunt of the two of them. “I can’t support both of you.” His grip on her hands clamped tight and the muscles in his forearms bulged, the veins popping.
The man below her weighed a ton. Even worse, he swayed as he dangled from Snake’s tail.
“Yes, you can.” She focused her efforts on Kassian. “You’re strong, Kassian. So strong. Not just in your body, but in your heart.” Her voice broke. “You were strong enough to love me and to risk everything for me, even when I was too frightened to admit I love you back.”
His greenish-brown eyes burned with an intensity that melted her insides. “I love you, Kassian.” She exhaled a shaky breath, the burden of everything she hadn’t been able to voice lifting from her shoulders. “You can do this. Be strong for me like you always have been.”
“I love you, Nat.” He nodded as he lifted their clasped hands, hefting what must have been three or four hundred pounds out of the pit. Ox’s spirit faded in and out, handing Kassian the extra strength.
She gritted her teeth and tightened Snake’s tail around the man’s waist. Her body inched higher until her arms grazed the dirt. Kassian leaned backward, legs extended toward the pit, to drag her the rest of the way out.
She collapsed half on Kassian, half on the ground beside him. With one last grunt, he hefted the man out of the pit.
He lifted his head once, to confirm the man was safe, before gripping her in his arms and kissing the top of her head.
The jungle faded around them and, as she blinked, she recognized the pair of heels tapping beside her face. Nat shuffled to all fours and lifted her gaze to stare at the Matchmaker.
The woman actually smiled. Not smirked or curved her lips mischievously.
She smiled at Nat and then at Kassian. “Well done.”
***
Kassian gaped at Nat before chuckling. They’d made it out. Even more, Nat had declared she loved him. Finally admitted what he’d longed to hear.
“You have proven yourself to me, Kassian. You as well, Natalie.”
He rose to his feet, drawing Nat up beside him. The other man bowed his head and limped toward the group of students who clustered on the far side of the room. He exchanged what appeared to be terse words with the woman who’d been his partner.
Kassian shifted his focus back to the Matchmaker. “What were those tests meant for?”
A mischievous glint flashed in her obsidian eyes. “Love is a leap of faith. Sometimes, one must go before the other.” Yep, the clouds. “It is not a leap alone. It is knowing that, even when you are not together, your trust in your partner will not waver.” Ah, the ocean. “Finally, it is being able to love each other, not at the expense of the world, but to implement the power of your love for the betterment of others.”
Saving the man in the jungle. He and Nat had worked together to protect each other, and used their combined strengths to help someone else.
He grinned at Nat. She smiled back and squeezed his hand.
“But,” the Matchmaker continued, “you proved yourself to me, Kassian, when you convinced my dearest Natalie she could love someone and not be lost because of it.”
He winked at the Matchmaker. “You told me you didn’t want her to fall in love.”
“Ah, but there is a difference between falling in love and loving the one who is your destiny. You are each other’s destiny.” Her voice dropped to a lyrical, amused note. “As long as you pass the rest of my tests. You’re not a Lotus, yet. Speaking of which, Natalie, I’m afraid I’m going to have to permanently demote you.”
Nat tensed in his arms. “What?”
“Yes, well, it seems because of y
our infraction, I’m going to have to revoke your blossoming clearance level.” With that, she turned, departing the room, her heels clacking on the tiles.
He blinked. “What the hell does that mean?” Bloody code words.
Nat laughed, then turned in his arms and trailed one fingertip down his chest. “I guess I’m not allowed to seduce anyone anymore.” She licked her lips.
He swallowed hard as her finger trailed down his waist. “Oh yeah?” He took back every ungenerous thought he’d ever had about the Matchmaker. She was a bloody saint.
Nat lifted a shoulder and locked her gaze to his. “I could make an exception… but I might get into trouble. For being a bad, bad girl.”
“Hmm.” He bent forward and feigned to kiss her, but slapped her ass instead.
She hissed a breath and leaned closer to moan in his ear.
“Well, damn. Come here, destiny.” He clasped her hands against his chest. Nat tilted her chin up and he claimed her lips. Claimed her love.
And claimed her as his destiny.
No doubt about it. Loving Nat had brought him the one thing he’d searched for his entire life.
Clarity.
He pulled back and gazed into her eyes, professing the vow he would never break. “No matter what mask you wear, Nat, you’ll always be mine.”
nĭn hăo – formal greeting
nĭ hăo – informal greeting
shūshu – uncle (father’s younger brother)
zhínǚ – niece (brother’s daughter)
xiānshēng – Mr.
Nonya – a traditional blend of Chinese and Malay cuisine
chī fàn – traditional words spoken for elders to eat first
xiăo tùzi guāi guāi – nursery rhyme “Well-behaved Little Rabbit”
tùzi – rabbit
Lái Zhīdé – Neo-Confucian philosopher who introduced the yin-yang symbol
sayang – “love” in Malay, used as a term of endearment
yin-yang – complementary, opposing forces that when in sync, result in the balance of the Earth. When out of sync, the Earth falls into imbalance. Yin is dark, cold, water, death, female, moon, etc. Yang is light, hot, fire, life, male, sun, etc.
jīng – one of the Three Treasures; sexual energy
By the Horns Page 28