qì – one of the Three Treasures; life-force energy
shén – one of the Three Treasures; spiritual energy
qìgōng – a practice involving coordinated breathing, movement, and awareness, traditionally viewed as a practice to cultivate and balance qì
Iron Crutch Li – one of the Eight Immortals
Hé Qióng – The Immortal Woman, one of the Eight Immortals
Zhongli Quan – one of the Eight Immortals. Natalie’s ancestor
Zhang Guolao – one of the Eight Immortals. Kassian’s ancestor
Pénglái, Fāngzhàng, Yíngzhōu – the islands of the Eight Immortals
Áo – a large marine turtle in Chinese mythology that carries the islands of the Eight Immortals upon his back
yāoguài – demons who live in Dìyù and sometimes break free
Dìyù – Hell. It contains eighteen layers.
batik – a traditional Malaysian fabric
wŭshù – a form of martial arts
Kongsi – a clan association; a secret society
Hai San – Sheng’s Kongsi
Ghee Hin – the enemy of the Hai San
Wen Shen – The Plague God responsible for the Red Death
Báijiŭ – an Asian liquor similar to vodka
Shèhúnzéi – “Spirit Thief”
Néih hóu – a Cantonese greeting
Yum cha – to “drink tea” in Cantonese
M goi – “thank you” in Cantonese
Mh'sái haak-hei – “you’re welcome” in Cantonese
Suanmeitang – a traditional cooling tea
húli jīng – a fox spirit
shuĭ guĭ – a water ghost
năinai – grandmother
I’m so excited to release the second novel in my Chinese Zodiac Romance Series. As always, none of this would be possible without the amazing support of my family and friends.
To the world’s most awesome PA, Karie, thank you for holding my hand.
I am so lucky to have some of the best critique parters ever, and I can’t thank them enough for pushing me with each and every story. But thank you, Alison, Jo, Renee, Miguella, Josie, Misty, and Samantha.
I’m also blessed with two incredibly supportive beta readers, Pat and Nicola. Thank you, ladies!
To Rachael’s Rush Hour, my amazing street team, I truly appreciate every share and shout out from you fantastic ladies.
To my behind-the-scenes support, AJ, Kelley, Jeanette, and NovelArt Designs, I’m so grateful for all of your help.
Of course, none of this would be possible without the loving support of my wonderful husband and children. Hugs and kisses.
And finally, thank you to my readers. Sharing my stories with you and hearing your enthusiasm for them is my dream come true.
Rachael has explored forgotten temples in Cambodia, kissed the Blarney Stone in Ireland, and stood inside the Roman Coliseum. She loves studying people and cultures, current and ancient. Her appetite for romance began with Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, which she later nurtured with a healthy dose of Jane Austen.
As a writer of scorching hot fantasy romance, Rachael blends the lines between mythology, reality, and fantasy. In her worlds, you’ll encounter strong, sexy alpha males and the capable women who challenge them. If her heroines can’t meet their heroes toe-to-toe, then they’ll bring them to their knees.
No matter what torture she puts her characters through, true love will always prevail. Love is, after all, the most powerful force on Earth, and beyond.
Rachael holds an Honours BA in anthropology, as well as a CELTA. Her secret indulgence is her passion for baking, which she offsets with her addiction to running (she’s completed four marathons). She resides on the West Coast of British Columbia, Canada, with her husband, two children, cat, and dog.
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Thank you for reading!
Look for these titles, available here.
BOOK 1: TRANCING THE TIGER
BOOK 1.5: REMATCH
BOOK 2: BY THE HORNS
BOOK 2.5: MATCH ME LATER
BOOK 3: REINING HIM IN
BOOK 3.5: MATCHING DRAGONS
BOOK 4: IN WOLF'S CLOTHING
BOOK 1: MOON BORNE
BOOK 2: EARTH BORNE
BOOK 3: WATER BORNE
BOOK 4: METAL BORNE
BOOK 5: WIND BORNE
Want more Chinese Zodiac Romance? Read on for an exclusive sneak peek at the first chapter from Book 3, REINING HIM IN:
She’s Queen of a dying race…
Daji, Queen of the fox spirits, will do anything to save her people. Except mate the disarmingly charming Price Wentworth. But Price’s careless actions have made her already weak race appear even more like prey to their circling enemies. To ensure the protection of the fox spirits, she’ll have to feign a show of strength…with Price at her side.
He’s ruled by no one…
For Price, Chosen of the Horse, teaming up with the Queen is the Lotus League mission he’s been waiting for. Even so, the free-spirited Horse can’t be convinced to settle down, not even to the bewitching beauty Daji. But that doesn’t mean he’s not determined to get close to the Queen. Very close. She hides more secrets than she reveals, including the one that’s haunted him for years.
Together, they will either rule, or fall to ruin…
In her centuries-long reign, Daji has made enemies. A lot of them. She’s desperate for Price’s help, but handing over Horse’s reins isn’t something Price is willing to do. Yet as passion smolders between them, the lines of duty and desire blur. When a curse from Daji’s past takes hold, Price will have to choose between his freedom and that of the fox spirits. Because if the Queen dies, so does everyone else.
The handcuffs were nothing new.
Price Wentworth yawned, his heavy lids refusing to open as he yanked on his bound wrist. The cuff didn’t release, so he grabbed for it with his left hand. A sticky, fibrous substance sucked at his fingers. What the fuck? His eyes shot open. Not a manacle, but a cotton candy-like gunk coated his right hand and wound halfway up his arm.
Grimacing at the damp funk stinging his nostrils, he adjusted to the dim lighting of the earthen hellhole he stood in. A handful of light beams filtered through the cracks of the layered cobweb-like canopy. His arm was lashed above his head, chained by a long cord that dangled from above, and he stood in some sort of burrow—large enough to fit at least a dozen men. After wiping his free hand on his short-sleeved, dark blue shirt, he pinched the bridge of his nose. How had he ended up in this…den? And bound?
Screw this. Unless some beautiful blonde strolled into this nasty cavity in the next two seconds, he was outta here.
Grasping his restrained arm, he wrenched downward. The rope didn’t give way, even though the strength of the Horse spirit animal inside him ought to be enough to break through this. He ground his jaw and tugged harder, but nothing. Dammit.
Muffled shuffling carried from the far corner. He whirled, squinting into the darkness. A leather slipper adorning a toned, feminine leg stretched out from the shadows.
Right. The fuzz cleared from his brain. The Matchmaker had sent him on a Lotus League mission to rescue…aw, fuck.
The Queen of the fox spirits.
Price peered toward the elderly regal lady. Rumor had it, she wasn’t exactly approving of his
sexual partners. Namely, her subjects. She probably wouldn’t be too happy to discover he’d come to rescue her.
The tendrils of her thick, glossy braid caught the beams of light as it swayed past her waist. She lifted one bare arm, her skin supple and smooth. Not wrinkled. Huh. He strained for a closer glimpse. Maybe he’d charged into the wrong tunnel?
The gunk binding her wrist ripped as she sliced a claw through the webbing. As soon as she freed herself, she glided past him, still too in the shadows for him to observe her face.
“Hey, mind giving me a hand?” He jerked his chin at his cobweb-coated arm.
“Why would I do that?” She spun, stepping fully into the beam of light.
Whoa. He straightened. Definitely not the Queen, but a fox spirit all right. Nothing could hide the silky, tanned skin or the thickly lashed, expressive eyes and full, pouty lips of a fox spirit.
Pouty lips that had probably never pouted a day in her life. Not with those gorgeous molten copper eyes batting thick lashes at her prey.
He could make her.
Hell yeah. He would make her beg.
Price inhaled and her sweet, floral scent dried his mouth and tightened his groin. Mmm, like ripe cherries. Although he never let himself be distracted during a mission, there’d be plenty of time to party after he freed the Queen. This vixen was just the kind of celebratory reward he craved, too. While not typical, fox spirit skimpy, her rose-hued dress hugged curvy hips emphasized by the thick gold band tied around her slender waist. Even though her top wasn’t overly low-cut, her plump breasts strained to spill out.
Her attention focused on a patch of the earthen wall to his right. He sent a little prayer that she would find something of interest on the dried-straw floor and bend over, so he could sneak a glimpse of what had to be a worship-worthy tight ass.
“Name’s Price. What’s yours, sweetheart?” He flexed his arms, grinning despite the scrunching of his bindings. Just as he found fox spirits irresistible, one wicked look from him and they swooned at his feet.
Like she would in the next minute.
Only, she didn’t. Instead, her tone was detached as she murmured, “Naya.”
He shrugged off her distraction. “A pleasure, Naya.” As her gaze shot back to him, he flexed his bicep again. Her lips quirked. Finally, progress. “I’m on a mission.”
She blinked, seeming unaffected by his continued attempt at seduction. “What kind of mission?” The arching of her finely shaped brow was new. This would be more work.
“Top secret,” he winked, “but if you come closer, I’ll fill you in.”
Her body edged forward, like she would approach, but a screech shattered the air. She clasped her hands over her ears, winced, and spun for the wall.
“Hey, wait! You can’t leave me in here.” A heavy thud thumped above. Dust and debris rained down from the canopy. Whatever lived in this shithole had come home.
She brushed aside the patch of leaves and grass she’d been studying, revealing a dim tunnel.
“You leave me here like this and I’m dead.” What the hell was her problem?
A creaking echoed as the creature overhead settled. “I’m here to save your Queen.” The words hadn’t come out as impressive as he’d intended, but he was starting to get the feeling this one wasn’t like the others of her race.
“Are you now?” She twisted to face him, one hand twirling in his direction. “Is this part of your grand rescue?”
“Well, it was, but I hadn’t anticipated being knocked out and bound.”
She tilted her head and planted a hand on her curvy hip. “It’s the neurotoxin in the silk threads. The poison usually renders Kun Peng’s prey immobile. You are fortunate to have awoken before it chose to devour you.” The sparkle in her eyes made him think of other things he’d like to devour. Her.
“You know what that is?” He bobbed his eyebrows toward the beast.
“You don’t? Not much a white knight.”
True enough, the Matchmaker had handed him a map and he’d sprinted into the marked tunnel without a game plan. But that was his style. On the edges of his brain, he recalled running smack into a snare of fibers. He must have blacked out while the creature had deposited him in this nest of sorts. “Hey, I’m just the infantry.” He winked and the slight flush in her cheeks made the game that much more tantalizing. He’d love to stay here and banter with her for hours…if a giant, ferocious creature wasn’t waiting to tear him apart.
Price twisted his arm to reveal the lotus tat on his inner left wrist. “I don’t call the shots or handle the intelligence. I just show up and kick ass.”
Her lovely gleaming eyes narrowed. “You’re a Lotus? Did the Matchmaker send you?”
He nodded.
She cast her face aside and muttered some foreign, lilting words that sounded an awful lot like the curses fox spirits often screamed when he… well, yeah.
“Fine. I’ll set you free, but as soon as I do, we part ways.”
He tensed as she neared, her honey-sweet scent driving Horse into a frenzy. “How did you end up here? Are you searching for the Queen too?”
“No, someone else, who is no longer here.” With a quick slash of her claws, she cut through the cobweb-like bindings.
Grimacing, he lowered and flexed his hand, then rolled back his shoulders. He lifted his gaze, but Naya was already at the opening, crawling through it. A sudden, gnawing realization cut into his chest. If she went through that passage without him, he’d never see her again. And to both himself and Horse, that was…
Unacceptable.
Find out more here.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Glossary
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Books by Rachael Slate
Chapter 1
By the Horns Page 29
