His Treasure

The Forbidden garden

The man stepped forward, the moonlight revealing his face properly for the first time. Yang Chen was..beautiful in the way a sharpened sword is beautiful. All hard lines and dangerous edges. His black hair fell slightly over his forehead, and his lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile.

"Didn't you see the sign?" he asked, taking another drag of his cigarette.

The ember glowed like a tiny warning light in the dark.

I swallowed hard, my fingers twisting the fabric of my dress. "I saw it."

"And yet here you are." He exhaled a perfect smoke ring that floated between us like a challenge. "Either very brave or very stupid."

"Curious," I corrected, forcing my voice to stay steady. "Your brother's party is...overwhelming."

+

Yang's dark eyes flickered with something unreadable. "Luh does enjoy his theatrics." He crushed the cigarette beneath his polished Oxford shoe. "This garden isn't safe at night."

Before I could ask why, a rustling came from the bushes nearby. Yang moved faster than I thought possible, pushing me behind him with one arm.

His body was warm and solid against mine, his citrus-and-cedar cologne filling my senses.

"Relax," he murmured as a fat tabby cat emerged from the foliage. "Just one of the garden's guardians."

I let out a shaky laugh. "You have guard cats now?"

"Something like that." He didn't move away. "The real dangers are the plants. Many are poisonous if touched or inhaled after dark. The signs aren't decorative."

I looked around with new eyes. The beautiful white flowers I'd admired earlier now seemed sinister in their perfection. "Why would you plant poisonous flowers?"

Yang finally stepped back, putting space between us. "My mother's hobby. She believed beauty should have teeth." He gestured to a particularly vibrant bush with blood-red blooms. "Oleander. One leaf can kill a child." Another wave toward delicate purple flowers. "Monkshood.

The ancient Greeks called it 'the queen of poisons.

'

A shiver ran down my spine.

"That's...morbid."

"Practical," he corrected. "A living security system." Yang studied my face. "You're not what I expected."

"What did you expect?"

"A spoiled little heiress." His lips quirked. "Not someone who sneaks into poison gardens for fun."

The sound of approaching footsteps made us both turn. Luh appeared at the garden's entrance, his expression darkening when he saw us together.

"Yang," he said tightly. "Your guests are asking for you."

Yang didn't move. "I don't recall inviting guests."

Luh's smile was all teeth.

"Nevertheless." His cold eyes shifted to me. "Zhi Yun is tearing the mansion apart looking for you, little rabbit. Might want to scurry back before the wolf finds you missing."

I didn't like the way he said it - like I was prey. Yang must have noticed my discomfort because he surprised me by offering his arm.

"I'll escort you back," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. As we passed Luh, Yang murmured

something in Mandarin that made his brother's face tighten.

The walk back through the garden felt surreal. Yang's arm was firm beneath my fingers, his presence oddly comforting despite the danger radiating from him.

The ride home was tense. Yun white-knuckled the steering wheel while Lay kept shooting me worried glances in the rearview mirror.

Finally, Yun broke the silence. "Stay away from Yang Chen."

"Why?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"What happened between our families?"

Yun's grip tightened further. "Nothing you need to know. Just promise me you won't see him again."

I looked out the window at the passing city lights, remembering the feel of Yang's hand on mine. "I promise."

But even as I said it, I knew it was a lie.