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“Yes, but Huli helped us with unmasking Winter Varik.” Xiao Dan lifted his chin, his expression taking on a stubborn set. Chen wanted to grab his shixiong by the shoulders and shake him. Why was he so blind to the dangers of this creature?

“Because it saw that as a way of ingratiating itself with you,” Chen argued. “The very nature of the huli jing is to be seductive.”

“I am aware of that,” Xiao Dan snapped. But as soon as the words left his tongue, a flush painted his cheeks. “I will talk to him. Make sure that he understands why we are here and that he does not interfere with our plans. I don’t think he will do anything to get in the way, not when he knows it will hurt me. Just continue to keep your distance from him.”

Chen bit his tongue to keep more admonishments and warnings from tumbling out of his mouth. He’d said enough. This was an old fight that had no end. While Xiao Dan would never say the words aloud, he cared for the huli jing. Outside of the clan, the fox spirit was the only other constant in his life.

Thankfully, footsteps echoed across the wood floor, drawing closer to the meeting room. Chen rose as Moon stepped into view, and the witch’s expression lit up the second their eyes met. Maybe Shixiong wasn’t the only one who was in trouble with a seductive creature.

“I’m back.” Moon laughed. He crossed the room, seeming to have an extra spring in his step. He stopped when his chest bumped into Chen’s. “Did you miss me?”

“Of course not. I enjoyed the brief period of peace,” Chen mumbled.

“Uh-huh. Sure,” Moon teased.

That was fine. Chen didn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth either. It was safer to divert everyone’s attention to the business at hand. He didn’t need to think about the perfect smile spreading across Moon’s lips that was begging for another kiss.

“Shall we set up in the rear gardens, or do you think one of the other courtyards would be better?” Xiao Dan asked. A chuckle rumbled under his words.

“Rear gardens,” Chen replied. “It will give Redstone and Maddox the most room to work.”

“Excellent. Let’s show them the way.” Moon grabbed Chen’s wrist and pulled him toward the hall. Some of the crackling tension in his chest dissolved at Moon’s simple touch. He felt like himself again. He could think and speak without wanting to bite everyone’s head off.

It was becoming too clear that Moon needed to stay near him from now on. That was the only safe option for his brothers.

“Whoa…this is…this is freaking amazing,” Maddox exclaimed as they stepped outside. “I’ve seen pictures of gardens like this in China, but I’ve never been able to step foot in one. Who designed this for you?”

Moon leaned close to Chen and whispered, “Maddox runs a landscaping business, and he’s one of the most in-demand designers in the entire state.”

Chen arched an eyebrow at him. “You’re saying impressing him is not an easy thing?”

“Impossible,” Moon corrected with a wide grin.

“We all had a hand in designing the smaller courtyards, which we can show you later, but this elegance belongs to Chen Bo Cheng alone. His artistic skills are the strongest of us,” Xiao Dan explained.

Moon stopped so suddenly in the middle of the path that Chen nearly tripped over the shorter man. The blood witch stared up at him with such a look of wonder that Chen’s heart suffered its own stumble. Now he owed Xiao Dan. Maybe he should apologize for his curtness over the huli jing. Especially if Da-ge was going to help him win Moon’s attention like this.

“You designed this?” Moon asked.

Chen gave a small nod. “I did.”

The witch appeared as if he wanted to say more, but an exuberant Maddox accosted Chen. “This is amazing. Do you have blueprints for this I could examine? Would it be possible for you to send me pictures of it in the daylight? I’d love to study how you balanced the different plants across the terrain while maintaining this elegant flow along the pond.”

Moon’s lips twitched. “You’ve got yourself a new best friend.”

While he appreciated Maddox’s admiration for his work, Chen was not interested in gaining a new best friend. However, if it made Moon happy, he would indulge Maddox’s questions as much as possible.

Chen nodded to Maddox. “I have some blueprints and design notes. I’ll pull them together and have Moon email them to you. Luckily, Xiang has an eye for photography. He can take some daylight pictures for you and send them over.”

“That would be—argh!” Maddox cried out in pain as Red walked past him and grabbed the man’s ear, dragging him along with him.

“Come on. No one wants to see you drooling over Moon’s new boyfriend because he likes to dig in the dirt as much as you,” Red grumbled.