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“It changes when I wear it; I don’t dare do that here.” I must be patient, until we escape—or until I can no longer endure it.
“How do we save the Sun Dragon?” I ask. “My ring freed me from the guardian’s hold, but it returned to the seal. I didn’t dare touch it again.”
“What else do you recall?”
“The seal’s markings flared to life, the starfire attached to it glowing brighter.” It strikes me then. “What if they’re using the starfire to subdue the dragon, to steal its magic?”
“It’s possible. The dragon is powerful, not easily confined,” Jin replies. “Let me confer with Dian. She might know how to tackle this guardian or have something we can use.”
“When will you meet her?” I ask.
“Tomorrow. Prince Zixin has arranged a hunting excursion outside the palace for his guests. Our attendance is mandatory. I must attend to avoid suspicion, but I’ll go to her as soon as I can get away.” He pauses. “Now that you have your ring, do you want to leave?”
Yes… yet the Sun Dragon’s cry resonates in my mind. “Right now, I have Prince Zixin’s trust again; I can get close to him. I can help.”
Jin hesitates like he wants to protest, but then he nods stiffly. “I’ll send word to Lord Chao for reinforcements. Once we escape, we’ll need help if the Iron Mountains pursues us.” He adds, “We must move quickly, with the coronation taking place soon.”
“What about Ruilin?”
“She will join the hunting party and escape then. She can’t stay in the palace much longer. Prince Zixin has dispatched a messenger to her father. The sooner we rescue the dragon, the sooner we can all leave.” Jin pauses, before continuing in a lower voice. “I hated watching you with him tonight. I hated seeing you smile at him.”
“It didn’t mean anything; I didn’t want to.”
“I know. That makes it worse.” He holds my gaze, time seeming to slow. “We secured a guard in the prince’s courtyard. He was stationed outside tonight to listen for trouble. I would have come had you needed me.”
“You promised you wouldn’t interfere.”
The side of his mouth slants up into a mirthless smile. “I never agreed.”
“It would be reckless. What about the alliance? Everything at stake?”
He bends toward me, brushing away a lock of damp hair from my face. “I’ve always believed if the price of winning is too high, we’ve already lost.”
“I thought you only cared about winning.”
“I told you once, you don’t know me, but you think you do.” He sighs. “In the beginning, I thought you might be useful. It was safer to keep a distance from you, except even then you had a way of infiltrating my mind, of getting under my skin. But when you fought General Xilu on the tower, though you were doing everything just as I’d planned—I never felt such fear and rage.”
“What are you saying?” I sit down, my legs growing limp.
He looks at me—not the way someone looks at a pretty flower or a fine painting—but the way one would stare at the full moon or the sky when it comes alive with the fire of dawn.
“I like you,” he tells me quietly. “I’ve liked you for a while.”
Warmth sparks inside me, glittering and golden bright and rare. It is moments like these that mark a life, sifting the extraordinary from the mundane.
“I like you too,” I tell him in a rush, because if I stop to think—I might not say it at all.
His eyes darken as his hand cradles the curve of my neck. I lean toward him, tilting my head until his breath grazes my lips, then I pull him to me, pressing my mouth to his. This is real, not a dream, his throat convulsing as his hands slide to my waist. And then he’s lifting me from the chair, wrapping his arms around me, his fingers hard against my skin. His firm lips mold to mine, our breaths tangling as heat pools low in my belly until it feels like I’m melting inside—set aflame. He touches me with such fierce possession, it stirs my own hunger. My fingers weave through his hair, clutching him to me, light scattering through my mind like stars.
This violence of my reaction startles me—all I know is I never want this to end. I tell myself it’s to wipe away the taint of tonight, to seize back control of my spiraling emotions… except I’m lying to myself.
He is not for you.
Dian’s warning slips into my mind, an unwelcome seed of suspicion sprouting. Just as I’ve been pretending with Prince Zixin, is Jin pretending with me? I stiffen, drawing back. His expression shutters as his hands fall away from me. I smother a protest, the urge to toss caution aside, to test how hot and bright the fires between us blaze, to sate the craving he’s stirred inside me.
“This is… I’m not thinking right now. We can’t—here.” My words fracture, almost as badly as my resolve.
“You’re right. But another time…” His voice trails off, a roguish smile breaking across his face.
