It’s…a person? I blink and shake my head, trying to get my eyesight even. Did I hit my head and imagine something?
I focus again. It is most certainly a person, and now he is wearing traditional high-class robes.
“What in the world?” I ask, quietly. When the figure moves his head around, I gasp. He’s not from the Xing Empire, his hair and eyes look nothing like my people. His skin is pinker, his hair is the color of early autumn, and curls where mine is straight. He has a strong chin and muscled neck.Oh my stars.
In the forest clearing, a man has appeared from out of the air. And that man…is beautiful.
For the next hour, I do what any bored prince on his own would do in my situation: I follow him. This beautiful stranger mutters an alien language. As he ambles on, I duck behind trees. He does not seem to notice me, preoccupied with his wrist jewelry instead. I could watch him for hours. He’s so handsome, so much prettier than any of the boys that I’ve managed to havesex with in secret. But where did he come from? I must know everything about this gorgeous, lost divine being.
Before I can learn more about it, I hear another rustling noise to my right.
Oh no. This magnificent stranger is getting attacked by a bear.
PART 3- KURUN
AFTER SAVING HIMfrom a vicious animal, his foreign weapon makes him collapse. I already introduced myself, so I might as well protect him. It’s the right thing to do—it’s certainly not an excuse to spend more time with this sexy man. I carefully pack up his gear and clean off my weapons. Then, after lifting him up, I walk through the woods back to a clearer path. He’s moderately heavy, but I wasn’t forced to do all those exercises by Father to no effect. I try not to study his gorgeous sleeping face as I pass the thickly wooded area. When I get to the clear path, the sun has almost set, and I certainly can’t walk all the way to where I left Liberty with this muscled man in tow. So, I gently set him down on a smooth patch of grass, and dash away.
Hours later, the campfire crackles as I heat up my rations. I’ve managed to retrieve Liberty, start a fire, and lay the stranger down on a silk sheet. My tent is up, the stars twinkle above, and I’m sitting on the sheet as well. When the man stirs, I turn to him and smile. He sits up and shakes his head, gazing around in confusion.
“What the…?” he asks, with a raspy voice.
“Carmine Listo.” His eyes dart to me in alarm. “You are awake. I was most concerned.”
“It’s you…hot kickboxer guy.”
“Pardon?” I ask with a grin.
He shakes his head and sits upright. “I mean…you introduced yourself to me, right? Kur…um…?”
I rotate the meat on a skewer in my hand over the fire. “Xing Kurun. Prince of the Xing Empire, one of the many dynasties in the Middle Kingdom.” I bring my rations forward and try to give a sexy smile. “May I interest you in chicken?”
He gulps. “No thanks.”
“Are you sure? You collapsed, and food is integral in healing.”
He nods and stares at the fire. “I, um…have this thing where I’m not hungry for…” He gazes at his wrist jewelry, a silvery substance that I do not recognize. “Six more days now.”
“How specific,” I reply.Another mystery. I bite and chew my rations and try not to feel self-conscious as he watches me. A large part of me wants him to be interested in me. Does he like my long, dark hair? His is so curly and I want to run my fingers through it. His eyes are wide and green, his skin a pinker complexion than mine. Everything about him is so foreign and fascinating. “So, Carmine Listo, what brings you here?”
His eyebrows furrow, seemingly trying to find the words, then he relaxes. Staring at the fire, he says, “I’m…looking for something.”
“Are you looking to fight bears?”
We both laugh softly. “Not quite. Thank you again for, um…saving me. You’re an amazing weapons master.”
“It would seem your device to defend you…deposed you instead.”
His face grows alarmed, and he taps his waist where I placed his metal weapon. After looking at it, he relaxes again. “Yeah. That was embarrassing. I’ve rarely had to use it. And I’ve never encountered a big bear before.” He snickers. “At least, not that kind.”
“Are there no bears in dynasty you hail from?”
He frowns lightly, then shakes his head. His reluctance to answer my questions is concerning. I study his face and say,“Your…wife…would probably be devastated if a beast felled you.”
He smiles but avoids my gaze. “No. No wife to speak of.” His green eyes meet mine momentarily. “Or husband.”
My cheeks burn hot, and it has nothing to do with the fire before us. I quietly finish my meal but make no moves to stand up. This moment feels so intimate with this stranger. Carmine Listo is a mystery, but he’s exactly what I’ve been wishing for. “Well, I am pleased to make your acquaintance.”
“Same to you, Prince Kurun.”
