The mountain rumbles, drawing our attention once more. “Come,” Kurun says, mounting his horse. “We must take leave.”
He holds his hand out to me, and, without second-guessing it, I hop on. As usual, following him is against all the rules, and yet, it feels so right on an instinctual level.
We don’t talk much, and I drift in and out as we ride. Kurun’s strong arms around me make me feel safer than all the future tech I’ve ever trained with. An hour later, we’re at what I presume to be the Xing Imperial City. I cover my face, but none of the guards seem to bat an eye. Kurun barks orders, and we make our way through the first wall, but we don’t walk toward the massive palace in the center of the city. Instead, we ride towards what appear to be wooden houses attached to the walls.
“This is the stable area,” Kurun explains, reading my mind. Guards flank the wooden buildings, and they bow and let us through without trouble. We make it to the enclosed barn housing at least ten other horses. Hay is scattered along the ground, and I don’t miss the scent of animal excrement. “I stay above in the lofts regularly,” he says. I guess this is where we stop.
We dismount and the prince helps me off. “I need to tend to Liberty,” he says, brushing the horse’s mane. “Give me a few minutes?”
“Of course,” I reply. When he leaves with his steed, I study my scanner, only to have the images not appear. One of the corners of my device is melted, so I know more than a few flecks of magma burned my gear. They can afford to send me back in time but they can’t make my scanner fireproof?Typical bureaucracy. Hopefully another agent can pick me up.
And yet, why am I not panicking? Being stuck in the past should increase my anxiety, and yet, I don’t find myself in a rush to go home. When Kurun returns, his long dark hair seems to sway in slow motion as he approaches me.Oh that’s why.
“I have instructed the servants to prepare water and supplies for my arrival,” he says with a relaxed smile. “Let us go upstairs to retire to my bed chamber.”
My mouth goes dry at the thought of seeing his bed. This is so wrong, yet my body is on autopilot as I nod and follow him up.
The area above the stables is like a little apartment. Silk and other fabrics adorn all the surfaces. I notice desks with scrolls as well as swords, shields, bows, and arrows strewn about. Multiple wooden buckets are off to one wall, with white cloths hanging on the edge of each. There are several chairs as well as a larger mattress in a corner near the window. It’s like a little bachelor pad, and it’s evident that Kurun’s servants have kept it stocked with tea, water, and fresh clothes. The earthy scent up here is much more aromatic than downstairs near the horses. Learning more about Kurun’s world is fascinating.
“Come,” Kurun instructs, pointing to a red fabric chair. I sit down and he brings over a chair and a basin. “Let me inspect your wounds.”
His body is so close to mine, making my pulse rise. Today was filled with so much danger that my energy is drained. I no longer have the will to fight this beautiful man. He helps me pry off my shirt, and the cool air touches my bare chest. His hungry gaze tracks up and down my body, and a flattering chill goes down my spine. We have to stay in shape for our job, but I hope he likes hairless guys.
I grin and say, “My wounds are fine, Kurun.” I move my right arm forward. “See?”
“Astounding,” he says.
“And you?” I ask with what I hope is a flirty tone.
He seems to understand, because after a moment, he takes off his top. Lust overwhelms me as I gaze at the man before me. I thought the way he wielded his sword was sexy, but that’snothing compared to his chiseled torso. This ancient Chinese warrior prince is a testament to abdominals.
“I, too, am fine,” he says. His dark eyes seem to shine with intrigue. After a moment, he reaches into the basin and takes out a cloth. “But now we should both clean up.”
He hands me a soaked towel and I nod. As Kurun turns away and he wipes his face of soot and sweat, I’m transfixed by the way his back muscles move. I’m also grateful that he not only saved me, twice, but is now taking care of me.
We quietly clean up, occasionally glancing at the other person. Kurun insists on taking the used water buckets and leaving for a few minutes. Once I’m alone, I take out the sphere and scrutinize it. It no longer glows, and I try to use it to fix my wrist scanner. “Come on,” I mutter. I tap the artifact to my wrist, but nothing happens. I swear it sutured my fabric, so why not metal?
Kurun returns with what appear to be sticks of meat on a plate. “Dinner, Carmine Listo,” he says with a smile. He sits next to me and offers me one, but I shake my head. “You need to eat to regain your strength.”
I snicker. “Actually, no. Remember, my future tech allows me to not need it for a few days.”
“Really?”
“Yes, and it’s just Carmine, please.” I nod and glance at the smoky meat between us. “But…I suppose I could partake in one.”
Kurun and I spend several minutes eating barbecued chicken on a stick. It tastes so flavorful and almost as delicious as the chef-prepared meals we have at the Agency. Better than the food is the company of this amazing man. He tells me about his favorite foods and growing up here by the stables to escape the boring life of being a royal son. I never get bored of his words. I am getting dangerously close to feeling content in hispresence. He seems like more than a friend to me, and I want to share more meals with him in the future.Could we even have a future?
The sun has set by the time we finish eating. Darkness fills this princely apartment, and I watch as he lights some candles with a flint. “I was so concerned when you were gone,” he says. Kurun cleans up and places the leftovers in another basin. I watch as he goes through the bedtime motions, cleaning his face and mouth. I stare at those perfect muscles in the candlelight as he changes into silky green-and-pink robes, presumably sleeping clothes. “It filled me with such fear and dread.”
The shame fills my throat. “I…apologize, Kurun. It was my mission, and I felt I had to go it alone.”
He motions for me to sit on the bed with him, and I follow. At this point I know he means me no harm, but the longer I spend in his kingdom, the more I risk altering history. And worse, the more I fear losing him. We study each other for a moment, and his eyes dart to my mouth. I want to kiss him so badly, breaking both our hearts in the process.
“You are not alone in the Xing Empire. You have my protection.”
I nod and smile. “I know,” I murmur. “I’ve never…needed someone’s help so often, so quickly before.”
He bows, then stands up. “Consider it my altruistic duty to you, Carmine. Whatever you need, I will grant you. But for now, we should sleep.” He takes out the rope tie from his head, letting his dark hair completely flow out. My mouth goes dry again as this regal warrior moves a wood-and-paper partition close to the mattress.
