Page 45 of King Foretold (Realm of Four Kingdoms #2)

My eyes snap open on a gasp, but I immediately make myself go deathly still. I scan the cave without moving a muscle, then again with the slightest shift of my head, but Ethan and Jihun are nowhere to be seen. The good news is there are no bad guys here to kill me either.

I let my head fall back onto my makeshift pillow and rub the heel of my hand against the ache in my chest. I drifted in and out of a strange dream that left me feeling heartbroken.

I try to remember the dream, but it floats further away from me the harder I try.

All I know is that I wasn’t in the dream but it was about me.

At any rate, I feel well rested and alert.

I rise to my elbows and look outside the cave.

The lightless night is receding, and the faintest hint of indigo and orange peeks through the trees.

Well, the answer is obvious. Those stubborn fools didn’t wake me up for my watch and let me sleep through the night.

With a frustrated growl, I grab Ethan’s outer robe in my fist to fling it off me, not giving a damn about wrinkling the fine silk, but I falter.

With another quick glance out the mouth of the cave, I bring the robe to my nose and inhale deeply, and my eyes slide shut as the scent of the green forest and the musk of earth assail my senses.

“Ugh.” I throw the robe off and kick it away for good measure. Gods. I’m smelling his clothes now? That’s pathetic, not to mention creepy.

Muttering under my breath like a crotchety old man, I stomp outside the cave.

Ethan and Jihun sit on opposite sides of a single tree, leaning against the trunk.

They’re both chuckling, and I slow my steps, not wanting to intrude.

I’m glad they found another brother in each other.

I wish Ben could see this. He would be so happy for them.

I swallow a fist-sized lump in my throat.

“Sorry to break up the bromantic moment.” I try not to sound like I mean it. “Which one of you assholes had the brilliant idea of not waking me up for my watch?”

As if they planned it, Ethan and Jihun point at each other and chorus, “He did.”

“You’re chickenshit. Both of you.” I turn my head to hide my smile. “But you weren’t doing any of us a favor. What good are you if you’re tired and sluggish?”

“Not to worry.” Ethan smirks, getting to his feet. “Adrenaline is our friend.”

Jihun’s cough sounds suspiciously like a snort, but his face is perfectly serious when he gets to his feet. “I need to change before I go into town to procure the palanquins.”

My face catches fire, thinking of the last time I was in a palanquin, and my brain short-circuits. “Guh ...”

A roguish smile spreads across Ethan’s face, and his half-hooded eyes sweep the length of my body. Before I can pounce on the cocky bastard—to kiss him or kick his ass, who the hell knows—he turns toward Jihun.

“Of course, Captain.” He nods at him. “We’ll be ready to leave when you return.”

Jihun bows his head stiffly, then spins on his heels and makes a beeline for the cave.

I bite my bottom lip. I don’t like hurting him, especially when Ethan and I can’t be together anyway.

I start when I feel the soft pad of Ethan’s thumb on my lip as he tugs it free from my teeth.

His eyes are solemn, and he drops his hand as soon as I stop worrying my lip raw.

“I can’t help it,” he says quietly.

“You can’t help what?” I glare at him. My reaction to his touch mixed with my concern for Jihun has me conflicted and testy.

“Teasing you.” He takes a shuddering breath. “Lov—”

“Don’t,” I snap. “I can’t. Not now.”

Pain slashes across his face, and my chest clenches, but I meant what I said.

We’re about to infiltrate the Shinsi Palace to apprehend the King of Mountains.

We’re basically walking into certain death.

And I’m not ... strong enough. If he tells me he loves me—if he tells me he wants to be with me—I’m not strong enough to refuse him. Not this time.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” He glances away. “Just friends.”

Jihun comes out of the cave in a rough commoner’s hanbok, his hair knotted at the top of his head, with a strip of plain cloth tied around his forehead. Yet he is so beautiful, it kind of hurts to look at him. I use his return to move away from Ethan.

“I don’t buy it.” I tap my lips with a finger as I circle Jihun. “That won’t do at all. Sit.”

I gather some leaves, fallen from the trees, and crouch down in front of Jihun. I wave my hand over the leaves and turn them into various shades of a bruise. I learned some everyday magic from Miok to do my own makeup, when the occasion called for it. Every occasion when Ethan was there.

“Shut up,” I mutter.

Jihun’s eyebrows hike up. “Pardon?”

“Not you.” I sigh. “Just sit still.”

I pick up the blue-green leaf and brush it beneath his eyes to give him dark circles.

I bite the inside of my cheeks to hold back my smile.

He looks like he hasn’t slept in a month.

Then I pluck a shadowy brown leaf from my lineup and contour his face to make him look thin and haggard.

I sit back and critique my handiwork. The seonnam remains much too handsome for his own good, but he looks gaunt and exhausted like the hunter assassin did.

My stomach clenches. The poor always suffer the most under an oppressive ruler.

But the king will pay for what he did to the hunter.

He will face the consequences of carelessly discounting the well-being of commoners to satisfy his hunger for power and wealth.

The tyrant will pay for all the lives he’s ruined. Today.

“That’ll have to do,” I tell Jihun as I push up to my feet. “Now you have a chance of passing as a commoner in the Kingdom of Mountains.”

“Thank you, Sunny.” Jihun stands and turns toward Ethan. “I won’t be long, Your Highness.”

Without further ado, the seonnam does a sharp about-face and marches away, his broad shoulders perfectly squared and his spine ramrod straight. I palm my forehead and groan. We’re so dead.

“Can you at least slouch a little? If you walk into town like that, you might as well stamp suhoshin in disguise on your forehead,” I shout after him. “Why can’t you go as yourself, again?”

“Because I can’t implicate the Order of the Suhoshin in this mission.” The suhoshin captain looks back at me with a glower. “And before you ask again , I can’t go as a noble because nobles do not procure their own palanquins. I have no choice but to disguise myself as an ordinary commoner.”

“But you are so bad at being ordinary ,” I protest.

“Enough. I’m leaving,” he barks but lowers his shoulders by a quarter inch and loosens his gait a smidgen.

“Maybe he could pass for a commoner with exceptional posture?” I rub my temples. When we lose sight of Jihun in the woods, I shoot Ethan an annoyed glance. “Who infiltrates a royal palace in broad daylight anyway?”

“It’s easier to hide in plain sight,” he says, “especially since our goal is to get to the jimil, the king’s inner chambers. We have a better chance of going unnoticed during the day.”

“Yeah, because you two are so unnoticeable.” I roll my eyes. “You’ll blend right in.”

“You’re one to talk.” He scoffs.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I squint at him.

“What ...” He draws back and side-eyes me. “You do know how beautiful you are, don’t you?”

“Gods, Ethan.” My cheeks burn, which makes me more embarrassed because he can tell I’m embarrassed. “I’m downright homely compared to the seonnyeos.”

“H ... homely?” His face goes slack with disbelief, and gods damn it, I’m flattered. He really thinks I’m beautiful.

“Never mind.” I wave my hands in front of my face. “It doesn’t matter if I’m a five or a ten. I just want to focus on not dying today. Okay? Okay.”

“I won’t let that happen.” He steps close and captures my chin between his fingers. “I’ll end anyone who dares lay a hand on you.”

I can only gape at him as a shaky exhale escapes past my lips. I don’t want to like it, but his protective side makes my insides melt. My knees wobble like Jell-O, and I press my hands against his chest to steady myself. His breath hitches, and a thousand butterflies take flight in my stomach.

“I said don’t ,” I whisper.

“Don’t what?” His lips barely move.

“Love me.” I don’t know if I’m answering him or asking him. All I know is that we might both die today.

“If friendship is all you can offer, then I’ll take it gladly.” He takes a shuddering breath. “But don’t ask me to stop loving you, because it’s not possible.”

Oh gods. He still loves me. My blood pounds in my ears. Even after all the cruel things I’ve said to him—I squeeze my eyes shut—he still loves me. My chest tightens painfully, but my lips quiver as though they want to spread into a smile. He loves me.

Holding his eyes, I slowly rise to my toes. Ethan releases my chin and brushes his hands over the curves of my hips, so lightly they’re barely there. Yet, I feel his touch spark against my skin like licks of fire. I angle my head to the side, but I can’t reach him, not even on the tips of my toes.

Ethan stares down at me without moving a muscle.

Does he not want to kiss me? What am I doing?

I should back away. But his pupils are blown wide, his gaze hot and black, and I am starving to taste him.

I didn’t realize they were out, but my claws dig into the firm flesh of his chest— impatient , insistent .

The only reason I’m not drawing blood is because this is Ethan. My powerful, beautiful Ethan.

“What do you want, Sunny?” His voice is a rough growl, and his fingers flex against my hips. I sink my teeth into my bottom lip. “Give me the words.”

“I want you.” I can’t give him the words in my heart, but maybe we can have this moment. “I want you, Ethan.”