Page 8 of King Foretold (Realm of Four Kingdoms #2)

It’s well past midnight, and my trek to General Bak’s estate takes longer than I’d like. But I’m exhausted, and my legs refuse to carry me any faster. I look longingly at the moon and sigh. I can’t risk moon shifting because my magic might be traced to Ethan.

The night we returned to the Kingdom of Sky, the formidable general crumbled before our eyes when he saw Ethan for the first time.

In the general’s endless tears, I glimpsed a brokenhearted father who had lost his beloved daughter, only to be reunited with his grandson twenty-four years later.

And in the embrace of his grandfather, Ethan found his family again.

The moving reunion, however, was short lived.

As soon as General Bak pulled himself together, he began to plan for a war to place his grandson on the throne of the Kingdom of Mountains.

In the meantime, the general made Ethan promise to hide his true identity and keep a low profile because there might be spies in the kingdom.

He said if the King of Mountains found out that his son was in the Realm of Four Kingdoms, Ethan’s life would be in danger.

When I finally reach the outskirts of the general’s estate, I stop and take cover in the shadow of a tree. I have no idea which wing Ethan occupies, much less which room. I obviously didn’t think this through.

But after everything Minju told me, I couldn’t find the willpower to stay away from him. Just a glimpse of his face will remind me why I have to be strong—why I have to fight—even if I feel more alone than ever.

Everything I knew about my spirit eyes was wrong.

No one else can perceive the gi around us.

No one else can see the beauty of the worlds saturated in the colors of life.

I thought it was a power I shared with every being of the Shingae, something that connected all of us.

It always made me feel like I was a part of something bigger, like I wasn’t a loner adrift in the worlds. But none of it was true.

I’m the only one. It is my power alone. I’m always alone.

I shake myself from head to toe like I’m covered in ants. I’m not only a poet but a mopey poet. This is bad, like zombie-apocalypse bad. If there is anything more pathetic than feeling sorry for yourself, it’s feeling sorry for yourself in subtle, lyrical verses. Can I fall any lower?

I come to an abrupt stop on the road. Oh gods. I have fallen lower. I was feeling sorry for myself in haiku form. I fucking composed a fucking haiku. Who even am I? I squeeze my eyes shut, willing myself to cease existing this instant. But it doesn’t work. I guess you can’t actually die from shame.

And I’ve come to visit the reason behind my unfortunate poetic episodes. I shouldn’t have come. This was a mistake.

As I turn to leave, I hear a low, urgent voice whispering my name even though there’s no one close enough to whisper in my ear. I glance back, and a dark figure leaps over the outer wall of General Bak’s estate, landing effortlessly on their feet.

Did I doubt for a moment who whispered my name? Did I need the silvery moonlight to know that it was Ethan walking toward me? No. I felt him in my soul before any of my senses could detect him.

“Sunny.” He stops a few feet away from me, devouring me with his eyes.

I take a shuddering breath, my pulse fluttering in my throat.

I remember the feel of his calloused hands on my body, both rough and reverent, and the heat of his mouth as he claimed mine.

I remember the idyllic days we spent at my childhood home, pretending we were alone in the worlds . .. pretending there was hope for us.

I’ve missed him so much that it hurts to look at him. I want to run into his arms, but I stand exactly where I am and clench my hands into fists behind me, using the bite of my nails as an anchor. Because now I know we don’t have a chance in hell of being together.

You saw him. Now leave.

Unclenching my hands, I lean a casual shoulder against the tree and pray that my face gives nothing of my yearning away.

“Ethan,” I drawl, as cool as a cowgirl. Leave before you make everything worse.

“What are you doing here?” he asks with a catch in his voice.

He looks even taller dressed in an emerald silk dopo and a gat. The rich, vibrant green of his long robe gives his face a luminous glow even under the shadow of his black, wide-brimmed hat. He is so beautiful. I wonder if his skin would taste fizzy like champagne against my tongue.

“What? Me?” My shoulder slips from the tree, and I stumble before righting myself. “I’m ... out for a jog?”

His lips curve into a crooked grin. Cocky bastard. I should kiss that arrogant smile right off him. Maybe nibble on his bottom lip for good measure. Right. What I should do is get the hell away from his effervescent skin and yummy bottom lip.

“Well, it was nice running into you.” I give him a dorky little wave because I apparently haven’t humiliated myself enough.

I take off in a sprint, but I gasp and lurch to a stop when his arms wrap around my waist from behind. I forgot Ethan was so fast.

“Stay. Please.” He presses me flush against his front and buries his face in the crook of my neck. “Just for a minute. Just like this.”

Just for a minute. I lean back into his warmth and close my eyes.

I breathe in the crisp, woodsy scent of him and place my hands over his.

He threads our fingers together and tightens his arms around me like he never wants to let go.

We hold still, synchronizing our breaths, and let the moment wash over us.

If only time could stop ... Just like this.

“You know my spirit eyes?” I whisper, knowing time stops for no one. I have so much to tell him, so much I want to hear, but time is something we will never have. “I thought it was a Shingae thing, but it turns out it’s a Yeoiju thing.”

“It is?” His lips brush against the sensitive skin at my neck.

“Mm-hmm.” I shiver. “Apparently, no one else can do it, which means I’m extra special.”

“Of course you are.” His rumbling laughter vibrates low in my stomach.

“Fuck you.” I smile, feeling safe for the first time since returning to the Kingdom of Sky.

“Gods, I missed you,” he rasps, his whole body wrapping tighter around me.

“Whatever.” I missed you too. I missed you so much. “You could’ve come see me anytime.”

Don’t invite him. You’re trying to make him believe you don’t care.

“What excuse would an emissary from the Kingdom of Mountains have to see a suhoshin cadet?” Bitter frustration threads his words.

I step out of the circle of his arms, and he lets me.

I immediately miss his warmth, but I face him with a carefully neutral expression.

It belatedly sinks in that the rich green of his dopo is not a color often worn in the Kingdom of Sky.

Ethan is dressed for his role as an emissary of the Kingdom of Mountains, a special guest of General Bak.

“Off the top of my head?” I quip even as concern tightens my chest. He looks thinner. “You can ask for a tour of the training grounds.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he says with forced levity.

But it’s no use. I’ve reminded him of our stark reality, and his face hardens into a distant, ravaged mask.

It’s the tortured face of a stranger—the face of the Prince of Mountains, who lost everyone he loved to the greed and ambitions of his father.

When he stares down at his hands, I know he sees blood on them.

Not for the first time, I want to kidnap Ethan and take him far, far away from his bloody legacy.

But the moment he wielded the legendary golden axe and silver axe, gifts bestowed by the Spirit of Mountains, he vowed to the Shingae that he would accept his destiny—the destiny to become the King Foretold and kill the bearer of the Yeoiju.

Distance. I step back. I need to keep my distance.

“Do you ever wonder how I ended up in LA with you and Ben?” I blurt out.

Maybe it would’ve been better for everyone if we’d never met. Ben might still be alive if Daeseong hadn’t come looking for me. Then Ethan could have navigated his new reality with his older brother by his side. All I can do is break his heart now so he will hurt a little less when he kills me.

Ethan gives me a long considering look. “No.”

“No?” I gape at him. “You think everything is a convenient coincidence? We somehow came to live in the same city at the same time ... just because?”

“I don’t have to wonder how because I know why you ended up with us.” His gaze doesn’t waver. “It’s because you and I are meant to be together.”

“Stop being a cheeseball,” I quip even as my heart trips in my chest. “I can’t believe you said that with a straight face.”

“I’m not being cheesy.” A grin tugs at his lips, but his voice rings with absolute certainty. “You and I are tied by the threads of fate. I feel it in my bones.”

Could he be right? Is our love destined by the heavens?

Are we part of some divine plan? But what kind of sick, twisted deity plans for a person to kill the one they’re destined to love for eternity?

Fuck it. Suddenly, I don’t care about the how or why of anything.

I don’t want to care. If everything is destined, what’s the point of caring?

“In your bones? You should have that checked out. It might be arthritis.” I force myself to joke even though I want to cry. “Other than arthritis, any new developments on your front?”

Ethan sighs and drags a hand down his face. “General Bak wants me to bide my time .”

Bide his time until war ravages the Kingdom of Mountains? Until more death and blood stain his hands? Oh Ethan. A war will tear his kind soul to shreds. There has to be another way. Why can’t the general see that?

“So you’ve basically been sitting on your ass all this time?” I roll my eyes, hoping to get a smile out of him. “Wow. You must be getting really good at twiddling your thumbs.”

“Shut up,” he says with a lopsided grin and flicks my earlobe with his finger.