An Illicit Temptation by Jeannie Lin

Author:Jeannie Lin [Lin, Jeannie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, General, Historical, Fiction
ISBN: 9781459238923
Google: ZItOOvN8OZcC
Amazon: B008AKQC7M
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2012-08-31T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter Four

No matter how far they fled, Dao could still feel danger chasing them. She had grown up as a household servant in a wealthy section of the city. She’d polished furniture and haggled for good prices on chickens at the market. The only place she’d seen a bow drawn was at the archery park.

They rode for hours before stopping when the sky faded to red and gold. The land had once again flattened out into wide expanses of wild grass. Kwan-Li did one final scan of the horizon in every direction before setting up camp. He started a fire and broke off a chunk of a tea brick into a pot of water.

“They won’t harm you,” he said when she looked over her shoulder warily.

“How do you know that?”

“You are the Emperor’s niece and an imperial princess.”

“Not out here. Bandits don’t care who we are,” she argued.

He fell silent, a frown creasing his brow as the tea brewed. After a few minutes, he handed her a cup filled with steaming liquid.

“Those were not bandits,” he said. “They were from another tribe and they wanted to keep us from reaching the capital.”

He sounded calm now. Deadly calm.

“What about your tribesmen? What about Ruan?”

“Ruan has survived much worse. Now drink, Princess.” Kwan-Li had to close his hands around hers to get her to grip the cup. “You will feel better.”

“Does it have mare’s milk in it?” she asked after a pause.

He laughed. It was brief, but it was a laugh. The touch of his hands was also brief, but they were warm and strong and did more to reassure her than anything else.

“You said the men were Khitan,” she began.

“I couldn’t tell which clan they were from, but none of the tribes would dare raise a hand against you. The wrath of the Tang imperial army would be too great.”

His jaw clenched and he radiated a low, simmering anger. The warrior in him had come out in battle and it remained. Dao could sense the change in every part of him. She had been so naive. This wasn’t a grand adventure to an exotic land. Being a princess meant more than wearing silk and having servants attend to her every need. It meant being caught in politics and power struggles. Things she knew nothing about.

She sipped at the tea. It was bitter, yet fortifying. “Is there always such fighting among the tribes?”

“There have always been disagreements.”

She thought for a long time. “Khitan is a dangerous place.”

His eyes darkened at the statement. “No more treacherous than your imperial court.”

At that moment, Dao felt like she didn’t know anything about anything. Neither the dangers of Khitan, nor the imperial court. In her innocence, she believed that it was an honor to be selected to be an alliance bride. Her half sister had the good sense to flee.

Kwan-Li was watching her carefully. “You regret coming here.”

It was too late for that now. “I won’t be writing any laments about being married to the other side of heaven, if that’s what you’re wondering.

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