told you no one sent me.’
Her eyes lit up whenever she was challenged. Whatever the mood, whatever her expression, she was exquisite, so beautiful he had to force his gaze away. He could see why the August Emperor would choose her for his deception. A man could easily become obsessed with her and forsake all others.
‘I told myself that you might very well cut my throat in my sleep.’
She flinched at his words, but he held her fast.
‘If you did, I would deserve it,’ he continued. ‘I’d consider it a testimony to your talents. You have me convinced in every way. And if I’m wrong, I can’t say that I regret our nights together. This life might be worth it.’
He was being deliberately cruel. When they lay together, he surrendered himself to her for a mindless, staggering moment with every joining, and he accepted it. But he didn’t like what she did to him when she looked at him in the glare of daylight, with that unbearable sadness in her eyes. She weakened him when he couldn’t risk any weakness.
She didn’t recoil as he expected. She leaned towards him, gripping his hand fervently in both of hers. ‘Tao, it doesn’t have to end in bloodshed. Shen isn’t your enemy. You wouldn’t send me to him if he was.’
‘Shen and I have a respect for one another, despite our differences,’ he said slowly.
‘Then negotiate a peace with him. Is it so hard to recognise his authority? He wants what you want, for the empire to endure.’
‘We’ve moved beyond that point, Lady Ling. The armies are moving closer to the river by the day.’
‘So go directly to the Emperor. You must do it before his soldiers reach your borders. Don’t let this be decided by imperial subordinates and that demon Gao.’ Her pretty eyes held on to him, shining with a new fierceness. ‘Shen will listen to you.’
‘What makes you so certain?’ he asked with dark amusement.
She let out a calming breath. ‘He owes you a debt. Emperor Shen promised you his daughter. He’ll feel the need to make amends. You know I’m right.’
He had to admire Suyin’s perceptiveness, but her plan was madness. The days of strategy and planning were stealing away his strength. In the night, he lost himself to her softness and warmth whenever he could. Sleep was a distant memory. ‘Governor Li?’
So she had reverted back to his formal title after her impassioned plea.
He folded his hands calmly in front of him, fingers knitted together. ‘I wish that what you propose was possible. But Emperor Shen is not strong enough to hold the empire together. We must all fend for ourselves and protect the borders for as long as we’re able. This has all been happening for a long time.’
She stared at the dragon signet on his finger. ‘But you served the August Emperor without fail. You and Shen both. Loyalty must mean something to you.’
‘Loyalty means nothing to me, though it is very touching how passionately you’ve defended me.’
His patronising tone angered her and he could sense her desperation building, a distant echo of his own fears.
‘You won’t consider another alternative. Not even to save yourself,’ she said, every word steeped in bitterness.
‘If the Emperor and Gao don’t come for me, someone else will some day.’
Her gaze darted to the cabinet against the wall before quickly shifting back. He knew that she had seen the collection of daggers. He had suspected when she avoided it in her explorations.
‘Those are a constant reminder of my failure,’ he explained. ‘Another reason you can’t stay with me.’
‘What failure?’
‘To kill Li Ming.’
She jerked to her feet. The corner of the desk jarred against her hip as she staggered backwards.
‘You are standing very far away, Lady Ling,’ he said mildly.
‘But you were part of his inner circle. You have had plenty of opportunity to kill the Emperor,’ she said.
‘If I had wanted to take his life, I could have. I’m a traitor to all sides.’
He pushed his chair back and stood, approaching slowly. He stopped just short of touching her. ‘You see? All my secrets at your feet.’
She had to tilt her head up to meet his eyes. ‘The mark on your back—’
‘The mark of the An Ying clan.’
The Shadows. He made no effort to hide the symbol inked on to his skin when they lay together. She never asked about it, but he knew she had a vague idea of what it meant, how it branded him for life. Every year,