The Voice: A Sequel to Hwarang: The Saga of the Sooks Book #1

Chapter 3: Agreed

"Because you can," he murmured. "You can trust me. I swear I won't hurt you. In fact," he sighed, "I will reimburse you for your time." He leaned back as his arms loosened, finally falling away from her to dangle at his sides.

Suspiciously, she narrowed her eyes. "Reimburse me? With what?"

"Shelter, food, drink...silver," he finally muttered as her frown deepened.

"Silver?" she quirked a pale brow as she inwardly sighed with relief. She'd been nearly out of money when he'd stumbled upon her in the forest. "How much silver?"

"How much do you require?" he queried innocently.

Again, she squinted up at him. "Much."

He nodded. "All right. Your services are worthy of my silver. On one condition."

She frowned at him. "What?"

"You must remain here. Within my chambers."

Alarm struck her countenance. "For how long?"

"A month."

"A month?!" she nearly shouted.

A firm nod was her only response.

"You'd have to pay me a whole bag of silver to make it worth my while," she mumbled carelessly.

"Agreed."

Her gaze flew to meet his again. "Agreed?" She furrowed her brow in skepticism. "Show me this bag of silver."

He crossed the room and opened a chest. He dug around inside of it and unearthed a cloth bag. He tossed it towards her, but he hadn't tied it shut, and it flew open during its flight, littering the floor with little bars of silver.

She gasped as she stared down at the generous bounty now cluttering the ground at her feet. She knelt down and began to collect the payment. Returning the bars to the bag.

"Keep it," he insisted as he crossed the room and bent to help her retrieve the precious metal bars. "I'll pay you in advance. I simply require that you remain here – in my chambers – until the month is up."

She glanced up at him as a frown once more marred the perfection of her pale brow. "But why?"

"Sleep is a necessity. I am currently walking through the most challenging time of my life. I need as much sleep as I can muster. It's worth all the silver in the kingdom to me right now."

Perplexed, she stared at him while he retrieved the remaining silver off the floor and slipped it into the sack before handing it to her.

"I'll make sure that you're well provided for. Meals, drinks, clean clothes. I'll even ensure that a bath is drawn for you each day and you have your own servant to help you bathe."

"I don't need help to bathe," she hastened to assure him. Her cheeks suddenly turned a lovely shade of pink.

"All right. And don't worry. I have several rooms here. You can have a private one to take care of your needs in. At night, I'll expect you to stay in this room with me. But during the day you can occupy my sitting room or my office. There's a desk in there if you wish to write..."

"Oh!" she jumped with excitement as her face lit up. "I would like some parchment, and fresh ink, and some quills."

"Done," he responded instantly.

"And I need a piece of glass."

"A piece of glass?" he asked, confused.

She nodded. "A piece of glass through which I can look to magnify things."

"I don't understand."

"To help me see when I write. I...my eyes aren't simply a strange color. They also don't work as well as most people's. I have trouble seeing clearly."

"Oh." He wasn't sure how to respond to this news. But he realized in that moment that she had confronted more problems than he could have imagined. His heart bent at this additional burden. He cleared his throat as he turned his mind back to their earlier discussion. "Are we agreed then?"

Her eyes met his again. She was silent for a moment, weighing his response and the possibility that he was being honest with her. Suddenly, she nodded firmly. And held out her hand towards him.

"Agreed."

He took that soft hand within his own and bent over it, brushing his lips across the back of it.

Startled, she opened her eyes wide. No one had ever kissed her. She swallowed as she stared in wonder down at that beautiful, bent head. If she weren't careful, she'd soon find her heart in danger. This man was too kind for her own good.

Chapter 4: Jijin – Day 1 (Jin Heung announces he is king)

"Will you come back to bed with me now? I'd like to hear the rest of the king's story."

"You never told me your name," she pointed out suddenly.

He glanced into her eyes. "Hmm. I didn't, did I?"

She shook her head.

"You can call me Jijin."

"Jijin?"

"Mm-hmm."

She smiled at him.

He quirked his eyebrows at her. And glanced at the bed.

Then she frowned.

"What's wrong?"

But before she could answer, her stomach rumbled, giving her away.

He cocked one dark eyebrow in surprise. "You're hungry?"

She nodded.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "When did you eat last?"

She frowned. "Umm...yesterday?"

"Yesterday?!" he exclaimed in alarm. "You haven't eaten since yesterday?"

She shook her head.

"Why not?"

Sheepishly, she stared at her toes. "I was...almost out of funds. I was trying to make my means stretch as far as possible."

Furrowing his brow, he asked, "Where have you been staying?"

Again, her feet seemed to be most interesting. "Here and there."

"Eun Sook."

Her eyes traveled slowly up his lanky form. Finally, meeting his gaze. "I've been sleeping outside."

He gaped at her. "Outside?"

She nodded.

"Why? Where did you come from?"

Her eyes slid away from his. She was walking on a dangerous path right now. She'd hoped to avoid this discussion. It's why she'd stayed in the forest. Looking to evade any interaction with people.

"You don't need to know everything about me in order to hire me for the next month, do you?"

He stared at her. Why did he think this would be a deal breaker if he insisted that she tell him the whole truth about herself? But he wasn't willing to let her go. So he would put his curiosity concerning her at bay. For a while.

"I suppose not," he admitted finally.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

"What would you like to eat?" he queried as he eyed her speculatively.

She grinned. She could think of several delightful things she'd enjoy sinking her teeth into....