The Mercenary: A Sequel to Hwarang: The Saga of the Sooks Book #2

Chapter 4: Unhinged

She was clearly losing it. Her mind must have come unhinged at the idea of being forced into a marriage with a stranger. It was the only explanation behind her clinging to him now like some heartbroken girl.

That and...his scent. She inhaled deeply once more. That calming sea air was invading all of her senses now, filling her with that odd feeling of freedom. Even trapped in his arms.

She basked in that emotion, allowing it to fully embrace her. She'd never felt this before. This sense of calm. Was it the warmth emanating from his strong body wrapped around hers?

She didn't want to lose this feeling. So she leaned into him. And allowed him to hold her.

Then his gentle words came back to her.

"It's all right."

Nothing had ever been all right. Not for as long as she could remember....

The old king's health had rapidly declined. Already a generation older than her mother, he had become a decrepit, old man before his time while her mother had still been a young and extraordinarily beautiful woman. Poison had been the suspected cause of his illness too. But never proven. Still, it had taken its toll on him.

Her mother, virtually abandoned by her aging and sickly husband, had turned to her father for comfort. And Sook Myeong had come into the world ahead of schedule. And under the wrong circumstances. But the king had readily recognized her as her mother's daughter and not as his own. Making her a legitimate choice of bride for his young son. The fading king had generously provided for her. Giving her a comfortable place in his household.

But, apparently, he hadn't died quickly enough for his enemies, for someone had gained access to his bedchamber and ended his life with violence before Sook Myeong's fifth birthday. So Jin Heung had been whisked away when she was yet a tiny girl. And the kingdom had hung in a fragile balance as her mother grasped for power in a silent struggle with the royal council.

A short time later, the princess's father had passed away in a riding accident. Sook Myeong had no memories of him. And her remembrances of her mother were not at all tender. Her mother had never shown her any gentleness. Just a certain sternness. A crisp haughtiness that had kept her daughter at arm's length. Bent on creating strength in the girl where love might have caused weakness. Such had been the old queen's belief anyway. Always exercising a brittle kind of power over the kingdom while raising her daughter to expect the insecurity of her position. Yet to maximize her opportunities to wield might over her enemies. Of which she didn't have few.

Several of the girl's major decisions had been greatly influenced by her mother's prerogative. Her attempted murder of Ah Ro was only one. Though, it was the worst. She had never before tried to kill someone. And she fervently hoped she never had to again.

Prior to that fateful morning in the forest, facing Ah Ro across a sunlit stand of trees, Sook Myeong had believed herself hardened enough to carry out such a task. But when the moment was upon her, her arm had trembled. Revealing the heart beneath it. She was not as resolute as her mother had been. She recognized it as the weakness it was. It made her vulnerable to attack.

Was that why she was shaking in this man's gentle arms?

But she recognized what it was that compelled her to hold on to the prince. It was the tone of his voice. It was like a caress. No man had ever spoken to her in such a manner. Not even Seon Woo when he was letting her down easy. Easy for him. Not for her. She was still crying herself to sleep at night. Where no one could see. Deep down on the inside of her. Except...

...not last night.

After her infuriating encounter with the prince in the garden, she hadn't been able to sleep. Or to clear her mind of him. In fact, she hadn't thought of Seon Woo once as she lay in her bed last night. All her thoughts had been wrapped around one disturbing man.

Jong Su.

A man who smelled of the sea. Of freedom at its finest.