Golden by Joely Sue Burkhart Read Free Book Online Page B

fingers pressed against my pulse. I breathed calmly and deeply, letting him assess my health. “How does your stomach fare this evening? Any pain or sickness?”
    The antidote had worked with only a minor headache. A small price to pay for my life and the life of my unborn son. My nurse assured me that neither my herb nor the Empress’s would harm him, but it was a risk I did not care to take again. I must neutralize her threat as soon as possible.
    Tattling to the Emperor, however, was not the best option. “Not at all, Your Majesty.”
    Unrelenting, he raised his hand to my throat, cheeks and forehead. The slight tremor in his fingers made my throat tighten. “And your appetite is normal?”
    I smiled and rubbed my face deeper into his palm. “Did I not eat every scrap of food you offered, Your Majesty?”
    He pulled me close and pressed his chin against my forehead, his favorite way to show his affection for me. “You did. My stomach was afraid you might decide to sample my plate as well.”
    I treasured these simple, quiet moments with him. I had no idea how often he dined with his Empress or any of his other women. My pride insisted he surely only dined with me.
    He didn’t always punish me, but he always ate something with me, even when the hour was late and he’d entertained his council or dignitaries. He still found the time to eat with me. So when an attendant scurried up to our table, bowed low and offered a scroll, I had a difficult time suppressing my disappointment.
    I could tell by way that his eyebrows drew together that it was not good news.
    “Shall I retire to my room, Your Majesty?”
    He smiled, his eyes darkening with the familiar shadow of desire that made me shiver. “No. I don’t expect to be gone too long. I would regret missing my dessert this evening.”
    Blushing, I rose with him, unsure what to say. It would be strange to be alone in his chambers. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.
    “When I return, I expect to find you naked in my bed.”
    I bowed low. “As you will, Your Majesty.”
    I kept the position until the attendants slid the door back into place. Their footsteps echoed down the hallway, but all too quickly, silence reigned. How long would I have? Should I disrobe immediately, or wait a few minutes? I couldn’t imagine lying naked for an hour or two, waiting for him to return.
    But I didn’t dare still wear a single patch of silk when he returned.
    I dropped my hands to begin disrobing, but something bothered me. Hairs prickled at the base of my neck, as though a minor draft ruffled my hair. A draft in the middle of the private and extensive imperial chambers? Unless His Majesty had decided to leave open every entry to his courtyard, I thought it highly unlikely.
    I untied my sash, carefully slipping my two favorite blades into my palms. Casually, I hummed beneath my breath and slowly moved toward his bed, even though my heart pounded like a thousand Mongols at full charge. A slow turn to casually scan the room as I slipped off the outer robe indicated nothing alarming. All the doors were shut. None of the tapestries rustled against the walls. Yet that prickling sensation came again, a fleeting warning.
    The attack will be from above.
    Drilling with General Wan for years had honed my instincts. Refusing to look up, I waited until my nape screamed with urgency. How many assassins had the Empress sent? One, I was confident I could handle at least this first time, because no one expected me to know how to protect myself. More than one assassin, though, and the Emperor would likely return to find my bloody corpse on his rugs.
    At the last possible moment before my nerves erupted into a firestorm, I threw myself to the floor, rolled upon my back and tossed the first knife at the black shape hovering six inches above where my head would have been. I didn’t stop to think. I tossed the second knife before the first even landed.
    A man crashed onto the floor. Blood sprayed