Free Golden by Joely Sue Burkhart Page A

cuts even more, reopening the fragile scabs, but he was inside me, his body enfolded me, and I didn’t care that I bled again.
    Until I remembered the glorious imperial robe beneath me. I had already risked ruining the silk with my blood when I’d covered it with dragons. I tried to pull my hand free so I might slip the silk out, but he refused to let me move. “Your robe, Your Majesty. It’ll be ruined!”
    “No,” he growled, rubbing against me so hard I felt the warm trickle of blood down my ribcage. “The dragons will be complete, colored ruby as they ought to be.”
    Red dripped onto the golden silk, staining it beyond repair. I couldn’t help but cry out when another drop fell, spreading the stain upon his priceless imperial robe.
    Withdrawing, he flipped me over, dragging me back and forth across the silk before sliding back inside. His powerful thrusts pushed me across his bed, sliding the silk against my torn flesh. Bliss and agony, blood and sweat, he drove me to a towering climax and then released on a rumbling growl of pleasure.
    Panting, I barely winced as he rolled me to the side enough to pull the robe out from beneath us, but I couldn’t hide my horror at what we’d done to the gorgeous symbol of his power. Crinkled, stained, the robe couldn’t possibly be worn ever again.
    However, I was mistaken, for he wore it the very next day, and I daresay, he wore it more proudly with my bloodstains.

Chapter Nine
    Now the game was fully afoot, and ever more deadly since the Emperor had openly declared his interest in me. The Empress’s son was even less likely to be named heir apparent if I, too, as the Emperor’s favorite, produced a son. If her original plans included Ping’s assassination, she would need to devise something new. If she couldn’t eliminate me, then I should at least be bound to another so that the Emperor couldn’t officially make me his wife, let alone his Empress. As long as Ping lived, I was at least penned.
    All her rage and frustration would be centered upon me alone.
    The day her son, Prince Zhou, returned from the north flush with victory and soldiers from her family’s armies, my days were numbered. I positioned my spies carefully to catch the first sign of danger. I didn’t think she’d attempt a full overthrow of the Emperor, but she would definitely assassinate me and hope her son’s soldiers and family’s influence would stay the Emperor’s hand.
    I gave my spies careful instructions. I wanted to know anyone unusual who entered this wing of the palace, whether guard, new eunuch or one of the royal family. I didn’t expect the Empress to send another assassin, nor did I expect her to attempt poison again, though we were as vigilant as ever in both regards.
    When the maid came scurrying back, I never expected her to say that Prince Zhou was on his way.
    The Empress had evidently gone to the most powerful weapon in her arsenal to strike me down.
    My nurse and I locked gazes for a long heartbeat, and then without a word, we moved in unison to my sleeping area. I grabbed a short, slender sword and she lit candles. A quick whisper from my nurse sent the maid running from my room to safety, leaving no witnesses to where we went or what we did.
    I lifted a tapestry to reveal a small door. In moments, we were gone with no one the wiser.
    I had chosen this small, insignificant room from the very beginning because of its easy access to the old storage rooms. No one had used this wing for years, and it was my hope that a quick search wouldn’t reveal our hiding place. Just in case, we were careful to shut doors behind us silently, moving into the darkest realms of the palace, and stepped carefully to avoid disturbing decades of dust.
    We had been stashing supplies in a small room for months, so I wasn’t worried about a lengthy seclusion. My hope was that we’d quietly disappear. When the Emperor learned I was missing would he send determined searchers. Prince Zhou would be