King (The Dragon King Chronicles #3)

Seung called Kira over frantically. “What do I serve her for dinner?” he asked anxiously. “If she doesn’t like what we have to eat, will she get hungry for something else?” His eyes had gotten round and panicky.

Kira swallowed a snort of laughter. “Don’t worry, Seung. I promise she won’t attack any of the men in our group.”

After reassuring him, she saw that Gom wasn’t frightened of Nara. He went over to sit by the kumiho, evidently fascinated by her. She smiled down at the dokkaebi and scratched his head, sending him into blissful raptures.

Kira noticed Jaewon slipping away. Seeing that Nara was now conversing with Taejo and Brother Woojin, she followed him.

She found him not too far away, sitting on a fallen log. He was carving a piece of wood again. It was a small statue of what looked like an animal.

“Why’d you run away?” she asked.

He refused to meet her eye.

“I needed a moment to myself,” he said.

“You didn’t even stick around to see Shin Bo Hyun and his army.”

“There was no need for me to be there.”

“You could have at least greeted him.”

“I don’t believe he cares if I greet him or not.”

“You’re probably right,” she said. “Well, then, I’ll leave you alone.”

“You seem overly happy to see your betrothed again,” he griped at her.

Kira’s temper flared up. “First of all, he’s not my betrothed! And secondly, I thought he’d died trying to save us. Of course I’m happy to see him! What kind of ridiculous comment is that?”

She turned to leave, but Jaewon put up a hand to stop her. “Tell me I have nothing to worry about, and I will believe you.”

“I don’t even know what you are worried about in the first place! Stop being ridiculous!”

With that, she stormed away, returning to the campsite in a fury.

“What’s put you in such a foul mood?” Nara asked.

Kira didn’t answer, walking out of earshot of the others. Nara followed her, watching as Kira paced back and forth.

“Someone’s in a lot of trouble,” Nara remarked.

“Kim Jaewon is an ass,” Kira fumed. “I don’t understand him. How was I supposed to react when seeing Shin Bo Hyun?”

The kumiho smiled. “You really have no idea about men,” she said.

Kira arched an eyebrow. “I’ve spent my entire life surrounded by men. What’s there to know?”

“You really need a female friend,” Nara observed.

“I have you,” Kira said.

Nara sighed. “I’m not quite the same, but I guess I’ll have to do.”

She reclined lazily against a large boulder. “Human emotions are so fascinating. Don’t you see? He’s insanely jealous.”

“Jealous of what?”

“Because you are attracted to Shin Bo Hyun,” Nara said.

Kira turned on the kumiho. “What? Are you crazy? I am most definitely not attracted to him!”

The kumiho gave her a wicked glance. “I’ve seen your thoughts, Kang Kira.”

“Aish! Get out of my head, Nara!”

“We are connected. I can sense all your strongest thoughts, my friend.”

“Then something is wrong with your senses because I don’t like Shin Bo Hyun!”

“You don’t have to like someone to find them attractive,” Nara said.

“Don’t be ridiculous! I would never have anything to do with him!”

“Why not? He is such a fine figure of a man,” Nara purred. “I find him irresistible.”

Kira gave her a dark look. “You sound like all the court ladies that used to fawn over him. That’s his problem. He knows too well how irresistible he is.”

“Is that your problem? To be honest, I find a self-confident man so much more attractive than a man who is awkward and jealous like Kim Jaewon.”

“There’s nothing wrong with Jaewon!” Kira lashed out. “He is a great man, a far better one than Shin Bo Hyun could ever hope to be! I would take him over Shin any day!”

“Then you should tell him that yourself,” Nara replied, “because that is what he wishes to hear.”

Kira opened her mouth to object and then closed it quickly. Heaving a big sigh, she sat down next to Nara.

“The thing is, I really do care about Jaewon so much. I can’t imagine life without him,” Kira confided. “But he is a distraction that I don’t need right now. I don’t want to be thinking about him when I have so much I need to focus on. I have so much pressure on me that it makes me nauseous to think about it. And then he’ll come along and make me laugh and forget about everything except these feelings he stirs up inside me. I get all confused and I lose focus.”

“So you do love him,” Nara said, her eyes gleaming in triumph.

“I don’t know, I guess so,” Kira said. “But I’m not ready to tell him. I’m supposed to be the Dragon Musado. I’m supposed to stop the daimyo and the Demon Lord, and there’s a strong chance I won’t survive the coming war. He’s been through so much pain, and I don’t want to hurt him.”

“Kira, my dear girl, there’s no way around that,” Nara said with a pitying look. “Anything you do is going to hurt him.”