Page 50 of King Foretold
“Can you repeat that?” I croak. “I wasn’t listening.”
The old instinct to run rams against my skull, trying to break free. I shove my hand through my hair, digging my fingers into my scalp. I can’t run. I have to stop Daeseong. I have tofight. But I’m not ready. The rune on my back burns, feeding on my fear and panic, and I’m tempted to give in to the bloodlust just to stop being afraid.
“Where is the dark mudang?” Ethan places a heavy hand on my bouncing knee. He thinks I’m strong enough to handle this. He doesn’t want me to be kept in the dark about Daeseong. I appreciate the gesture of respect, but he cannot be more wrong.
I am not strong enough. For any of this.
“Los Angeles.” Hailey waves a weary hand at her haute couture attire. “We infiltrated a fundraising gala held by the Jaenanpa, ostensibly to raise money for the preservation of Korean American cultural heritage.”
The blood drains from my face, down my arms, to the tips of my cold fingers until I feel sapped of life. The dark mudang alone is terrifying. But Daeseong allied with the Jaenanpa is so much worse. I’m hardly breathing. My heart rate slows to a bare minimum, like my body is pretending to be dead.
“What were they actually doing?” Captain Seo asks.
“Promising rich, bored humans a taste of real magic.” Jaeseok grunts in disgust, then pulls out a cell phone from his pocket. “Daeseong headlined the dinner show, and I taped his finale.”
The Jaenanpa is made up of corrupt, bloodthirsty shamans. They torture and kill beings of the Shingae to usurp their magic. The upper echelon of the faction brainwashes their minions into a frothing frenzy by convincing them they’re fighting for equality between the human world and the Shingae. There is nothing more dangerous than a mob of psychopaths who believe their atrocities are justified.
“We don’t get cell service in this realm, but hopefully, magic and technology will play nice enough for me to show you this video.” Everyone gathers around the table as Jaeseok coaxes his cell phone to play back the video. “The humans wanted a taste of true desolation, so Daeseong drenched the ballroom in darkness for them. If I could just get this damn thing to work ...”
The dokkaebi succeeds after five tries, and even then, the footage freezes every other second and the audio is half static. It’s a small miracle that the cell phone is working at all in a realm with this much magic.
I glance at Draco, who sits alone at the edge of the raised floor. They don’t talk about it much, but they’ve said enough for us to know that the Jaenanpa killed their father. The magic thieves kill their prey in the most gruesome, horrific ways possible. They believe suffering makes the magic stronger. If Draco witnessed even a glimpse of what they did to their father ...
I flinch when the humans in the recording gasp in horrified delight, and a tremor starts deep in my chest. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to get my mind and body under control.
Draco must want vengeance. I don’t blame them, but I can’t let them get blood on their hands. I can’t ... My teeth clack together as the shivering spreads to my limbs. I think I’m going into shock.
The dark shamans are as evil as they come, but they’re still human. The kid doesn’t understand that taking even a single life will alter them forever—and not for the better. Draco ... The edges of my vision go black, but I fight to stay alert.
“They make me sick to my stomach,” Jaeseok growls, putting away his phone.
“Why did Daeseong join forces with the Jaenanpa?” Draco snarls, their gorgeous young face set in stone. “He doesn’t need their help.”
“Maybe he does.” Jihun’s voice sounds far away, even though he’s sitting right next to me. “He might need their help to continue his mission for the Amheuk because he hasn’t fully recovered from his standoff with Sunny. She nearly destroyed him at Heaven Lake.”
“Do we know his next move?” Ethan asks, then glances over at me. His eyes widen in alarm, and he gives my thigh a reassuring squeeze. Or is he seeking reassurance? Either way, I barely feel his touch.
“Not yet,” Hailey says, “but we’re watching him closely.”
“We’ll keep everyone updated,” Jaeseok adds.
“Thank you, Lieutenant.” With an arm around my waist, Ethan tugs me to a stand with him. My legs are practically useless, and I sag against him.
“What’s wrong with her?” Jihun leaps to his feet. “Sunny—”
“My lord.” Jihun’s man of business bows from his waist, standing at the bottom of the steps to the main hall. “General Bak will arrive at his estate shortly.”
“Shit.” Ethan shifts me in his arms and ducks his head to meet my eyes. “Sunny, I can’t tell you everything will be okay, but we’ll face whatever lies aheadtogether. You will not be alone. I swear to you.”
I try to nod, but I’m trembling too hard. I hold his gaze, wanting him to know I believe him.
“You must hurry, Your Highness.” Jihun gently extracts me from Ethan’s arms.
“Take care of her, Captain,” Ethan says flatly, dropping his hands from my body. Then with a tender smile, he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’ll see you soon, Sunny.”
I make a soft, whimpering noise when he walks off into the night. With Ethan gone, my fear threatens to drown me. At least the word of power stopped burning across my back. Or maybe I just can’t feel it anymore because my body is shutting down.
“She’s in shock.” Minju lightly presses her fingers against the base of my throat. “I can barely feel her pulse.”
