It was one of those cold evenings, colder than most when I shivered violently in bed trying to force myself to sleep. Sleep had been illusive and evaded me since my husband passed away, I'm afraid I don't sleep anymore.

It's hard to believe it has been over a year since Hoon passed away, a year since he left me, a year since my life started falling apart. Without him, I have no husband to protect me, keep me away from harm.

The door opened slow and careful. A man dressed in a heavy plated uniform walked inside. My head lifted, just slightly, enough to peek a quick look at him but it was impossible since it had been very dark inside. I learned not to fear the darkness and embraced its friendliness more than Yuan.

"What're you doing here? You know you're not allowed inside, you better turn around and walk right out that door before I tell the emperor!" I tried to sound sharp and in control even thought my heart pounded inflicted with uncertainty of what he might do to me.

The guardsman stepped forward keeping his controlled pace as he moved toward me. That's when I noticed the distinctive eloquence in his motion, the way he walked was elegant, he walked with pride, like a prince, unlike the guardsmen that's been tasked to guard the door.

The unknown guardsman took my hand to brush a kiss across my knuckles. His plump lips were soft and warm on my skin, bringing some sort of familiar chill running down my spine.

I moved my hand from his grip, but his brave hands only re-positioned themselves to my hips. Brave and unapologetic, his arms snaked around reeling me scandalously closer to his side.

"Who are you?" I hissed.

A single finger pressed on my lips as he urged me to be quiet. "Hush, you don't want people to hear us. You don't want people to know I'm here."

The sound of his seductive voice tickled my ears, it made my stomach jump and my heart raced. I could not mistake his voice for anyone. Who else could it be? Who else would be brave enough to simply walk in here without thinking of the consequence?

He brought his mouth over to my mouth and kissed me tenderly as soft as whisper of his promise of loving me forever. My chest fluttered as I kissed him back passionately.

Julong's kiss deepened, his mouth dropped lower and caressed my tongue harder, hungrier, tasting me.

He pulled back and placed his lips lingering at the delicate corner of my jaw and neck and I know this is only going to lead into nothing but a night of well cherished reunion.

We missed each other, terribly so, that my hands seemed to have a mind of their own. "Julong." I whispered with eager hands exploring and fumbling all over his hardened body.

I slid my hands lower and beneath every annoying fabric that's getting in the way and suddenly his body had become hot and his kiss became devouring, savage, ravaging me as though he had been so eager for me just the same way.

We've forgotten about the world around us. Julong had not cared about the chances of him getting caught with me, and I have not cared either.

His mouth crashed into mine. Julong tasted like forbidden lover's affair, and hidden pleasure that we found ourselves always tucked away in a closet or in the darkness hiding away from the world as we made our love happen.

Every solid inch of him pressed against every soft curving piece of my body. His fingers knotted against my clothes careful not to rip them off while my own hands clutched into him pulling him to me, harder, needier, and impatiently.

I whimpered.

He groaned.

It was the sort of the night we could live in forever, the sort of night worth dying for. At long last he was here, and I waited for him for a long time. I don't even know how he managed to infiltrate this palace without getting notice but that was my furthest concern right now. I wanted him, and he wanted me, and the rest could wait.

Julong pressed into me eagerly, hungry as he couldn't wait anymore.

It was a breathless fifteen minutes of rough incredible union as we laid together panting to catch our breathes.

"Julong..." I began, this hardly the right time to bring this up but Hoon supersede everything else. "Yuan has Hoon."

He turned over and kissed my lips again. "I know," his voice soft as a whisper as he brought his lips pressed to my ear. "I know where he has Hoon, I've been trying to get to him. It took a long time for me to find where you are, but I came here as soon as I found out."

"You need to go, you're not safe here. Yuan might find you. He means you harm."

"Yes, I know Jasmine, but it's you I'm concerned about. He will not hurt Hoon, Yuan had him protected and taken care of like he's his own. He won't hurt me since he won't risk the wrath of our entire family. I have powerful relatives that could form an alliance to overthrow him. But you..." He clashed his mouth to my lips again. "He will not hesitate to kill you."

He paused, and I could've made sure I heard Julong growled. "You're mine, Jasmine. And each time I couldn't get to you, it drove me nuts because I knew that you're here suffering under eldest brother's hands. It broke me. Those days when I don't hear news about you from my spies, I thought I was going to go insane."

I felt his face twisted into an angry scowl. "And that baby he calls his son, that baby is mine too. Eldest brother has my entire family, he kept my family hostage for leverage. He can threaten me with your life and he knew I would be desperate enough to bend to his wishes."

My heart stopped. "How are we going to get out of here?"

I looked over the door but noticed the silence on the other side of it. Julong might've done something to clear the path already.

"No one is watching that door anymore, Jasmine."

He clashed his tasty lips into mine again and I sucked it in with my teeth. Julong groaned in my throat. "I have a plan. I'll get you and Hoon out of here as soon as I can but it's not going to be easy. I need to get you out first."