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A weight materialized from nothing and crushed his chest as more doubts crept in. He was trying to come up with a plan to keep West with him, but it was possible that West was eager to be free of him after the danger was over.
“Dianxia?”
West’s gentle voice jerked him from his spiraling thoughts. He blinked and found West staring at him with a concerned gaze. His hand hovered just centimeters from his cheek but not touching, as if he were afraid.
“Are you all right? Should we try this tomorrow night? You’ve had a long day…”
Jin grabbed West’s hand and pressed it to his cheek before squeezing his eyes shut. “Sorry. I’m sorry. I got lost in some dark thoughts. I didn’t mean to waste your time.”
West surprised him by pressing his forehead against Jin’s. “No, Dianxia. Don’t. You’ve been worn thin with worry about your father and your kingdom. Now this rests on your shoulders. Never apologize for needing a moment.”
A little sliver of guilt wiggled through his chest. Not one of those things had been on his mind. It was too full of West. This man had become his bright spot of joy, and he was terrified of losing it.
“They’re adorable, aren’t they?” Ming Tao broke in, sounding so pleased, as if he’d arranged this himself.
“They really are,” Soren murmured.
“You should see them at breakfast. It’s sickening enough to kill your appetite,” Ming Tao continued.
“I never thought West had any soft edges, but with the crown prince, he’s actually squishy,” Ed added.
“I’ll show you that I’ve still got plenty of sharp edges,” West growled as he lifted his head and narrowed his gaze at his friend. Jin’s heart might have given a happy thump when West’s expression softened as he turned his eyes on him again. “You sure you’re okay?”
Jin nodded, unable to get any words past the tightness in his throat. Even better, West shifted closer, so they were touching from their knees to their shoulders. The sniper even placed an arm behind him and massaged the back of his neck, brushing away the last of the dark tension that had hummed through his frame.
“Your Highness,” Kairo began. He leaned toward Jin, his forearms resting on his knees. “West said you found the first contract. Do you mind if I ask how you came to even be aware of the dark web and the listings for assassins? I feel like that’s something that wouldn’t be common knowledge for most princes.”
Jin tugged a tense smile into place. He appreciated Kairo’s attempt to mask what happened and the need to protect his humiliating secret from his brother. “I learned about it from our technology specialist within the palace. She oversees all the computers, tablets, and phones that we use. About four months ago, she was upgrading all the software and security on our devices. We were chatting, and she was the one who told me about the dark web.”
West shifted next to him so that he could look Jin in the eye. “And she actually showed you how to get onto the dark web?”
He nodded. “She showed me their efforts to monitor certain areas to better protect our kingdom.” Pausing, Jin cleared his throat and folded his hands together. “As you may have seen in news reports, we’ve had growing concerns with some of our neighbors becoming more aggressive in recent months. The kingdom’s security forces have been watching for more…underhanded methods to weaken Gaoxing.”
“Like China trying to kill our crown prince,” Ming Tao snarled under his breath.
“Ming Tao!” Jin snapped.
“What? They were thinking it!” his brother countered, thrusting one hand at the other people in the room.
He was ready to shake some sense into his didi. They had to watch every word they said, as they could be so easily used to hurt others and start wars. Ming Tao knew this. Spending so much time out of the country was making him too relaxed and reckless. “They can think it. You aren’t allowed to say it out loud. Ever.”
“Safe space!” Ming Tao thrust one finger pointed at the ceiling into the air, as if he were proclaiming ownership of the room in the crown’s name.
“Forgive me, Your Highness,” Charlie broke in. “But we would like you and your brother to view this as a safe space. No one here will repeat what you’ve said.”
Jin clenched his teeth and closed his eyes. He took several steadying breaths, trying to calm the potent mix of anger and panic rising in his chest. West’s magical fingers worked wonders on his neck. “My brother and I thank you for that, and I never wish to steal a safe space from my brother. There are too few in our world. But even saying words like that is dangerous. Words can lead to careless actions. Careless actions end lives.” He opened his eyes and stared at Ming Tao. “Millions of lives. And it is our duty to protect and cherish every Gaoxing life.”
