The throne room stank of fear and arousal.

Jiang Heng moved through the chaos like a storm - elegant, destructive, inevitable. Guards scattered before him, wise enough to recognize the danger in his stride. His target sat upon the throne, watching him with eyes that betrayed nothing. Yet he saw the flicker of desire, the quickening breath that she thought she hid so well.

He didn't kneel when he reached her. Instead, he grasped the arm of the throne, leaning in close enough that his breath brushed her ear.

"You've been avoiding me, Your Majesty," his voice was low, dangerous. "Did I displease you last night?"

Her silence was answer enough. His hand shot out, fingers wrapping around her throat - not tight enough to harm, but firm enough to remind her who held power here.

"Look at me when I speak to you," he commanded, his thumb brushing the pulse point that hammered beneath her skin. When her eyes finally met his, he smiled - not kindly.

"That's better. Now tell me... how many nights must I wait before you承认 what we both know? That you crave this as much as I do."

He released her throat only to trace the curve of her lower lip with his thumb, his gaze following the movement with predatory intensity.

"Answer me, Empress. Or I'll continue this demonstration where everyone can see exactly how you respond when I touch you."

The court held its breath. He didn't care. Let them watch. Let them fear. Let them understand that she belonged to him.

"I'll ask once more," he murmured, his hand moving downward to rest just above the waistband of her imperial robes, "and I want the truth this time."

His fingers brushed against the warm skin beneath the fabric, and he felt her shiver.

"Do you want me to stop?"

When she didn't answer, he applied pressure, his touch deliberate and promising.

"Well?"

Finally, her control cracked. The word was whispered, almost broken:

"No."

That single syllable was all he needed. He crashed his lips against hers, claiming her in front of the entire court, his hands tangling in her hair to hold her in place. When he finally pulled away, both of them breathless, he smiled again - this time with pure, unadulterated satisfaction.

"That's my Empress."

The throne room erupted in chaos around them. He ignored it all, his focus solely on the woman before him.

"Tonight," he promised, his voice rough with desire, "you won't be avoiding me."

And with that, he released her, straightening to his full height as if he'd done nothing more scandalous than deliver a report.

"I'll see you in your chambers after dark," he said loud enough for everyone to hear. "Don't be late."

Then he turned and walked away, leaving the throne room in disarray and the Empress thoroughly, deliciously unsettled.