~ NEW ~ EXCERPT BELOW ~
Mulan dreamed of bringing honor to her family. Rescuing a cursed dragon emperor from the past wasn't part of the plan...
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After Bao had retreated back to the celebration, Mulan stepped inside her tent, the temporary refuge that had grown in time since her first days in the army. Glyphs inside cooled against the swelteringly hot months, while thick layers of waterproof skins insulated against the chilly winter.
It had been gifted to her upon receiving the rank of commander, spacious, unlike the squalid little personal shelter she’d slept in for over a year as a new recruit.
The inside had been cleaned, aired out, and prepared to her preferences. A bamboo stick in oil diffused the aroma of sweet jasmine and plum flower throughout the space, and a lantern glowed on a small table beside the altar where…
A naked man stood beside it.
Not just any man. Her strange, midnight visitor had to be the most handsome man she had ever seen, with long black hair coursing over his chiseled shoulders and down his back. He glanced up from the letter held in his hands—the most recent missive she had received from her mother and father, written with care to guard her true identity—and had the audacity to smile.
“Don’t scream—”
Mulan did not scream. She raced across the tent with her sword raised. The man weaved out of the way with impressive reflexes and maneuvered beyond the path of her next sword stroke. He moved like an acrobat, always one step ahead of her.
“Wait and let me explain.”
“Who are you?” she demanded, swinging again.
“How can I tell you if I am slain?” he shouted while fending her off, graceful in movements and footwork.
A good question. She paused, chest heaving with exertion. Every ounce of her self-control was divided between keeping her cool and not staring below his waist. “Who are you?” she repeated, her gaze dancing over his face again. He did wear one item, a white-silver band of metal circling his throat.
“I…believe my name is Cheng.”
“You believe? How could you not know your own name?”
“Because, until five minutes ago, I was the dragon statuette on your altar.”