Word Count: 1915

I don't look over my shoulder until I've weaved through a few streets and emerged back onto the main road further into town.

Marek will be following me...I know he is. I just have to get back to Elan as soon as possible. I doubt Marek will appear when I with someone else, since he hasn't done so before, and as Kailor's personal guard, Marek may be intimidated by Elan. Although I doubt it. I can imagine how a stand-off between those Summoner's would go.

No one takes much notice of me as I walk down the cobblestone streets, pulling my hood up over my head some more. Everyone here is going about there day, looking similar to those from my village. I'm no amongst extreme wealth in this village like I am back at Kailor's estate.

Suddenly, from the corner of my eyes, I glimpse a flash of red hair disappear into a nearby shop.

Nakoa.

"Nakoa...What are you doing out here?" I call out, crossing the street to open the glass door. It's a clothing store of some sort, although not the clothing I would assume Nakoa would have any interest in wearing.

Right before I can grasp the handle, a figure steps in front of me. Stumbling back, I'm momentarily confused at who I'm looking at, the familiarity of them hitting me for a moment, although I can't quite grasp who they are.

"Don't bother. She doesn't trust you," she says, pulling her hand out in front of me, stopping me from following Nakoa inside. I frown, realising I do know who this girl is, with her dark hair, dark eyes and pretty face.

"You're the musician girl," I exclaim, remembering her brave retort to the King when she went off King.

"Clea," she introduces, extending her hand. I shake it lightly, unsure of what she is doing out here in this town, defending Nakoa. I remember the way they exchanged glances, like old friends sharing a silent joke. I remember being envious. "I have family in this village. Whenever Nakoa can get out of the King's clutches, I take her here to buy clothing and to have an ounce of freedom."

I glance over her shoulder, Nakoa now nowhere to be seen. "Is she your friend?"

"Yes," she mutters warily, raising a challenging eyebrow at me. Her eyebrows are dark and thick, taking up a good portion of her forehead. She really is quite pretty, in a rougher way than Nakoa. "You don't have any friends, do you?"

I bite the inside of my cheek, surprised I'm unbothered by how audacious she is, right to my face. She's right, and in doing so, is leaving me speechless for a moment, and then defensive, despite my admitted ease around her.

"I have Tai....And Zavian," I tell her firmly. Tai is most definitely my friend, but Zavian...I still haven't even spoken to him since I saw him feeding from Tani blood. Calling him my friend may be a stretch.

"It's okay, I don't mind being your friend, although Nakoa may be harder to convince," Clea admits.

I stare at her for a long moment. That's all it takes to acquire her as my friend?

"I don't trust her either," I confide, glancing over my shoulder to see if I'm still being pursued by Marek. He's nowhere to be seen, although I imagine he is close by, watching. "I don't trust anyone close to the King."

"She doesn't want to be, but to remain honourable and to feed money back into her family, she has no other choice," Clea defends, the bite to her tone undeniable. It's clear she is close to Nakoa, and protective over her. Even if Clea claims she will be my friend, she won't be putting me in front of Nakoa any time soon.

"Does she know you tell everyone her secrets," I ask flatly. This is the most information I've received about Nakoa since meeting her.

I decide not to mention what those Noble's had done to me last time I saw them.

"You're not just anyone, Akara," Clea says nudging me. I hadn't realised she was holding a bag, packed full of clothing and food that doesn't look as though it won't fit in back at the estate. "And it's no secret."

I look over my shoulder again, anxious. "I should go."

Before I have a chance to turn away, Clea grabs my arm, her grip so tight it makes me flinch. I feel bare without my weapons strapped to me, so I'm especially on edge. Not to mention Marek is somewhere nearby, probably waiting for me to be alone before approaching me. Not that having my weapons around Marek would make much of a difference.

"Tai...Tai is a kind man, Akara," Clea says lowly, the seriousness that overshadows her expression making me shiver. "But we all have demons."

I pause, something about the way she says that digging under my skin, pulsing through my veins. No one ever talks about Tai apprehensively. Everyone loves him, and there is a reason for that. He is kind, open and loyal, and never treats someone bad unless they deserve it, or he has no other choice.

"What do you mean by that?" I ask, fiddling with the edge of my hood.

"His mother...Has passed," she tells me. Despite already knowing that, my heart sinks. He told me he lost both his mother and his brother, which must be common knowledge to his own people. Clea is clearly a Jade Province member, which means she would have heard about to when it happened.

"Oh," I say flatly. "We all have demons. Some bigger than others."

My demon just so happens to be chasing me down right now, or at least that's what I suspect Marek is doing. What he intends to speak to me about, I'm not sure. Tai was right about him showing up here, and now I have to decide whether I tell him about it or not.

"Just be careful, okay?" she says, before turning, walking into the store after Nakoa.

I watch her go, wondering if I truly ever will be able to trust Nakoa or not. Right now though, I need to get to Elan, who will be waiting on the outskirts of town, and put some distance between Marek and I while I'm at it.

***

Elan isn't at our meeting spot when I arrive.

The forest is dead still, as I stand in the centre of the clearing, looking up through the canopy ay the sky. This isn't ideal, being alone out here, even if I don't trust my Summoner bodyguard. Every rustle or flutter of leaves has me looking over my shoulder, anticipating Marek appearing out of nowhere.

Leaning against the trunk of a tree, I tap my fingers against my leg incessantly, bored already from my waiting.

A sound nearby makes me flinch. The quiet murmur of voices.

"This can't be right," someone says, emerging into the clearing. Pushing off the tree, I examine three men walking toward me. They are all different in their appearance, although very obviously from the Jade Province.

"Who are you?" I question lightly, hoping they are just passing through, happening to run into this clearing by chance, and will move on without a second thought.

However, they each exchange glances, one folding their arms over their chest. Are these Kailor's men? They don't look like the tall, fit soldier's he has at his disposal, instead looking like average men who probably came from the village.

"It's her. I know it's her," one of them says, voice rough and deep. "Kill her."

Panic settles in deep as they begin to approach me. My finger brushes my side, looking for the knife I usually have strapped there. Instead, I touch nothing, realising with dread that I gave my weapons to the lady at the bar, and that I'm completely helpless against them. I'm going to have to rely on my own skills, which aren't as good as my knife skills, although hopefully are enough to get me out of here.

The first man who comes at me, is thinner, younger looking. Grimly, I note the flash of a knife in his hand.

He slashes at me, missing to the point he stumbles forward slightly, under estimating his own strength. It gives me a chance to pull back and punch him straight in the face. My knuckles sting in protest, the man rearing back, blood immediately pouring from his face.

I don't get a chance to get the first hit with the next guy who grabs me, fingers digging mercilessly into my skin. I growl, trying to wrestle away from him as he tugs me to him, holding me against his body. I feel his heat, smell his sweat. He doesn't have a weapon, but his grip is so tight it hurts.

Throwing myself forward, I send myself and the man onto the ground. He's heavier than me, landing with a thud right beside me. I go to crawl away, but he grabs my leg, trying to wrench me right toward him.

A glimpse of green flashes in my gaze as the other man stands over me, drawing his bat over his head. It slams down, right beside my head as I flinch away, just in time. The sound of the wood hitting the ground thunders through me, having caught my hair, but thankfully nothing else.

Shaken by my near death, I don't have a chance to dodge the man whose face I punched hands, which grab my arms, restraining me down against the ground. The second man has my legs still, breathing heavily. And the third rears his bat up again, looking down at me with cruel, dark eyes.

My eyes squeeze shut, anticipating pain, unconsciousness...But nothing.

Opening my eyes again, I gasp, a spray of blood raining down on me from the man with the bat's, whose neck is viciously slit. He's shoved to the side, body falling down to the ground limply. I yelp, the man holding my feet so surprised, his grip loosens, allowing me to kick him in the jaw. He curses, flinching away, but not far enough to avoid my second kick that lands in between his eyes. He slumps back, unconscious.

When I look at the final man, I don't see him standing, but also dead on the ground, my saviour pulling their knife from the man's chest, looking down at me.

I'm dead silent, watching them stride confidently toward the unconscious man. They don't hesitate, grabbing the man's hair, pulling it back before drawing their knife to their neck. I look away, not wanting to watch.

At first, I thought it was Elan, finally appearing at our meeting spot. But instead, I'm looking at Marek.

Great.

💛••💛

If you guys want to read ahead, you can read more of KING'S SEDUCTION on Radish! It's chapters ahead of Wattpad (:

You'll will find it under KING'S POSSESSION on Radish, as season 2!

🌼••🌼

I'm officially rewriting Alpha Jasper's story now on Radish! It will be following the same storyline with the same characters, but with revised scenes and some new ones!

I love Jasper's story so much that I wanted to go back and rewrite it. I hope you guys will enjoy it, you can find it now on Radish (:

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~Midika 💜🐼