Word Count: 2156

The brittle cold greets me as I stalk outside, Marek following me.

The alleyway is empty, snow heaped up around my ankles. The shadows of night accompany the dull gaze of moonlight that allows me to scope the area, ensuring no one is out here to witness this. I'm not frightened, adrenaline and anger weighted beneath me as I twist my hand around to my back, the open slit in the dress allowing me to swiftly pull the knife out, clutching it tightly, hidden from Marek as I turn around.

He strolls out the building, the door quivering shut as he joins me in the snow, a curious hint in his eyes as he looks over me. He looks no different to how I remember him, although I don't let that trip me up. This man, this Summoner before me, is not the one I fell in love with. 

"Did Tai mention how ravishing you look?" He murmurs, gaze so perfectly tracing my body, as if he is remembering what it was like to run his hands along it. I didn't bring my coat out with me, but I'm not cold, fuelled by a hunger for revenge.

Without waiting for him to make the first move, I charge forward, pushing my forearms against his chest until I've driven his back into the cobblestone wall, snow raining down on us from a higher point as I press the blade of my knife against his throat. He freezes, not looking frightened, but I'll take some satisfaction in the surprise that he quickly smothers.

I doubt he figured how much stronger I've become. Not only have I been practicing my knife skills, but I can carry loads of wet washing for miles, can heave stacks of wood upstairs...I'm far from the Akara he underestimated all those months ago.

"I'm here alone," he murmurs steadily. Shaking his head slightly, snow tumbles from his bronze locks. He truly isn't as frightened that a knife is pressed tauntingly against his neck as I would like, despite the fact that I could kill him right now. He may be powerful, may have unspoken magic, but this is all I have, and I'm going to use it.

"How did you find me?" I demand.

We are so close my breath mingles with his, gazes never shifting. I can feel his muscles tense against me as I keep him pinned to the wall with my knife, my free hand pressed against the icy wall. Glancing down, I watch him swallow, the blade so close to piercing skin to reveal his Summoner blood. Instead of concentrating on the stomach churching thought of his pastel blue blood spilled across the snow, I keep my mind of getting answers from him.

"Akara, I'm alone," he insists, raising his dark brows as he refuses to remove his gaze from mine, the stinging blue so intense it's dizzying. "You can let me go."

I falter for a moment, realising he truly believes him being alone is enough for me to let him go. I'm more afraid of him than any other rebel, and yet he insists he can be trusted with such ease, like I should know this already. Marek won't kill me...He would have killed me the moment we stepped into the snow had that been his intention. Still, I can't trust him.

"Don't pretend like I have any reason to trust you," I growl, tightening my grip on the handle of the knife, ready to make any move needed to protect myself.

"I'm not here to hurt you," he assures me, his voice quiet, coaxing.

"Hurt me or not, you're surely going to drag me back to your rebel group," I snap, narrowing my eyes upon. I hope he cannot read my eyes and see how sad I am reciting that. I don't want him to think that his betrayal still haunts me, hoping he sees that there's not a hint of the feelings I once had for him still lingering within me.

"Let me go Akara," he murmurs again, this time firmer, demanding. His irises darken ever so slightly, never shifting their focus from my gaze. He may not be threatened by my knife, but I know it bothers him that I would have such a fast reaction, that I'm not cowering in fear from him.

I tilt the knife slightly, feeling it press deeper into his flesh. "One more word and-"

He doesn't allow me to finish my sentence, grabbing a hold of my wrist with one hand, pulling it down so the knife is no longer held against his neck. With his other hand, he grabs my waist, twisting me around in a movement so adept, so swift I can hardly register it, until my back is pressed against the wall behind me.

I gasp, my foggy breath blowing stray hairs from my face, wincing at the slick ice that coats the wall now pressed against my bare back. I had forgotten that I should be cold right now, fuelled by a hunger for revenge.

"Much more how I like it," Marek breathes, pinning my wrist to the wall, the knife still clutched in my hand. His other hand is pressed against the wall beside my head, daring me to move. "I let you have your fun, now shall we talk?"

I grit my teeth, frustration blooming at how quickly he unarmed me. "This is just a joke to you, isn't it? What about taunting me is so fun for you?"

His head is bowed as he looks at me, bronze strands raining down into his eyes. The way he holds my wrist, the way he looks at me as flashbacks of our night in the barn reappearing, my cheeks heating in response. Irritated by my reaction, I push against him, trying to kick out at him since he's rendered my arms useless, but he uses his body to restrain me also.

"Settle down Akara, you're not like this," he breathes, the intent in his voice firm. "I'm here to talk, not to hurt you, or to take you anywhere against your will."

Breathing out deeply, I cease my struggling.

Giving me a lasting look, he finally steps away from me, holding his hands up as he tracks back in the snow. My eyes fall upon his right hand, my knife clutched in his fist. I hadn't even realised he had gotten it from me. More frustration gathers up within me, but I manage it with slow breaths, feeling the glacial coolness of the wind in the absence of his body against me.

"What do you want then?" I question, rubbing my arms uneasily. Fighting isn't going to work, and neither is pressuring him for information. He will feed me what he desires in his own time.

His gaze softens, the moonlight touching his dark hair with a glaze of milkiness. "To talk to you. To see you."

"How did you find me?"

"I've been looking for months. It was clever of you to come here, knowing this would be the last place I would assume you would be," he admits, shoving his hands into his trousers as he leans back against the other wall, my knife now safely tucked away beneath his jacket. "It definitely took longer than I would have liked to find you. I was starting to doubt you were alive."

I angle my head, unflinching. I know better than to think he cares about whether I'm alive or not, assuming he is here just to find Tai. Perhaps he is making a stop to taunt me one last time before going to kill Tai...

"Doesn't matter now," I mutter quietly, turning my face away for a moment.

"The rebels don't know you're here. No one does but me," he assures me. I give a half shrug, knowing that doesn't matter. I'm more frightened of him than Vaia and her rebels. Does she plan to use his power against us? Maybe he is lying, trying to gain my trust before he can betray me one last time.

Or, maybe he is telling the truth...It's possible he is truly here just to speak to me.

"And I'm meant to believe you?"

"No, I would hope you wouldn't, knowing how sensible you are," he exhales, pushing off the wall. I stiffen as he stalks forward. "But I needed to say it."

"If you're not here to hurt me, then what do you want? Really? I'm assuming it's just to taunt me," I murmur breathlessly. He's done a wonderful job of it already tonight, leaving me flushed and embarrassed at my attempt to threaten him. Even standing here in this midnight purple dress, I feel utterly foolish.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay, that you weren't injured," he admits, gaze dipping to look over me again, as if he may have missed it the first time. Injured? Does he know that Vaia stabbed me and intended to kill me? It doesn't seem so, which means no one will know about Tai's healing ability. "And I wanted to apologise."

I'm unable to help myself as I straighten, twisting my ring around my finger. "Why them? What about their desires made you decide you wanted to ally with them over me?"

He pauses, lips parting slightly as a shadow passes over his eyes, that facade shattered for a single moment before it's artfully resurrected. He looks as though he didn't expect that he would have to explain to me about why he decided to align with Vaia and betray me and Tai. I'm not sure there would be much he could say for me to forgive him...he supports a woman who stabbed me.

"Nothing I can say, right now," he claims, shoulders tense and rigid suddenly. "That would be giving away all our tricks."

There's something dark in those words. His tone suggests he's teasing, but his eyes flicker with something else entirely. What is he risking by being here? I suddenly believe that Vaia and the rest of them have no idea that he is here.

"If that is true, you'll leave," I say confidently. If he is telling the truth, he won't hurt Tai.

When he doesn't reply, I release a long breath, walking back towards the entrance of the hall. "You can't hide from me forever Akara."

I glance back at him, trying not to flinch as he advances on me again. "Watch me."

"You can't hide anymore, they will find and kill you," he explains, his expression drawn, although a sense of desperation seeps through. Fear blossoms within me. The threat of Vaia and the rebels is nearing, whether Marek is telling the truth or not. For whatever reason he is here, I know his words are the truth. We won't be hidden for much longer.

Still, I narrow my eyes, reaching for the doorknob. "Don't act like you care."

"Move Akara, take Tai and flee elsewhere," he demands, taking another step forward in the snow melting beneath our feet.

"Never come near me again, Marek," I tell him firmly. I'm not sure if my emotions can handle seeing him a second time. If he were to vanish from my life completely, it would be for the best, even if a dark, painful sense of longing within me disagrees.

"I need to go," he says lowly, glancing over his shoulder as if fearful he is fearful our conversation is being listened in on. "Promise me you'll leave."

I shake my head, even if I know I can't stay here any longer. He's introduced himself to my friends, uncovered my entire backstory, meaning he likely knows where we live. Now he's a threat, even if he has announced he isn't one. I'm not going to believe him, not after what he has done.

"Just so you can find me again?" I question, trying to sound firm, but I just sound breathless.

His gaze is steady on me, nodding slightly. "I'll keep an eye on you."

I don't have a chance to reply, as he turns around, disappearing around the corner, the only evidence he was there in the flutter in my heart, in the footsteps melted into the snow.

I shiver, my blood cold. And not because of the weather.

❤️••❤️

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 💜🐼