Word Count: 1817

I walk down the hallway toward Tai's room, having not spoken to him since last night in his workshop room. It's afternoon now, after I spent all morning hiding away in my room, not wanting to risk bumping into anyone.

Yet it seems now I may be out of luck, as I look up to see a figure approaching, likely heading back downstairs to all of the main rooms. For a moment I don't recognise them, until I realise it's Elan, the Summoner I stabbed in the arm after he pretended to be Zavian. He wears a dark shirt, arm bandaged.

Dipping my gaze to the floor, I hold my breath to walk past him. I didn't know he was staying here, especially in the royal quarters. As I step aside for him to pass, he also steps, right in front of me, causing me to startle.

"You flinched," he comments, the amusement in his tone unmissable.

I back up a few steps, painting my expression neutral. The last thing I desire is to let him know that I'm afraid of him and what he knows about me. Especially since he's a Summoner. Next time he wants to use his powers, I may not be so lucky in anticipating it.

"You frightened me," I say smoothly, swallowing uncomfortably.

"You're scared of me," he notes, eyes stripping my bare, daring me to reveal all. He is probably curious as to why I'm more frightened of him than he is of me, especially since I'm the one who stabbed him in the arm. "Why?"

"You look like someone I know," I murmur. I realise he will know who I am talking about, since he is hired to protect Kailor, and the biggest threat to the King is the infamous Hunter. "I'm not exactly a fan of Summoner's."

Now that I'm in close proximity to him, he doesn't actually look very much like Marek. His hair is a darker hue, as is his eyes. There is more marking on his head, suggesting he finds it easy to blend in here without being accused of being a Summoner.

"Kailor hired me to protect him from the hunter," Elan admits, as if I didn't already suspect. "He has heard rumours about him."

"What rumours?"

"Those he worked with say he's stronger, smarter and better than all the rest of the hunters that worked for Tai," he tells me.

There's something accusatory in his tone, like he is saying it as some kind of question. He wants to know if that observation is correct, whether he should be keenly awaiting Marek's arrival. For some bizarre reason, my first reaction is to protect Marek, to not divulge anything to Elan. That is until I realise I'm trusting the wrong person. I should be sharing all I can to help Elan take down Vaia and Marek if possible.

"He has powers that I've personally never seen," I admit, folding my arms over my chest protectively.

"Yet you had a relationship with him," Elan asks bluntly.

My breath hitches. What Marek and I had could be considered a relationship, in some respects, yet we never swore to be each others partners. Had the situation been different, perhaps that fact may have changed.

"I was close to him, yes, but not that close. He was always careful not to tell me much about him that he didn't think I needed to hear," I concede. Elan doesn't need to know about the intimate moments Marek and I shared when knowing each other.

"He sounds cunning," Elan comments. My stomach sinks, wondering if he thinks I'm weak and pathetic for allowing Marek to seduce me. "He will be no threat to Kailor, or anyone else here."

"You're going to need more than just one Summoner," I tell him assuredly.

If there's anything I know, it's that Elan isn't going to be enough to take down Marek alone. Whatever magic Marek has, Elan can't compete with it if he's a normal Summoner. Kailor surely knows that, which means Elan may not be his only way of protecting himself.

Elan's eyes glitter coldly. "I can assure you, Akara. Here, he cannot get to you."

I go to argue, yet keep my mouth shut. I don't want to tell him that Marek has made contact with me, as it will only make him more suspicious of me. Right now, the last thing I need to do is have Elan looking any deeper into my life.

"You remind me of him," after a moment's hesitation.

"I am a Summoner."

"I don't think you will be able to keep Marek away from me. He won't stay away," I decide to admit. What Marek wants with me, I don't know, and I'm frightened to ask. Maybe it's to gain my trust, or to eventually bring me to Vaia...I'm not sure, yet it haunts my every waking moment.

"I don't think you're telling Tai, or anyone the full truth," he replies knowingly, crossing his arms over his chests as he looks over me. He's suspicious of me, and I'm not going to be able to rid of that too easily. "There is something more going on."

"Are you accusing me of being apart of the rebel group?" I ask lowly, narrowing my eyes.

He breathes in deeply, the smugness in his expression gathering irritation inside me. "I'm not finished investigating you."

"Marek and I were close, yes, but he betrayed me. I have nothing but resentment for him, and want to have nothing to do with him," I tell him firmly, stepping forward enough in hopes he can see that I'm not going to let him easily intimidate me. "So do you job, and stop questioning me, and keep the hunter away."

He looks as though he wants to continue pressing me, baiting information out of me, but his mouth settles into a straight line, and he nods mutely.

"Noted."

I don't give him much more than a glance before I turn away, walking down the hallway toward Tai's room.

***

A couple days passed by quickly, as I fought to avoid Kailor and Elan while sticking to Tai's side as much as possible.

Most days I spend attempting to write again, to get a grasp back on what my life was like before the rebel overthrow, yet ideas struggle to come to me. My mind is clouded with my own sad reality, about what Kailor plans, what is going to transpire between Tai and I, and where Marek is.

Most nights I've been able to sneak outside, to feel the cool grasp of night without wandering too far out. Kailor's manor backs onto a forest, so I simply sit on the grass, staring out into the trees as if one day they may speak back to me, and tell me how I am meant to deal with this all.

Yet something about tonight is different.

The moment I sit down, the grass dewy beneath me, I get the sense that someone else is out here with me. Squinting toward the forest, I fight through the darkness and dense shadows to see who is lingering along the treeline, just out of my view.

My throat goes dry. What if it's Marek?

Inhaling slowly, I get to my feet, stalking carefully across the grass toward the treeline. If this is Marek, I should be running in the opposite direction, yet I'm compelled to keep walking.

The moment I reach the treeline, I can see a figure bent down in distance, one hand pressed against the tree trunk in front of them, the other busy with whatever they are occupied with on the ground. I frown, approaching quietly, trying to make out who it is.

I don't see who it is until they startle at the sound of my footsteps against the crisp fallen leaves. They look up, eyes wide and frightened as they drink in the sight of me, black hair that is usually well-styled all mussed and unkempt. But most telling, is the blood dripping from their mouth, pastel green in colour.

"Zavian? What are you doing?" I gasp, backing away a few steps.

"Akara, you shouldn't be out here..." he mutters, voice hoarse as he gets to his feet, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

Looking behind him, I see a small body lying dead amongst the leaves, their grey fur blending against the brown. I know immediately what kind of creature that is. It's native to the Jade Province, living amongst the trees watching shyly. It's a common Guardian Tani to many villages scattered about.

"Is that a Tani?" I ask, even though I already know the answer.

"It was already dead when I found it," he mutters. When he pulls his hand away, I see his mouth is stained slightly green. I can't tell if I'm more surprised or disgusted, seeing that he has been drinking blood straight from that corpse.

I fight the urge to gag. "Is that true?"

He looks me in the eyes, more vulnerable than I ever thought Zavian could be. Suddenly he's breathing heavily, looking as though he is about to start panicking.

"No," he whispers.

"You're drinking it's blood...Why?" I question. For some reason, I don't feel like fleeing to Tai and telling him what I am witnessing. By the looks of it, Zavian doesn't appear to be doing this for malicious reasons, looking more embarrassed than anything. I'm still disgusted though, moments away from throwing up at my feet.

"When I was younger, someone was told me about it's addictive properties. The magic in their blood gives you a high of some kind," he admits. I wince, wondering if it's all Tani that are subjected to those like Zavian. "I've been addicted since I was a child."

"So you kill them?" I ask, my voice as quiet as the breeze at this point.

He releases a long breath, looking as though he is going to collapse as he takes a few uneasy steps toward me, pausing when I back up in response.

"I can't control it," he says finally. And I believe him. Because what I'm witnessing isn't normal, like nothing I've ever seen before.

My voice shudders uneasily. "Zavian...You have a lot to explain."

🧡••🧡

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 💜🐼