Word Count: 2004

The sun warms my skin, glistening atop the waves nearby.

It's only been a week since Tai and I arrived, although it feels shorter. I'm yet to get used to the heat, although being in the sun has done so much to improve my mood already. I haven't worried as much about Marek as I usually do. Part of me feels as though we have left that problem behind, even though I know it's not true.

A hand brushes my arm, my mind to involved in my own thoughts to notice who I am passing by. I pause, looking over the young girl who has stopped me on my walk home from town, where I was looking for a job.

She holds a small red book, scuffed at the edges with gold writing stitched into the cover. Her soft features suggest she is a native to the Golden Province. Nervously, she regards me, trying to muster up some confidence. Something about this facade is eerily familiar...

"Excuse me ma'am," she says, flipping her book open to show me a picture of what looks to be some kind of water dwelling creature, although the picture is faded, suggesting this book was handed down to her. "Can I tell you about my Tani?"

I pause, unsure of what to say.

Had I not crossed paths with Marek through the Inn, had I not mentioned to him about my Tani in the bar, I wouldn't be here right now. I would have never have met him...

It's not often that I mourn the life I once could have had. Part of me is grateful to have been enlightened, for the Beast to be dead...But I could have done without the betrayal. Now, I'm looking into the eyes of what I could have been -

A devout Tani believer who didn't know any better. And preferred it that way.

"I'm sorry, I don't have much time," I say as I brush past her, no longer wanting to meet her gaze.

She doesn't protest as I walk down the boardwalk and toward the beach Tai and I now live on. Facing the emptiness that not having a Tani has given me isn't on the agenda for today...

Glancing back over my shoulder, I search for the girl in the crowd of people also heading this way, but I can't see her. I'm in a popular part of the village, and with the sun setting, people have flocked down to the beach to admire the calm waves and unique shades of coral and tangerine.

Yet my gaze falls upon something it didn't intend to.

A figure walks far back along the same golden wooden boards I am, shifting in and out of the crowd. Their head dips when they catch that I am looking back at them, a dark hood falling to conceal their eyes.

My heart immediately falls. I am being followed.

Quickening my step, I pass by those leisurely strolling past the beach, trying to put as much distance between me and the stranger following me. No one wears a hood in this weather, and although this could be innocent, I can't risk it.

People share glances between each other as I hurry past, cutting down into a beach access that conceals me for a moment within the dunes.

The sand burns my feet, although as I turn around, catching sight of the figure, now advancing on me quicker than before, I'm inclined to ignore the pain. This beach access leads down the dunes and onto a more private section of the beach where Tai and I's hut is tucked away.

I may be leading this person right to our home, but I don't know this village yet, and have no other way of protecting myself.

Wincing as I pick my way quickly down the dunes, not looking back at risk I will see that whoever that figure still following me. Once I reach the beach, I break into a sprint, not stopping until I can see the hut in the distance, tucked in close to a large, sprawling dune.

I only slow down once I glance behind me, realising that there was never anyone following me, or that I had lost them.

Relieved, I advance on the hut, where I know Tai will be waiting. I don't allow myself to breathe until my back is pressed firmly against the door.

At the sound of the door slamming, Tai emerges from the other room, a frown already etched into his face. I calm my breathing, trying not to panic. That may not have been Marek, paranoia having gotten to me after not hearing from him for the past few weeks. By now I would have thought that he would have caught up with us, but thankfully we may have shaken him off.

"Everything okay? You look flustered," he notes, looking behind me, as if someone had followed me in through the door. Tai isn't just concerned about the Marek, but also the rebels. I believe Vaia has sent Marek to find us only, due to his adept skills.

That's what I think to think, anyway.

"I think I was being followed," I tell him, walking numbly toward him.

"Seriously? By who?" he demands, looking as though he is going to walk past and out the door to find whoever the threat may be. I press my palm against his chest, stopping him in his track.

"Don't go out there Tai. I think I lost them before I got here. We don't need to let them know where we live," I say slowly.

I've admired the way Tai has dealt with this entire situation, not allowing his emotions to get the best of him. He was always more confronting with his emotions in comparison to Marek, although recently has found use in concealing them. Not with me though, and I no that he would walk out that door if he truly felt like I was in danger.

"As long as they didn't touch you."

"I don't want to leave here. Not so soon," I say slowly, trying to calm him down. The tension slowly begins to drift from his shoulders, fists unclenching as he turns back to our small sitting area. We have nothing there aside from a few brightly coloured cushions and a small surface weaved from hardened Golden Province flax.

"We won't, we may just be paranoid," Tai says, releasing a slow breath. I know he is right, that surely Marek hasn't found us by now.

"You're right," I say, sitting down on one of the cushions. Tai sits in front of me, the slight sheen of sweat on his forehead causing strands of dark hair to stick to it. "I like my job here, and I like the beach. But we should move if it means the rebels could find us."

"They won't," Tai admits, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was thinking about testing my abilities again."

My breath catches in my throat as I let that sink in. Tai hasn't spoken to me much about the abilities he gained since killing the Beast. It saved my life, nothing but a small scar remaining where Vaia stabbed me. It is tender to the touch at times, but had Tai not been there and done that, I would have died.

"Really? How?" I question, eyeing him uneasily. He doesn't look confident, doubt creeping into his eyes as he consider how he is going to do this. If he was able to control his abilities, he could keep us both from death...Yet him using them only makes me think of Marek and the one's he managed to hide from me for all that time.

And to think, I was so caught up in everything that I never truly questioned it.

"Cutting myself a little and trying to heal," he tells me, making me flinch. Instead of letting me respond, he gets up, walking into the kitchen to grab a small knife. It glints under the light as he rests it on the surface in front of us, sitting back down again.

I swallow past my fear, reaching out to grab a hold of it. "No, it won't work if you do it."

"I'm not letting you hurt yourself for me, Akara," he exclaims, grabbing my wrist as I lay out my hand, palm facing up, knife clutched in the other. Tai's expression is serious, fingers firm against my skin as he dares me to make another move. Even so, he knows that for him to practice, it's going to have to be on me.

"Then it will mean more if you actually heal me," I note.

I see the internal battle, before he finally pulls away, letting me slice cleanly down my palm, wincing at the pinch of pain. Blood beads at the wound before starting to pool, scarlet red. Seeing it makes me feel good, knowing I'm not one of them. A Tani.

Tai pulls his hand up to shield his eyes, looking visibly ill. "I can't look."

"Who knew a King could be so sensitive," I say, releasing a long breath once the initial pain subsides.

Tai slowly turns around to look back at me. He can't see the wound beneath all the blood, yet I can still see how queasy it is making him. Before, when he first healed by stabbing wound, he was in a state of panic, so didn't mind the blood. Now that we are sitting in this environment, I can see it's bothering him immensely.

"I'm not a King," he breathes, grabbing my wrist to pull my hand closer to him. When he looks back up at me, I see the insecure honesty in his eyes - he truly believes he no longer has a place on the throne.

"Don't say that Tai...You are a King," I tell him firmly.

Instead of replying, he closes his eyes, thick dark lashes blending into the dark shadows under his eyes. I watch my hand closely, watch his clutched around my wrist. I'm not sure how he can grasp the power to bring it to the surface, how he can control it, but by the look on his face, he has to concentrate hard.

I feel nothing as we sit in silence for a long moment, although the throbbing in my hand slowly starts to ebb away. Once Tai pulls away, releasing a long held breath, I feel no pain in the area.

He gets to his feet, returning from the bathroom with a cloth. I watch, fascinated as he dabs the blood away, revealing nothing but a small scar in the place of what should be a large cut. I gape at it, looking back up to see Tai looking awfully surprised, as if he doubted he could even achieve that.

"All done," he murmurs.

I blink, unsure of how to react. He picks my injured hand up, kissing the back of it lightly, eyes never leaving mine.

I know of this power of his, yet seeing it makes me stomach churn uneasily. It's not natural, for him to have acquired these powers from the Beast's demise, yet it saved my life...It's a gift, in some demented way.

Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I realise that maybe we will stand a chance against Marek...Maybe we can win this.

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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 💜🐼