Word Count: 1708

Wrapping my gown around myself tighter, I peek in through the doorway.

Tai stands in the middle of the room, fiddling around with a small object wedged into an unfamiliar mechanical item. Most of the space is consumed by the large wooden benches and tables, all stacked with tools and half-done projects.

"It's late," I murmur, leaning against the doorway.

Tai glances up from what he is working, eyes vibrant as he drinks in the sight of me. He wears just a shirt with no jacket, the cotton fabric clinging to his arms and abdomen. Sometimes I forget how much his body has changed, how well-filled out he is now. My throat dries slightly.

"I can't sleep," he replies lowly, shrugging slightly.

I stalk into the room, the faint smell of sawdust and metal dancing into my ears. For a moment I watch Tai silently as he works, the way he chews on the edge of his lip with concentrate making my heart flutter.

"Everything okay?"

"I've been having these nasty headaches between the eyes recently," he tells me, pressing his fingers between his brows. He winces, glancing at me. "Well, since killing the Beast."

"How bad?" I ask, unnerved. I've thought little about the Beast recently, trying to block out the emptiness within me that has grown since the Beast died. Tai somehow survived his magic that should have killed him, so the fact that he may be having negative side effects from it isn't preposterous.

"It's going away now, but it's been bothering me all day," he notes, pulling away from his task as he folds his arms over his chest. "They get worse each time I get them."

I can't help but wonder if me leaving with Kailor today contributed to that. I don't dare tell him about the moment with Zavian and how he turned out to be a Summoner named Elan.

Clearly Tai is going through enough.

"Have you spoken to a healer?"

"I don't think a healer will be able to help me, Akara," he says grimly, a coldness seeping into his eyes. I step around the table until I'm standing right before him. How long has he been burdened with this pain without telling me? I haven't noticed, too wrapped up in my own world.

"You can't say that...Seriously Tai, if you're unwell, you should see someone," I tell him firmly, the idea of him shouldering an issue like this that's getting worse feels like an ice blanket has been draped over my skin.

Tai sighs as I grab his hands, feeling the worn calluses touch my skin. "Who is going to help me? This isn't an injury. This is the consequence we were all waiting for."

"Tai..." I shake my head.

Words don't grace me as adequately as I would like, so instead I wrap my arms around his waist, resting my head against his chest. Beneath his heart thuds lazily, the warmth from his skin lulling some tension from my body. He smells nice, that sharp familiar scent easing the clarity from my mind.

"I'm okay. In fact, I'm happier than I've been in a long time," he murmurs. I look up at him to catch his faint smile.

"Why's that?"

"For the first time since I met you, I've felt like I have a genuine chance to be with you," he breathes.

His words elicit chills across my skin as he reaches to rest his palm against my cheek. I don't dare ask how long he has waited for me to desire him back, knowing it's probably earlier than I am ready to hear. Had Marek not been in the picture, would Tai and I have gotten together earlier? It seems likely, since the connection between us was starting to grow before everything changed.

"Should we wait until we have dealt with the Vaia problem?" I ask, trying not to close my eyes with bliss as he sweeps his thumb across my cheek, each pass eliciting chills in its wake.

He tilts his head, smiling, eyes his eyebrows dip slightly. "Will you really make me wait? Who knows what could happen next."

"Exactly," I say with a shrug. "Who knows what will happen next."

He knows what I'm implying, that we don't know what could happen next...That I could wake and decide that I want to do this, that I want to give Tai all of me. He smiles, nodding in understanding. For a moment, I swear I see a flicker of hope in his eyes, one that I no doubt share.

"What is this place?" I ask, finally pulling out of his grasp.

"My workshop. Father didn't move any of it around, even when I moved into my own manor years ago. All my old projects are still here," he tells me, motioning to the discarded hunks of metal and wood strewn about.

None of it looks familiar as I pick a piece up, twisting it on my hands, meaning he truly is a unique inventor. "Have you always been into technology?"

"It was an act at frustration at one point...I was envious of those who had power, knowing that if my older brother was not King, I would have to be. My way to compensate was through my inventions, trying to fit in with those who had magical abilities," he says with a shrug, twisting the mechanism on the table, letting something fall into his palm from it. "Now it's a hobby."

"You're very talented."

"Are you going to continue writing?" He asks.

I pause, pulling my gaze from a particularly fascinating object shaped like a nondescript square, with something rattling around inside it. Tai has picked up a grey rag, polishing something with it, teeth sunken into his bottom lip as he tries to hide his devious smile.

"How did you know about it?" I question slowly, eyes narrowing.

"A servant girl mentioned it in passing," he admits, raising a dark brow at me. Of course, I could never have secrets in that place. "She was discarding your drafts, as per your orders, apparently."

I rake my hands back through my hair. "I'm not very good."

"I disagree," he says after a moment of silence, watching me carefully. I know he's anticipating a reaction for a reason, so the moment it hits me, dread and pure embarrassment drenched me.

"You read them?"

"Naturally," he says with a shrug. That smile, that look plastered all over his face...He is clearly enjoying this. I never thought Tai would be a devious enough mastermind to go looking through my work. "You have a wonderful imagination. Very thrilling."

Damn. Toward the end, I had been throwing out all my work, not wanting to look back at it. It felt better doing that, knowing no one else would be able to read it. Now knowing that Tai has been looking through it all has my cheeks flushing. I suppose I deserve it, since I read his diary.

"You're the worst," I growl, stalking toward him. He backs up a few steps, free hand sweeping his curls out of his eyes as he holds back his laugh. He can be happy about this, but I'm mortified, scrambling through my mind in an attempt to remember each word I wrote. "I will not forgive you for that."

I'm not sure what I intend to do, yet I don't stop until I'm inches away from Tai, wondering whether I should hit him for this.

"Here, maybe this will help," he says, holding his hand out with a peace offering sitting a stop or.

"What is it?" I ask, realising this is what he has been polishing.

Picking it up slowly, I twist it around. It's a beautiful ring, immaculately carved. The silver glints under the workshop light, feeling like silk beneath my fingertips. I'm careful not to grip it too tightly, worried I'll do something to damage the precious item.

Tai flips the towel over his shoulder, gaze carefully examining my face for a reaction. "A ring..."

How long has he been working on this? Has he always made his own rings? Each of the rings were different, yet I've never gotten close enough to properly look. Some were black and others silver, encrusted with priceless jewels. I'm not sure where they are, since he stopped adorning them when we left his estate.

"And it does what...exactly?" I ask, nervous it might transport me to a random destination, or turn me into an animal.

"It's just a pretty present for a pretty girl," he says. He gently twists it in my fingers, still letting me hold it. I realise he's showing me something inscribed on the inside.

Trust me.

"What does this mean?" I question, frowning slightly. If he put the effort in to engrave it, I wouldn't have expected a myriad of other messages. However this is still beautiful, even if Tai feels the need to remind me to trust him, when right now he is the only person that I can trust in.

He slides the ring onto my fingers. It fits perfectly. "Just keep it in mind."

"Thank you," I murmur honestly.

This is the most beautiful gift I've ever received, and although it is simple, it's clearly worth more than I would like to know. Yet what matters more is how tender this moment is, how beautiful Tai looks right now, and how warm I feel, for once...

Tai only smiles, leaning down to brush a kiss against my forehead. I close my eyes, enjoying the feeling.

I never want this moment to end.

🖤••🖤

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 (:

Snapchat: midikacrane

Instagram: Sophie_Midika

~Midika 💜🐼