Word Count: 1916

¬Akara

The sunlight bathes my back, warming my senses.

I had to get out of the manor. Even the chance of seeing Kailor in person makes me feel sick to my stomach, not to mention I'm still wary of Tai. He's been avoiding talking about what happened with Marek, like he knows he is guilty of it, but doesn't want to have to explain it. I'm blaming it on the stress we are all under, the desperation for this all to end...But I can't help but wonder if it's worth it, if I'm hoping once it's done Tai will be back to normal again.

Wrapping my hand around a bunch of wildflower stems, I pick them, placing them in my wicker basket. This pretty meadow that flanks the estate is the only place I can get to without guards swarming around, watching my every move like they believe Kailor's rhetoric that I'm a traitor.

Maybe I am. I never told Tai Marek handed himself in...Marek could have ended up killing Tai.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I breathe in the fragrant air, concentrating on my task. I'll bring these back to Tai and put them in a pretty crystal vase, and I will feel much better.

If I'm not even capable of feeling good nowadays.

Glancing up, I frown, a figure approaching from the forest line. They are stumbling slightly, gait uneven. Squinting through the near blinding glare of the sun, I realise it's Marek. Looking around, I make sure there are no guards watching us, but stay in my spot, continuing to pick my wildflowers. I should have known Marek would take an opportunity to approach me when I'm alone.

He comes to stand in front of me, before sinking down to his knees. I observe him quietly. His bronze hair is damp , curling at the ends as it dries in the midday sun. He smells too, like alcohol. He doesn't look completely drunk, but he does look wrecked, dark shadows lingering under his eyes, sharp cheekbones taut.

"It's dangerous, you being so close. Kailor and Tai want you dead more than anything," I mutter, resuming my flower picking, ignoring the green stain it is leaving on the palm of my hand.

"They always have. I'm not in danger," he replies.

Sighing through my nose, I glare at him. There is so much I want to say, and yet I don't know how. His eyes are rimmed red, cheeks tinted a soft pink like he has been crying and rubbing his face because of it. Something in my stomach turns over uncomfortably.

"What happened to you?" I whisper. "Are you drunk?"

"I can't get drunk as a Tani," he replies, stretching his legs out in front of him, bracing his arms back behind him so he can tilt his head back, sun bathing him. He doesn't even bother hiding how irritated he is at that. "It's not for lack of trying, though."

"And what has brought you to day drink?"

He raises his head, cold, glacial blue eyes meeting mine. "Nesrin is dead."

"How do you know Nesrin?" I question, hoping he doesn't see it as an obvious dig for information. Maybe if I have confirmation that she didn't participate in anything bad, I could have a good enough case to blame Kailor for her unjust death. It would be all for nothing though, he can kill whoever he wants without mercy, and nothing bad would come of it.

"She worked with Vaia and I. She always had the best intentions," he responds, his voice tight. He really is hurt, not just putting on an act. "I made a terrible mistake, Akara."

"Mistake? How?"

The hurt in his eyes is unmissable. "I had to see you one last time, to make sure you were okay after what I witnessed, with you being so terribly sick. So I had Nesrin put herself in a position to get caught, so I could distract Tai and Kailor."

For a moment, I forget how to breathe. I can't decide if I should yell at him, or if I should hug him. He looks moment's away from breaking down, showing that he truly did care about Nesrin. He blinks rapidly, trying to stop himself from crying, dipping head down to hide it. Notably, his mark is gone now too, the silver and blue have vanished after he used his powers to replicate Tai's appearance.

My voice is barely above a whisper. "Why didn't you just wait it out? Why didn't you just wait till the security went back down?"

"I thought you were dying," he chokes. He digs his hands into his hair, finger tips pressing into his head, as if he can will all the dark thoughts I presume he is having away. I know guilt like that, I've been battling that since the Beast killed Tai. "And now Nesrin is dead."

The flowers lay forgotten in my basket, already wilting under the sun. "What made you think he wouldn't kill her?"

"They were close, I mean she was his Noble for four eight years." I can't help but wince. We have all given Kailor the benefit of the doubt, and it's always burnt us. I won't trust him anymore, even if he is the King and Tai's father. "And she's strong. Strong enough to hold up against him."

"Does Vaia know?"

"I don't give a fuck," he growls, looking at me with watery eyes. "I'm done with her."

The emotional turmoil in my head is running too deep for me to feel any kind of relief of glee from that admission. "Why?"

"She broke a very important deal." He looks away, across the verdant green meadow and into the forest. Marek being done with Vaia gives us a chance to get in there, to finally take her and her rebel group down. I don't let that show on my face, still curious about what could be bad enough for Marek to want to put everything on the line to get away from her.

"So now what?"

"I run."

"Where?"

"Far," He looks down at his hands. Escaping Vaia won't come without consequence, but if anyone is capable of doing it, it's Marek. In fact, she may not even bother, since any of her soldiers she sends his way will only get killed. "Emerald Province likely, or maybe Scarlet."

The Scarlet City would be a good place to get lost in, with so many people living there, it would be near impossible for Vaia to find him. But there, as a Summoner, Marek would be an oddity, and would quickly raise the suspicions of anyone around him. Summoner's are meant to be nomadic, keeping to the Azure Province, hardly ever leaving.

"You're just giving up?" I ask.

Marek studies me, gaze drifting down to my stomach, as if he can see the wound through it. "What happened to you? Why did you vomit so much blood like that?"

I ignore the fact he dismissed my earlier question, deciding there's no point lying anymore, not when he is leaving. "Vaia stabbed me the night of the overthrow. I was so close to death, but then suddenly Tai appeared, with these healing abilities. He thinks he got them from the Beast."

"So why the blood?" he questions, the guilt and sadness melting away, replaced with a dark, icy rage that he doesn't bother concealing.

I shrug, not wanting to think about it too much. "We don't know. Something went wrong,"

"Thank you for trusting me." His eyes soften, as he slides closer to me. I bristle, but remain where I'm sitting, trying not to look uncomfortable. He kissed me, as Tai, but it was still him that did it. I wouldn't tell him how it felt, that it was like falling back into the comfort of home. It's been tormenting me enough, I don't need his opinion to add to it.

"I don't trust you," I tell him honestly, firmly. "You hurt me."

A muscle in his jaw feathers, and a look of unfiltered regret passes across his expression before vanishing. "I know. And I'm sorry."

An overwhelming amount of emotion collapses atop me, built up from this past week. "I'm going to die, Marek."

He sits forward, grabbing my hand. His touch is so warm, so familiar, and instead of pulling away, for a moment I just let him hold it, letting it quell the spike of pain and sadness that I've been able to chase, just for a moment. "No, I'm not going to let that happen."

"There's nothing anyone can do," I breathe, a painful lump gathering in my throat. "I'm drinking Tani blood just to get through until the inevitable."

"I won't lose you. Do you understand?" His tone is so stern, yet so gentle. He's not just convincing me that I'm going to make it through this, he is also trying to convince himself. Because he still cares for me, because he may even still love me. And as terrifying as that is, I'm not scared of it.

We hold gazes for a long, painful moment. I'm unsure if I anticipate his reaction, but when he leans forward, I don't flinch away, captivated by the moment.

His lips graze mine, even so soft and tentative, nothing more than a light kiss. His scent envelops me, cinnamon and the forest, so familiar it's heart wrenching. And for the briefest moment, through all my guilt and regret and pain, I allow myself to remember what it was like to sit under the stars with Marek, when he would teach me how to wield a knife, when our biggest problem was escaping Tai.

How could I have not been able to tell it was Marek who I was kissing and not Tai? His scent, his warmth and the feeling of his lips are so unique to him.

I jerk away, eyes widening as I realise what just happened. "What am I doing? That Tani blood is really getting to my head."

Marek's breathing is rushed, as if he is holding himself back. "You shouldn't be drinking that..."

I ignore that. "Am I going to see you again?"

"Now you've told me this...I can't leave," he whispers, gaze roving across my face, looking at it as if it is the last time he is going to see me. My heart sinks, considering the fact that it might be.

Glancing over my shoulder, I check the forest again. Tai is going to be expecting me back soon, and I'm not in the headspace to make up anymore excuses. I've lied enough to him, and it's going to start chasing after me if I'm not careful.

"Go, Marek," I encourage, before I get up myself, and walk with my wicker basket bumping against my hip all the way back to the manor.

💜••💜

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 💜