Word Count: 2241

Marek's firm grip on my arm doesn't release until I'm in the room.

The one he has brought me to is unfamiliar, likely in the servants quarters. The fawn brown curtains have already been drawn, the room relying on just one full light to chase away the shadows. A single cot bed is pushed up against the far wall, dressed in plain white linen sheets, next to a sturdy bedside table.

That's it. And a pair of chairs.

I stumble away as Marek let's go of me, rubbing where he grasped me. Turning back, I see him shut
the door, looking at me beneath his cascade of dark hair, the tumultuous storm gathering in his eyes enough to render me still.

"Akara..." he murmurs, shaking his head, tone reprimanding, like he's scolding a misbehaving lover.

"Shh, Marek please," I say, practically begging him not to drag me back to Vaia and demand she end me right there.

He stalks forward, leaning past me to pull a chair toward me. I flinch at proximity, the contact of his shoulder against mine before he nods at me to sit. I resist, pleading with my eyes for him to relent, but there's nothing compromising in his gaze, in his hardened expression.

"Sit down," he demands coolly. I don't fight when he grabs my arm again, practically seating me there himself. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to fight the urge to panic.

He rounds my chair, fingers brushing up my arm as if he's considering something. "Do I need to tie you up?"

I shake my head, again attempting to not pull my arms away, to hug them pathetically. I'm unsure of whether this is his Hunter façade that has been activated, my mind unable to stray from the gentle way he touched my skin. It's in complete contrast to the tension in the rest of his body.

"You're angry," I breathe, watching him pull the other chair to face in front of me, deciding against tying me up. Once he sits, he finally settles his attention on me.

"I'm just trying to piece together how the hell you ended up here," he seethes.

I examine his face. His expression is tight, a muscle quivering along his sweeping jawline. His marking burns bright, sapphire and silver bleeding together like an icy fire, as if he is tempted to use it, to use his Summoner powers on me.

And his eyes...I've never seen them so consumed by emotion, so fervently wild and unreadable.

"I'm worried about my family," I say uneasily, as if I'm reluctant to reveal that. He needs to think I'm here to escape Tai, that I'm not here as a spy. If he finds out about it, I would hate to know what his reaction would be. "I had to do something."

"Does Tai know?" He asks, or more so demands.

"Do you really think he would let me come here willingly?"

Marek pauses, a flicker of emotion passing through his eyes too quickly for me to grasp it. It's clear he is battling with keeping calm, so close to allowing it to shatter. Does it anger him to think Tai would allow me to come here? If only he knew that Tai doesn't have a guaranteed way of getting me out...

"No, I don't," he sighs, leaning back in his seat, sweeping two hands through his hair. I watch the way it glides through his fingers, effortlessly soft. It's unnerving how beautiful he is for a gruff hunter. "Who else knows?"

"Kailor. We convened in secret," I tell him. It's believable enough. "He doesn't want Tai and I to be together."

Marek bites the edge of his lip, clearly playing the words through in his bead. Over and over. He has to know that, especially if he has someone in Kailor's estate feeding information back to him. It's not secret Kailor doesn't like me, and sure as hell doesn't want me marrying Tai. I have a feeling that even if I return with good information about Vaia, Kailor still won't let me be with Tai in peace.

I flinch as he leans forward, clasping his hands together. "Tell me more."

"No."

"For your safety, you need to," he says slowly, calmly.

Toying around with the story in my mind, I play around with what I should do. I need Marek to be the one to get me out of here, and by his intensity, it seems reasonable to assume he will. Yet I can't reveal my hand, knowing Marek will use any hint of information to drag more from me. I'm already anxious as it is, I don't want to slip up.

"I have nothing else to tell you," I say after a moment's pause, casting my gaze to the floor. It's hard not to get too involved in his blisteringly blue gaze, to allow myself to sink into it and assume I can trust him.

"Names, plans, anything. I need information to tell Vaia," he reminds me. I watch his hands move, and strangely, I see he has a new tattoo on his left hand. It spreads over the top of his hands and around his fingers. It looks traditional to the Jade Province.

If Marek returns to Vaia with nothing from this interrogation, him and I are both done for. At any other moment I wouldn't care...But right now, I need Marek.

"Okay...In exchange for information from you," I tell him carefully, raising a challenge eyebrow. Right now, we have no other choice but to use each other for information. I have a goal here that I need to achieve.

"You first," he challenges.

"Kailor had a Summoner named Elan protecting him," I admit. I could demand information from him first, but I don't have much of an upper-hand right now. I'll take anything I can get. "He was killed, hung in a forest with a note."

Marek chews on his bottom lip, considering that. "What did the note say?"

"It said you're welcome..." I recall.

The sight of Elan's dead body flashes into my mind again, but I quickly banish it. If I think about it in any great detail I may be sick, or spiral back into the headspace I was in before I became determined to be on this mission. It is clear now, by Marek's expression, that he isn't responsible for Elan's death, although I never truly thought he did in the first place.

"Interesting," he mouths, folding his arms over his chest. His figure hasn't changed at all since before he betrayed me. His body is still well-muscled and refined, but not in an overbearing way. I wouldn't be surprised if he has moved on from me, if he ever intended to ever be with me in the first place...

The only part of Marek that has changed all that much is the dark shadows that now permanently linger under his eyes, only making his frosty blue irises more striking.

"I thought you knew everything," I note.

"I knew he died, but I didn't know there was a note," he sighs, dragging a hand down his face. It's bothering him, knowing he doesn't know who has done this to Elan. It's another player in this sick, demented game of life.

I lean back in my chair, grateful I haven't been tied up. "Your turn."

"You probably know this already, but Vaia didn't know I was tracking you," he says, his gaze unrelenting as he stares me down. I shift uncomfortably, having already figured that long ago, I just didn't want to admit it.

"Why?" My voice shakes.

"It didn't benefit me," he admits with a shrug. So he does have his own agenda...I figured as much, but if I think about it, I wouldn't be able to decipher what it is exactly. Why keep me alive and away from Vaia, when you're working with her. My head spins just trying to think about it.

"Why?" I whisper.

"I don't want you to die," he replies simply, as if it isn't the most loading thing he has sent to me in a long time. "Just because I agree with Vaia does not mean I don't care about you. If you die...It will hurt."

His gaze is earnest, but I'm so used to him avoiding answering me on anything that I instinctively bristle. He doesn't care about me, he's just saying that to side with me, to get me to sympathise with him. Even if part of me wants to hear that he cares about me, I'm not just going to believe, not after everything he has put me through.

"Liar," I mutter.

He drags his chair closer to me. "What would I gain from admitting that?"

"You want to gain my trust. I'm not stupid," I snap, flinching back at his sudden proximity. His pine and spice scent is so overwhelming, so nostalgic to other moments we have had in this estate that don't pertain to him betraying me, coming flooding back.

"And I'm not stupid enough to realise that you're here for your freedom," he says suddenly, turning my blood cold. "You wanted Vaia to kidnap you."

Up until now, I truly thought he was believing the whole story? When did he decide I was lying? I'm not sure if I pushed it too far, or if he knows me well enough to realise I would never put myself in such a foolish position with Vaia. He's not as hungry for power, not to inexperienced and easily manipulated as Vaia is. I should have known he would see through it.

I go quiet, lowering my gaze to my feet. I'm done for. He's going to go back down to Vaia, having gotten what he's wanted from me, to gain her approval. Then, she will either lock me in a dark cell in the prisons, or just kill me right here.

"Nothing to say, huh?" Marek questions, reaching out to grip my chin. He forces me to look up, to look at him. There's a hint of anger there, irritated that I'm even here, that I put myself in such a vulnerable position.

"Tell her, then," I growl.

Marek shakes his head at me, looking momentarily frustrated, as if I'm not understanding something that is painfully obvious.

"I care about you, Akara," he tells me seriously, letting go of my chin, only for him to clasp my hands tightly. I don't bother pulling away, although his touch is startling. "I have to watch you move on with Tai, a man who I have no respect for. He let you come here...Is he insane?"

I freeze, not expecting that. I had no idea it bothered him watching me be with Tai, since last time he saw me, I had no interest in Tai. Him doing what he did to me is what brought Tai and I together, which he must already realise. I'm not going to feel guilty, not since he is the one who betrayed me, who has made it harder for me to trust anyone again.

"He's smart," I tell him, not wanting to admit Tai had some serious reservations.

A sound rings from the outside of the door, Marek's gaze tracking to it.

"You've put me at risk...In fact, you may have just killed me," he mutters, looking back at me, and for the first time in a long time, he actually looks scared. I'm not sure if that's because Vaia already suspects he's suspicious, or because of something he is planning to do. I hope it's to get me out of here.

"You can leave," I say warily, wondering why he is still putting up with Vaia if his life is on the line, unless he is being threatened by her. I'm not sure if that's the case, since it felt like Vaia is considerate of his opinion.

"It's not that simple," he tells me firmly. "Vaia isn't going to let me guard your door tonight either, which means...Who knows what those other rebels will do to you tonight."

I pause, another wave of fear drenching over me for a completely different reason. I don't want anything to do with the other rebels, especially since I'm the bad one to them, but by the sounds of it, they don't care at all about what I want.

I've done this to myself. I decided to come here.

"Now it doesn't seem like such a good idea, huh?" Marek comments, clearly seeing how pale this has made me. "Don't worry, if they touch you, they are dead."

Even though I don't know if I can trust Marek, I can tell he isn't lying about that. And that's what is going to make this mission so terrifying.

🤍••🤍

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 💜🐼