Word Count: 1692

~Millicent

I'm mortified.

Each piece of paper glares at me, my own eyes staring into my soul. No one has ever done anything like this, that I know of, in my long years. People paint pictures of me and hang them in churches to support their belief, but nothing ever so...personal. There is nothing in the way I'm portrayed here that would suggest a loyal follower. Here I'm hardly even modest.

"I can explain," Kyser says lowly, his tone steady. I tear my case away toward him, anger bubbling up within me. How dare he make these. How dare he appear to me like anything other than a helpful acquaintance who only wants freedom from me. Not...whatever this is.

"Take me back, to my mate. You can explain in front of him," I say softly, turning to face him, not bothered as the paper crumples beneath my feet.

None of this is right.

Kyser's jaw clenches, turning his back to me. Wordlessly, I follow him back through the small, secret exit, emerging back into the library. I breath in the familiarity, the other side of this place having screwed with my mind. Not as much as those drawings have, which the sight of still has left a chill across my skin. Of all people to do that, Kyser is the last one I expected.

"You should know, this has nothing to do with an attraction. I know you're Sinful's mate. I'm not a fool," he mutters under this breath, as we weave together through the stacks. I eye him from the corner of my gaze, wondering how truthful he is being.

"You're going to explain this to me later. I've changed my mind about Sinful, he has too much on his plate as it is," I assure him.

He's lucky, this time.

Sinful is standing in my foyer when Kyser and I walk in, the rest of the immortals nowhere to be seen. He's pacing back and forth, eyebrows furrowed. The moment we step into the room, he seems to snap out of whatever trance he was in.

I'm stunned, as he approaches me, wrapping his arms around, pulling me in against his chest. It's such an intimate gesture, as he clutches me, like I'm wounded or in need of care. It's something a mate would do, and being that it's the first time he's ever shown affection this way, I can't help my smile. It's so...innocent.

"Why did you think that was a good idea?" he questions desperately, his dark hair falling across his forehead like magical wisps with his frantic movements.

That lasted all by a few moments.

"I didn't know when you would figure out how to get me out, so I wanted to see if I could face off with him one last time," I admit. Pulling away, as much as my body protests. The scent of jasmine he so confidently carries around with him is heady, drawing me in to the point it almost manipulates me to feel something my rational mind would fear.

"Millicent, he could have killed you if he knew anything was going on. Why else would you want to see him?" Sinful questions, looking genuinely concerned at what I did. I grit my teeth.

Now I have another reason to curse Kyser. "So Kyser told you then, I assume."

"You disappeared for three days. I had questions."

Oh.

Folding my arms over my stomach, I come to terms with everything. Kyser may be a crazed stalker who draws pictures of me, unless he's being truthful. Now he's completely disappeared from the room. The immortals may be gone, and Sinful surely hates me after this stunt. Everything is falling a part...and not to mention, I've been asleep for three days. No wonder I feel disgusting.

"I'm going to shower," I tell Sinful weakly. Brushing past him, I walk into my room, ignoring the fact that he follows me. No doubt he doesn't want to let me out of his sight in case I disappear again, but he can rest assured knowing I don't ever want to go to the other side of the wall again.

Kyser's secret I never should have uprooted, the strange replica of my quarters on his side. I can't tell whose fault it is - his or the Moon's.

"We still need to talk," Sinful says sternly.

I walk into the bathroom, glancing over my shoulder. "It wouldn't be the first time you've watched me bathe."

It's more of an invitation than anything. At this point, Sinful could see me completely naked again and it wouldn't bother me. I'm deflated, with all the disappointment today. Now I'm going to shower it all off and hopefully regain some confidence to face my escape, which I still plan to go ahead with.

"You don't have to do this," Sinful murmurs, although his tone is closer to a purr than a reprimand. He lingers near the doorway, not pressing me in case I change my mind.

Once I turn the shower on, I reach behind me, attempting to unzip the dress I've slept in for longer than I'd like to admit. My fingers fail to grasp the zip, causing Sinful to step forward.

"I just want to forget everything for today. I'll deal with the immortals and this plan tomorrow," I breathe.

Sinful slowly unzips the dress, placing his free hand on my hip. It makes me shudder, even though his touch remains atop my clothes. He doesn't pull away, however, instead helping me skip the dress over my shoulder, the frantic tumbling into a heap at my feet. His fingers, soft and light, trace over my back, over my shoulders, before he lifts them, which my body protests against.

Stepping out of my dress, I open the door to the shower, the steam greeting me. Maybe I've lowered my inhibitions after those thoughts about him that I had that feel like only moments ago. I pray Kyser hasn't admitted that to Sinful...I don't think I would ever be able to look at him the same way again.

"Will you join me?" I ask, stepping into the shower. I'm still dressed in my bra and panties, the hot water immediately soaking through my clothes. It's a relief, to step inside this shower and wash away the long sleep I had, the pictures I had discovered.

This is all a mess. But at least Sinful is still the same.

He steps inside the shower, right behind me. He's ahead of his shirt and pants, which is unusual. I don't get to see him parade himself shirtless very often, as he doesn't seem so interested in drawing females in with his body alone - he doesn't need to, his eyes, his voice, his honey-pouring words could seduce anyone. But I will admit, he has a beautiful, well looked after body.

Placing his hands on my waist, I enjoy the feeling of his touch, the way he leans into my back, gently laying kisses along the line of my neck. I shiver, my body betraying me. I shouldn't indulge in moments like these, but at this point, they are a lot of what I live for, get excited for.

"I'm sure you would like to know that we have been harnessing a lot of power recently, and I think we are ready. We will have a big enough window to replace your presence with someone else, and have you taken back to ground. However, we will have to immediately start working on a long-term fix," Sinful breathes in my ear.

Turning around, I drape my arms around his neck. "How do you manage to have such a seductive tone when you're talking about something so serious?"

"Because I have my beautiful mate in my arms, who drives me crazy," he murmurs, nuzzling into my neck, making me giggle. "But I'm faced with the fact that I could have my mate in my arms forever, if this goes well."

I exhale slowly. Of course.

Tracing his face with the tip of my finger, I enjoy each line of him, each inch of chiseled perfection. I used to be terribly afraid of him, which maybe I still am. There's a lot he doesn't tell me a lot he most likely never will. All those years we weren't together are hard to forget. How many things did he do that I would consider unforgivable, that maybe I will never know.

"I don't know if we should trust Kyser," I say, before I even realise it's coming out of my mouth. It's taken up so much of my conscious mind that I couldn't help that it slipped.

Sinful pulls back slightly, frowning at me. "Did something happen?"

I swallow uncomfortably. "He hasn't explained himself yet."

Concern flutters across his face, shadowed by anger. He suspects something more between us immediately, showing his insecurity in a way I would never have expected. Since I met Kyser, aside from his teasing comments meant to anger Sinful, I would never have suspected any attraction to me. He told me it wasn't an attraction thing, but why was I almost completely undressed in each picture?

Sinful's skeptical look prompts me to explain myself. "We have to trust him, to get what we want from him. Just trust me, I'll handle Kyser."

Placing my hands on his chest, I force a smile as I gaze up at him. His rigid expression and stiff limbs resist my touch, the thought of Kyser plaguing our intimidate moment. I don't let that get in my way, however, reaching up to kiss him.

It doesn't take him long to react.

Kissing Sinful, enjoying his touch, is enough to have me sinking back into the reality I wish existed. One without Kyser, and whatever his motive with me is.

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KING'S POSSESSION

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