Word Count: 1829

I walk into the dining hall for breakfast the next morning with my head held high.

Taius is alone, sitting at the table, having not touched a single piece of food on the table. What I can see of the breakfast, looks foreign, with fruits and citrus found only in the warmer climates such as the Golden Province, cut and displayed in a way that has my stomach yearning for a taste.

His eyes find me, more olive green this morning rather than the shadowy forest colour like what I stared into last night during my bath. My blood chills at the intensity of his gaze, the sensuous way it sweeps across the casual outfit I found this morning at the edge of the bed.

I didn't want to admit defeat by wearing his clothing, but it was either this, or Vaia's gown from last night. After the words she spoke to me, just looking at it makes me feel sick.

"I have a lot of questions I need you to answer," I demand, trying to remain confident as I sink into the seat next to him. If Tai felt like it, he could punish me for speaking out of turn to him. He could throw me into a prison, have no mercy for me whatsoever. But something about him makes me doubt that.

"Making demands already," he muses softly. He's not offended, merely amused, which seems to be the permanent expression on his face.

"Why are you doing this? Really? Keeping me from Marek, making me your slave."

"First of all, you're no slave. You're a guest, and are expected to do nothing but keep me company," he reminds me, picking up to sip something from a white cup. Likely tea.

"Secondly, I was telling the truth about wanting company. It's not that deep."

He looks away, dismissively. Stumped, I look across the display of breakfast foods - foreign to familiar fruits, pastries and a few savoury options. I'm hungry, admittedly, and despite how delicious dinner was last night, I refuse to touch any of it. Tai seems to have little appetite, sipping occasionally from his cup.

I breathe in, slow and steady. "Then why keep me from Marek?"

Tai's gaze is laced with a predatory darkness. "I thought he was nothing more than an escort to you? Or are you involved?"

Just hearing those words from his mouth make the surface of my skin flush at an achingly hot temperature. I'm unsure of whether it's because of the way Taius looks at me, perhaps imagining it himself, or because it involves Marek. And the way I feel about Marek right now...It's a confusing mess.

"He doesn't mean anything to me. And no, we are not involved. I hardly know the guy," I admit, leaning back in my seat. Truthful enough. All I know about Marek is that he is hunting my Tani, and has a father that has since passed. Oh, and that he's capable of kidnapping.

Tai tilts his head, a challenge gleaming in his eyes. "Then you won't mind spending time away from him."

I blink. Fine, if he wants to play, then I'm going to dig into his private life.

"What are you hiding?"

"I'm a King. I hide everything," he replies, waving his hand around casually, as if signally to the wealth, the beauty of this place that surely hides a myriad of secrets.

I've stumbled into a world my wildest dreams couldn't comprehend, and although this estate exists in my home province, it's a world away from my simpler life. It's especially evident in the smaller details: the paintings on the wall display faces I'm unfamiliar with, the pattern woven with gold and green thread into the table runner referencing nothing I've ever seen before. And to add to it all, the way Taius looks at me, knowing I'm nothing more than an outsider.

"Fine. What am I to do for you?" I ask, tapping my fingertips lightly on the glistening surface of the table. Tai watches the movement, his own fingers tracing the rim of his cup.

"Talk to me, be yourself. I want to get to know you," he murmurs, a predatory intent laced in there.

I relent, my guarded tension reducing slightly at my surprise. "I'm not very interesting. I was born and raised in the Jade Province, and didn't leave until a few weeks ago. And clearly that didn't go well for me."

His gaze lowers, an emerald stare finding the necklace strung at around my neck, which I have to fight to not cover protectively. He can strip my of my freedom, my dignity, but he will not take this necklace from me - a physical article of my faith.

"Your Tani is the Beast?"

My interest piques. "Yes. You know of him?"

"I'm from this Province too, and I've heard the rumours," he replies darkly, his head dipping slightly. Jade Province is by far the most faithful in regard to Tani. Usually there are pockets of believing villages, depending on the proximity to their Tani. It makes me wonder if Taius, as a King, promotes any particular belief.

But it still douses my blood cold, as I realise what he means by rumours.

"Great. Another person who thinks my Tani is a predator," I growl, chewing on my bottom lip.

"I'm assuming you're referencing Marek?" Tai says smoothly, curiously. Marek has been viciously adamant on what he believes my Tani to be. A predator would suit him perfectly; he would be considered a God, a hero for killing it. Too bad he would be wrong.

I swallow past my dry throat. "He's not from the Jade Province."

"Evidently. How did you two cross paths. Really?" Tai's tone is deceptively innocent, considering the venom in his heated gaze that threatens to reveal his true intentions.

"He was helping me get back to the Jade Province. Really," I comment, wondering if the lie is written across my face. I don't feel guilty for lying to him, though. He deserves nothing more.

Concern flickers briefly across his features, as if he is recalling something. "And you're sick?"

"No, he made that up," I relent. There's little point lying about that now. My position here has been cemented in stone, even if Taius still has the ability to banish me to any prison he deems fit. My family would look for me, desire my return, only be turned down by a King himself.

If they knew what I was moments away from admitting to Marek, they would leave me in Tai's hands to rot themselves.

"I think it's a good thing that I'm keeping you two away from each other. He seems like he has an ulterior motive, I don't know what it is," Tai admits. As if trying to mask his concern, he picks up a pastry, examining it for a moment before he leaves it abandoned on his plate. I wonder if being around me is as unsettling for him, as it is for me around him.

I sigh, keeping the kidnapping revelation to myself. "You have no idea."

"Tell me one thing about you that no one knows."

For a moment I don't know what to say, what to share, if anything. Taius may be a King, a selfish, arrogant King, but the way he looks at me suggests that he isn't asking to fill space, to appear interested...he actually is interested.

"I'm scared I'm going to live my whole life with no purpose. I'm scared I'll have children, and their fate will be the same as mine. I'm not very good at anything, and despite all this, I don't have much hope in anything," I breathe. The words burn on my lips, like they shouldn't be said, like I'm not allowed to.

Tai nods slowly, intently. "You shouldn't let people decide your fate for you. That's up to you."

"Says you..."

"Maybe you're right," he comments. "Now, would you like to join me for a short walk on my property?"

All of a sudden, he gets to his feet. I'm stunned for a moment, not expecting to be called on so suddenly, but I don't have the energy to disagree, to protest. I'm here now, and this is my life. The sooner I accept it, the sooner Tai will trust me, which will increase my chances to escape.

"Where are we going?" I sigh, unable to find the will to bring a smile upon my lips.

"Elsewhere. I have special technology that can take us anywhere we please," he tells me, his long strides almost impossible to keep up with. He leads me back into the main room, where the sun shifts and dances through the upper windows.

"Technology?"

He gestures to the silver band on his wrist, which I had noticed earlier. "I made it myself. It can transport us anywhere with just my thoughts alone. It's better than any magic."

I narrow my eyes on his back, ignoring the muscle shifting that his dark tunic fails to hide. Over the past decade, magic has been a worthy prize to hide. A trend or not, those who are lucky enough to have had ancestors drink from the forbidden river and develop magical abilities many millions of years ago that would forever douse their linage have recently found it simpler to conceal what they are capable of.

Yet I can't imagine the benefit of Tai, as a King, lying about having magical abilities - whatever they may be. Magic creates power, and power creates admiration. People don't challenge a King with magic; there would be little point. Most lines of royalty were bred from the first to sip from the river, their power allowing them to take whatever position they deemed fit.

And since magic is so rare today, so uncommon, people worship those who have it. At least here, in the Jade Province. In the Azure Province, it seems to be a different dynamic...

Tai comes to a stop, right at the front door. I wonder how many guards dwell beyond...how far I would have to run before I could make an escape.

"Hold my hands, and close your eyes," he murmurs, dark waves brushing against his brows.

I stare at his hands, hesitating.

This is magic, which I have experienced so little of in my life. The leader of my village and a few of his relations had the smallest scraps of power, which they used to protect our village and heal small children.

I would hate to know what Tai is capable of, yet still, I slip my hands into his, and close my eyes, bracing for whatever he has to show me.

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