Word Count: 2235

I race upstairs, my heart racing in time with my steps.

Kailor's disturbing words still creep over my skin uneasily, making me wonder whether Tai is destined to fall onto the same path as his father. Surely he's better than that. At least I hope so, as I gently press on the door and slink my way into Tai's personal quarters.

His quarters are similar in size to Vaia's, but with a lot less pink. In fact, everything is rather minimal in regard to furnishing. A seating area extends toward what must be his bedroom, all muted colours of ivory and hints of sage. Tai must be here, after he stormed from the room out of frustration.

Knocking softly on the door, I await the embarrassment of showing up here in the first place.

Tai answers almost immediately, startling at the sight of me. He is still yet to dress down from his King-like attire, all the rings on his fingers glistening lavishly, his violet threaded black jacket still draped over his shoulders. He looks nothing like his father, I decide, and acts nothing like him either...most of the time.

"Akara...is everything okay?" he asks uneasily, glancing over my shoulder. I had hoped to never step foot near his bedroom, yet here I am, too frightened to ruin the façade by not coming here.

"Other than your father trying to proposition me, I suppose I'm fine," I say with a shrug, watching Tai's expression immediately falter.

"He did?"

"Woah," I level quickly, placing my hand on his chest as he steps forward, almost as if he is going to confront him right now. If Tai approaches his father angry, then there's no way he would be successful in any attack. "I've dealt with it. Problem is, he thinks we share a room being that we are...engaged."

The tension shifts from his shoulders to his expression as he dwells on that. Stepping aside, he motions into his room. I should tell him I would feel more comfortable in his living area, yet politely, I wander in, listening to him close the door behind him.

"He shouldn't be up much longer. You can return to your room then," he tells me assuredly.

His room is far larger than mine, and a whole lot more impressive. I suppose that's what you get when you're a King. A large red topped bed sits upon an extended polished wooden dais, steps leading up to it as if the bed is actually a throne. The rest of the room has dark furniture and curtains which must be hiding a balcony beyond.

"I'm sorry about everything he said to you. That can't be very nice to hear," I murmur, standing awkwardly in the middle with my hands clutched together in front of me. Tai leans back against the door, brows furrowed, complimenting the storm shifting in his eyes as he recalls what was said.

"I've heard him say that since I was a young boy. It's not exactly anything new," he tells me with a shrug, shoving his hands in his pockets.

I watch uneasily as he walks past me, sitting on the end of his bed. The air in the room feels over-charged suddenly, even if I'm the only one experiencing this, while Tai is stuck in his own state of mind. It's not natural being in his room, seeing him sat upon his bed as if this is a normal place for us to converse.

"Do you have a mother?" I ask tentatively.

"I did," he admits, rubbing the back of his neck. "She died two years ago. She was a lot like me, in the sense that we both like creating things, working to break tradition."

My heart sinks, as I regard Tai with a sympathetic look, wondering what I can do comfort him. Quietly, I sit beside him on the bed, palms pressing against the silken duvet, breathing in his spicy scent which covers this entire room. Ignore the way it makes my skin shiver, I focus on his face, the solemn expression replaced now by a fondness for his mother.

"She sounds like she was lovely," I admit, and I truly mean it.

"She was," he murmurs, looking at me with a warm look in his emerald eyes that cannot be diminished, even by his cruel father. I watch with far too much attentiveness at the few curls that fall down his forehead, black as the darkest night.

I note what Kailor said that has stuck with me. "And your brother? What happened to him?"

"He also died recently, right before my mother, who we all assumed she lost her life from a broken heart. He was devastatingly ill, but a strong, good man and older brother. He was the heir to the throne. Father was disgusted when he died and I had to take his place," Tai admits sadly, resting his hands behind him as he gets more comfortable. Suddenly I don't feel strange being here.

"That's horrible. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he breathes, shaking his head slightly as if it might rid of the grief. When I first came here I assumed Tai was a surface level man given more privilege then one should be allowed. I had no idea he had such a tragic backstory. "I'm sorry I kissed you."

My mind slinks back to that memory, of his lips pressed against mine. It felt so strange, when I had kissed Marek only a few days earlier.

"Oh...it's fine."

"I hope you know it will never happened again," Tai assures me. Glancing up form where I was staring at my knotted fingers, I get trapped in the sharpness of his verdant green gaze. "Without your permission, I mean."

My breath hitches in my throat, as I think about that...giving him permission. The way he stares at me, gaze heating my cheeks as I try look away, yet can't. In a moment that I could have imagined, his eyes flicker down to my lips, darkening slightly.

Instead of telling him not to kiss me, I promptly change the subject. "You didn't kill him."

"I know," he mutters, the jarring reality of what I've said tearing his mind away from kissing me. "I was scared."

Knowing it takes a lot for someone as powerful as a King to admit he's scared, I decide not to ask what he feared. Killing your father is no easy feat, and as disturbing as his father is, I'm grateful to not have witnessed his blood being spilt. Tai may think he's tough, but I'm sure he's not capable of murder.

Slowly I lay back on the bed, my legs still dangling off the end. "Why did you want to kill him?"

"Many reasons. He's right though, I am pathetic. I wanted to kill him, and yet I couldn't do it," Tai sighs, leaning back with me. I ignore the sinking of the bed that pulls us closer, his shoulder pressing against mine.

"You may still..." I hate myself for saying it.

"I can't. I'm scared, which is the worst a King can feel," he says again, turning his head to look at me. I stare back at him, noting how close we are and how it allows me to see every subtle feature of his face. A few far apart freckles that are hardly noticeable, the slightest bump in the centre of his nose.

"Then what do we do?"

He knows what I'm talking about without me having to be blatantly obvious. He proposed to me for one reason, and now that he is aware he cannot go through with it, I'm hoping it will bring it to an end.

"Will you still remain engaged to me? Not for long, but there has been pressure from my people who doubt I have a strong reign. Some think Vaia will take my place, so an engagement should put all of those assumptions to rest," Tai says uneasily, watching my reaction.

I don't feel angry, like I thought I might. It's almost as if I expected this. I know that I'm going to be stuck here regardless, for who knows how long. Being engaged to Tai, I get privileges no one else would get. My father home from war, money from my family...If it ends, I could be giving all of that up.

"Do my terms still remain?" I question.

His eyes are warm. "Absolutely."

Staring up at his ceiling, I notice a sky light revealing the night sky above, glittering stars scattered across a silky black canvas. I feel a sense of calm, staring up at it. Suddenly I'm not trapped in this manor, I'm not engaged to a King. I'm just a woman lying beside a man, wondering what is next for us.

"Can I ask you about what you're hiding at the border? Where you didn't want us to cross in the beginning..." I ask, rolling onto my stomach, bracing myself on my elbows so I can look at Tai as he responds.

His eyes are vacant as he stares through the skylight. "I'm building something. I can't really talk about it."

"Will you tell me when I'm your wife?"

Tai doesn't startle, but his eyes do widen slightly. My throat goes dry. Why did I say that? The idea is that we don't have to marry, and that we can remain engaged and both get what we need from each other.

He releases a long, tired sigh. "I hope you'll never have to get too deep into my messed up life."

"I suppose we both have messed up lives," I say softly. As I shrug, I feel our shoulders press together. I wondering if I should pull away, but as the night gets deeper, and I feel fatigue hit me, I don't bother. "I went from a devout Tani believer, and now I'm a King's potential bride."

Tai's gaze burns through me. "Your Tani, the Beast...I've heard very bad things."

"Yes, I'm aware," I exasperate, not wanting to speak about that once again. Most of it is from guilt, from having my mind consider whether these rumours are real. Everyone I have spoken to has the same belief that the Beast is evil, and I'm starting wondering how true this theory is. "Marek wants to kill it."

Tai sits up suddenly, bracing himself on his elbows. "Why?"

"Something to do with obtaining its power once he kills it. Nothing I've ever heard of before, but I suppose it was especially sinful to speak ill about the Beast, which includes killing it," I say mindlessly, enjoying the soft plushness of this bedspread beneath me.

"If there is any one thing I know about the Beast, is why people don't kill it," Tai says grimly. "It is so dangerous, and has killed and injured many, yet no one kills it. I'm assuming it's because when you do, any power you possess gets destroyed along with the creature. If you're human, it takes your life."

My eyes widen, as that slowly sinks in. Marek hasn't yet opened up about his powers, and why they are stronger than a normal Summoner. They have to be bad if he is wanting to get rid of them. I suddenly feel uncomfortable, allowing myself to think that Marek has kidnapped me, told me to my face he would continue looking for this Beast once this was over all because he wanted power.

I had no idea he has been wanting to escape something he has been cursed with.

"That doesn't make any sense...why would Marek want his powers gone?" I question, more to myself than Tai. The King knows nothing about the Hunter, and I doubt they mind that much.

"That's a great question," Tai says, leaning up to pull off his jacket, revealing a dark purple button-up shirt, before he lays back down with me. "What else is he hiding from you?"

I yawn. I really don't want to think about it.

"I'm not sure. I don't know anything about him if I'm completely honest, which I'm sure makes you happy," I say quietly, not moving as he pulls a blanket over us both. Admittedly, it was getting cold, even if I shouldn't be here right now, snuggling up on his bed.

"It does, actually," Tai says smoothly. With heavy eyelids, I look at him, noting the way he gazes at me. "I don't trust him. I somehow doubt he wants the best for you, especially with all he is hiding."

I yawn again. "I guess. I don't know what to think."

"Don't think anymore," Tai breathes. "Just sleep."

Feeling wonderfully comfortable and overwhelmingly sleepy, I nod, deciding it won't do too much harm for me to sleep here, and hope everything is far less stressful when I wake.

💚••💚

If you guys want to read ahead, you can read more of KING'S POSSESSION on Radish! It's chapters ahead of Wattpad (:

🍐••🍐

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 💜🐼