Word Count: 1694

~Kiva

I stare at my bedroom door as I settle into bed, knowing who is behind it.

How I'm still not used to Ark's guard after all these weeks is beyond me. Only one wall between us isn't enough.

Rolling over, I switch my lamp off, bathing the room in darkness.

I'm only blessed with a few moments of unbothered rest before the sound of my window scraping open has me sitting up in the darkness.

Panic seizes me first. Is it my mate? Or worse...

With shaking fingers I switch my lamp back on, bathing a portion of my room with enough light to reveal the meek state of my only true friend.

"Louis, what are you doing?" I whisper frantically, glancing at the door Ark stands behind.

Louis ruffles a hand through his hair, pointing at the window. "That is quite the climb."

"Keep your voice down," I whisper, pulling myself from the bed.

"Everything okay?"

He steps towards me, the weight of him causing the floorboards to creak. I wince, hoping Ark is excusing the sound as me getting up to use the bathroom.

"My guard will murder me if he finds someone in here," I tell him lowly, jerking my thumb at the door.

Louis looks distastefully at it. "He's made it impossible for me to come see you."

My heart flutters. In the flurry of the past few weeks, I've neglected my usually frequent visits to the downstairs porch where Louis meets me.

And if Ark found me with Louis again...I'm afraid he may hurt him.

I smooth my hair back with both my hands, sighing. "I know...it's frustrating."

"How long is he around for?"

"Until I am strong enough to fight off an attacker," I tell him. I'm getting more adept with my fighting skills, but my mate pinned me down with strength I'm not sure I'll ever compete with.

Louis steps closer. "Your father is insane for hiring someone like that. How can you trust him?"

I nearly laugh. Trust Ark?

Maybe if I knew him beyond his job as a mercenary I would consider it, but he is yet to reveal anything about himself, even when I press him on it.

"I have no other choice."

Louis rubs a hand over his eyes, clearly stressed. "I'm just happy to see you. I know that much."

"Yeah, I missed you. These past few weeks have been insane." I reach out to him, drawing him in for a hug.

He smells of snow and sweat from his dramatic climb up the fragile trellis. But he also smells familiar, like many nights of freedom that I've treasured.

When I pull away, his grip around my waist remains tight. His eyes flutter closed as he leans toward me.

For some reason, I stiffen, jerking away from him.

"Woah..." I mumble, leaving a generous distance between us. I'm not disgusted by him, nor am I offended that he wants to kiss me, I just don't want it. Since realising I have a mate, I'm not interested in mindless trysts with him anymore.

He blinks. "Everything okay?"

"I...I just think we should be friends. Platonically, I mean." I stumble stupidly over my words. My stomach is hollow seeing the hurt in his eyes.

"Oh. Really?"

He glances over my shoulder, at the door Ark is behind. He doesn't think this has anything to do with my guard, does he?

"I need to concentrate on my safety right now, and I'm probably going to be married very soon." I anxiously rub the back of my neck, hating the excuses.

I'm not lying, exactly. There is more to it though. Being with Louis, even if I wanted to, is about as possible as being with my mate.

"You don't want to marry." He sounds genuinely upset, his voice trembling a little.

I swallow thickly. "No, but it's my duty."

Ark is right, I've been manipulated by my environment, and my father. I sound crazed, totally indoctrinated.

Anger flares in Louis's eyes as he points to the door. "Did that guy tell you to stop being with me?"

I wince. We are whispering, but his voice is slowly starting to rise.

"Yes, but it's also my decision," I insist.

Ark couldn't actually forbid me from anything unless I wanted to give it up. If I really needed to, I would have continued to touch myself every morning.

Louis stops his pacing, so tense I'm uncomfortable looking at him.

"You know what, I think I want to talk to this guy," he growls.

Panic snaps within me, as he charges past me, brushing from my grasp.

"Louis, don't-"

Like the fool he is when he's blinded by anger, he throws the door open.

Ark is leaning stoically against the wall opposite to my door, hands clasped in front of him. Upon the sound of the door opening, he looks from where his gaze was trained on the ground.

"Hey, I need to talk to you," Louis snaps.

Ark immediately strides forward, violently pushing Louis back into my room before pressing him up against the closed door.

"Who the fuck are you?" He growls, holding a knife up to my friends neck. I hadn't even realised he had pulled it out, and now, Louis's life is in danger.

"What about you, huh? Elite mercenaries don't just come out of nowhere."

I have to give Louis credit where it's due...

If Ark were holding a knife to my neck, I think I would be a sobbing mess, left begging for mercy.

"No, they don't."Ark once sounded angry, but now, he's resumed that deadly calm that threatens to raise panic in even me. "And neither do boys climbing through Princesses' windows."

"I'm her friend," Louis hisses back.

Ark angles his head, a predator examining his prey. "Uh huh. Not anymore."

Louis wrestles against his grip, although with the blade against his skin, he doesn't stand a chance.

Not that he would anyway, weapon or not...

"As if you control that."

"Let him go, Ark," I growl, pulling at him. He rolls his shoulder to avoid my touch, keeping Louis pinned against the door like a criminal.

Louis would be dead by now, were he not my friend. I'm surprised Ark didn't recognise him when they first encountered each other.

"I do control that, because I'm trying to keep her alive," Ark seethes. "Now get out of her life. If I see you in her room like this again, I'll kill you."

"Not before I kill you," Louis grits out, shifting uncomfortably as the blade draws a small amount of blood.

Ark tilts his head to the side, smirking like Louis's pathetic threats amuse him.

"I invite you to try." He lets my friend go, slipping his dagger back in its sheath.

Louis stumbles back, adjusting his jacket uncomfortably. Thankfully he's smart enough not to immediately charge at an awaiting Ark, who seems entertained by the thought of a challenge.

"I've had enough of both of you. You can each get out of my room," I snap, pointing to the door.

Louis gapes at me. "You can't just let him push you around, Kiva."

"It's my job," Ark reminds him tensely, leaning against my bedroom wall. He isn't going to be the first to leave this room, not when there is a small chance Louis may turn on me and put his job in jeopardy.

"I don't let him do anything to me. Now go." I nudge Louis's shoulder.

It hurts to push him out, but I don't have any other choice. It's late, and if word gets back to Caspian that a man is in my room, I doubt he will want to marry me anymore.

Louis leans forward and kisses my cheek. "I'll catch up with you soon, okay?"

"I'll see you, Louis," I murmur lowly.

He smiles weakly before slipping through the door, obviously planning on taking the back way down. That's probably for the best, because scaling down the trellis again will probably kill him.

Once he's gone, I run my hands through my hair, releasing a long breath.

Ark smiles a little, shaking his head.

I narrow my eyes. "What's that look?"

"Nothing," he mumbles.

"Ark..." I press. He looks as though he is enjoying a personal joke at my expense.

He adjusts his gloves, still smirking. "I just don't get it, you know?"

"No. I don't," I say warily.

"He doesn't seem like your type." He shrugs. My eyes narrow, unsure of what he is insinuating my type to me. I'm not sure I even know, although there is something about the dark and enigmatic...

"He...he may be. You wouldn't know," I accuse.

"Seems like a little bit of desperation, huh? No one else around that would suffice?" He taunts.

I grit my teeth. He's trying to tease a response out of me, but I'm not going to give him what I want. I'm not above trying to seduce Ark into my bed for a night of fun and release, but I don't feel like being rejected tonight.

With everything going on, I'm fragile enough.

"He's my friend, before everything," I mutter, folding my arms over my chest.

Ark's gaze softens, that taunting look vanishing. "I don't mean to restrict you from seeing your friend. It's only temporary."

"I know that." But I don't. Who knows when this threat will be gone, even if so, I'll be with Caspian in his territory soon enough, which means Louis won't be able to get to me anyway.

Ark nods. "Good. Good."

He turns toward the door, pausing before his fingers brush against the handle. "No more guys sneaking into your room. Got it?"

I laugh a little. Other than my mate, who else would ever join me in here?

"Yes Ark," I say sweetly, fluttering my lashes.

Ark rolls his eyes, although I catch his smile as he slips from my room.

🧡••🧡

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! and as always it is available 10 chapters ahead on Radish!

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~Midika 💜🐼