A King's Seduction ✔️

TWENTY FIVE

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.