A King's Seduction ✔️

TWENTY SEVEN

Word Count: 1913

Tonight, my door isn't locked, and no one is guarding it.

Which means sinful ideas have crept mercilessly into my mind, all of which seem to lead back to me leaving here. Vaia told me that tomorrow morning I will be allowed to leave, which is an opportunity I plan on taking without much protest.

But I have a bad feeling about the sudden lack of guards outside of my room. Either Vaia truly doesn't see me as a threat, or she does plan on actually letting me go tomorrow. It's going to mean she will come at me with all the more force when she finds out I betrayed her trust.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I stare at the closed door.

Huffing out a breath, I get to my feet, pacing back and forth before deciding I really am going to risk sneaking out tonight. I have plenty of good information to share with Kailor when I return, but any additional evidence would be perfect.

Maybe I could get into Vaia's room...Maybe even Marek's.

The hallway is empty as I peer outside, still nervous that at any moment, I will be found and dragged back to my room. It's evening at this point, a gentle glow cast across the house as I walk down the familiar red carpeted hallway, thankful that I at least know this place like the back of my hand.

No one is near the stairs as I stalk down them, keenly aware of any sounds that may send me hurtling back to my room.

There is still not evidence of anyone being about as I walk through the bottom level, weaving through the hallways, aiming for Tai's old office. I imagine that will hold a wealth of information about Vaia and her next plans.

Just before I go to walk past the dining room, I hear voices floating from it, all chillingly familiar.

"You look tired," I hear Jessa say.

I pause, lingering near the entrance of the dining room. This is a risk, but clearly everyone has gathered in here, so I wait, pressing my back against the wall, not willing to risk a peek around the doorframe.

"I feel tired," I hear Vaia admit, her voice dragging. "Things are moving slower than I would like."

"We have a new batch of volunteers coming through," Jess assures her.

My stomach turns. I can't believe I once trusted Jessa, that I brought her here many months ago to give her a better chance at life. Instead of being grateful, she turned against me, siding with Vaia. Thinking back on it, I should never have allowed her and Vaia to become so close. Now they are lovers and Vaia managed to completely manipulate her against me.

"Volunteers this time...How lovely," Marek says flatly. My stomach sinks at the sound of his voice. I want to speak to him again, to dig as much out of him as possible. I'm starting to have doubts that he is working with Vaia as closely as Tai and I first thought.

What if my new theory is true...What do I do now?

"They are apart of a local cult. They think they are doing good work by sacrificing themselves," Jessa says, sounding somewhat amused.

My stomach churns, knowing they are talking about those they are using to test water from the Forbidden River on. Clearly they haven't been successful in trying to make it not lethal anymore, and I'm not even sure if they will ever figure it out.

"How noble," Vaia says sourly. "At least now they have a purpose in their empty lives."

My hands clench into fists.

"So are you truly going to let Akara go?" Marek questions, veering the conversation into another direction completely. I'm grateful for it, since I've been curious for the answer to this myself.