The King's Possession ✔️

THIRTY SEVEN

"You'll never have to feel that way again. Not with me. I care about you, Akara," he tells me seriously, a tenderness softening his gaze.

Flashing him a brief smile, I nod quickly, trying to tuck my hair back behind my ear, only to wince in the process.

"I know. I would like to rest now," I murmur, sinking further back into my feather pillow. Right now, I don't want to have an intimate conversation with Tai. He seems distracted anyway, glancing anxiously toward Marek who is on the balcony now, giving us space to talk. "I'll send him out once I thank him."

The reluctance is there, in his eyes, yet he nods. I mouth thank you, to which he simple smiles, leaning forward to gently kiss my forehead before standing, leaving a cold feeling of absence as he leaves.

The moment he does, Marek walks back into the room, carrying with him the sweet pine scent from outside.

"Thank you, for saving me," I say breathily, admiring the way the nights shadows sweep along the contours of his face as he approaches, sitting on the edge of the bed with me. His clothing is still damp from where my naked body fell against him, soaked from whatever it was burning my skin. Strangely, it hasn't effected his clothing, meaning this was likely magic.

"You know you don't need to say that." he murmurs gently, eyes darkening as he takes in the gauzy bandages plastered across my skin, concealing the horror that dwells beneath them.

I have to take a steady breath to stop my voice from shaking. "I could have died, Marek."

"You're here, and you're okay," he reassures me, resting a hand on my good shoulder. There's more than concern in his eyes. There's an animalistic sense of justice that needs to be carried out by his hand, and he will not cease until it is dealt. Knowing that he is thinking this makes me shudder. "I would never let that happen to you."

"You and Tai both seem to be good at promising that." I wince as I shift, trying to adjust my body weight onto what doesn't currently hurt.

"Do you think this marriage is still a good idea? You dying was a very real possibility. Had I not been there..." he breaks off, as if finishing the sentence is an impossible feat.

Now that it's confirmed that someone is targeting me, likely for my affiliation to Tai, deciding against marrying him is a real possibility. Can I stay here with the threat of being killed? It's too much for someone like myself to deal with. I should be home...

I can't focus on this.

"Why were you outside my door when I called for help?" I decide to ask, looking at Marek whose atlantic eyes are practically hidden by a fringe of dark hair.

The question seems to have taken him off guard, as if he didn't expect to be called out for being so close to my room. I already figure he was on his way to speak to me, despite my demand for him to stay away. Now I'm grateful, but had we been caught...

"I was passing by," he replies uncomfortably, glancing down at his hand which is on my knee above the covers. He wears a ring today, the silvery glint similar to the marking on his forehead which is impressively bright today, the shadows bleeding into the vivid sapphire colour.

"You really expect me to believe that?"

"I don't expect you to believe anything," he says deeply, voice suddenly hoarse and rough. "Just believe I will keep my distance, from now on. Or try to, at least."

So he had been meaning to speak to me. I allow my mind to wander, to consider what our conversation would have been had I not showered first. I don't want to think about it and risk blushing; especially not since I've got enough to be embarrassed about. At the time, and perhaps even now I don't care that I flung my naked body against him to escape the poisoned water. Yet the conservative side of me who has never bared themself to a man has heart flutters just thinking about it.

It seems more likely that he was more occupied with seeing the seeping sores than looking at my exposed body.

"Try?"

"I'm sorry that every moment I look at you, I feel an unbelievable urge to..." he cuts himself off, summoning calm over his rigid body. "Never mind."

I want to ask. I need to ask what he means by that, yet can't bring myself to do it. Whenever I see him, I have an urge to throw myself at him and demand we throw everything away and be fugitives while Tai chases us down.

"How do I make you...not feel like that anymore," I ask anxiously.

Marek shudders. "Don't be you."

We sit in silence for a moment, pouring of what has been said. Marek has a lethal focus on me, studying my expression for any falter. Suddenly the weight of his body on the bed beside me is making it harder to breathe, the way his hand rests on the thigh above the sheets. Memories of our kiss from only a few nights ago, the way he pressed me against the ground, the feeling of him atop me...

Clearing my throat, I will away the vivid images.

"Maybe you should keep some distance then," I tell him firmly, knowing that deep down that I don't mean it. Keeping distance feels impossible, almost as if we have magnetic attraction constantly drawing us together.

"I have to, if I am to be able to watch you and Taius together, without going insane," he breathes, looking away toward the door, as if Tai may be watching.

He really does think there is something more going on between Tai and I. The way he kissed my forehead only minutes ago leaves me with no blame toward him.

At this point, I don't know what to feel.

🧡••🧡

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

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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 💜🐼