Word Count: 2168
~Kiva
The door to my room opens, Ark walking in.
"Come." He motions toward the open door, tucking his hands behind his back.
Frowning, I sit up. Dusk has faded into night, which is usually the time I spend being escorted to a bathing room.
I don't think that is what Ark is here for.
Getting up, I follow him tentatively through the door. Each time I leave that stuffy room, I feel an immense amount of tension remove itself from my body.
"Where are we going?" I ask, following him as he leads me down the corridor. There are no security around, but Ark is enough of a threat to keep me from making a break for it.
And he wouldn't be bringing me out here if he didn't know there is nowhere for me to escape.
Looking over the edge of the railing to the ground floor of the atrium below, I see it is drenched in gilded light. People linger below, grouped up as they enjoy each other's company.
My stomach lurches. I'm stuck up here, while they enjoy themselves below, as if they aren't holding a captive, or as if they aren't plotting to harm my father.
"We are going outside. I figured you need some air," he comments.
I smile a little. He's taking me outside, with just him? He clearly doesn't think I will run, but if the opportunity arises, I'm going to take my chance.
"Why aren't you down there with all those people?" I ask as we make our way down the stairs.
He glances back at me. "Tonight is about you."
We continue down the stairs until we are on the lowest level. I was planning on warming up to Ark to gain his trust, to hopefully sway him into letting me go willingly.
But if he is taking me outside, I may not need to do that...
He tugs open a heavy metal door, making a hideous scraping sound against the concrete. Sure enough, the outside world lays out in front of me, cool night air tickling my senses.
"No cuffs, no ties?" I note, curious as to Ark's current motivations.
The forest is dark, with nothing visible more than a few steps. If I run, Ark may struggle to follow me, but I'll also struggle to find my way...
"No. If you wish to run, you can," he exclaims, leaning back against the compound wall.
I narrow my eyes, surveying him. He doesn't look concerned that he's going to have to start chasing me, with his hands seated in his pockets, a casual air about him.
"What's the catch?" I ask warily.
"Well, you're smart enough to weigh up the possibility of me finding you immediately, and you potentially getting lost in this forest as we near complete darkness," he notes, pointing up at the sky.
The moon, which currently beams its milky light down upon us, is close to being shrouded by a thick, dark cloud.
My hands ball up into fists as I consider my options.
Running is a risk. A big one. I may, by some stroke of luck, find my way back to the same village where I may be able to get a ride back to my father or Caspian. But there is an even more likely chance that I'll end up freezing in an endless forest, or that I'll be caught soon after by Ark.
"You found me once, that doesn't mean you will find me again," I remind him, crossing my arms over my chest.
He gestures out toward the forest. "Why aren't you running then?"
He's challenging me. The softest smirk touches his lips, and his eyes glisten. Something tells me he would enjoy chasing me down again, and I'm not going to give him that satisfaction.
I'm going to have to fall back onto my initial plan. I need to gain his trust.
"I haven't eaten in a while. I don't have the energy to run," I tell him decidedly. Regardless, I'm enjoying being outside, breathing in fresh air and feeling that familiar coldness that reminds me of home.
"Ah, so your choice is to stay, then?" Ark pushes him off the wall, approaching me.
"It's not exactly a choice," I grumble.
I do feel weaker, but with my emotions all over the place, there isn't much I can do about it. It's why my plan to lure Ark into my trap is far easier.
"You could have eaten," he says.
"And you could let me go," I retort, giving him my best sardonic smile. He just shakes his head at me, grinning.
"We are close. Oh so close, Kiva."
He turns back toward the door, ready to bring me back inside. Panics flares within me, both at the lost opportunity to get closer to him, and the fear of being shoved back into that horrible room.
"Wait...I don't want to go inside yet," I yelp.
He pauses, turning his head to me. He surveys me with his deep stare, seeming to decide that he won't subject me to the inside of the compound just yet.
"Alright. Lay down," he instructs.
I look toward the flattened piles of leaves on the grass that he gestures to.
"Why?" I ask warily.
"Just do it. Right here." He gets down, lying flat on his back. Now would be the time to run, if that was my plan, but instead, I join him, laying right next to him.
Settling in, I look up through the canopy of trees, at the vast night sky. My breath catches in my throat as I take in the stars, like glitter strewn over a dark painting.
"Oh...wow," I breathe.
I rarely stop and take a moment to appreciate the world around me. In times like these, when all I can think about is what stresses me out, it's easy to forget what makes me truly happy.
Taking in a clear, deep breath, I smile. "I almost feel free."
Free, except for the reality that seeps into the back of my mind, reminding me of why I am here, and what I'm going to have to do to get away.
I turn my head, gazing at him.
"Do you remember all those times when you tried so hard not to be with me?" I breathe.
I figured he didn't want me, when I tried on so many occasions to seduce him, and he continuously pushed me away. It turns out that he was harbouring this terrible secret and couldn't get close to me.
"I had a far stronger resolve back then," he murmurs, continuing to stare up at the night sky, which is threatening to be covered by oncoming clouds.
I lean up on my elbows. "Really? More so than now?"
"Believe it or not, yes," he says, deep in remembering those times, which seem like a lifetime ago. "Now I have this desperate need to prove to you that my feelings for you are stronger than ever."
We both sit up, as if that admission startled the both of us equally.
"What kind of feelings?" I ask breathlessly, unsure of whether I want to know the answer.
To get Ark to trust me, pushing the boundaries is necessary, but there is clearly some tension between us that is pulling taut.
His gaze exposes everything. "All of them."
My surprise isn't an act. He wants me even more so than I could have imagined, and now I'm reeling. I shouldn't be, because it changes nothing, but part of his want for me speaks to my own desire for him.
The desire that I shouldn't have...
"I wish I didn't, but I often think about that night we spent together." I'm not even lying at this point. That night we spent together tilted my whole world off its axis, putting everything I once knew into question.
He lets out a deep breath, as if to rid of the leash he has kept on his feelings. "Me too. Almost every day it comes to mind."
I glance away from his intent stare.
"I have to admit, it was pretty good," I murmur, staring off into the trees. It's easier not to look at him, to see where the line between the truth and my attempt to manipulate him blur.
"Well, if you ever want another go at it, let me know," he comments, getting to his feet.
I scramble up too, nearly stumbling over. I didn't expect him to offer so openly...this makes getting closer to him without crossing a line much more difficult, because he has just laid out what he wants.
"I think I need to get back to my husband. He's the one I should be sleeping with," I muse, steering the conversation in a different direction, hoping to get a rise out of him.
He stills, darkness seeping into his gaze at the mention of Caspian.
"You don't want to sleep with him."
I wander about, unable to keep still. "You don't know that...maybe I didn't want you to interrupt you that night."
"What would Caspian give you that I couldn't?" He folds his arms, watching me as I circle him. Any amusement he once has seems to have vanished into the night.
I pluck a leaf off a nearby tree, smoothing it between my fingers.
"For one thing, he's my husband."
He doesn't move. "I'm your mate."
"And he didn't kidnap me."
He narrows his eyes slightly, knowing there is not much else he can say to counter that. I know Caspian isn't a man I wish to return to, but in this situation, I would go back to him if it meant this rebellion would end.
"He's a bad man. You know that," he growls.
I don't let his deep, intimidating tone unsettle me. "Maybe that's what makes it more exciting."
If I can avoid it, I'm never going to sleep with Caspian. He is his own kind of monster, but right now, he acts as a good way to rile Ark up.
He takes a deep breath, realising I'm playing with him purposefully. His anger quickly fades, and he is back to that giving me that smug, taunting look.
"Then you'll have a great time with me."
I hold his gaze, not flinching. "I am bored..."
"Come sleep in my room tonight," he offers.
He's serious...him and I both know what will happen if I go into his room tonight, and that is a step I don't think I should take.
And yet, it is so wonderfully tempting.
"Oh yeah? What if I sneak out while you're asleep?" I question, brushing my hair back over my shoulders.
He smiles slightly. "You won't be walking anywhere tonight."
A thrill shudders through me at that insinuation. He looks so perfect under the moonlight, the shadows deepening the strong lines of his jaw and cheekbones. And the way he looks at me...it's like he wants to devour me.
What would one night matter? Ark and I haven't been together in a while, and every part of me wants him, is desperate for him.
"And what if I hate you? What if I want a night of fun to release tension, not because I care about you at all," I ask, setting it out as a hypothetical question, but both of us know it could become a reality.
He adjusts his jacket. "That will change by the time we are done."
I examine his face curiously. The Ark I knew before seemed so unwillingly to have sex with me until he snapped, deciding that because he couldn't be honest with me, he couldn't sleep with me.
Now, he doesn't seem to care how I feel about him.
"Is this a trick? Is this a game?"
"No tricks," he breathes, stepping closer. "Nothing changes the fact that you are my mate, and that I want you. If you want me, for whatever reason that may be, then who am I to deny you?"
I straighten. "Are you trying to lower my guard?"
"I'm inviting you back to my personal room. If you choose to come with me, for whatever reason, then you know what might happen."
He backs away toward the compound door, raising his brows. He is waiting for me to back down, to go back to insulting him.
But little does he know, I am tempted to push this act of manipulation a little further...
"It's your choice. No pressure," he says with a casual shrug.
"Fine. One night of fun, and then we will talk about when I'm getting out of here," I decide, feeling my nerves start to tumble around within me.
He holds out a gloved hand, as if this isn't a massive decision. "Shall we?"
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I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! and as always it is available 10 chapters ahead on Radish!
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