Word Count: 1839
~Kiva
"Ark!"
My head spins as I practically throw myself from the couch. Ark catches me in his arms, pressing me close against him.
"Hey sweetheart," he soothes, holding me for a beat before he pulls me back so he can examine me. "What the fuck happened to you?"
Dark, cold anger simmers in his eyes. He withholds it well, but I can see on his face, in the tension in his muscles that he's moments from exploding.
"A lot. Sit down," I encourage, pointing to the couch. It's mostly for myself because I feel like I'm moments away from fainting.
He guides me onto the couch before he sits next to me, his body turned to face me. He grazes his fingers over my skin, face, gently tracing over the bruises and marks that mar me. His jaw only tightens as I wince.
Slowly, his attention shifts to Louis, who stands back a little. "Did you do this?"
"No, he didn't. He saved me," I cut in quickly. If Ark so much as suspects Louis is involved, he won't hesitate to kill him.
He frowns. "Saved you?"
"You need to be calm about this, Ark," I warn. I don't want him ruining his plans out of anger. I'm feeling fine, despite the blood loss, faintness and the chill that is crawling over my skin.
"Are you in pain?" he asks gently. His ability to shift between empathy and anger is frankly fascinating.
"I lost a lot of blood, but I'm okay," I assure him. "I'm trying no to think about it."
"If you didn't do this to her, who did?" Ark demands, narrowing his eyes on Louis, who looks increasingly more uncomfortable.
Anyone would be intimidated. Louis's eyes are pinned to the knife strapped to the side of Ark's leg, and we both know there is more on him than that.
"My father did," I murmur, adjusting the bandage wrapped around my head. "I followed him to his business."
Ark sighs grimly.
"I figured. There were reports of him leaving and when I came for you that night you were gone," he explains. "Thankfully we had already decided we were going to tail him and one of my members reported a sighting of you and I came as soon as I could."
I exhale through my nose, letting myself relax. I should have known Ark would be right behind me. He's always there, always protecting me.
There has never been a time with him where I was in true danger.
"I'm so glad you're here," I tell him. I can't do this without him, and having him here, right in front of me is enough to make me burst into tears.
Ark looks back at Louis. "Why are you here?"
"I live here," he snaps.
Poor Louis went from confessing his desire to keep what we once had going, to watching me with my mate.
"He was forced to work for my father due to threats to his family. Please don't blame him, he actually got me out of there before...before something bad happened," I tell Ark, grabbing his forearm.
A muscle in Ark's jaw flickers as he looks between us. I don't think he knows the extent of Louis and I's history, but he knows we weren't just friends.
"Thank you," he tells him anyway.
"Did you know she was your mate when you kicked me out of her room?" Louis questions, folding his arms over his chest.
My eyes widen. Uh oh. This isn't what we should all be talking about right now.
"I did," Ark responds calmly. "But I kicked you out of her room because I didn't know who you were and I didn't like that you were sneaking into her room in the middle of the night."
"We are friends. I had to see her," Louis insists.
I don't really know why he's bringing this up now, why he is pressing Ark on it when he's seconds from falling over the edge of his anger and into a dark pit where nothing matters.
It's like Louis wants to die or something...
"From what I saw, you don't just see her as your friend," Ark growl, referring back when he first walked in here.
"We have a lot of history."
"She is my mate."
"Alright, cool it. My head is killing me," I cut in, glaring at the both of them.
Right now we need to be united more than anything. I doubt it's possible, but we need to concentrate on the real enemy here, and that is my father. The wound in the back of my head is evidence enough of that.
Ark focuses on me again, his gaze softening. "I hate seeing you like this. I should have done more to protect you."
"I was the one who jumped in the back of father's transport and snuck into the facility," I remind him coolly. I don't want him to blame himself for something he had no part in.
It was my own curiosity that got the better of me.
Ark nods. "You should have come to me. We had a plan."
"Yeah, probably. I didn't know though."
Me not knowing their plans was meant to keep me safe, although now I can see the regret swirling in Ark's eyes as they drift over the white bandage.
"From now on you will know everything before it happens, okay?" He breathes.
"What is your plan now?"
"Tomorrow we have reports that your father will be returning to the business one last time before he scouts for a new location. We will intervene then," he informs me, glancing at Louis occasionally as he talks.
He doesn't trust him. Fair enough, Louis was working for my father, regardless of why.
"He's going to be looking for me. What if he isn't there?" I ask.
"He will be," Ark affirms grimly. "I don't want to sound crass, but I think he will be prioritising this over you."
I sigh. He's right. My father may claim to love me, and I'm sure he does to a degree, but I will never be worth as much as that business is to him.
If I was, he would never have made it to begin with.
"He knows I'm hurt. He probably thinks I'll be dead soon," I mutter.
Louis steps closer. "I need to return tomorrow and maintain that I don't know what happened, otherwise Kiva will be tracked back here."
"You have only a few hours to prepare," Ark tells him, getting to his feet. "Don't screw this up."
To Louis's credit, he doesn't cower, even as the full extent of Ark's tall, broad stature towers over him and his dark eyes pin him in place.
"Just because I want her father gone doesn't mean I want to work with you," he snaps.
Ark remains eerily calm. "I suggest you do, and I suggest you go there tomorrow as normal and don't allude to anything regarding Kiva."
He doesn't say his threat overtly but we all know what would happen if Louis didn't heed his warning.
"How do I know your people won't storm in there tomorrow and kill me for being involved?"
Ark shrugs casually. "They might. But if anything goes wrong, I'll kill you myself."
Louis stills before he looks at me for help.
"Okay Ark, I think he gets it," I mutter, rolling my eyes. My mate knows how angry I would be if anything happened to my only friend, so I trust that he will keep him safe, regardless of how he feels about him.
"I care about you, Kiva," Louis tells me. "I'll keep you safe."
I give him a soft smile. I will always appreciate his friendship.
"She needs some rest. Do you have another room?" Ark asks.
Louis points to a door behind us. "Yeah. In there."
"Thank you, Louis. Seriously," I breathe. I want to hug him or something, but with the tension between Ark and him, it's probably not a good idea.
He shakes his head. "You don't need to thank me."
Ark guides me into the room, his grip on me tight. I settle onto the bed, letting out a deep breath. My head aches persistently and colours dance in my vision, but I'm comforted by my mates presence. Nothing can harm me with him there.
"Do you need water or anything?" He asks me, drawing the curtains closed.
"I'm okay." I muster my best smile until I remember Erin lying in Louis's room. "We saved another girl."
"Really?"
"She's in the other room sleeping. She was drugged and she's very shaken up." She's going to be panicked when she wakes, but she will be free.
"Poor girl," he mutters, ruffling a hand through his already messy hair. "You did well to save her."
"Louis did the hard part," I muse.
I wish I had done more for her. I wish I hadn't gotten taken in by my father, but at the same time, I'm glad for it. I saw a side to him I couldn't reconcile with earlier. How can someone imagine their father to be a monster?
Ark sits next to me, unable to contain the fury that gathers like a storm in his eyes. "Can you tell me what happened?"
"I snuck in there because there weren't many guards. I found Erin, the girl, and tried to get her out but we got caught and I was hit hard on the back of the head. When I woke father interrogated me and I freaked out...he's a monster. I didn't even recognise him," I whisper, my voice tightening with each word.
"I'm sorry you had to see him like that," he breathes, drawing me in close so I can rest my head against his shoulder.
"Seeing that will make you killing him much easier," I say. "I want him gone, Ark."
I wish I wouldn't cry over this because it hurts. Physically and emotionally. Still, tears well in my eyes, spilling down my cheeks.
"I know," he soothes. "For now, get some rest. We wake early, but I don't want you around for what we are going to do."
"I want to speak with him one last time before you...you know," I stutter, swiping the gears away. "And then I want you to burn that place down."
He helps me move so my head is resting against the pillow. "We will apprehend him first. We need to get more information from him to make sure this isn't happening elsewhere with someone else in charge."
"Good idea," I murmur, fatigue weighing heavily on my life.
"Get some sleep. I'll be right here," he assures me, taking my hand in his.
I blink sleepily, gazing into his dark eyes. "I love you, Ark."
"I love you too."
🖤••🖤
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! and as always it is available 10 chapters ahead on Radish!
THE DARKEST TEMPTATION— OUT NOW ON WATTPAD!!
~Midika 💜🐼