Chapter 16: SIXTEEN

Word Count: 2096

Of all the things I've done in the past week, this is my biggest lapse in judgment.

Still, I've snuck my way through the hallways, night having falling at it's latest hour; right at midnight. I could be walking into a trap, into a plot for Marek to try our escape so he can resume what his original plan was. Killing my Tani. Yet still, with one tentative foot in front of the other, I slip out through the empty kitchen downstairs, and outside.

Taius's demand echoes throughout my head, as I wrap my jacket tightly around my limbs, inwardly cursing my foolishness for coming out here.  It's unlikely he will catch us, though. His Guards are primarily out front at these hours, right by the gate.

I look around the backyard, for any sign of the Hunter. His letter was cryptic, but alluring enough for him to be sure I would join him out here, at this hour.

"You came."

I jump, whirling around. Marek emerges from the darkness, almost like he belongs there. He's dressed completely in black, from his coat to his shoes. His once bronze hair is casted in shadow, now appearing as dark as obsidian. And his eyes...as usual, his eyes leave my mouth drying, a brighter shade of blue than I've seen before.

"I'm stupid for coming here," I blurt out, unsure of what else to say. My nerves have bubbled up dramatically inside me, as I mull over how much of a bad idea it is for me to be out here. I don't know Marek, nor do I trust him. Yet here I am.

His eyes glint, catching the moonlight. "No, you're curious."

I narrow my eyes, retreating backward a few steps. Marek looks blissful unworried, considering the risks of us being caught together. With his hands stuffed in his pockets, his head angled to look at me carefully, he seems so unbothered, it's frightening. He's not scared of Tai, I realise. At least not as scared as I am.

"Don't say that. You're still my kidnapper," I mutter, wrapping my arms around myself. Despite the balmy kiss to the night air, I'm chilled through my coat.

"You're not going to let that one go, are you," he remarks smoothly, his tone lower and sultry, laden with unspoken allure.

Wordlessly he nods toward the forest, which borders the edge of Tai's estate. Falling into step with him, I ignore the dark shadow that falls over me. Anything could be possible tonight, which is a dangerous thought to dwell on. Marek could do anything, could hurt me, seduce me or frighten me. Or worse, Tai could find us and have us thrown into prison. Yet I still walk with him, swallowing past a lump in my throat at the sight of the nearing forest, ebony shades melting into the forests supple green, which can be seen even as night has fallen.

"Not unless you're going to get us out of here right now," I reply to his remark, shuddering at the heady fragrance of the forest and all its native ferns and foliage. The moment I step past the first tree, I let my senses bristle, keeping me alert.

"I'm still working on our escape plan. His guards stick to the perimeter of his territory, we would be caught immediately if we even get close," Marek explains, lifting a low branch for me to step under. "It's much larger than I thought. Another hunter told me about it this morning, about how he separates his territory with outer and inner borders. Even if we pass the inner border, we would have to travel many hours to reach the outer, which I still know little about."

"Then why call me out here?" I ask.

"Thought you would want some air," he admits, dappled moonlight streaming through the canopy drenching his hair and skin in a silvery-white glow. "And I wanted to teach you how to use a bow, how to wield a knife. You never know when you'll need it in this place."

My mind flickers back to the crossbow he had in his room, remembering it's silver and mahogany malice. Marek doesn't appear to have any weapons on his person currently, but with the dark coat he has draped over his shoulders, he could be hiding anything.

"Vaia has taken a sudden interest in you," I remark, deciding I want him to know before we go along with this training session. Marek looks puzzled for a moment. "Vaia, as in the King's sister."

"Oh, right," he frowns, shaking his head slightly, tendrils of dark hair brushing against his brow. "I think I spoke to her once."

"Maybe it would help us get a way out of here, if you get close to her," I offer, wishing my voice weren't so high when I spoke it.

It's not that I don't want Marek to take interest in another girl, although I will admit, it does make me feel uncomfortable. I simply want him to concentrate on getting me out of here.

"You're not asking me to seduce Tai's sister into bed, right?" Marek murmurs, eyes slightly narrowed. Heat flames in my cheeks, as images of him and Vaia flash improperly into my mind. "Because I somehow doubt that's the way into his good graces."

No, I doubt Tai would be impressed by that. Looking down at my feet as we walk, covered by a gossamer gown of mist that swirls and reforms around my ankles, I curse how far we have to conceal ourselves in these woods to avoid Tai's guards.

"No, not at all. I'm saying Vaia is her own person, and maybe if you try to be nice to her, we can learn something," I offer.

Marek smiles. "What did she threaten you with?"

"I'm repaying a debt," I tell him promptly.

Finally, we come to a stop, a mosaic of moonlight being the only way I can see Marek, and the trees before me. So deep in here, everything has a dark, resonating chill, a soft breeze ghosting through the trees, accompanying the gentle sounds of dozing creatures, which hide within the undergrowth. Dangerous souls live in Jade Province forests like this one, which I silently pray we will not stumble upon on our way back.

"Already? I thought I was the only person in this place who owes someone something," Marek intoned, resting his back against a large tree.

I shift, deciding against continuing the conversation. "You're really going to teach me how to use weapons that I might use against you?"

Marek's laughs quietly. "I understand why you don't trust me. Maybe this will help."

"Why? Isn't me hating you easier?"

"No. I would like for you to like me," he admits, darkness turning his usual crystal blue eyes an eerie, cobalt colour. "Even if I still want to kill your Tani, I hope you can forgive me for the whole kidnapping thing."

Inhaling smoothly, I refuse to acknowledge the anger, to allow it to rise within me. It was foolish of me to think Marek would give up his mission to kill my Tani, just due to this. Once he escapes, he will continue, and I will return a disgrace to my family. It's enough to viciously hate him, yet I can't bring myself too. I'm too tired, too exhausted by all that's happened this past week.

"What is it about belief that bothers you so much?" I can't help but ask.

"I suppose I don't understand it anymore. I don't believe any of its real," he admits, opening the side of his coat to pull out a small knife, it's handle stark white in contrast against the obsidian shadows of the night. I watch uneasily, wondering what, or who he has used that against.

"Am I not justified in my belief, regardless of whether it is real or not?"

The shadow of a frown flickers across his face. "That simply makes no sense."

"I've spent many nights wondering how real my Tani is. I've personally never seen him, and those that have end up going crazy," I tell him, recalling the stories passed around my village about a few elders having come across the Beast, only to have gone insane the next week. I'm not exactly sure I ever believed that, but it was enough to have me up at night, flinching and shuddering at any sound outside our small cabin.

"Yet..."

"Yet I still believe," I tell him, watching the way the milky moonlight glints across Marek's knife, which he twists adeptly in his fingers. "I think I'm justified in that. It makes me happy, and that's all that matters."

"You can't just believe in something because everyone else does," Marek mutters, eyebrows rising. I remain unflinching, shrugging my shoulders carefully.

"I think there is something beautiful about my belief. Having hope, that there is something out there to protect me. It makes me less cynical," I comment forwardly. He narrows his eyes, the softest smile quirking at the edge of his lips.

"Are you calling me cynical, simply because we are different?"

Marek steps forward, darkness moulding around his figure, framing him as he elegantly moves toward me. My breath halts at my lips, my spine pressed painfully against the trunk I lean on. The most frightening aspect of Marek is how unpredictable he is, as I struggle to anticipate his next move.

He pauses only a few steps from me, the pine and cinnamon scent he carries with him mixing into the earthy tones that rises beneath us

"No. I like that we are different," I comment, tilting my head playfully. I'm unsure of where this confidence to speak to him this way has come from, as if he isn't holding a knife, as if he doesn't have a substantial amount of power hidden away. "Makes it easier to hate you."

"You don't hate me," he breathes, a dangerous challenge laced into his tone. For the briefest moment, his gaze drops to my mouth, my skin erupting in tingles I shamefully wish away. We are standing in the middle of a dark forest, where my scream isn't guaranteed to reach civilisation. Yet I'm not as scared as I should be.

"What makes you so sure?" He's right, I don't hate him. I should hate him, though.

"You came here tonight," he murmurs, to which I clear my throat, looking away. "I think you're just as curious about me as I am about you."

I focus the heat of my gaze upon him, irritated by what he is saying, only just noticing he took another few steps toward me. I shiver, at the proximity, at his scent, noting the way he looks at me, making me wonder sinful thoughts I quickly banish away.

"Are you really curious about me because of my belief? We aren't alien or anything," I breathe, trying to force vigour into my tone, but it falters. I'm breathless, his propinquity making my mind stroll to place it shouldn't, even with the knife in his hand. I'm stronger than this, though. Marek kidnapped me...

"I'll be honest, you initially had my interest because of the necklace," he remarks. That stung, for some reason. Of course he didn't start talking to me that first night in the inn because he was interested in me, or maybe thought I was pretty. He wanted something from me. "But now, I'm curious about you for a whole myriad of other reasons."

"Like?"

The light in his eyes diminishes slightly, and he licks his lips, tearing his gaze from mine, as if answering me would bring him great pain.

"Back to the kidnapping?" he says, turning around to face the tree he was just leaning against. The tension between us breaks, allowing me to finally breathe. "Why don't we put that energy toward a hunt?"

"A hunt? Like something real?" I ask, stepping forward.

Marek smiles, handing me the knife. "Why don't we start with a tree?"

💗••💗

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

🦩••🦩

I'm officially rewriting Alpha Jasper's story now on Radiah! 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 (:

Instagram: Sophie_Midika

~Midika 💜🐼