Word Count: 1717
Marek stands before me, his dull lamp light casting eerie shadows across his face, the shapes manipulating as he moves.
I lounge upon his desk chair, watching him in a way a studious student would watch their teacher. Right now, that's what he is, teaching me the nuisances of a Summoner and their attacks, having just rambled on for the past eight minutes of Summoner history that I will likely be unable to retain.
His room is similar to mine, although far smaller with plain bedding and only a desk instead of a dresser. His own balcony door is wide open, despite tonight being far cooler than past nights. The ice tinted breeze dances it's way through his dark curtains, tugging at the cover of a book that lounges by his bedside. It must be coming from the snowy mountain caps of the Azure Province.
"Dealing with a Summoner is simple, in reality," Marek explains, his expression having fallen impassive and unreadable from the moment I walked in. "Your reaction determines the success of their attack."
"Gotcha."
"If you're not frightened by them, they can't get to you. Summoners rely on the element of surprise, using shock to get the first move of attack on you." I shiver, swallowing uncomfortably. Seeing the Summoner was terrifying, rendering me completely useless as I failed to overcome the shock until they attacked.
Marek paces, the grace and fluidity to that simple movement forcing me to look away. How is he so beautiful? Tonight his marking is far more intense, the sapphire hues reflecting off the shafts of moonlight through the window like the many facets of a gem. The delicate lines of his cheekbones frame his face, light and shadow tracing the resolute cut of his jawline.
The breath I release shudders. "I've been witness to this, yes."
"They may not just use a disguise of you. They can summon any appearance from you that they like, from just a memory," he explains. My stomach turns, imagining Marek masquerading as anyone of his choice. That means a brother, mother, partner...even someone you met only five minutes before."
"That's terrifying."
"But we cannot take the appearance of any other magical being, other Summoners included."
As I carefully store the information away to be used later, I allow myself to be distracted from the unspoken tension between us. Every now and again, as I spend a moment too long noticing certain aspects of his figure, flashes of a memory will return with an uncomfortable vigour.
My body even physically reacts, chills lancing across my skin as I recall the pressure at which he pressed me back against the wall, how he tenderly gripped my face yet kissed me with contradictory force.
"The easiest way to determine whether it may be an impersonation, is in the details," he continues, shaking me from my thoughts. "It takes many years for a Summoner to perfect transitions. If they use a memory, they must be careful, as it may not be fully developed. This leaves an opening for mistakes. Like I said, it's in the details. Teeth, maybe even the way their hair is parted."
"This is a lot to remember. I had no time to determine whether they had the exact freckle pattern as me; I was more concerned with whether they were going to kill me," I mutter tiredly.
It is midnight after all.
"It takes time, practice," he says finally. "Which I will help you with."
Nodding, I cast my gaze out my window, getting to my feet. With all these sinful thoughts, I need to step onto the balcony and let the cool air brush over my flushed cheeks. However, as I do so, I don't note how close I've been to Marek, our shoulders brushing together as we try to pass each other. The electricity sparked by the tension between us buzzes, something I'm sure we both notice.
I stumble away awkwardly. "Excuse me."
"I don't want things to be strange between us," Marek murmurs, facing me confidently while I take a single step backward. I'm afraid of what proximity will mean for us, whether we could hold back from what is calling us back together.
I can't help myself, my desperate questions suddenly arising within me. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around what happened. When did you figure out it wasn't Vaia?"
Marek softens, the tension roiling out of his shoulders, as if he has been wanting to let it off his chest since it happened. "The moment I approached. I smelt vanilla, the forest, and knew immediately it was you."
I shiver. So the moment I arrived he new, which means that not for a single moment he figured I was Vaia. Had I not spoken to him that night, would he have even told me he knew it was me? We could have continued on, knowing what we did but never admitting it to another. It's a haunting thought.
"How long have you been plotting to kiss me?" I ask breathily, unsure if I even want to know.
He looks over my shoulder, into the endless darkness beyond. "I reacted without thinking. The thought of you here, free for once with no chance of Taius lurking....I don't know what came over me."
I breathe in deeply, steadying myself. "It was dangerous, and stupid of you. I have a mark on my neck."
A frown flutters across his brow. "Let me see."
Despite my better judgment, I let him step toward me, my senses coming alight as he brushes my hair over my shoulder with his fingertips, the gentle tenderness making my breath hitch in my throat. With a meticulous gaze, he examines the small red and purple mark at the crook of my neck, a sinful reminder of what happened that night. Thankfully in the midst of all this Summoner drama, Tai hasn't noticed it.
"So it was real. Sometimes I think I dreamt it up," Marek breathes, drawn into a trance. He blinks, shaking his head distractedly as I pull away, fixing my dress as if it needs it. I let my hair fall back around me, curls I've hardly managed to tame framing my face.
"Well, you're lucky Taius is far less attentive than I thought," I mutter, turning away toward the open doors, letting the scent of the forest freshen my senses.
"I know I was foolish, but I regret nothing," he breathes.
"You can't say that Marek. Please go back to that stoic, professional Hunter who knows the consequences of us being together," I tell him firmly. Us being together. It seems so unreasonable to say, knowing myself, a faithful girl, could never be with a Summoner who hunts Tani for a living.
Although I suppose I never predicted being engaged to a King, who I have nothing in common with other than the Province we were raised in.
Marek looks at me, eyes wild and unhinged in a vulnerable way that I doubt he shows often to others. "Is that something you want? For us to be together?"
For a long moment, words get stuck in my throat. I haven't allowed myself to think what it would be like to be with Marek, outside of all this. I don't have experience in dating anyone, or what it would even mean to be with someone, let alone a man I know almost nothing about that truly matters in a relationship.
"I'm engaged to him...A King," I practically stutter. The flicker in Marek's eyes is unmistakable, the darkness that seeps in, threatening not me, but the man who has come between us.
He shakes his head slowly. "You don't want it."
"I want safety, for you and me. And Taius has been kind lately, despite everything. I don't want to ruin the fragile trust between us right now," I explain calmly. Marek is aware that the relationship between myself and Tai is purely political, but he also adamant that it isn't fair.
Marek steps around me, subtle hints of moonlight framing his impressive stature. He appears in this moment exactly as the elusive hunter I saw him as in the beginning. Although he still controls the mystery that shrouds him, so much has been revealed to me that I could never have predicted.
"Is that why you haven't been telling me any more about him? Because he's been kind to you?" he demands, looking over me as if he could see any place where Tai may have touched me.
Taking a backward step, I shake my head at him. "Don't taunt me. He's been consistent, unlike you. Even if we wanted to be together, we couldn't. What happened can't happen again."
The silence that suddenly falls is deadly, as the slight narrowing of Marek's eyes imprints itself in the forefront of my mind, ready to haunt me tonight in my sleep. With graceful precision, he matches my step backward, a tension building up with rapid heat.
"Tell me you didn't like it," he breathes, gaze tracing down to my mouth, where my lips trembles slightly.
For a long moment I don't know how to respond, unable to control my wandering eyes and hitched breath. His tone is so dark, deep and husky it makes me shiver, all words falling short at my lips. It's in moments like these I curse my lack of control that allowed me to give myself over completely to the kiss the other night.
I steady myself, reminding myself of what needs to happen. "I didn't, Marek."
"Then I suppose it's a shame I don't believe you," he murmurs.
All of me wants to tell him that's wrong, that I'm telling the truth. But right now, as realisation hits, I can't lie.
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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 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 (:
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