33

Word Count: 1940

~Kiva

I let out a long, slow breath.

All the tension has ebbed out of my shoulders, as I dump my small bag of belongings onto the bed.

This inn isn't far from Caspian's. I told him I was visiting home for a night, which he mercifully didn't question.

I wonder what he would do if he learned I was spending a night with Ark, in a small double bed in a tiny little room.

"This place is nice." I'm aware of how awkward I sound, but it's impossible to avoid.

"Some staff at Caspian's estate told me about."

I sit on the edge of the bed, playing with the end of the patterned quilt.

There is no one here to interrupt us. We don't have to be quiet, or secretive. It's just us, in this intimate space where our only company is this tension we can't seem to shake.

"No doubt someone who wanted you to take them here," I say playfully, although the thought stings.

Ark smiles, drawing the flimsy curtains closed. "Jealous?"

"No...but it's true, isn't it?"

I know girls want him. I've heard it from my own staff. And considering I'm marrying another man, why wouldn't Ark move on too?

"You're asking me if I've been propositioned for sex by other staff?" He raises a dark brow, both taunting and inquisitive.

I shrug, tracing my fingers along the stitching of the duvet. "I've heard them talking about you."

"They are all too afraid of me to attempt it."

The way he stands there, looming over me, reminds me of why people would be afraid of him. And they should be, considering the secret he bears accompanied with the power he has.

"Ah yes. The big, scary mercenary," I exclaim jokingly, although I sound a little breathless.

A soft smirk touches at his lips. "Are you taunting me?"

"I would never..." I respond coyly.

I know it's dangerous to play with him, to get comfortable. Knowing who he truly is and who he works for is only part of the problem...

Memories of the night we shared together return to me in overwhelming flashes. It was the best night of my life, and since then, I haven't been able to get it out of my head.

I know I should want it again, but I would be lying to myself if I didn't admit I do...

"This is an awfully small room, Kiva," he murmurs, looking around it as if every square inch needs to be examined.

My brow raises. "So?"

"And that's a very small bed." His eyes drift to where I sit, so much unsaid sitting between us, neither of us wanting to be the first one to bring it up. "And we have to share it."

I can't shun the feeling gathering inside me. My inhabitations are lowering, even if while knowing he's a liar.

"I think if you want to sleep in the same bed with me, you need to earn it," I tell him, flipping my hair back over my shoulders, letting Ark look over me.

Dark intrigue and an eager intensity spark in his eyes.

"Earn it, huh?'

I stand, certain that if I sit on that bed a moment longer, I'll give into his seduction. I can already feel the temperature in the room heat significantly despite the chilled breeze outside.

"You're not a good person, Ark," I murmur, folding my arms over my chest like a shield against his charms. "I need a compelling reason to hop into bed with you."

Ark draws in a breath, seeming to consider my proposition. "What if we played a game?"

A spark of excitment shudders through me.

Ark doesn't hide that he loves playing with me, messing with my head. He knows I enjoy it to, although I feel my paitence wearing thin.

"What kind of game?" I ask, shrugging off my coat, warmed from all the attention Ark is giving me.

He turns away from me and approaches the desk tucked in the corner of the room. I watch, confused, as he rifles around in the draw before pulling out a pen and paper.

I just sit and stare until he hands it to me.

"Write on this piece of paper how you want to be fucked," he tells me in a firm, serious voice. Suddenly it doesn't feel like we are playing around anymore.

Twisting the pen around my fingers, I gape up at him. "Wait...really?"

"If I guess correctly, I do it to you." He steps back, giving me space to write it without him catching a glimpse.

I look up at him, my eyes narrowing. That look on his face makes me want him to get it wrong, just to prove he doesn't know me. Yet at the same time, I want him to get it right, so he can go through with his promise.

"You're confident you know?"

He nods slowly, that smile toying at his lips not going anywhere. "I have a feeling."

"Alright."

Pressing the paper against the inside of my hand, I quickly write down what I have in mind before folding it up, ensuring that he can't see it.

When he reaches for it, I pull my hand away so he can't grab it.

"Tell me why you lied first," I order, pinning him with my gaze. I want him to know this is serious, even if my feelings are betraying me.

And most importantly, I want to know what's going on inside his head.

He sighs. "I didn't lie."

"What is it like working for them?" I question, painting on a fake smile. I know Ark isn't foolish enough to slip up and tell me something he doesn't want to, but I hope he see's that I'm not going to let this go.

He shakes his head at me. "I don't."

"Does it get you off, wanting to fuck me and kill me?" I ask darkly. My words are followed by a loud strike of thunder outside the window, shaking me to the core.

He steps closer, still smiling, still enjoying my accusations.

"I don't want to kill you."

"But you want to fuck me?"

He falls silent, gaze sweeping down over my body like he's considering all the terrible things he wants to do to me just for pushing him.

That darkness in his eyes reminds me of the night we shared together, of how he punished me for what I said about him to the staff...

Suddenly messing with him is even more tempting.

"I bet you want to ride me. You want to control me for a moment, to feel as though you're finally a step ahead of me," he tells me in a low, sensual voice.

My smile grows, even if my body is trembling.

"That does sound good," I muse, grabbing the folded piece of paper. "But..."

I unfold it, turning it around so he can see what I wrote. "I want it from the back. So I don't have to look at your lying face."

It feels good to have proven him wrong, although losing probably would have felt better considering Ark looks infinitely amused and not disappointed like I expected.

"You're so convinced I'm a liar, huh?" He says, watching me scrunch the paper up in my hand.

"What other explanation do you have?" I question as the rain outside strengthens it's onslaught on the tin roof.

Ark tilts his head from side to side, considering it. "You have two mates?"

"Not possible," I snap.

I would sooner believe Ark is part of the rebellion than I have two mates. The former is something I've considered since Ark was first appointed as my guard, and considering how shady he is with personal information, he fits the role of a member of the rebellion.

"Could be," he shrugs casually. My eyes narrow. I get the feeling he knows something he is choosing not to divulge.

"How does it make you feel? About me having two mates?" I ask tentatively.

His smile is cold as he looks down at me. "I'll find this man you've been meeting up with in the dead of night and I'll kill him."

"No! You can't do that," I panic.

If Ark is right, which I'm certain he isn't, then that person I met in the forest is someone else...and as terrible as it is, I want to keep them safe.

Because Ark probably would kill them.

"So you do believe you could have two mates?" Ark accuses, raising his brows.

I sit down on the edge of the bed, a little defeated. "I don't believe anything...I don't know, you could be lying to me, and I suspect you are."

Ark sighs, moving to sit next to me.

"What would you do, if I were working for this rebellion?" He asks softly. Any hint of humour no longer accompanies his tone, which makes me even more nervous.

"Kill you, probably. Or have you sent to jail?" I tell him firmly.

I should have told my father and had Ark investigated, but I'm being selfish, wanting to keep my mate close to me. With everything going on with Caspian, I want him around. He makes me feel better.

He rests his hand on my knee, shaking it a little. "Or, you'd let me take you in and make you a slave to the resistance."

I roll my eyes, sensing he's back to joking. "It's not funny. This is real, they tried to kill me."

"You're safe with me. That's a promise."

That's what he said to me that night with the notepad and paper. He told me I didn't need to fear him, even if he is in the rebellion. The way he says it now, with so much certainty, means there is something else he is concerned is going to hurt me.

My eyes drift over his beautiful face. "Safe, huh?"

A devilish glint forms in his eyes. "Safe from most things, anyway."

Excitement and anticipation dances through me, daring me to grab him and pull him under the covers with me. I want him so badly. I just wish it wasn't accompanied by all this conflict.

"Are you scared of getting in that bed with me?" He murmurs, patting is gently.

I look down at the flimsy pillows and the duvet which looks a few shades away from the colour that it should be.

"I'm scared of getting in that bed, definitely. I don't think those sheets have ever been washed," I mutter distastefully.

Ark stands. "I'll take the floor then. You can have the couch."

I look up at him through my lashes. "Giving up so easily then?"

"I'll sleep next to you tonight, since you're clearly scared of the dark," he breathes in a way that makes it clear it's him that I'm scared of. "What I have planned for you isn't going to happen in this crappy inn."

I look around, noting the frail webs in the corners of the room, at the dust gathering on every surface. It's luxury compared to spending the night at Caspian's, though...

"It's not going to happen at all. I'll be a married woman soon," I tell him promptly, digging into my bag for my night clothes.

I can feel the heat of his gaze as he watches me.

"Not for long, Kiva," Ark says surely. "Not for long."

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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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~Midika 💜🐼