38

Word Count: 2253

~Kiva

Ark presses his hand against my back, guiding me through the darkness.

"I'm freezing." My teeth are chattering as my wet clothing clings to my skin.

I just crossed the river back through the forest. If Ark's training has achieved anything, it's giving me enough stamina to cross with much more ease than my first attempt.

From there, we stalked through the trees and to this dilapidated shack that is apparently a safe house.

Ark shoves a door open that nearly swings off its rusty hinges. He stoops his head down and wanders inside, helping me along.

The ceiling sags down, swallowing half the room. When Ark mentioned a safe house, I had other ideas. Not...this.

"There are blankets in here," he assures me, waving dust out of the way.

"It looks empty," I note.

Nothing of worth seems to be in here except for a few empty shelves that are cracked and falling apart. Even the windows are cloudy and half overgrown by undergrowth from the forest.

"This isn't the safe spot." He kicks a spot on the ground, a floorboard tilting up. "This is."

I watch in awe as he starts pulling away at the floorboards, revealing a smooth metal hatch door. He swiftly unlocks it, throwing it open before motioning down the dark hole.

Swallowing tightly, I step into it, clambering down a ladder until my feet hit a wood floor.

There's a couple moments of fumbling before a match is struck and a few candles are lit. I look around the now illuminated space.

"Did my father tell you about this?" I ask.

It's small, but it's definitely secure. There are cushions littered about with many blankets that I immediately reach for. A few plastic containers are pushed against the wall, presumably filled with supplies.

"No," Ark responds.

"Wait...who did?"

"This isn't connected to your father. This is my own safe spot," he tells me softly, sorting through a few piles of papers, setting them to the side.

I rub my arm. "Oh. Right."

"There are plenty of supplies down here to last for a while," he explains, motioning to the containers.

How long does he think we will be down here? I doubt we have been tracked. As soon as possible I want to make sure my father is okay and that the rebels haven't taken over the estate.

"And you set this all up?"

"Yes. I did."

"For me?" I whisper.

I'm not surprised, although a shudder runs through me. The true threat of the rebels settles onto my shoulders. Ark has planned for a moment where they became a serious threat many months ago.

Something shifts in his expression. "Yes. I suppose."

I should probably question his shadiness but my teeth are chattering so hard I fear I may permanently damage my jaw.

Ark pulls at the containers, popping the lid off one. I watch curiously as he shifts around through thick jackets, pants and shirts, pulling out one of each.

"Here, get dressed into something warmer," he instructs softly.

I take them, quietly examining them. They are nothing like what I would usually be expected to wear in the manor. They are efficient, meant for the worst kind of event.

"They are even in my size," I note, holding the pants up against the small amount of light.

"They are meant for you, after all," he reminds me. "I'll turn around."

I wait until his back is to me before I shuck off my wet pants, shirt and coat, quickly changing into the clean, dry clothes. They smell clinical, new, but immediately relieve me of the uncomfortable chill.

"I'm scared. For my father," I murmur as Ark turns around.

His gaze shifts away from me. "Don't be. I'm sure he's fine."

I frown. He's not acting like himself. His shoulders are tense, sweat beading on his forehead, his attention even drifting.

"You hate him. Why?" I question warily.

He doesn't respond for a long moment, sifting through another container. He pulls out a bottle of water, tossing it into my awaiting hands.

"You need to rest. Drink this, and then I have an energy bar for you," he instructs.

I huff out a breath. Where has all my energy gone? Arguing with him seems futile at this point. Tomorrow will bring a new reality that I'm not certain I want to face.

Cracking the seal on the bottle, I drain its entire contents before taking the energy bar from Ark as well.

"What happens tomorrow?"

"I go out and make sure everything is safe back at the manor. If not, I take you to Caspian," he says, closing the lid to the container, deciding against eating with me.

I raise my brows, chewing on the bitter tasting bar. "You're willing to do that?"

The light flicks over Ark's face, casting menacing shadows over his sharp facial structure sending a chill through me. It's moments like these where I'm reminded that he's a complete stranger to me. A vicious, dangerous and possibly untrustworthy one.

"There are far worse realities that tomorrow will bring," he murmurs.

A dull ache persists in my stomach, causing me to cast the half eaten bar to the side.

"What does that mean?" I whisper.

He stares at me. Long and hard.

He gets to his knees in front of where I've taken up sitting on a pile of cushions and blankets, taking my face into his hands. His fingers are so cold I nearly jerk away, but the look in his eyes stops me.

"Promise me something," he breathes.

"What?" I ask cautiously.

"Promise you'll never fear me." He brushes his thumbs over my cheeks, capturing me with the intensity of his gaze.

My mouth dries. How can I promise something in the future that I don't even feel now?

"I'm terrified of you, Ark," I admit. "I've been terrified of you since I met you, and it's only been fleeting moments where I haven't felt that way."

My fear of him has been thrilling at times, even sexy. And at others, it's deeply conflicting and painful. It's what's made it impossible to run away with him, to turn down the only life I've ever known.

"You need to listen to everything I'm saying." He lets go of my face, although his proximity remains.

"I am..."

"You never need to fear me. No matter what happens, I am always thinking of you, of putting you first. Got it?"

He says it so sternly I feel like a child being scolded. Its underlying message is haunting: there is something coming around the corner that will sully the image of him in my eyes, and he knows it.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I fear the answer so much I immediately regret asking.

Something in his stern expression breaks, raw emotion bleeding into his eyes, into his softening frown.

"It means I'm falling in love with you, Kiva," he breathes.

I blink past my surprise.

Love?

I haven't dared allow myself to consider loving Ark. Mate or not, that's a forbidden thought I cannot bear to give consideration at risk of hurting myself.

I'm no longer controlling my limbs as I lean forward and kiss him.

His reaction is hesitant, delayed. His body remains rigid beneath my touch, until any reservation melts away into raw passion.

I'm underneath him in a second, my head falling against the blankets.

The way he kisses me will never not be world-shattering. My entire existence is shifted into a realm of pure happiness and desire. They muddy together, chasing away any rational fear.

His fingers tangle into my hair as his tongue sweeps through my mouth.

I hold onto the back of his neck, hardly noticing it's damp with sweat despite the chill in the air. I'm too busy accounting for my breathlessness, not wanting to draw my lips away from him.

His body presses against mine, his arousal pressing against my leg. I want him so badly I can hardly contain it, even in this cold, stale aired safe room.

His hand shifts underneath me, pressing my hips up against him while he kisses fervently down my neck, scraping his teeth along my skin.

"Ark," I choke out. No other words feel right to say.

My voice seems to awaken reality within him. He jerks his head up, lips swollen, eyes wide and troubled.

"I want you so badly," he grits out, gaze drifting down my body, darkening with every inch it examines.

"Then have me," I insist, gripping his dark strands, tugging me a little.

The morality of this is questionable. I'm a married woman who has another mate, and yet I only want him. And I want him now.

He shakes his head, leaning up until he is on his knees. "Not here. Not like this."

The top few buttons of his shirt are undone, revealing the strong planes of his chest. I want to run my hands down them, down every inch of him.

"What else will we do all night?" I pout.

He grimaces, tripping his head back as if looking at me is too much to bear.

"You need rest," he forces out.

I roll my eyes. His restraint has always impressed me. Now that I know he wants me, I don't want to play around. He doesn't need to feel moral, or like he is doing the right thing...

"I'm fine. I want you," I assure him.

He stands, turning to one of the containers that is full of folded blankets.

"Rest. That's an order."

I stand too, folding my arms defiantly over my chest. "I'm the Princess."

"And I'm hired to ensure your best interests are always put first."

I'm so frustrated I could scream. Even if he is right, I want a selfish, regrettable moment with my mate before reality awakens us both in the morning.

I step back, leaning against a short table, causing something to rattle, falling to the floor. When I turn, I see that I've knocked a few old books over that seem as though they were propped to hide an assortment of items I shift my attention to.

"What kind of safe room has stuff like this in it?" I questions warily.

My fingers brush over a pair of familiar black gloves. Ark wears the exact same ones. Also, I see rope, a bottle and a cloth and a knife.

"A well prepared one," Ark responds tightly.

I frown. This isn't right.

"What is this meant for?" I pick up the bottle to examine the contents inside, along with the cloth. It's impossible to see the liquid's colour through the faded amber glass, although I have an idea.

When I turn around, Ark is staring at me, eyes dead, his expression blank.

"Listen. I didn't think you were going to be here willingly. That was never part of the plan," he tells me slowly, purposefully.

My blood chills, a sense of horror gripping me, the bottle and cloth shaking in my hands.

"Ark...what plan?"

I could cry, I could scream. No longer am I in a room with my mate, but instead, a complete stranger.

And not just any stranger. A mercenary.

I back away as he advances on me, eyes drifting to the knife. I should have grabbed that, although I doubt fighting him will do me any good.

He gently takes the bottle and cloth into his hands, shaking his head at me.

My back hits the wall, my feet slipping on something that has fallen from one of the containers. My eyes only have to drift over it to understand fully how fucked I am.

It's plans, vividly spelled out and clearly not for my eyes.

From what I can see from this angle, they depict a kidnapping of me. I was to be brought here and held so my whereabouts could not be tracked. The end to these horrid plans cannot be seen, although I imagine what's next.

Ark follows my gaze downward.

"You weren't meant to see any of this," he breathes.

He pops off the corkscrew top of the bottle, depositing some of the liquid onto the cloth.

I don't wait around, making a break past him.

In his occupied state he doesn't manage to grab me. I jump onto the ladder, hopping up each rung as quickly as possible until I feel him grab my leg, pulling me downward.

My fingers tightly grip the wood, desperately trying to kick him off. He loses his grip for a second, giving me a chance to touch the metal top to the hatch.

It's bolted shut. Shit.

Ark doesn't miss this time, grabbing both my legs, yanking me downward. My hands slip and I'm falling, only to land half in his arms and half on the floor.

He bands his arm around me from behind before pressing the cloth to my face.

I scream, kicking about, trying to shake him off, but he is far stronger than me. The putrid chemical is forced into my lungs, and soon enough, my kicks grow weaker, my vision going hazy.

"I'm sorry, Kiva," Ark distantly says, although it's too late to acknowledge him.

Darkness flattens around me first, before sucking me from this betrayal and into unconsciousness.

💜••💜

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! and as always it is available 10 chapters ahead on Radish!

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~Midika 💜🐼