SEVEN

Word Count: 1684

~Akara

No one spoke the entire way down the mountain.

By the time we made it back down to the Inn, we were all equally exhausted, and rattled after what happened with the Snow Demon. Nakoa nodded at us once we stepped inside, before slipping into her room. I don't stop her, knowing she needs some time to decompress and come to terms with the fact that she nearly became a victim to an ancient Tani.

With legs like lead, I drag myself into my room, collapsing into the chair next to the bed. Marek lingers at the doorway. When Ms Grier sees him, she's going to be in for a surprise.

"I can't believe you're alive," he murmurs, resting against the doorframe.

He looks throughly ruined. This dark hunting clothing is still stained with white, which I realise is still clinging to my skin as well. It's obvious by how dark his under-eyes are, and how gaunt his face looks, that he's been mourning. Now his shoulders are slumped with relief, and he looks at me as if he's absorbing the sight of me, as if I may disappear at any moment.

"When did you find out I was dead...Or thought I was?" I ask softly, deciding I can't sit a moment longer with Tani blood on me.

Quite frankly, it smells exactly how Zavian always used to smell. Who knows where he is now...

I get up, kicking my boots off before nudging the door open to the cramped adjoining bathroom. Looking at myself in the mirror, I realise the blood isn't just on my arms, but all down my neck and partially on my face. Tugging my neckline down, I examine my chest, where the blood must have flooded down without me realising it.

"I got in to get you out not long after you were dipped into the river. I saw Vaia and she told me what happened. She was so proud I knew she wasn't lying, that you were dead," Marek says, pressing both hands against either side of the doorframe of the bathroom, meeting my gaze in the mirror. "I killed all her guards, but she got away before I could kill her. Then I got Tai out, and went straight to the Azure Province."

I release a long breath. Tai is out alive.

"I still feel like a lot of my memories are missing," I admit, running a hand towel under the tap before shrugging off my jacket. "I woke up knowing nothing, and that was only a few days ago. I knew immediately, though, that I had to find you."

He knows this doesn't mean he's forgiven. I can see it in his eyes that he knows. But he also knows that I came to find him first, before I plan on pursuing Tai.

But he also doesn't know what Evolet said to me before she died.

"I'm not sure where Tai went, so I can't help you there." He watches me as I run the towel over my skin, washing the blood away. When I squeeze the towel back over the sink, cloudy water splatters back in, my stomach twisting as a result.

"Trust me, I don't want to see Tai," I mutter. I tug off another layer, warming quickly now that I'm back inside. "I wanted to see you."

Marek is quiet for a moment, releasing a slow breath.

It feels wrong to say, but he needs to hear it. I can't explain it, but when I'm with Marek, I feel safe. No matter what I face, I know he's capable of protecting me...I know I'll never be plunged into that river again, and I won't lose my memory again.

"Did he do something to you?" He questions, tone demanding as he steps into the bathroom. It's already confined enough, his head having to bow to avoid skimming the ceiling.

"I don't know. Evolet said he's keeping something from me, and now I'm scared...Marek I don't think he's the man I was in love with, or at least who I thought he was," I breathe. I was trying to avoid his eyes, but when I look over him, I'm overcome with the anger he is expressing from his look alone.

His fists unclench, noting my frightened expression. I'm not scared of him, but seeing Marek angry makes me realise that's probably how I should be feeling. But I don't. I just feel empty, so many pieces of me having been retched out of me when my head was submerged under the surface of that river.

"You don't have to see him," he reminds me firmly, which is basically a not-so subtle insinuation that I shouldn't. "What do you want to do now?"

I sigh, looking back at myself in the mirror, starting to wipe my chest of all the blood caked there. Marek watches silently, gaze intense, which I try not to overthink. If I told him to leave and not watch me in this somewhat intimate moment, he would, but I'm too tired to worry about it.

"I want to go to his estate and see if he really was keeping secrets from me," I decide. I won't be able to rest until I know, and despite everything, I do want to see him again. "And then I need to figure out if I'm going to turn into a Tani."

"That may not happen." I know Marek is just saying that to ease my worry. "This could just be a miracle."

"What if I turn into the Beast, or that Snow Demon?"

"Akara...That won't happen," Marek assures me gently, watching me rinse the towel again. "But we will take you to someone who can help. I may know of that person."

I'm so relieved I could collapse.

Walking back into the room, I sit on the edge of the bed, while Marek takes the seat. I'm so exhausted, and too tired to eat, despite the fact that I haven't eaten since two days ago.

"Thank you Marek. For everything," I say honestly. Not only did he save my life by protecting me from Vaia after the rebellion took over, he saved Tai, who I know he throughly dislikes. I'm sure he was tempted to leave him, and had Tai been the one in his position, he wouldn't have thought twice about intervening to save Marek's life.

"You know I did this all for you. Siding with Vaia, even though I couldn't keep away from you," he murmurs.

The dim light has shadows cast over him, hiding his marking. Those eyes can never be hidden though. And for once, I allow myself to feel the flutter in my stomach that comes with every glance in his direction. It's always felt wrong, and it was, when I was with Tai, I'm too tired to shun it away, to ignore that feeling, even if I can't act on it.

"What did she make you do for her?"

"She was so pleased I turned against you, she wanted me to head the team for hunting you down," he explains solemnly. I can see the hidden trauma there from his experience working for Vaia. "It was hard, but I was mainly diverting them throughout the Jade Province, knowing it would be the last place you would go. When I found you in the Azure Province, Vaia has already heard whispers that you may be there, so I chased you out."

"I was terrified when I saw you that night. I hardly recognised you," I admit.

I remember him being intimidating, but mostly vacant looking. There was nothing in his eyes when he looked at me, and how he spoke to me was so unlike him. Now that I know it was a façade, it makes sense, but I remember being haunted by it. And because it contrasted to how Tai treated me at the time, it made the fallen King so much more desirable.

"It was hard seeing you...I wanted to tell you everything but Vaia was strong at that point, and I knew the best place for me would be at her side, even if it meant you hated me, that you planned on moving on with Tai."

Marek looks down, words strained. Part of me wants to reach out and touch him, embrace him. He's broken, considering the last time I saw him in this room, when he was nothing more than an enigmatic hunter with the intention to kidnap me.

So much has happened since...

I look at my fingers as I fidget with the bed sheet. "I didn't plan on it. It just happened."

Marek gets to his feet, dragging his hand back through his slightly too long hair. I shouldn't be talking to him about falling in love with Tai when he admitted before my 'death' that he was still in love with me. Now, I refuse to acknowledge either of my feelings involving love with Marek and Tai right now.

"You should get some sleep." He strides toward the door. "We leave for Tai's estate tomorrow."

"Do you think it's going to be safe?"

"I'm not sure. Tai may be there, so you will have be ready for that," he notes, to which I drag my knees up to my chest, heart sinking. I'm scared to see him, if it means he truly has been keeping secrets from me. Can I still be with him if that's the case?"

"I'm ready. I can't hate him until I know what he is hiding in that manor," I say firmly, trying to convince myself more than him.

"We have an advantage that everyone thinks you're dead, including Vaia," Marek assures me.

I nod, resting back against my pillow. "Alright. Well goodnight Marek."

His gaze lingers on me for a moment longer, before he steps back, drawing the door closed. "Goodnight, Akara."

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Remember that you can always find this story 10 chapters ahead on Radish (:

You will find it under King's Possession Season Three!!

~Midika 🐼💜