THIRTY ONE

Word Count: 2003

I don't remember falling unconscious, so when I wake, shrouded in darkness, I'm seized with panic.

Something woke me. I'm in the infirmary, the shadows of nearby empty beds telling me that. The window near my bed allows creamy beams of moonlight to flood in, alighting the area so I can see the dried blood on my skin and on the sheets.

Attempting to sit up, I wince, a harsh feeling rattling on the inside of my head, my vision erupting with bright colours and spots of black. A sharp pain in my stomach causes me to lay back down, my hands resting on the tender spot as I breathe the pain, trying not to let it overcome me. I've lost a lot of blood. I'm not even sure I should be alive right now.

A figure comes toward me, weaving past the beds. Despite the pain, I clutch either side of bed, frightened that this is Vaia, or perhaps Marek here to end my life while I'm weak, while I'm vulnerable.

"Who's there?" I rasp.

The fear seeps out of my body as I realise it's Zavian, his dark hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. He sits down on the bed next to me, kicking a small bucket away with his feet, which I realise, mortified, that it's blood. I wonder if I vomited it when I was near unconscious, or whether all of that just came out of my mouth.

"It's just me," he whispers softly, setting something onto the ground that I don't catch. "I didn't know if you were awake or not."

"You scared me," I breathe, resting my palm on my chest, letting my erratic heart calm. I'm surprised Tai isn't here, and Zavian is. He looks as though he has been coming down from recently drinking Tani blood, dark circles staining his under eyes, the sweat building on his forehead not going unnoticed by me.

He looks down at the blood smeared across me, looking mildly uncomfortable. "My apologies. You need to relax."

"I feel terrible," I admit, swallowing drily. I'm surprised I can even speak, still on the verge of passing out again from the lack of blood in my system. "I think I'm going to die."

"So does everyone else, it seems," he notes grimly.

Wincing, I look out the window, darkness consuming everything in my view. "What time is it?"

"Very late," he responds. "Tai isn't sleeping, trying to find a way to fix what has happened to you."

I can just imagine him, pacing back and forth in his office, arguing with his father, demanding the healers give him answers about what can be done to help me. I need to see him, to assure him it's okay, that whatever is happening to me isn't his fault, and that I don't want him to worry. It won't matter though, I know him better than anyone else. He isn't just going to let this go, or brush it off. He won't sleep until whatever is wrong with me is solved.

"If I'm going to die, I want to see him," I say steadily. I can feel the energy seeping out of me, that heavy, draining feeling weighing on my eyelids, daring me to collapse again. Zavian looks worried, a tense frown gathering between his brows.

"You're not going to die," he mutters lowly, a sense of determination there. I'm shocked he cares so much about my well-being. Even though I consider Zavian a friend now, we still aren't close. "Tai tried to heal you with his powers, but it didn't work."

I flinch. "You know about that?"

"Yes," he mutters intensely, before leaning down, picking up what he had put down on the floor earlier. It's a small bottle, filled to the cap with a pale green liquid. My heart sinks as I realise what I'm looking at, and what Zavian's intentions are going to be. "I may have a way to help you."

"No...Zavian I can't drink that." I crawl back in the bed, trying to put as much space between me and the Tani blood that he holds in the bottle. My stomach turns just looking at it, knowing that it was taken from a defenseless creature that isn't meant to be killed by us.

"It will help, I assure you. It may not heal you, but it may give your body enough strength to heal itself," he explains calmly, holding it out to me. "Whatever has happened to you, cannot be healed by any medicine we have here. But magic...That may be the only thing for you."

"Being addicted is a worse fate," I hiss. "You of all people should know that."

"There is only a chance you will get addicted from the first drink. It's better than dying," he reminds me.

Still clutching the sheets around me, I allow some of the tension to release from my shoulders. I know I'm on the verge of death, my body unable to survive outside of this bed, and if more blood starts coming from my mouth, then I will be truly done for. The idea of drinking Tani blood both disgusts and terrifies me, but would I rather die than drink it? Maybe Zavian is right, maybe I won't get addicted, and even if I did, Tai would be able to help me get through it...After he kills Zavian for even offering it to me in the first place.

"So this will give me enough strength for it to naturally heal, are you saying?" I repeat, taking the bottle from his hand, turning it over, watching the pastel liquid, still warm, foam slightly.

Zavian sighs grimly. "It's not guaranteed, but like I said, it's better than allowing yourself to die."

My stomach flips, and suddenly the thought of drinking the blood makes me want to throw up more blood. "I can't..."

"Think of Tai, how much this will break him," Zavian encourages, sliding closer toward me on the bed, resting his hand on my arm. His eyes look reluctant, knowing the danger, but he also knows there is no other choice for me. "He will stand no chance against Vaia if he is heartbroken."

"Fine," I mutter, defeated, knowing that the last thing I want is for Tai to hurt from this. So in one quick movement, I twist the cap off the bottle, and chug a few mouthfuls of the magical blood, coughing some of it onto the sheet in front of me, overwhelmed by the horrid taste and disturbing feeling of it flowing down my throat. "It tastes horrible."

Zavian takes the bottle, putting the cap back on as he nods solemnly. How can he do this so often? I feel nothing but a sore stomach and now a bitter taste in my mouth.

"It's going to knock you out until morning. When you wake, be prepared for an intense euphoric feeling. It will last several hours," he explains lowly, glancing over his shoulder to ensure no one is listening in. He knows what Tai's reaction would be if he found out. He knows he may not be able to stay here any longer if that were the case.

"You can't tell Tai." As if it needs to be said.

"You have kept my secret, so I will too," he replies simply, getting to his feet.

Looking up at him, I note how dull his sapphire eyes look, how deeply ill he appears. He looms over me for a silent moment, brushing hair back off my face before seeming to shake himself from whatever he was thinking. He worries for me, I can tell. He doesn't want me to fall into the world he can't escape from.

"I think I'm going to sleep now," I breathe quietly, swallowing drily.

He breathes in deeply, pulling away from the side of my bed. "Yes, rest up."

I watch him as he walks from the room, sliding back down into the bed, pulling the sheets up to my chin. Closing my eyes, I dare sleep to envelope me, praying to whoever may be listening that I should wake, and be healed from whatever plagues me.

***

Hushed murmurs wake me.

Sunlight warms my face, glaring through the window next to the bed, although it doesn't irritate me. All my limbs feel relaxed, the tension from my injuries gone. Opening my eyes, I look over myself, still seeing remenants of my blood, although none of its new.

"She's doing fine, showing no signs that anything was wrong with her," I hear the nurse say. Turning my head, I realise she's in the corner of the room speaking to Tai. His head is bowed, a sense of urgency about him. It's the first time I've seen him since I was put into this room, and all I want to do is hug him and have him assure me that everything is going to be okay.

"That can't be possible, she was going to die only a few hours ago." He doesn't sound relieved, his tone still tense, making me shudder. They are going to ask questions about the Tani blood I've drunk...

I don't feel particularly euphoric, like Zavian explained it to be. What I feel is relief from no longer feeling such overwhelming pain. Silently I pray I won't feel the pull of an addiction like he experiences, although for now I can't be sure.

The nurse nods toward me as I pull myself up to lean against the headboard. "Go see for yourself, King."

Tai looks over to me, expression softening as he realises I'm awake. My heart flutters as he stalks toward me, weaving through the beds before coming to sit right next to me, grabbing my hands between his. The warmth flushes through me, my eyes closing for a moment.

"You're sitting up," he breathes.

"Yes Tai, I'm perfectly okay now," I assure him, tightening my grip on him, not wanting him to leave my side again."It must have been your healing."

He blinks, a frown touching his forehead as he looks down at our entangled hands. "I'm worried my healing is what caused this."

"What do you mean?"

"The issue was with internal bleeding, right where Vaia had stabbed you," he mutters flatly. I look down at my stomach, covered with the robe that must have been pulled over me while I was unconscious. My fingers brush tentatively over the spot, feeling a moment of tenderness.

"That doesn't matter, I feel much better now," I exclaim, trying not to let an ounce of fear plague me. I'll figure it out later, but right now I just want to be grateful I'm alive. "And there is no way to be completely certain it is from the healing. Maybe it would have happened to anyone who has once been stabbed. Maybe I overexerted myself..."

"Maybe you're right," he breathes, running his fingertips over the top of my hand, looking deep in thought. "If you're feeling better, would you like to go on a walk with me?"

I blink back my surprise, assuming he would order me to stay in the bed for at least the rest of the day. But I dont allow him to think twice about his offer, letting him grab my hand and pull me out of my bed and lead me out toward the garden.

💜••💜

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

You'll will find it under KING'S POSSESSION on Radish, as season 2!

👻••👻

I'm officially rewriting Alpha Jasper's story now on Radish! 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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~Midika 💜🐼