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The King’s Obsession 22
*Mature Content Warning*~AkaraMarek returns within twenty minutes.Most of that time I've sat by the window, gazing out into our front lawn, into the street, waiting for something terrible to happen. For the most part, I expected the entire town to band together and come knocking on our door to either kill me, or demand I leave.When they look at Marek, they see a Summoner who is doing their best to avoid using their powers. But if they hear about me, they will know I have no control over mine.I'm chewing on my fingernail as Marek walks in.He pulls his hood back. "It's done.""You didn't kill him, did you?" I ask, eyes roving over his body, looking for evidence of blood, or anything else incriminating. He looks the same as he did when he left, not even a little bit frazzled."No, of course not," he shakes his head, shrugging his coat off. "I just made it clear I would, if he decided to say anything."I sigh. "Marek..."I knew he was going to intimidate someone, and had he come to
The King’s Obsession 23
~AkaraIt's been two weeks since Marek and I slept together. And there hasn't been a single day since that he hasn't ravished me."This is bad," I say one morning over my tea, watching him wander around the kitchen shirtless, preparing breakfast.He leans up against the countertop, examining me. "Doesn't feel bad."No, it doesn't. In fact, it's the best I've felt in a long time. I haven't worried about anything, or anyone. I haven't thought about my life as a Summoner, or whether our neighbours know...I mean, I've been quite content being locked inside these past couple weeks, consistently entertained by the beautiful Summoner.I've only started to think about what we are doing today, due to a horrid dream I had last night about Tai. Now the guilt has seeped in, the harsh reality of the outside world slowly seeping back into the paradise we have made within this small cabin."I know, but anything could happen these days, anything could go wrong," I murmur uncomfortably, blowing at my
The King’s Obsession 24
~AkaraI stare up at the manor, wishing the ground would swallow me up.It feels wrong, being back here. My last memory of this place was me and Tai fleeing when Vaia and the rebels had taken control of it. Now Tai is King again, and my reason for being here is even more ominous than the first time, when Marek and I arrived in that carriage, having no idea what was ahead of us.What remains the same, is the unpredictable King we are going to be forced to face. All I know is my goal is for both Marek and I to leave this property alive, and with no intention to ever return again."I can't believe I'm back," I whisper, exhaling slowly."Neither can I. I hoped I would never see this place again, after I betrayed Vaia," Marek mutters. I sometimes forget that my last time here was not the last time for Marek. He spent more time here, pretending to side with Vaia, pretending to hate me.I shiver. I hate thinking about it."Remember when we first came here?" I ask, looking back at him. He's d
The King’s Obsession 25
~AkaraI stare out the window, fuming.Tai hasn't explicitly said I cannot leave, but as I came up to my old room, I noticed the guards tailing me, now standing at the door. So much anger is rolling through me, desperate to come out somehow. My hatred for Tai is overwhelming, and yet I can't act on it. Not yet. Not until I have a plan.I begin pacing across the room. It's not exactly like how it was a year ago, Vaia having changed it while she was reigning, and now Tai has tried to change it back. He missed some details, understandably, but it's eerie, how alike it is.As if he is trying to recreate our past.I shiver, looking toward the bed.There's not much chance for me to get any sleep tonight. Marek is in the prisons, possibly already murdered, or about to be. And I'm stuck in this room, staring out at a forest I once adored. I fell in love in this manor.But not to Tai. No matter how much he wants to force me into new situations expecting old results.A knock on the door has me
The King’s Obsession 26
~AkaraI'm so stunned, there is a moment where the man's lips are pressed against mine, before I push at his chest, sending him hurtling back cross the room."Get off me!" I yelp, stumbling backward.The man stares at me, like I'm the crazy one. I've never seen him in my life. He has striking dark eyes, and slightly too long black hair, looking like a Scarlet Province native. He's nice to look at, but there is no way I'm okay with a stranger coming in here to kiss me. And now he's acting like I'm acting out of order."Akara? What's going on?" he questions, looking as bewildered as I feel."Who are you, and why did you kiss me?" I demand. Were he not acting like he's genuinely convinced he was doing the right thing, I may have attacked him, but I'm curious to know what he is thinking. And I know I haven't accidently taken up the appearance of his past lover, considering he has said my name.He frowns, digging his hands back through his hair. "Akara, it's me, Grey.""I've never heard th
The King’s Obsession 27
~AkaraThe prisons are exactly as I remember them.Moonlight only guides me partially down the steps and into the lowest levels of the prison. Thankfully there are no guards down here that bother stopping me, most barely glancing as I pad anxiously by, looking desperately for whatever cell Tai has locked Marek in, that he will hopefully be freed from tomorrow."Marek?" I call out, voice echoing down the long hallway. My eyes trace over the concrete, trying not to step in the muddy puddles as I walk."Akara...I'm in here," he calls out.Running down the hallway, I follow the sound of his voice until I come to his cell. Eerily, I realise it's the same cell Tai put him in all those years ago. It's demented, how he's trying to relive much of the past. I'm not sure why he chose that time though, since I hated him...I just hope he doesn't think that means I'll fall in love with him again."Are you okay?" I ask, peering through the bars.He emerges from the shadows. I can't see much of him,
The King’s Obsession 28
~AkaraI sit at the dining room table, stirring my spoon mindlessly through my soup."Had a good day?" Tai asks.Raising my gaze, I stare him down. He sits at the end of the table, watching me. It's been a strange day, becoming reacquainted with the manor. Old memories have haunted me all day, including this afternoon, where I sat in the bedroom, staring at the desk where I once wrote often, for my enjoyment. I can't imagine what I would write about these days.Rolling my eyes, I look back down into my dinner. "Not really.""I let Marek go," he murmurs, settling back in his seat. I shrug, already figuring he had. My heart aches still, knowing Marek is no longer on the property, but I doubt he has gone far. He wouldn't leave me here like this, without being close enough if something happened."I didn't get to see him before he left, though," I mutter, blowing on my spoon to cool down the soup."I'm sure you will see him again, knowing you two." He pins me with his accusatory gaze, but
The King’s Obsession 29
~AkaraI stare up at the steps leading onto the temporary stage, shuddering.The last thing I want is to be here, in this Jade Province village, expected to pretend like I'm marrying Tai. But if I want any chance of saving Marek's life, I'm going to have to act, until I can get that antidote myself."Take my hand," Tai encourages.I stare down at it, knowing where he plans to lead me. "Do I have to?""Maintaining appearances, right?" He offers a smile, but I don't return it. I've dressed in this ridiculous garb to please him, so for now, I have no other choice but to plaster a smile on my face and gaze up at Tai like he's the love of my life, because we are about to step on stage before an entire village of people.Sliding my hand into his, I allow him Tai to lead me carefully up the stairs and onto the stage, to stand before the people, who merely stare up at us blankly, waiting to decide whether they want to trust us or not.They have survived a rebellion, which cannot have been goo
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The King’s Obsession 39
~AkaraI freeze, staring at him as the information sinks in."Where is she?" I question breathlessly.Tai's mother survived, or at least that is what I've been believing since I read Tai's journal, and now, this confirms it. I must have figured it out prior to reading the journal, meaning my distrust of Tai during that time was impossibly high."She's staying in the room next door," Grey tells me. "I found out where she was and wrote to her regarding you. Thankfully she came here to speak to you."I breathe out slowly, processing that. This is just what I need, to talk to someone who has a deeper insight about who Tai is."Take me to talk to her," I demand, closing the gap between Grey and I. Maria...I know her name only because Tai uttered it once.He grabs my arm, stopping me from barging past him and out the door. "Woah...hold on. Can't we talk first?""Grey, you need to understand that you and I will never happen, okay?" I tell him firmly. There is no point hiding it from him, tha
The King’s Obsession 38
~AkaraWith a bit of Zavian's help, I've managed to track Grey down.Someone in the men Zavian hired to infiltrate Tai's estate knew of a man who was once asking questions around town about me. From there, it didn't take long to have a note passed onto Grey, who unsurprisingly, hasn't left the Jade Province.And just like I suspected, he came to the meeting spot I mentioned in the note; about a thirty minute walk away from Zavian's estate."I wasn't sure I would ever see you again," he murmurs, coming to stand a few feet in front of me."You were meant to run away." I was hoping I wouldn't see him again. Not because he's apparently in love with me, but because I don't trust him. I need to trust my instincts, even if I don't know what my state of mind was during that time."How could I, when you're here," he says earnestly.I fight the urge to roll my eyes. This love sick act has to drop soon, I mean, he knows I'm in love with Marek, and I'm to be married to the King, and yet he still
The King’s Obsession 37
~AkaraI stare up into Zavian's earnest blue eyes, stunned.“I’m sorry…What?”“Think about it,” he breathes, going to grab my hands, but I pull them away quickly, unsure of his motivations, scared I'm about to be forced into another marriage. Zavian is my best friend, not someone I want to marry. “It would be a way around the law, if you became engaged to another King.”“I…I guess," I stutter. He's right, it could be a way around the law, but how would Tai retaliate? And the thought of this being something different...I've lost way too many friends. I refuse to lose Zavian.“It wouldn’t be for long. Just until Tai is no longer a threat," he assures me, seeing my flustered expression. Despite my panic, I believe him. He knows what I've been through, and wouldn't put me through that again without good reason. And being forced into a marriage with Tai is definitely a good one.I shift on my feet, lowering voice. “This idea is good, Zavian, but Tai is holding something over me.”“What?”
The King’s Obsession 36
~AkaraWe walk for a while, in tense silence.Eventually, Vaia's complaints become too frequent, so we have to stop, dead in the middle of the forest, with no civilization for at least an hour's walk from here. It doesn't bother me, though, because while I'm here, I'm not locked away in Tai's estate, and if I wanted to, I could run in a single direction and get far, far away from him."We are going to have to sleep under the stars tonight," Marek says, shrugging his long hunting coat off, laying it down across the forest floor."We don't have anything to sleep on?" Tai turns in a circle, looking distastefully at his environment.I stare at him blankly.Has he already forgotten what it was like to live in hardship? We did it for so many months together, and he rarely complained. It's as if those moments are lost on him now, having disappeared into an inescapable void."What do you want? To go to a village and maybe be torn apart by people who may not like you any longer?" Marek asks, k
The King’s Obsession 35
~Akara"We should go down and-"Tai grabs my arm, yanking me back from approaching the door. I yelp, wrestling out of his grip, frustrated. He has no shortage of guards who are downstairs, where something dramatic is clearly is happening."Are you insane, Akara? Were you not there for Vaia's rebellion?" he questions. I frown, rubbing where he had gripped me.Of course I remember that night vividly. I nearly died at Vaia's hand, but whatever is happening downstairs feels different from that night. There can't possibly be another Rebellion, right? Vaia is safely locked up, and people are relieved the political uproar has finally settled with Tai returning to the throne."Yes, I know, but-""We need to hide. This could be anything," he says, glancing at the door anxiously. My eyes narrow, realising that this isn't coming out of nowhere. Tai isn't shocked at the estate being attacked again, having anticipated it, because he knows his new motivations have angered people."Anything? But wha
The King’s Obsession 34
~AkaraWhatever headspace I was in before I lost consciousness cannot have been a good one.But I've never been more grateful for my own self preservation.Pacing back and forth through my room, the warning I wrote for myself is scrunched up in my hand. My instincts have failed me. I thought I could trust Grey, that he was nothing more than a victim to my incessant need to get back to find Marek.Marek and I spent the rest of yesterday afternoon checking every inch of that motel room, only to find nothing. The girl at the desk wasn't very helpful either, claiming she had only just started working there, and couldn't confirm whether I was alone that day with Grey, or whether I indulged where I was going."Akara..."I turn, having already felt the cool breeze coming through my opening window, heard the soft footsteps fall onto my bedroom floor. I knew he was coming tonight.Advancing on Grey, I slam my hands against his shoulders, sending him hurtling back a few strides. His eyes widen,
The King’s Obsession 33
*Mature Content Warning! Read At Your Own Discretion!*~AkaraI stare at the old motel. Huh.Nowhere in my memory do I remember coming here recently, but I have stepped foot into this shabby old place before. My parents brought me to this town once when they were preaching, and we stayed in this exact motel, which is how I figured out where it was after my dream about Grey.Marek isn't impressed, standing next to me with his hands shoved in his pockets, frowning.He wasn't reluctant to spend the day with me. When I revealed my motive, however, he was far more sceptical, wondering if my source of information is accurate.I need to see though...I need to come back here and see if anymore memories come back to me, so I can track my exact movements, and determine how I came to kill a Summoner, and who this mother is.And I already waited all week for Tai to spend a day elsewhere so I could sneak out and get this done.Marek glances at me. "So we are doing all of this because of...""A dre
The King’s Obsession 32
~AkaraStaring out the window, I admire the sun setting over the forest as I wrap my towel around me, stepping from the bath.I wish the Jade Province still felt like home to me. But when I look out toward the forest, all I see is hidden memories, and endless amounts of pain and suffering.Out there, Marek is somewhere, hunting down who hurt me. I wish I could call out to him, have him come here and save me. But mostly, I wish I could save myself. All that matters is finding a way to get the antidote for Marek, to save his life, before I start concentrating on how to save my own.Yawning, I wander out from the bathroom, only to see Tai sitting on the edge of my bed."Ah!" I yelp, backing away a few steps."Woah, sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," he says, holding his hands up defensively. He's trying not to make me panic, and yet I watch as his eyes trail down my body, only covered by a towel. I shudder. This isn't good.I narrow my eyes, wondering how I could physically force him
The King’s Obsession 31
~AkaraI struggle to fall into an effortless sleep, plagued by flashing dreams...or memories.Through the haze of unconsciousness, I can feel someone's lips pressed up against mine, urgent, desperate. But they are unfamiliar, until my eyes open, and I'm looking at Grey.And just like that, my dream sucks me under."I could kiss you forever," he murmurs against my lips. My hands wind through his hair, tugging at the dark locks.I pull back, examining his face. "So you've decided then?""I'll take you anywhere you want, as long as I get to spend all that time with you." He grins, capturing my lips again. I allow him a few more kisses, before I gently push his shoulders back, holding that dark gaze of his. In some universe, he would be attractive to me, but my interests lie elsewhere."Of course. That's the whole point," I say coyly, tilting my head, painting a not-so-platonic smile upon my lips. He won't sleep with me...I won't allow it. But making him think he will is all a part of the
