The King's Possession ✔️

TWELVE

Word Count: 1622

I stare at the porcelain bath, considering it.

My bedroom door is firmly closed, away from Vaia, Taius and everyone else in this place. Yet the thought of bathing has me shivering, not wanting to feel vulnerable for a single moment in this place. Yet I'm desperate to wash this day off me, and with the chill that has fallen over this place, a bath sounds delectable.

Running the bath, I add some fragrant oils and salts, and begin to undress, looking out at the stars that wink and glimmer tauntingly in the distance. Who knows when I will have any semblance of freedom again.

I sink into the bath, letting the hot, emollient water rise up past my shoulders, the steam wafting up before me, scented with lavender.

A tear escapes my eye. I hadn't even realised I was sad.

Brushing it away, I compose myself. I've never been much of a crier, or someone who panics in difficult situations. As hard as it is to be here, I need to look ahead, to a plan. But as I think about an escape, nothing comes to mind. My best option is to gain the King's trust, then maybe he will pity me, and let me leave alive.

Holding my breath, I glide beneath the surface, letting the silkiness of the water consume me, the vibrating silence calming my nerves. As I emerge, I settle back into myself, a new sense of direction coming over me.

A knock on my bedroom door sounds, making me flinch.

Stumbling from the bath, I reach for a towel, wrapping it around myself. Silently, I pray it's not Taius, here to claim me after everything that happened. But there's no way I'm going to have a chance to put any clothes on before they come in themselves; I would much rather answer the door with a towel wrapped around myself, than naked.

Opening the door, I'm surprised to not see the King, but the dark, looming figure of Marek.

His gaze, scorching hot drops below my face, drinking in the sight of me in only a towel. Vulnerability skates over my skin, the once warm water beaded across my skin turning icy cold. My body is mostly covered, but there is something so intimidating about standing before a dazzlingly attractive man, knowing that one slip of my fingers could leave me utterly bare to him.

He swallows uncomfortably, the faintest hint of an unknown emotional consuming his eyes, before the mask he has so expertly erected resumes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you," he murmurs, gaze so intensely focused on my eyes, I find myself looking anywhere other than him. The rich colours of the patterned rug in the hallway, to the pale skirting at the foot of the wall; anything other than him.

"No...I just got out of the bath," I admit, brushing my thick, wet strands over my shoulder. Marek follows the movement with his gaze, leaving a trail of heat in it's wake, from my neck, down my collarbones and to where my hand plasters the edges of the towel to my chest.

He clears his throat. "I'll come back later when you're decent."

Despite my increasing embarrassment, I hold my door open. The threat of Tai's warning to keep away from each other still lingers in the air, impossible to avoid. I don't trust Marek completely yet, but he is the closest person to a friend I have here. We are going to have to rely on each other to get out of here, which means having no embarrassment before him.

Even if that seems impossible right now.

"No, it's okay, come in. What brings you here? You know what the King would say if he..." I break off, unsure if I want to utter those words. Marek nods, knowing what I mean, knowing the consequences. Still, he came here, seeking me out.