The King's Possession ✔️

THIRTY SEVEN

Word Count: 1771

It's strange seeing Tai and Marek in the same room.

They stand on opposite sides of my room; Marek leaning against the glass balcony doors while Tai paces in and out of the bathroom as if a clue will spontaneously reveal itself as to why this just happened to me. Marek sat by my bedside until the nurse arrived, only leaving when harshly demanded to by the nurse who has come to dress my wounds and administer pain medication.

The shower was poisoned. No one is doubting that. The right side of my body is riddled with sores and raw skin, likely to leave small traces of scars despite the incredible medication that Tai's healers can work with. If this happened to me in my village, I would be riddled with issues for the rest of my life.

"The wounds will likely heal in a few weeks," the healer tells me gently, his gaze firm. It's a silent warning, to stay in bed and heal, rather than risk undoing all that he plans to achieve.

"I've already got the best possible medication on the way from a local village," the nurse assures me, holding my glass up so I can sip the water. That demand would have come from Tai, no doubt, who has been silently stressing since he frantically burst into my room an hour ago.

"I'm okay," I reply. "This pain stuff really helps."

It has helped. My entire body feels numb from my shoulder down, which is a nice change from the agonizing pain I endured early. I'm still shaking from that, my fingers quivering on my lap despite trying my best not to relive what I experienced.

Marek seems to be suffering from the same flashbacks, his eyes glazed over as he stares at me.

"I think you've had enough of that for tonight. You should concentrate on getting sleep," the nurse tells me, getting to his feet. Grabbing their supplies, they leave the room, leaving a sense of discomfort in the room as Tai remerges from the bathroom, immediately coming to my side.

"This shouldn't have happened," he practically growls, bending to one knee at my bedside. "I'm going to make sure that whoever did this pays in the worst way possible."

I believe him, too.

Hearing him say it makes me shiver. It's hard to admit that someone out there has placed a direct attack on me when I was in such a vulnerable state. How can I go on thinking I'm safe? Surely this has something to do with the fact that I'm engaged to Tai. Maybe agreeing to this was a mistake; I never would have anticipated this kind of danger.

"They locked me in. I don't know how they did it, but I couldn't get out," I murmur, fingers lightly touching my throat. It's still raw and stinging from inhaling whatever that poison was. It's purpose was clear: to kill me. Had Marek not heard my screams from outside, I wouldn't have had much longer left.

I can tell he wants to ask me why Marek was near my room when it happened, but has the decency not to. I want to know too. He is now my personal guard, but at that time, he shouldn't have been there.

"They must have came in here earlier and rigged it, which means they are likely still roaming through the manor," Tai speculates. "Don't worry. I have all my men looking into it."

I nod, summoning calm over myself, but the fear still blossoms.

"I've never been so convinced I was going to die before," I admit, voice choking in my throat.

Tai breathes out slowly, fighting to control the emotions so obviously coming up to the surface. I suddenly realise he's holding the hand which isn't injured, squeezing it tightly. Without even having to ask I know he is running through what could have happened. It's painfully obviously that Tai is bothered by the fact that Marek saved me and he didn't.