Talia's POV

I must have slept off to Ken ranting about all the many things he thought I should have known.


I woke up to my head on his chest. No wonder I even slept at all. He had his hands on the small of my back.

Ken was sound asleep and his chest was rising and falling, rhyming with his breath, taking me slightly up and down with him. His arms were strange, Kael's was hairy, Ken's is smooth. Strange, but comfortable, strangely comfortable.

As I tried to wiggle free from him, he instinctively held me tight without even changing his position or fixing to wake up.


I pulled harder this time and instead of holding me back…

'Stop! Please, please, don't kill her. Take, take me, take me instead." Ken's voice was as clear as it was when he was awake and alert, but his eyes were still closed, save for the imaginary battle he was fighting in his head.


'Wake up, Ken. It's me, it's just me." I was forced to interrupt his exchange when he began to hit me while he held me down with his legs still.

The look on his face when he became fully aware of what happened was all the apology I needed.

'I'm so sorry, Baby." Ken's voice was very soft but laced with regret. I knew it wasn't on purpose, I've not known him for long, but he wouldn't do that to me if he could help it, still he feels miserable for it. I could not hide my pain either, my left breast which he jabbed in his frenzy hurt like hell.

'I know, I know." I said when it felt like I had rubbed the soreness out of my breast and held his hand in mine.

That still didn't do. He looked as guilty as a stray little puppy.

'I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't even want you to see that. I considered sneaking out when you fell asleep but that would have only made you uncomfortable. I'm sorry." He jumped up from the bed and moved away from me like he's some danger I'm not allowed to go close to.

'Please don't make this any more weird." I begged him. I was already as mature and composed as I could be.

'You might like to spend the rest of the night in some other room." He continued. The way Ken kept looking down at his feet made me both sad and scared.

'Come on. It's just a nightmare." I tried to downplay it.

Ken quickly put his clothes on. I didn't like how serious he was taking it.

'It gets worse." He was sitting on the chair that looked outside, some part of the compound that I've never been to. It looked like it had a lot of flowers because of how beautiful the breeze coming in from it smelt."Some days I can't control what I do or say. I don't want you to see the monster I've been turning into. Go!" That has to be the loudest I have ever heard him speak, and we were right in the middle of the night. But it's his palace, so I understand how he doesn't care if anyone wakes up to the

'I don't think you really mean. You can't just bring me here and throw me out in the middle of the night. I don't know anywhere else here. Don't do this." I begged Ken. He was hell bent on me leaving, but I couldn't. I didn't want to. Chances are I'll scream my lungs out minutes after falling asleep from the many things that would be going on in my head.

'Don't let me hurt you." Someone who was eavesdropping would have thought it was a threat, but I knew Ken didn't mean it that way. He was scared of him for me,

I sat down back on the bed. The only way to calm him down was to let him know that everything was alright and that I didn't see him as a threat.

Something in me wanted to question the fact that I always met with broken men, but this wasn't the time. Who knows if this is all what I've been through with Kael, was leading up to.

'If we are going to be doing this for a long time, you also need to listen to me," I said to him, 'sometimes." I added when I realized how bossy I sounded.

'I don't want to hurt you." He said to me,

'I know that. And I also know that you won't. Just come, please." I persisted till he finally gave in.

At first, Ken perched carefully by the far corner of his bed. I was lost. A million thoughts were running through my mind. If I get too close to him, there's no getting out of it.

I decided to do it anyway.

He felt me coming up close from his back, but before he turned back to protest I was already hugging him up from behind.

'Shh. Don't say anything." I chided him as he was about to protest.

It was awkward at first and I almost snapped out of it in shame, but sooner than later, he stopped being so rigid and finally melted into my hands, heaving a sigh while doing it.

'You see. Easy does it." I didn't want to talk too much so he doesn't get uncomfortable. Plus my voice was still a little rough because I had just woken up.

'I'm sorry for…" He started apologizing before I put my finger on his lips.

Then there was quiet.

'How do you feel?" I asked him after a while.

He wriggled away from my hold and faced me, his warm moist breath blowing against my face.

'What do you think?" He asked me. His voice sounded far lighter now, I could even sense some humor in it. That was progress.

'I'm not one to make assumptions." I teased

'Come on!" Ken said playfully. 'What do you expect? I feel better of course." He looked sincere and that was my happiest moment in forever. At least I knew how to do something right.

'That's great." I said, pouting to keep the tears at bay. Seeing yet another man the object of whatever I do again just makes me feel so much worse.

While I was looking at him, all that went through my head was how back Kael and I ended up and the chances that this was going to be like that too, which was quite much.