Chapter 22 #2
But instead, Nikhail just pulled out his ID and showed it to the elf. “She’s with me,” he said confidently.
The soldier didn’t even blink an eye. “Go ahead, sir.”
The interior of the building was all hard edges, white walls, and sharp lines. It was cold, lacking the normal fixtures one would expect to find inside a home, and void of life. That said a lot, considering River had grown up in Waterborn House.
It made sense, in a way, that this was where Nikhail worked. The building didn’t exactly scream “military,” but then again, she didn’t even know what Nikhail’s occupation entailed.
A secretive building for a secretive job.
They passed several desks, all lacking personal artifacts. Neither of them spoke. It didn’t feel right. This place was quieter than a temple.
Nikhail led her up a staircase and down a hallway, stopping in front of a door that was cracked open. The air fae knocked on the doorframe, then stepped inside.
A dark-skinned elf who appeared to be a few years older than River looked up from his seat at the long conference table. He was typing on one laptop while looking at another. Several phones littered the surface in front of him.
Judging by the stack of empty takeout boxes, coffee cups, and the scruff on the elf’s face, he’d been here for a while.
“Thank you for coming, sir,” he said, rising to his feet. “I apologize for calling you on your day off, but I thought you’d want to see this immediately.”
“You did the right thing.” Nikhail placed his hand on River’s shoulder. “Corporal Rune, this is my girlfriend, Doctor Waterborn.”
Girlfriend.
A rush of heat swept through River, and she bit back a smile.
Gods, she supposed that was true. Putting a label on things seemed like something most couples would talk about, but she and Nikhail were doing everything unconventionally.
First, they’d slept together. Then, they’d gone on their first date. Now, this.
“Hi.” River reached across the table and shook the elf’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Lukas Rune,” he said by way of introduction. “Pleasure to meet you, as well.”
Nikhail pulled out the chair beside Lukas. “What did you find, Corporal?”
Nikhail’s voice was all business, without a trace of the warmth that River was used to hearing. A reminder that this was Nikhail’s workplace, and River was a guest.
The corporal pointed at the screen. “I was working on removing the encryptions when I found this.” Lukas’s fingers flew over the keys with the speed of someone who spent much of their time in front of a computer. “I wasn’t sure what this was, but I thought you’d want to take a look.”
Nikhail hummed. “I see what you mean. Can you pull up this report?” He tapped the screen. “Okay. Then maybe…”
The air fae kept speaking, his confident voice a low rumble as River fished her wireless headphones from her coat pocket. She placed them in her ears, her phone automatically playing music from her favorite playlist. Unbuttoning her coat, she sank into a chair in the corner of the room.
River opened her phone, but she’d be lying if she said she did anything except observe Nikhail for several minutes. It was clear he was in his element as he spoke with the corporal, and his body language spoke to his confidence and control of the situation.
After, River pulled her attention away from Nikhail and scrolled through her phone.
She replied to a text from Brynleigh, who was checking on her after Ryker’s visit.
Then she texted Ember. Her best friend wanted to know all the dirty details of her date—Ember’s words, not River’s—and they spent nearly half an hour messaging back and forth before the fire fae had to go back to work.
River was in the midst of catching up on social media—which mostly consisted of doom scrolling and feeling increasingly worse about herself and the state of the world—when the sound of papers being shuffled caught her attention.
When she looked away from her phone, she discovered that Lukas was packing up.
This is why social media is garbage, she thought, scowling and clicking out of all her apps. She’d gotten so caught up in perusing socials that she didn’t even know how much time had passed.
Pulling out her earbud, River caught the tail end of Lukas and Nikhail’s conversation.
“I’ll be back in the morning if you need anything, sir,” Lukas said.
“No problem,” was Nikhail’s reply. “I’ll take care of this from here.”
The elf dipped his chin in River’s direction before heading out the door and down the stairs. His footsteps retreated, and then Nikhail crossed the room.
He braced his hands on either side of her chair, gazing down at her adoringly. As if being in her mere presence made him happy.
“How are you holding up?” he asked.
“I’m good.” She put her earbuds back into her pocket. “Is everything okay? I wasn’t paying attention.”
“It will be. I’m dealing with it.”
It didn’t escape River’s attention that the air fae didn’t directly answer her question. “I see.”
“I’ll take care of everything, River. I promise.” Nikhail kissed her softly. “I need to make a call, then we should be able to leave. Thank you for your patience, little storm.”
“Of course.”
Nikhail pressed his phone against his ear and leaned against the table. “Sorry to call so late, Chancellor,” he said in a low voice after a moment. He paused, then added, “Yes, it’s important.”
A beat of silence, then he said, “We have the rebel leader’s name, ma’am.”
River’s chest tightened. Knowing that the rebels were still a threat was one thing, but being reminded of their presence was another thing entirely.
“Tell me.” Chancellor Rose’s command was so loud, it rang through the phone, as though the imposing woman was standing in the room with them.
“His name is Gale Harringdale,” Nikhail rumbled. “I’ve already run a preliminary background check, ma’am. He’s a bear shifter, and his last registered address is in the Southern Region. I can get a team there—”
“No,” the Chancellor said sharply.
Nikhail’s brows creased. “Ma’am?”
The leader lowered her voice so River couldn’t hear her, but she didn’t miss Nikhail’s grimace or the way he raked his hand through his hair.
“Oh,” he said. “You want… Okay. Yes, ma’am.” He glanced at River and frowned. “It’s just that… No, I understand. You’re right. We wouldn’t want him to get away. Of course, I’ll take care of it myself, and I’ll let you know when it’s done. Goodnight, ma’am.”
Ending the call, Nikhail dropped his phone with a groan. “Fuck.”
River rose from her seat and crossed the room, putting her hand on his shoulder. “You have to go, don’t you?”
He planted his hands on the table and exhaled. “Yes. I wish I didn’t have to, but the Chancellor isn’t giving me a choice.”
“It’s okay. I get it. We’ll have more dates—”
“It’s not about that,” he said, interrupting her. “Not really.”
“It isn’t?”
“No.” Nikhail drew her into his arms, holding her close to his chest. “Not that I didn’t love our date, but it’s you that I don’t want to leave.”
There he went again, saying such wonderful things.
She peered up at him. “Me?”
“Yes, you. I can get a vampire to shadow me to the Southern Region tonight, but by the time I get to a safe house and gather a team to deal with this, the sun will have risen. I’ll be stuck there, in another region, and you’ll be here.
Unprotected. If something happens, I won’t be able to get to you quickly.
” He traced the necklace hanging around her neck. “I won’t be able to keep my promise.”
I will stay by your side and wade through the darkness with you.
The words Nikhail had spoken in the Hub echoed through River’s mind, cementing themselves in her soul. She drew in a deep breath, studying the air fae.
Even now, he was thinking of her.
And that…
Gods, that made her feel more cherished than anything he’d ever said or done.
“Then take me with you.” The words slipped from River’s tongue so quickly, she barely had time to think them over.
He pulled back. “What?”
“Take me to the Southern Region with you. I’ll stay in the safe house, but that way, I’ll be close by.” She lifted a shoulder. “It’s not like I’m working right now; I’m still on bereavement leave from the hospital. If you’re worried about me, then take me with you.”