Chapter Twenty Six
The air smelled of ancient paper and binding glue, comforting in a suffocating kind of way.
Tucked away underneath the guest rooms, council chambers and ballrooms, it was surprisingly peaceful and isolated.
Even with racks of towering bookshelves and complicated maze of bureaucratic nonsense the basement room still carried the same self-serving decadence that soaked the rest of the Council building.
We had been digging through the archives all day. It was as much action as Talia would let me have when I was still recovering.
Even though it had been days since I'd woken up and I was managing to stay awake instead of needing two or three naps a day, I was still relegated to desk duty. Though according to Lucien, it was the best way for us to find some solid leads.
So, we sat around the dark wooden tables with dozens of files spread out, each one tabbed, annotated and aggressively colour coded.
Lucien lounged in one of the padded, leather seats like he was holding court.
His foot was half propped up on the table, the other leg draped over the side of his chair while he fidgeted with a throwing knife.
Talia sat crossed legged on the floor with letters fanned out around her and a highlighter in her teeth while I leaned over the table scanning the scrawled handwriting in a shipping manifest.
"Why is it that every time I hang out with you I end up so surrounded by Council documents so dry they could start a forest fire?" Lucien drawled, raising an eyebrow as the boredom shone through his tone.
"Because you flirted your way out of real responsibilities," I muttered back, only half listening as I squinted at the page in front of me.
Lucien leaned forward slightly, a mischievous grin light his face. "Why Kiera, was that a jab? Is some personality shining through that frosty veneer?"
"Just your overactive imagination," I answered with a sideways glance and Lucien's smile turned wicked.
"You do feature heavily in my imagination," he voice low and warm.
I shot him a warning look but he was too caught up in his game to even care.
"And I'm nothing if not generous, so I could always give you a demonstration if you want," he continued, his crimson eyes glinting with promise.
I rolled my eyes and continued scanning the page until my eyes locked on something.
The stamp in the top corner was warped.
I pushed the book towards Lucien who leaned in with narrowed eyes. "That's forged." He tapped his finger against the page. "You can see it in the ink, it's been replicated. That makes three now. We've definitely got a smuggler."
A wave of relief flooded over me and my shoulders sagged just slightly. It had been so many hours of such little progress towards the rogues, the poisoning, the note to Talia. This gave some hope.
"Why do they insist on physical copies of everything," Talia complained with a huff, leaning back on her hands.
"Bury the truth in paper and no one is bothered to dig it up," Lucien answered with a wave of his hand.
"You sound like you've done it before." I raised an eyebrow and Lucien shrugged.
"I've been accused of worse." His smile shifted, eyes gleaming. "Usually while not wearing pants."
Talia snorted. "That tracks."
Lucien placed his hand on his heart, eyes feigning hurt. "You wound me."
"You like being wounded," I muttered without thinking, drawing a wide eyed look from Talia.
Lucien's smirk sharpened, his fangs glinting in the dim library light as he leaned towards me. "Only by emotionally unavailable women with claws. The colder the better."
"Oh look Kiera, you're his type," Talia teased with an egging grin. I shot her a look but she rolled her eyes in return. "Please, don't even deny it. This is the most you you've been since we left."
Talia's gaze turned to Lucien, a brow raised. "You know she's actually actually fun back home? But she's had a massive stick up her ass this entire trip."
"Gee, thanks," I deadpanned at the traitor.
"You do seem like you're much more fun when defrosted," Lucien agreed.
"Yeah, she's gone full glacier here," Talia added, bouncing her eyebrows once.
"Guess we'll just have to warm her up," he said before his head tipped towards me and his voice turned sultry and sensual. "Stick included."
Talia cackled and I pinched the bridge of my nose as a rogue laugh escaped my lips.
I was never bringing the two of them together again.
"I got another," Lucien announced triumphantly. "That's two laughs from you today. I'm a roll."
"Don't make it three," I warned, my face school back to icy calm.
He shook his head and shrugged. "Too late. I've made it my personal mission now."
"Goddess help us."
Lucien reached out, brushing an invisible piece of lint off my shoulder. It was perfectly innocent but the touch lingered, his eyes teasing and full of mischievous challenge.
"You flirt like it's a job."
"It's not," he answered, his eyes conspiratorial. "It's an art form. You're just my next masterpiece."
"Is that a compliment?" I asked, raising an incredulous eyebrow.
"It's foreplay."
Talia burst into laughter right as the door opened and the air shifted heavy and weighted.
Dax stepped inside, all polished posture and stoic determination as his eyes scanned the room and fell Lucien's hand still lingering on my shoulder.
He stiffened and I felt the air around Lucien buzz as his crimson eyes filled with joy.
"Alpha Varyn, what an unexpected pleasure," Lucien said with a tilt of his head. "Here to join the nerd patrol?"
Talia snorted softly, her eyes darting between the three of us like it was a tennis match.
"I need to speak with Kiera." The deep timbre of his voice rolled over me in a thunderstorm, sparking and warm.
"Of course you do." Lucien didn't move. Instead, he casually brushed a piece of hair behind my shoulder, the backs of his chilled fingers grazing the skin of my collarbone. "Unfortunately, we're in the middle of something rather delicate."
I could feel Dax bristle from across the room. His jaw ticked once. Twice.
As much as I had the urge to bend Lucien's fingers back until they snapped for touching me like that, there was a part of me that revelled in seeing Dax struggle.
Talia smothered a laugh with a cough, hiding it behind her hand.
"Not a request," he snapped at Lucien, barely restrained as Lucien lingered like he was about to make another taunting play.
"Lucien," I warned, voice low and soft enough that it was just for him.
He sighed and leaned back with an exaggerated defeat. I stood, determined not to let Dax see me falter as I walked towards the door.
"Just be gentle with her," Lucien called out after us. "She bruises beautifully."
I slammed the door shut behind me but Lucien's teasing laugh still echoed through the hallway.
Dax's shoulders were tense, coiled beneath the crisp lines of his dress shirt. The heat rolled off him in waves, inviting and alluring, like a fire in a snow storm. The muscle in his jaw worked as his eyes lightened to a dull amber before settling back to that melted chocolate.
"Is that supposed to mean something?" Dax asked, his voice calm and steady. It was impressive the control he held even as I could taste his frustration on my tongue.
I should have shook my head and denied it, reassured him that there was nothing more than platonic amusement. That was the mature thing to do.
"It's Lucien," I answered with a shrug. "Everything means something and nothing."
Dax opened his mouth like he was about to say something but instead looked away. Soft breaths pierced the silence between us. Unspoken questions lingered in the air, each waiting for the other to break first.
"I haven't answered Lyra," Dax finally said, turning the warmth of his eyes back on me.
Somehow, the confession made it worse.
"Isn't that dangerous?" I asked, leaning back against the wall. Physically, I was feeling nearly normal but the tumult of emotions was exhausting.
Dax nodded, shallow and slow. "Probably."
The word hung between us for a moment as emotions flickered through Dax's eyes.
I could see the conflict under the surface, the way his fingers twitched towards me and his body wanted to sway into me. I could feel the yearning, the pull.
But I knew the right answer. It sat in my stomach like lead, sinking and dark.
"You need to put your pack first," I said with a nod.
His jaw clenched and his eyes dropped to the floor.
"Does he matter to you?" Dax asked, the question quiet, almost hesitant.
My brows furrowed, composure fracturing at his pivot.
"Lucien? He's a friend. He's a flirt and bored. I'm entertainment."
The tension shifted and flexed under his skin as his dark eyes found mine once more and he took a half step towards me. "It makes me want to break something."
I gave him a flat look. "You think you're allowed to be jealous?"
"Yes," he answered immediately. "No."
He blew a sharp breath from his nose as his eyes glinted amber once more. "It's not fair. I have Lyra. I chose that arrangement. I don't get to be jealous of him. But hearing you laugh, seeing you smile - for him-"
Dax took another step forward. My eyes narrowed slightly, my back pressing further into the wall as though it would stop his advance.
"I want that. With you."
I froze.
My heartbeat in my ears drowned out everything else, silenced the common sense.
"I know I've been cold and cruel. It wasn't apathy. It was survival. For me, my pack. The moment I cared, it became dangerous. But I can't keep losing you."
"So what, Dax?" I asked, forcing the tremble from my voice. I could feel my heart hammering against my ribs. "You get to be jealous and still marry Lyra? And I - what - just stand quietly in the corner so you get your perfect image and your dirty little secret? You can't have both."
His voice dropped to a low growl. "I don't want Lyra."
He took another step forward. I could feel the gentle warmth of his breath.
"I want you."
"Dax-"
His hand cupped my jaw. I couldn't breathe.
"Tell me no," he whispered. "Tell me this doesn't matter."
I didn't say a word.
The kiss hit like a lightning strike, all tangled breath and tension and weeks of things unspoken.
His mouth was heat and hunger, matching my frustration with his own.
I should've stopped it.
I didn't.
Well...that happened.
Did we finally cross the line or just make it messier?
I'm very curious to know what you think about Dax after this!
But get ready because things really start to heat up in the next chapter...