Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
PHOENIX
Ihave no clue when or how I fall asleep, but when I open my eyes the first thing I see is a dark cell.
Immediately, I perk up and sit up. I slept on a hard, slim bunk. The thin blanket covering me falls from my shoulders. Blinking, I look around.
When my eyes land on a familiar shape lying on the stone floor next to the bunk, it hits me. It’s Jax’s cell.
Shit.
This is so bad.
I watch Jax’s naked chest rise and fall as he breathes. He’s deep asleep, face peaceful as ever.
Sleeping, he looks so…innocent. No masks, cheeky smirks, or mischievous glitters in his dark eyes. When I realize I’m staring, almost hypnotized by the moon-pale skin, and the tousled hair that falls messily on his forehead, I shake my head and slowly climb out of his bunk.
I pause, listening to his breathing. I have no clue what time it is, but I don’t want to wake him. There are many reasons for it.
Last night is hazy in my memory. Once that damn draught started working, I was so out of it I’m not sure what’s now the fruit of my imagination and what’s real.
Jax’s worried gaze, his fingertips softly tracing the lines of my face, pushing my hair away from my eyes while I trembled and winced as my insides burned like an open fire.
Fuck. I close my eyes and run my hands over my face.
I need to keep my head straight. After Daegel…I can’t let anyone get under my skin.
On my tiptoes, trying my hardest not to wake Jax up, I sneak towards the door. My hand wraps around the iron handle and I gently tug on it.
Of course the hinges groan as if they haven’t seen any movement in three centuries. I cringe and pause.
A sharp inhale, followed by a sleepy, “Phoenix?”
Fuck. So much for sneaking out before he wakes up.
Hesitantly I glance over my shoulder where Jax leans on one of his forearms, trying to rub the sleep away from his eyes. He yawns, stretches his powerful, lean body, and cranes his neck to look at me with a smirk.
“Sneaking out without waking me? How rude.”
I roll my eyes. “Shut up. I have to go.”
He opens his mouth, and I know he’s about to spit an exceptionally inappropriate but somehow hot remark that will make me flushed and even more annoyed. So before he has the opportunity to do so, I open the door and leave.
I don’t dare glance back through the small opening in the cell door just in case my abrupt exit hurts Jax.
Of course Ezkai Bjorn and Ezkai Emil are standing guard on each side of the door.
I roll my shoulders, eye them as if they’re a leaf stuck to the sole of my shoe, and head down the dimly lit corridor towards the stairs.
A yelp escapes me and I almost jump out of my own skin when I walk straight into Noire. He stands in the middle of the corridor with that familiar pleasant smile, hands clasped behind his back.
“Good morning, General,” he says with a hint of amusement.
“Noire!” I slap a hand over my chest. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”
“Apologies, General,” he says, tilting his head. “That was not my intention.”
I huff and shake the tension off. When I meet Noire’s gaze, there’s a silent warning.
“Not here,” I say and head for the stairs.
All three of them follow. Once we’re off the prison floor, I whirl on my heel to face Noire.
“I see you’re feeling well after the ritual,” Noire says, his gaze sweeping over me with care.
“Yes, Noire.”
A pause. Then, “I know you’re close with Mr. Kregger. But I must warn you, spending the night in his cell is not—”
Cheeks burning, I lift my palm to silence him before this becomes even more uncomfortable than it is. “I went to ask him about the trial, and accidentally fell asleep because I felt so awful after the damn Ashen Oath. Nothing happened, and this won’t happen again.”
Noire purses his lips. “I’m not implying anything inappropriate, General.” A corner of his mouth lifts. “But if the Ezkai General starts sleeping in one of the cells regularly, it may raise some eyebrows.”
“As I said, won’t happen again.” I straighten my back. “Have you spoken to House Dzuni? Are we ready for Jax’s trial? He agreed to bind his life to mine.”
All the humor evaporates from Noire in a blink. My heart sinks.
“What? You said it’s an option. That it’s a way for Jax to serve his punishment,” I say.
Noire nods. “It is. However, House Dzuni must vote during the trial, and right now, the vote is not in our favor.”
I bite the inside of my mouth to not scream.
Inhale.
Exhale.
When that doesn’t help, I count to ten in my mind.
“Not all is bad, General. Mr. Kregger is liked amongst some noble circles despite his crime,” Noire says gently.
“I’m confident of those votes going in our favor.
We must assume the nobles associated with Caligos will vote to eliminate him.
That leaves us with about a third of the House Dzuni who are neutral. Their vote will go either way.”
“That’s good. We can do something about it,” I say. After a beat of silence, I add, “Can we? There must be something we can do to persuade them.”
“Absolutely, General,” Noire says. “If Vera was here with us, I’d be asking her to host a party.”
My stomach churns at the mention of Vera.
Every second we spend not actively looking for her, not looking for my dragon, staying here and doing nothing, brings her closer to death.
I’m surprised Caligos kept her alive for this long. What do they want?
“Great. I’ll go visit her apprentices myself,” I say, and start walking. Noire follows, along with my Ezkai. “When we last spoke, she said Bart would be ready to take over in her absence. I’m sure I can talk to him.”
“Yes, Bartholomew has been running the studio in Vera’s absence. He knows Nobleman Juti well enough to host a revel to please his tastes and ego.”
I frown. “Is that the noble we need to convince? Nobleman Juti?”
I can’t put the face to the name. There’s just too many nobles.
“Dzuni run in packs,” Noire says, his shadows filling the stairwell as we climb the stairs. “If we get Nobleman Juti on our side, he’ll convince his group to vote in our favor.”
Political games at their finest. That’s why I desperately need Vera by my side.
“Great, let’s get these motherfuckers,” I mutter. “I’m heading to Vera’s studio now.”
Just as we reach the top of the stairs, Noire’s steps halt. “You have—”
I wave him off. “No matter. Cancel or move whatever I have on my agenda for this morning. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”