“I’m not trying to force you to do anything.” He had the nerve to look offended, and I laughed.
“You kissed me in front of Dathal, hoping to elicit a reaction out of him. One that he wouldn’t otherwise have had.”
Axel sighed again. “Because the pair of you wouldn’t have done anything about this—” He gestured from me to Dathal. “—whatever it is between you.”
Really?
“You came here earlier today and literally told me to back the fuck off.”
“I know.” Axel slumped into the chair opposite my desk. “I was wrong.”
Dathal put his head in his hands. “Why did you do it, Axel? You know it can’t go anywhere and I—” His mouth snapped shut.
“You were excited to see him, and then you freaked the fuck out.” Axel tapped the side of his head, and Dathal shot him a death glare.
It was like they were having a whole other conversation I wasn’t privy to.
“You both like each other,” Axel began, hand raised so neither of us would interrupt. “And I think it’s different this time.”
“We don’t even know each other,” I said, not sure where all this was coming from.
“I’ll be going back through the gateway when I’m finished here,” Dathal added. “Even if you’re right, this”—he waved a finger between us—“has no future. Youknowthat. So why start something and run the risk of getting hurt?”
Axel shrugged. “Life is short. Being stabbed by Tombs reminded me of that.”
“Then maybe you should take your own advice and go talk to a certain shifter—”
“This isn’t about me,” he snapped. “You might be here for months or only a few weeks. No one knows.”
“Exactly.”
It was like I wasn’t even in the room anymore. I crossed my arms and watched them argue, wondering if they were going to ask my opinion at any fucking point.
“Goddess above, Dathal! You could die tomorrow, so why not sayfuck youto the high court and take something thatyouwant for once? It might turn out to be great, but casual sex. Or it might hurt like the sting of aglaharal blachwhen you have to leave, but at least you won’t regret not trying.”
Dathal stared at Axel for a long, drawn-out moment, bottom lip caught between his teeth.
What the fuck was going on here? I couldn’t be the only one who wondered if this was just about me and Dathal.
“I think,” Dathal said, straightening, “that Nick and I need to talk.” He pointed at Axel. “As do you and I, cousin.”
Axel ignored him and turned to me. “Take Dathal to your house.”
“What? I can’t leave.” I checked my phone. “We don’t close for another three hours.”
“I’ll stay and close up,” Axel offered. “I’ve done it plenty of times before.”
“You don’t have to invite me into your home,” Dathal said quickly. “We can talk here.”
My office was functional.
In no way was it warm and inviting, and I didn’t want to have any kind of heart to heart with me behind my desk and Dathal sat opposite. It’d be like I was interviewing him.
“Or we don’t have to talk at all, if you don’t want to,” he added when I’d failed to respond.
“No.” I pushed off the door and ran a hand through my hair, the leather cuff covering the mark on my wrist catching my eye. I ignored it. “I want to talk. Think we need to after all this.” Facing Axel, I asked, “You sure you’re okay to stay and close the place?”
He nodded. “Positive.”
