Dathal huffed. “Please call her that when she gets here.”
“I don’t have a death wish,” Axel shot back, then sighed when the smile slipped off Dathal’s face. “Don’t. We’ve been through that.”
“And I’m still annoyed as fuck that you put yourself in that position.” Dathal grumbled when Axel hugged him but dutifully wrapped his arm around him and hugged him back. Hard.
It made the wolf in me happy to see how fiercely Dathal loved him. That Axel had a pack of his own, even if it was just the two of them.
“Whyareyou here, though?” Axel directed it to Max as he and Dathal parted.
“The high court have requested we transfer the witches we arrested at Yates’s compound over to them, so they can serve out their sentence in a fae prison.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “There’s a considerable amount of red tape, seeing as they were supposed to have died already. Their old covens aren’t happy, but by refining Blue Alhuirn, they committed crimes against the Fae Realm. We don’t have much choice but to hand them over now that gateway travel is no longer restricted. I have some papers for Lady Sarhin to sign to facilitate the move.”
I noticed then that he carried a thin black folder with him.
Axel narrowed his eyes. “And you need Dathal and Gabriel to come with you to drop them off?”
Dathal huffed. “Since you’ve beenbusyevery time I’ve asked you to go anywhere, I thought it was the best chance of actually getting to see you.”
He had a point.
Axel obviously agreed because he didn’t dispute it. “And you?” he said to Gabriel.
Gabriel smiled. “Purely selfish reasons. Now that everything’s back to normal, I wondered if you’d still be up for helping me learn about fae magic and if I have any, and also teach me more of the fae language.”
Dathal turned to look at him. “Why didn’t you ask me? I’m literally with you every day.”
Gabriel huffed. “Yes, but we can’t exactly do it in the middle of the office.”
“I suppose not,” Dathal conceded. “But I can help.”
Axel smiled. “Yes, of course I’m still up for it. We can start next week if you want?” His smile faltered, and I knew exactly what he was thinking. “Assuming I’m still here then.”
I swallowed back the snarl fighting to get out, Max’s words still front and centre in my mind. I knew Axel thought it was too soon to even discuss completing a bond or a joining pact, and in any other circumstance, I’d agree with him.
But Max was right, I knew deep in my soul that Axel was it for me. There would never be another who affected me the way he did, whose magic twined with mine in a way I’d never experienced before. I wanted him with every bone in my body, wolf and human in sync in the best of ways.
He was mine and I was his, and I sure as fuck wasn’t going to let a group of arseholes in the Fae High Court tell me we couldn’t be together.
As soon as we were alone, I’d tell him exactly that and somehow help him see that joining our lives together wasn’t the risk he thought it was, but the answer to everything.
“They’re here,” Axel announced suddenly.
I cursed inwardly, because of course she was here earlier than expected when I wanted her to be late.
Axel left to greet her at the gateway and Dathal took the opportunity to pull me to one side.
Fuck’s sake, I wasn’t in the mood for another one of histalks.
“You need to persuade Axel that a joining pact is the only option if he wants to remain here indefinitely.”
Okay, so not what I was expecting him to say. “I’m going to try, but I won’t force him into it if he doesn’t want to.”
“He does,” Dathal said, glancing behind me to the living room. “He’s just scared of rushing everything and ruining something he thought he’d never have.”
My heart hurt hearing him say that, but I heard the French doors open, the soft lilt of Lady Sarhin’s voice drifting through.
“I’ll talk to him.” It was all I could offer.
Dathal nodded, then turned to the others as Axel brought them into the kitchen.
