Page 30 of Conflicted

Theo

If you’ve left, can I leave too? This meeting is boring AF

Breann

Are you in trouble? Do you need us?

Nate

You better not be fighting without us. Either we all have fun or none of us do.

Rami

heads-up, Ez is on the warpath

I sighed. Great, just what I needed. Looked like my time of ignoring my responsibilities was up. To be fair, I was surprised none of them had come after me, especially given I’d left without a word and then ignored my phone.

The mystery was solved by the final message on the screen.

Benji

I assume you’re with Nox and therefore not in danger so I’ve stopped them all tracking you down. If I’m wrong, let us know fast.

I drew to a halt, frowning down at my phone in confusion. Not at the fact that Benji had been able to stop them—if any of them could, it was him—but at the rest of what he’d said.

Why had he assumed I was with Nox? And, even more importantly, how did he know I wasn’t in danger?

A revelation hit me so fast it was dizzying. Ihadn’tbeen in danger. Not once, during any interaction with Nox, had I ever felt threatened.

I shook myself. Of course I hadn’t. My power outstripped his by several light years. If necessary, I could execute Nox before he even had the chance to raise his shields in defence.

That was why I didn’t feel threatened by him. Obviously.

My phone flashed again.

Ez

I can see you stalling through the window. You might be the boss, but you’ve got some explaining to do.

I glanced up to see my second glaring at me through the glass. The rest of the unit weren’t bothering to hide their nosiness either, all of them except Benji jostling to peer at me through the glass, like I was an unfamiliar creature they’d never seen before.

I couldn’t blame them. I wasn’t sure I recognised myself at the moment either.

Pocketing my phone with a sigh, I forced down all the uncertainty that arose from being around Nox. I was Micah, leader of the Seraphim.

That was who the world expected me to be.

And I wasn’t going to lose sight of that again.

7

Micah

“Sorry for my abrupt exit,” I said smoothly, striding into the room and taking my seat at the head of the table. I figured if I pretended like nothing had happened, maybe I’d escape without my odd behaviour being addressed. “Now, where were we?”

Only Benji was seated, a Rubik’s cube between his fingers. He’d already smashed the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to solve it, but he was always trying to shave another second or two from his personal best.

“Well?” I raised a brow in challenge. “Are we continuing or is the meeting over?”

---