Page 142 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
Axel hesitated, because yes, he would be. He didn’t want her anywhere near Bree. The Night Child had already tried to have her killed once. He was certain she wasn’t done, and he couldn’t shake the feeling this dinner was more than that.
“It’s a trap,” he finally said, avoiding Eliza’s question. He turned back to Theon. “Bree has plans that have been in the works for years. Decades. You know this is all part of that.”
“You won’t let anything happen to her, Axel,” Tessa said from where she now stood between Theon’s legs. His hands on her hips, thumbs moving in slow circles.
“Of course I’ll do anything in my power to keep her safe, but we all know that isn’t always enough. Look at the past year. How many times were you hurt or taken?” Axel argued.
“Thanks,” Theon grumbled.
“You know what I’m saying. If Tessa was pregnant, you’d feel the same way, Theon. You can’t deny that.”
His brother fell silent, but Axel didn’t miss the way his fingers flexed on Tessa’s hips.
“This is ridiculous,” Eliza snapped. “Why must I keep reminding you that just because she’s pregnant, it doesn’t mean she’s suddenly fragile and incapable. She can attend a godsdamn dinner and sit in a chair and debate politics. She is clever and observant, and I’d argue you need her there to help not be caught in a trap by the Night Child.”
“This is not your world,” Axel shot back. “Things are not the same here.”
“But we’re trying to change things,” Tessa said. “Continuing to do things as they were will not push change. And isn’t the Underground different anyway?”
He could not believe they were all arguing for Katya to attend this with him. None of them understood. None of them had children or babes on the way. And he couldn’t do this anymore. He couldn’t sit here and let them argue with him about willingly taking his wife and child straight into a web with a spider waiting to strike.
“It seems I’m not needed for this discussion since everyone else appears to be in favor of letting her walk right into danger. I’ll leave you all to discuss the logistics,” Axel said, his tone icy as he rose and crossed the room.
“Axel, that’s not what we’re saying,” Theon tried.
He didn’t stop, didn’t even slow. He was halfway down the stairs when her voice carried to him.
“Don’t you dare walk away from me, Axel St. Orcas.”
He did pause then, mid-step with a hand on the railing. Then he turned, watching Kat descend the stairs, her features full of anger.
“Please be careful,” he sighed, waiting for her to reach him before resting a hand on her back to guide her down to the main floor.
They moved to the kitchen, neither of them speaking, and he poured himself a glass of liquor. Although he desperately wantedblood. But he was still barely getting by, and he couldn’t risk running out.
Liquor it was.
He knocked back the first glass and immediately refilled it.
“When will it end, Axel?” Kat finally asked, breaking the standoff. “After he is born, will you then argue I should not attend things because he will need one of us? Will you again try to convince me to stay home from an outing because there is a minute possibility of getting hit by a car?”
“That is not the same thing, and you know it,” Axel charged, taking another drink. “This is too dangerous. We are being irrational to even entertain it.”
Kat rounded the counter, taking his glass and sliding both it and the liquor bottle to the side. Then she reached up, taking his face between her hands. “Everything we are is irrational, Axel. Our relationship has been dangerous from the start. And every time we have survived. We have come out on top. But only when we do things together.”
“It’s terrifying, Kat,” he said, his throat thick with emotion. “All I can think about when we talk about this is having to send you away with Tristyn. How terrified I was and doing what I needed to do to keep you safe from my father and this fucked up realm.”
“And I was just as terrified when I didn’t know where you were,” she replied, her hands dropping to his chest. “But look at what we have done together. You told me I’m more than a Fae. Please don’t force me into the background simply because we have a family.”
“I don’t want that, Kat. You know that. You have spent the last days worrying about the babe coming early, and this is…”
He trailed off, not knowing what else to say. How else to argue his points.
“We can be scared, Axel. We can be scared and do it anyway. That’s what I want this child to grow up knowing,” she said, one hand running over her stomach. “Fear and courage go hand in hand. Tessa is here now. She’ll be watching, and she won’t keep things from us like Cienna and Miara. I know she won’t.”
“We’re putting our hope in Tessa now?” he asked, arching a brow and pulling her closer. “I think she’s truly a little mad.”
“Seems to be serving her well,” Kat said with a sly smile.
