Page 185 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
“I could have made it,” she sighed, giving him a sleepy smile. She said the same thing every night. Glancing at Tessa, she asked, “Am I interrupting?”
She shook her head. “No, Kat. I think I’m the one interrupting.”
Kat sighed again, picking up her fork. “Axel, can you?—”
“Orange or grape tonight?” he asked, already opening the fridge.
“Orange,” she answered, and he grabbed the orange juice carton.
As he poured the juice, he said, “Oh, and Tessa?”
“Hmm?” she asked, finishing off her hot chocolate.
“Maybe she has no regrets, but maybe she regrets every single day of the last twenty-four years.”
She paused for a moment before getting up to take her mug to the sink.
“I’m still trying to decide if I care,” she answered.
“Fair enough, baby doll,” he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his side. “Fair enough.”
“I’m going to ask you one last time?—”
“I swear to Anala, Axel, if you ask that question, I’m tying you up with shadows and going myself,” Kat snarked, slipping her feet into gold sandals.
“You had me intrigued until the going by yourself part,” he quipped.
She shook her head and turned away, but he saw the small quirk on her lips.
She looked stunning in a dress of burnt orange, a gold necklace at her throat, and his ring on her finger. Her hair waspiled atop her head. Tessa and Eliza had helped her get ready, forcing him out of the room until minutes ago.
Moving to stand in front of her, he cupped her cheek, and she looked up at him in question.
“If at any time you feel uncomfortable, we leave,” he said. “I don’t care who is at that table tonight.”
“It will be fine, Axel.”
But she didn’t know that. They had one more week until they were past the month Miara had warned them about. There was no way the timing of this dinner was a coincidence.
He bent, brushing his lips across hers. “Any discomfort, you tell me,” he murmured.
She reached up, running her fingers through his hair. “I will.”
Kissing her once more, he took her hand, leading her down the stairs.
“Ready?” Luka asked from the foyer.
Rather than walk across the entire Underground, Luka was Traveling them to the Dispensary District. They’d tested it earlier to make sure the distance didn’t trigger his new Mark.
“Did you drink blood?” Theon asked, standing nearby with his arms crossed. “Do you need more before you go?”
“You know I drank extra today,” Axel answered, grabbing his suit jacket.
“You sure you don’t want me to go with you?”
“I’ve got it covered, Theon,” he replied in irritation. Kat smirked up at him, and he pointed a finger at her. “Not a word, kitten.”
“I didn’t say anything,” she said, amusement dancing in her amber eyes.
