Page 31 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
“I need a husband who sleeps in my bed with me,” she retorted. “Or was that just a ‘heat of the moment’ thing?”
His head snapped up. “You know that’s not the case, Katya.”
“I clearly do not know that, or I wouldn’t have suggested it,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. The Union Mark onthe back of her hand was visible now, and he glanced at his own, along with the onyx band on his finger.
“I’ve given you no reason to doubt my intentions,” he argued, picking up the water glass again. Then he hissed, the glass slipping from his grasp as it became too hot to hold. It hit the floor and shattered, shards of glass flying everywhere and scalding water splattering.
He slowly lifted his gaze back to her. She was glaring at him, not an ounce of remorse on her face. In fact, he could see the faint flames flickering in her eyes from here, and those were wisps of shadows floating around her, courtesy of the child in her belly. If he wasn’t riding an edge of his own right now, he’d be gathering her up in his arms. He loved it when she got like this. Would purposely irritate her because she came out of her shell so much more like this. But now wasn’t the time.
“I’m protecting you, Kat,” he replied. “I’m on the last dregs of rations, and you’reright here.”
She rolled her eyes, and Axel straightened at the action. Did she truly not grasp the severity of this situation?
“You are just like Theon,” she chided. “Thinking you have to do everything yourself. I’mright here, Axel. Instead of talking to me and coming up with a plan together, you?—”
He snapped to attention, moving fast and suddenly in front of her.
“Stop doing that,” she gritted out, shoving at his chest. Not that it mattered. He didn’t even stumble.
But he gently took her shoulders, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Someone crossed the wards. They’re on their way up. Stay here. Please.”
“Axel—”
“Please stay here,” he repeated.
Her mouth pressed to a thin line as she held his stare for another few seconds before she looked away from him, dipping her chin in the barest of nods.
“We’ll talk more,” he promised.
But he heard her mutter, “Somehow I doubt that,” as he left her standing in the study doorway.
This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. It wasn’t how anything in his life was supposed to go. Then again, that seemed to be the way of fate for an Arius Heir.
He bounded down the stairs to the main floor, moving to stand several feet from the lift doors. Security hadn’t called up to ask about allowing someone passage. So either they forced their way through, or this was someone with unfettered access to the penthouse. If it was his father, he was fucked. He had no desire to see his mother, but he’d placate her. If it was Tessa… They weren’t exactly on the best of terms right now, and Theon and Luka had their hands full with her. In the end, he had no idea who to expect when those lift doors opened, but it certainly wasn’t Theon laden down with arms full of shit.
His brother strode into the room, immediately looking him up and down. Always worried about those he viewed himself responsible for before himself.
Looking beyond him as the lift doors closed, Axel’s brow furrowed. He was alone.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, following Theon with his eyes as his brother moved to hang his computer bag on the hooks nearby. The habit had been ingrained in him since he could walk. Leave nothing lying around just in case their father showed up. Their father had to have known all the times Theon covered for Axel. Theon was too meticulous and controlled to make such frivolous mistakes, and yet he took the blame for them time and time again. Axel hadn’t realized just how often until he was well into his second decade of life.
He set the box down on a side table, placing his large duffel bag and smaller bags beside it. One of them clinked as he set it down, and Axel zeroed in on it.
“Did you feel the quake a few hours ago?” Theon asked, removing his suit jacket and hanging it beside his computer bag.
Still focused on the bag, Axel replied, “What quake?”
“The one that was apparently felt across the realm,” Theon said. “Although, I guess not in the Underground. The Pantheon fell.”
That had his gaze whipping to Theon. “What does that mean?”
Theon had unbuttoned his shirt cuffs and was rolling his sleeves back as he said, “Exactly what it sounds like. The Pantheon was reduced to nothing but rubble. The Tribunal building as well.”
“How the fuck did that happen?”
“That’s part of the reason I’m here,” his brother answered, his hands slipping into his pockets now.
Axel waved his hand impatiently. “Well, spit it out.”
