2385

~Tove

I gasp, stumbling back.

"Dax...What are you doing here?"

"I'm glad to have bumped into you, Tove." He smiles down at me, triumphant. My stomach turns, because this is no accident, and there is only one reason why he has appeared in front of me.

I draw in a breath, glancing at Mary. She doesn't look scared, although I get the sense that she would rather return home than be back in that manor with the Noble's.

"I'm sorry, I need to get into my apartment," I mutter, shouldering past him.

He grabs my arm, stopping me short. He doesn't care that we are in the middle of the street, that people pass us by. He's a Noble, he can get away with whatever he wants...No one is going to save me.

"I'm afraid I'm going to need you to come with me," he murmurs lowly, tilting his head down so he is speaking right into my ear.

"Why?"

He frowns. "You know why."

"Keo will not be a threat to me any longer. He has promised to leave me alone," I insist.

I've only had freedom for a few weeks. I thought Dax had given up on his pursuit, but it seems I'm mistaken. And now, there's no way to prove that Keo is going to leave me alone unless I tell Dax he's my mate.

That would put me in a whole other world of danger.

"Why would he do that?" He's pushing for information. He wants me to admit as many secrets about Keo as possible, as this is the only glimpse Dax can get into his enemies life.

"He doesn't need me any longer," I grit out, pulling against his arm. He doesn't let me go, and when I look at Mary, I can see the panic gathering on her face.

Dax tilts his head, brown curls shifting over his forehead. "Would you mind coming in for questioning? We haven't had anyone close to Keo in a long time."

"Am I allowed to say no?" I question.

He shrugs loosely. "I don't see why you would."

I narrow my eyes. He knows why I don't want to go with him...If I do, there is a chance I'll never get out of there again. Now that Mary's health isn't a concern, my will is not going to bend just because Dax is a Noble.

"Maybe it's the principle," I growl back.

"You could be saving a lot of lives," he insists. I shake my head. Keo isn't a danger, not anymore. His focus is on one thing, and that isn't going around killing Angel-bloods with no mercy.

"I don't know anything about him, okay? He never told me why he harassed me so much. He didn't trust me," I snap, watching everyone pass us by, none even sparing us more than a glance.

"You could still be in danger."

"Don't pretend like you care about protecting me. You would pick my brain apart to get answers if you could," I remind him coldly.

There is no getting out of this. With his hand wrapped around me, I'm not going to be able to transport myself away. He's not going to let me go, no matter how much I protest this.

I'm going to be forced to tell him everything I know, which is practically nothing.

"So I assume you're not going to come with my willingly?" He looks way too pleased to be taunting me right now.

"You can't keep doing this..." I growl. How long is he going to keep chasing me around? He's a more dangerous threat to my life then Keo is.

Dax frowns a little, and for a moment, it's like he feels sorry for me. "It's for the best interest of the Territory. I hope you understand."

My eyes squeeze shut as the world shifts around us. He's transporting me away...

Once my feet touch the ground, I push away from Dax, looking around. We are in a dark room with no windows and a single light above me. In the middle of the room, there's a metal table and chair.

Nothing else.

I swallow uncomfortably. Not knowing where I am is not a good thing. This doesn't look like it is in the Noble's manor, which means I could be anywhere....

It means it's almost impossible to transport myself out of here, because I could imagine touching down in Territory One, but that could be out of the reach of my magic.

"Would you mind taking a seat, Tove?" He motions to the chair behind the desk.

I shake my head, refusing to move. "You need to take me home right now."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that," Dax sighs, running a hand down his face. I want to believe that he feels bad about doing this, but it's getting harder to believe that the more he keeps me here.

"This isn't right...I can say no." I'm not arrested, I haven't done anything wrong. I just don't want to be forced into the Noble's custody so they can use me.

Dax braces his hands on the table. "Keo is a danger to everyone right now. I need as much information as possible to find him."

Rolling my eyes, I fall into the seat. He's not going to let me go anytime soon, so for the meantime I'm going to have to entertain him.

"He moves around every week or so. You'll never find him unless he wants you too," I tell him firmly.

Keo could be anywhere by now. If I tried to track him, I would fail.

"Maybe subconsciously you're aware of some habit he has. In the locations he picks." He raises a brow, waiting for me to click in my mind.

There is nothing. Keo is a mystery to me, eve though he is my mate. All I know is he has a strong vendetta for Angel-bloods due to his history with them.

That's it. That's all I know.

"I wasn't there for long," I decide to say.

Dax exhales, his frustration going. "Tell me anything that can help."

"He's smart, okay? He told me nothing, not even about why I was there," I exclaim. I know he wanted me to work on my magic, that I'm meant to transport through realms, but why is still lost on me.

"So you did nothing?" He knows I'm holding back information, but whatever he says, I'm not willing to impart too much without incriminating myself.

If he knows Keo is working on my magic, then it may be of interest to him and the Noble's. I don't want to be used by one person only to be passed onto another.

"Can I just say that I have no interest in helping either of you! I want to go home, to live a quiet life and never hear about any of you again," I tell him firmly.

I know he probably doesn't believe that, but it's true. A calm, quiet life is all I crave now. Also a mate who isn't wanted dead by everyone in these lands and who doesn't hate where my magic came from.

Dax's gaze softens. "People could die."

"He isn't killing people. He just wants...I don't even know what he wants," I draw off, digging my hands into my hair.

Dax tilts his head to the side. "What do you know? Please.."

I look up at him, at those earnest brown eyes. I'm never getting out of here. I'm stuck, and for a fleeting moment, I want to tell him everything. I don't trust anyone anymore, not even Mary.

I want someone to make all this craziness in my life go away.

"He wants revenge. On Angel-bloods," I mutter, staring down at my hands.

Dax shifts, clearly surprised that I've chosen to give up a little information, even if it's not much. "And how does he plan to get that revenge?"

"No idea. But I suspect I have something to do with how he is going to implement that revenge," I tell him.

Keo pushed me into using my magic. It worked, but just thinking about the two times I could have almost died in his hands makes me realise how desperately he wanted this to work out. Still, he allowed me to leave, to forgo his mission, regardless of how important it was to him.

Dax frowns. "What do you have to offer him?"

"Magic. Transportation magic that he is trying to draw out of me," I grit out, rubbing my hands together as if I can feel the magic flowing beneath my skin.

I want to use it right now, to get out of here, but I can't...

"Is he succeeding?"

I shrug. "A little. It's a slow process."

I'm going to keep most of my progress hidden from him. He is one of the most powerful Angel-bloods, so to him, my magic means little. It's why I'm not a Noble and he is.

"What is his day to day like?" Dax presses curiously. I'm not sure what he can glean from that information...not that I would tell him.

Keo and I didn't exactly spend much time together while I was staying there. He was often away, dealing with other, more important business.

Sighing, I let my head fall into my hands. "I'm tired, Dax. I want to go home."

"There's a room here, for you to stay in," Dax concedes, stepping back from the table. "If you promise not to leave."

I narrow my eyes. This is my chance to get out, and Dax knows it. It's why he's trying to bargain with me, to even plead with me to stay on my own volition, because there is no way he can keep me here against my will unless he keeps me in a windowless room or ties me up.

"For how long?" I ask tentatively, feigning compliance.

"Just a couple of weeks, maybe," he offers. I nearly laugh. That isn't true, but there is a chance of me getting out of here.

And it's not by using my own power.

"Alright." I school my voice to sound as exasperated as possible. If he knows there is another way for me to get out, he would go to great lengths to prevent it.

He stares at me for a long moment, considering whether this is a good idea or not, before he finally terms and opens the door.

"This way."

I follow behind him as he leads me down a non-descript hallway. There are no windows, as we wind up a few flights of stairs, the bright lights hurting my eyes.

"Hey, ah, Tove?" Dax says uncomfortably as we walk down yet another hallway that looks just like the rest, with cream painted walls and wooden floors.

"Yeah?"

"You can trust me. I want to help you," he admits.

I avoid his gaze. "Got it."

Dax isn't a bad person. He believes what a lot of Angel-bloods believe: that Demon's are evil, and that they can't be trusted. Maybe he is right to some degree, but he fails to take into account the history, and for that, I can't trust him to ever understand Keo.

We make it to a small room nestled among many others. By the looks of it, we are in the staff quarters of the building, which isn't a good sign for me.

Dax turns to me. "And even though I'm about to do this, doesn't mean I can't be trusted."

I frown, not understanding until he reaches out and grabs my arm, yanking me toward him. Before I can even blink, he snaps a thin metal band around my wrists before letting me go.

Drawing my hand up, I examine it. "What is it?"

"Hinders your magic. I'm sorry," he says uncomfortably, backing toward the door.

I gape at him, as the information slowly sinks in. "Monster..."

He gives me a lasting look before closing the door behind him, locking it behind him. I blink, stunned at what has just occurred.

He's trapped me. There is only one way out now.

I just hope he's going to want to save me.

Walking back, I sit down on the edge of the uncomfortable bed, trying to process what Dax has done.

The bracelet glints under the false light above me. I'm not sure how this hinders magic, but it's clearly an Angel-blood invention. It makes me feel sick just looking at it, wondering how I'm ever going to get this thing off...

I'm not sure how much time passes. All I can manage is sitting on the bed staring at the bracelet, hoping that my savour is not far off.

Sure enough, Keo appears in the centre of the room, brushing dust from his jacket.

My heart jumps into my throat.

Part of me didn't think he would show up. I wondered if he had moved on already, or forgotten about me. Saving me from Dax's clutches means he has to see me again, which I thought for a moment meant he wouldn't want to.

Not when he is so convinced we won't work in the first place.

"I would say this is a surprise, but it clearly isn't." Keo raises his brow at me, smiling loosely.

Some of the tension seeps from my body. This is okay, I'm getting out of here, and even though it's right back into Keo's clutches, there is a chance I can reason with him.

"I didn't think you would come," I murmur, looking over him. Sometimes I forget how tall he is, how intimidating. He isn't just a frightening man because of his power, but because of everything else about him too.

Keo still smiles, although something haunts his eyes. "You think I would leave you here? For Dax to play with?"

"Humour is not appreciated right now," I grumble, holding my hand out to him. I want out of here. Forever.

He takes my hand, no gloves. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

❤️••❤️

~Midika 💜🐼