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She looked at Dax wanting to explain, but his icy stare and demeanor were enough to warn her off.
“Dax, I …” she began.
He just held up a hand, before saying, with a deep growl, “Don’t. You’ve done enough.”
His words rocked her to her core.
“You don’t understand,” she said.
“Oh, I don’t?” he said, whirling on her. “I will admit I have been a little slow, but let me see if I have this straight.” He held up a finger for each point as he counted off what he seemed to be taking as the insults to his character. “You don’t trust me, you don’t think I give a shit about the fae, and though you haven’t said it right out, despite all I told you, you still think I somehow failed your father by letting the case go cold.” He let the three fingers ball back into a fist. “I am not sure what part of ‘Alpha’ and Chief of the Tribunalyouhave misunderstood, but Protecting Fae Crossing is my job. And contrary to whatever you think of me, that means protecting everyone, Fae, shifter, and even human. If you think I am so anti-fae, or whatever you believe of me, then I don’t know why we are even having this conversation. Or maybe you just think I’m inept? You should go find some fancy fae, and leave me to my barbaric shifter ways. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to talk with the witches. Somehow we need to salvage this mess and find a way to catch this buyer.”
She felt like she had been slapped. She imagined her face was so hot, surely they could feel it.
In front of everyone! Shame and embarrassment washed over her. And anger.
And just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse, Rocky Clark suddenly burst in the door.
“Bloom!” he said, half excited and half surprised to actually find her.
“Dax, um, guys,” he said awkwardly as he looked at the others.
For a moment he looked unsure of what to do.
“Well?” Dax said. “You burst in here, apparently intent on talking to Bloom. We were just discussing the somewhat sensational headline in your paper today.”
“Yes, that’s just it,” he began, seemingly unsure of who to even address with his comments. Then to Bloom, “I went by The Tree, but Mack told me you had come over here,”
“Out with it,” Dax practically commanded.
“I just wanted to apologize. The story. I tried to hold it, but my editor was really pressuring me. It was out of my control.”
Oh no.
At first she had thought Rocky would be her savior, but suddenly it all made sense.
“So, it is as I thought,” Dax said, anger, and even more painfully, disappointment in his voice.
But before she could speak, he continued to Rocky, “What do you mean pressured you? Why would they do that?”
“The Council, of course. They were insistent. He didn’t really have a choice.”
Dax’s face darkened further. “The council.”
He stood still for no more than a few seconds as the wheels in his head seemed to turn.
“No one knew about this deal but us. And there is no way in hell any of my pack breathed a word of it. And now suddenly the council is pressuring the Herald. And by ‘the council’ I am sure you mean Finch.”
One look at Rocky’s face seemed to confirm it.
Then Dax’s eyes fell on her as he studied her face as well.
“Dammit, Bloom.” She knew her face gave her away.
The crestfallen look on Dax’s face was enough to rip her heart right out of her chest.
“You don’t understand, I was—”
He cut her off, “I think I understand plenty. It wasn’t enough that you told the Herald, you had to go telling the Council too.”
