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“Well,” Lukas said, rising so that he was sitting. He looked me right in the eye. “I’m calling you baby until you learn to like it.”
I snapped back into focus, the memory churning my stomach. Like everything with us, it wasn’t truly romantic. Just a friendly, teasing spin that made my heart beat double time with false hope.
I opened my mouth to respond but closed it. I didn’t know how to navigate a conversation where Lukas was angry with me.
Lukas took the chance to speak in my silence, turning away from me. “Dominic, Rose. Food will be out in a second. Let’s just get this over with.” He dropped into his chair, slouching casually in the seat.
I stared at him, stunned for a second. His voice wasn’t meant to contort into that sharp of a snap. It came out jagged at the edges and sounded like it hurt coming out of his throat.
And directed towardme.
I don’t know why I was acting shocked. I should have expected this, after all. I’d left and he was taking the opportunity to act like the whole thing was my fault. Even though I’d simply given him what he wanted.
But now I was back and was only here because I had to be. And this was an inconvenience.
I sat down, pulling my seat in myself, the scraping drawing Lukas’s attention. It was louder than I expected because the chair was heavier than I expected. He had always pushed my chair in for me.
Something ugly stirred in my chest. Now that I knew just how much duty bound him, it made me question everything.
I held his stare, refusing to back down. I had spent too many years dropping my eyes under someone’s harsh, critical gaze. And I certainly wasn’t going to let him get to me with his scary soldier look.
“Well, when you feel compelled to fill me in on why I wasorderedback here,” I said, drawing out the words while I stared straight into Lukas’s ocean deep eyes. “Then this will be over with speedy quick.”
Lukas’s nostrils flared at my tone, his hand curling in on the seat. Huh, so that was what Lukas’s anger looked like when it was directed at me.
Well, first time for everything.
“First time for everything,” I said, relishing in the feeling of the wood biting into my skin as I kneeled in front of him, hands resting on his muscular thighs.
The memory jumped out at me so fast I had to fight to shove it back down, along with the blush gathering over my nose. That was something I tried really hard not to think about.
Lukas zeroed in on my nose, then shot his eyes up to mine for one tense, charged second. He looked pissed and I squirmed under the attention. I broke the stare and pushed my hair over my shoulder.
“Your little disappearing act made the catches go down by thirty percent. That’s why you wereordered,” Luke said, voice going a little higher at the end like he was imitating me.
Oh, hell no. “And how are we so sure that was me? Clearly, there have been shake-ups in powerlines and a fucking coup since I’ve been gone, so how do we know it's not that? Or because of you?”
I felt a little bad running right through the mention of Rose’s attack like that, but I was holding in my anger with a sieve, the traces of it spilling through.
“We don’t,” Dominic cut in, voice hard. “We don’t know anything for certain. Which is why we need you.”
I scoffed. I didn’t need him to pander to me. “Sabina is an incredibly capable god.”
The Minerva line won the battle between the two sides, and I was settled with that.
“She is,” Rose said, the soft contours of her voice relaxing the tone of the room. “But we wanted to keep things contained until we knew more. And you are part of this House.”
“Not yet,” Lukas said. “But it's good enough for now.”
“Lukas…” Rose said, trailing off. I barely heard her. Not when I could feel the blood draining out of my face as I stared at Lukas. That was what he wanted, and he was finally admitting it.
I should want the same. If only it felt that way.
“Lukas.” Dominic cut off my spiral. “The last thing we need right now is rash decisions. Especially relating to a marriage that people have been relying on for close to twenty years.”
Oh no. Lukas hated when people reminded him of his—
“Thanks for the lecture, but I’m well aware of my responsibilities to my people and my marriage,” Lukas said. “Daphne and I are still getting married. I was just pointing out that hasn’t happened yet.”
