Chapter 21

Nadia's POV 

 "Do you have a minute?" I asked Kael, after we had been locked in a half embrace for a while. 

 "You want to stay here with me?" He looks really shocked and puzzled. 

 "Yes. I do." I answered him straight up. 

 "Wouldn't you be delaying someone?" He gives a sign language with his eyes, and I instantly grab who he's referring to. 

 "No. Trust me, I won't. He does not even care where I am at the moment." I tried not to look pained, but my voice was breaking, and I did not want to risk completing the sentence, else I'll cry a puddle right there, which would be embarrassing and a little weird. "I have all the time, Kael." 

He looks pleased, and protests no further. 

We both sit down and the atmosphere is uncomfortable at first. 

I can't even remember why I wanted him to stay in the first place. 

We are both just looking each other in the eyes for lack of words. 

I can't remember who breaks the gaze first. But we both retreat into our different worlds in our head. 

Sitting next to each other, yet so far apart. 

Being close to Kael makes me confront all the thoughts I never wanted to. Somehow, he gave me the mental strength to think about things I was scared of. 

 "Aren't you scared?" I asked Kael. It suddenly dawns on me that while I can damn my safety and stay out here this late, he is on foreign land 

 "Of what this time?" He asks, recovering from his trance as he had been staring blankly before I disturbed his thoughts. 

 "Of everything… Coming here after me to threaten Landon." He visibly shudders at the mention of Landon's name, then his face contorts into a frown. 

 "That does not sound like 'everything', it sounds like Landon." He's smiling daringly, as if to spite Landon if Landon were here. 

 "I can't claim to know everything, but yeah, I'm more particular about Landon." I reply to him

 "I'm not one to be afraid." He says, like one would say 'good morning'. 

 "It also doesn't mean you always throw caution in the wind." It's the smartest thing I can think of. 

 "Some would put it that way." He says, flippantly. 

Enough of the small talk. Now that we are getting along, there's no better time to ask him what he meant by all those he said. 

 "What did you mean by 'tell him this is how we feel', when you had me bound with that hideous collar?" I asked him, looking straight in his eyes. 

He laughs a long loud manly laugh. I'm scared for a minute that if he attracted unwanted attention, we would both be caught off guard, he would still be recovering from his amusement and might be unable to offer any resistance. 

 "Is that why you proposed this little sit party?" The question sounds serious even though his face does not look like it. 

 "No. I proposed 'this little sit party' because there's no one I'm going 'home' to." I could hear how pathetic I sounded. 

 "I'm sorry." He does sound sorry, and for an instant, a flash of guilt ran through me, I shouldn't have trauma dumped on him. 

 "You don't have to be. At least, you're here." I draw closer to him. The distance between our bodies is less than half an inch. 

 "He has had his boots on our neck for too long." Kael starts, quite sullenly. Life used to be a little bit more worth living when he wasn't this ambitious, now, we're just his pawns. He tosses and plays with us as he likes." His words are clear and unambiguous, but I'm still lost as to what he is talking about. 

 "What do you mean?" I asked him. "You don't belong to this pack, do you?" 

 "Well, neither does Landon in spirit." He says, further confusing me. "You see, we are all players in his grand game. I really do not know much for now, and the little I do, I can't spill, but know you are in great danger, but that would only be if you don't fit into his plan." He warns me. And to be honest, I have no reason to doubt him. 

 "You say what he is doing is playing a 'grand game'?" I ask, in reflection, my eyes wide open but seeing nothing, fully digesting what Kael just said. 

 "It's the only way I could describe it, dearie." He says, like one talking to a far younger and inexperienced person. 

 "No endearments." I warn him, just before it gets too far. 

 "No endearments." He says in agreement. 

I still haven't gotten anything cogent. He probably doesn't really trust me, I mean, I don't totally trust him either. But I want to know how to play my cards right. 

If I'm gonna suffer because I'm cursed to be his mate, I should at least be there with him when things go right. 

 "Not even just a clue?" I keep persuading Kael. "I could do with the littlest pointer. You made me more curious and it does not help that my fate is involved too." Just maybe his re-discovery if the fact that I'm Landon's mate would make him reconsider his unnecessary discretion. 

 "Landon is power hungry and won't stop till he achieves his aim, through very bad means." it really doesn't lead me so much farther than I already am. 

 "But he's the beta. In fact, Vance loves him like a brother and always listens to him." I say, more out of reflection. 

 "I think my time here is done. I better get going before I get killed talking to a betas mate." He gives a humorous pitiful smile, making me laugh and actually remember my situation. 

 "Thank you." I say to him, looking in his eyes. 

 "For what exactly?" He asks softly. "Abducting you, or the 'hideous silver collar', which is it?" His smile is very captivating. I'm lost in studying how his straight lips first curve upward into a smile covered partly with a thin fine mustache before then revealing a very beautiful set of teeth. 

 "For this." it's the last thing I say before planting a kiss on his lips. 

Kael is unresponsive, making me want to tear my embarrassed self off him.

 I take my lips off and am about to get up off the dirty floor and skulk home in double defeat. Unfortunate me. 

Just then, he takes my head in his hand and turns my face to his. 

Kael, please do it, please.