Page 84 of Avidian
He looks at Malachi then back at me. “Of course.” He heads over to the nearest table and starts talking to someone holding a vial.
Malachi seems to barely notice when I approach him.
“Why are you being so weird and cryptic? You drag me down here and don’t say anything. You said Irina knew what Jamie meant, but you still haven’t filled me in. Care to share?” I shove Malachi’s arm, hoping to snap him out of whatever is occupying his mind.
He blinks, as if remembering I’m still here, then grabs my wrist. “Yes, let’s go to my office.”
I barely have time to react as he walks over to one of the cabinets in the corner of the lab, shoving random items into a backpack. My curiosity is still fixed on the room behind me, on the Avids practicing their gifts and the buzz of power that makes the air feel electric. I want to stay, to watch, to see other abilities in this strange and fascinating place. But Malachi is already tugging me out and down the hall, leaving the lab behind.
We reach a door, and he pushes it open. The room inside is a stark contrast to the sterile, industrial feel of the lab. It’s…cozy. The walls are lined with bookshelves filled with an eclectic mix of titles, their spines worn from use. A dark-mahogany desk sits in the center of the room, papers and notebooks scattered across its surface. Two chairs face the desk, and off to the side there’s a large leather couch next to a sleek black fridge. The space feels lived-in, personal, and completely unexpected.
I glance around, taking it all in, before my attention lands back on Malachi. He moves to his desk, drops the backpack onto it, and starts rifling through the contents with a single-minded intensity.
I cross my arms, planting myself in the middle of the room. “What the fuck is going on, Malachi?” My irritation rises, fueled by his silence and the way he keeps brushing me off. “You’vebeen acting off since we got here, and I’m tired of being left in the dark.”
“My aunt said ‘where the wolves prowl’ could be Jamie’s old hunting cabin,” Malachi explains, spreading a worn map across his desk. His fingers trace over faded lines, stopping at a remote spot. “He used to take trips there often, especially with Marco and Viktor. It’s isolated, deep in one of the last forests left in the Western District, and only accessible with four-wheel drive. It’s the perfect place to hide something.”
My concern sharpens, the implications settling heavy in my gut. “How far away is this cabin?” I ask, leaning over the map.
“About an hour from here,” he replies, pulling open a drawer and rummaging through its contents.
“I take it we’re going?” I say, my voice dry.
“We’re not going anywhere,” he says without looking up. “You’re staying here with Bash, where it’s safe. I’ll check it out and come back as soon as I can.”
I startle, offended. “Excuse me?” I take a step closer to the desk. “You think I’m going to sit here and twiddle my thumbs while you head off into the unknown? With Marco’s history, Jamie’s cryptic warnings, and Orin’s lovely visit fresh in my mind? No fucking way.”
“Kat,” he says, finally looking up, his tone even. “It could be dangerous.”
I bark out a humorless laugh. “You think my life hasn’t been a constant parade of danger? News flash, Malachi, I’ve been surviving worse situations than this for years. Dangerous is my normal. And I’m not staying behind.”
He scowls bitterly. “I don’t even have my team here,” he says, gesturing at the map. “They’re still at the safe house near Viktor’s compound. I wasn’t planning on taking action—only scoping the place out, gathering intel.”
“Sounds like a low-risk operation, which means I’ll be even safer tagging along. What could go wrong?”
He gives me a look, the corner of his mouth twitching as if fighting a smile. “You don’t take no for an answer, do you?”
“Not when the alternative is being left behind with Bash, wondering if you’re walking into a trap.” I narrow my eyes at him. “You’ve got two choices: take me with you, or waste time arguing until I find a way to follow you anyway.”
His smirk finally breaks through, but there’s a flicker of something else in his expression—pride, maybe? “Fine,” he relents, folding the map with a decisive snap. “But if we’re doing this, you follow my lead. No going rogue. Got it?”
I grin. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
He steps around the desk, his hands firm but gentle as they grab my waist and lift me effortlessly onto the map. My breath catches when he leans in, his fingers brushing a strand of hair behind my ear before his lips meet mine. The kiss is slow, deliberate, and intoxicating. When his tongue grazes mine, my mind betrays me, wandering to thoughts of him—his hands, his mouth, his body—everywhere at once, a flush of heat racing through me.
“Fuck, I wanted a night with you all to myself,” he mutters, frustrated. His forehead rests against mine as I wrap my legs around him, pulling him closer.
“We can arrange that,” I say, my hands slipping under his shirt, fingertips grazing the warmth of his skin. I press a kiss to his neck, savoring the way his breathing quickens under my touch.
His hands tighten on my hips as he pulls back enough to meet my eyes. “You’re so fucking unexpected...in the best way possible,” he says, his lips crashing back onto mine in a way that makes me forget everything for a moment. But then he stepsback, a low groan escaping him as if it physically pains him to stop.
He says, “I need to grab a few more supplies and check in with Rain. Stay here and relax. I’ll come get you soon, and we’ll head out together.”
I narrow my eyes, skeptical. “How do I know you’re not going to leave without me?”
His expression softens as he reaches for my hands. “I would never lie to you like that,” he says firmly. He reaches for his backpack, pulling it off his shoulder and handing it to me. “Here. It’s packed with everything we’ll need. If I was going to ditch you, I wouldn’t leave this behind. There’s some extra room in there—grab a few drinks or snacks from the fridge if you want. I won’t be gone long, promise.”
I take the backpack, but not without a small, suspicious squint. “Alright, hand it over.”
