Page 55 of Coveted

Maeve gave a short nod to Alana’s question, opening the door again and standing aside.

“I’ll show you the way, Lady.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Vax

Vax’s eyes burned, and the slow throb of a headache kept pulling his focus away from the report he was typing. He had no intention of filing it with the Council and informing them of the closure of the mines until they arrived, but he needed it to be ready, and the proper words kept eluding him. He only had one more day to change the plans that had been made while he was traveling, and if what he did upset the other Chancellor’s, that was too damn bad.

His lids slid shut again, refusing his orders to stay open. He still had so much to do, but his wounds from the mine stung, and his stomach grumbled about neglect. He’d eaten the previous night like he’d promised Alana, but morning light shone through the window, telling him it had been hours since then.

He startled when the door to his office opened, Varner’s yellow face peeking in before disappearing again. Brow furrowed, he stared at the opening in confusion until Alana strode through.

She was wearing a blue dress that had a band of darker blue patterning along the bottom, the fabric hugging her torso to her waist before flaring over her hips into a loose skirt, and for amoment his mind drifted to wondering what she wore beneath it. It took all his effort to peel his gaze away when, instead of stopping in front of his desk as he’d expected, she rounded the piece of furniture to stand directly beside him.

“Get up.”

His brow rose at her tone as his eyes slid up to meet hers.

“What?”

Slim hands landed on curvy hips he wanted to take hold of. There was a hint of burnt sugar in the air, but Alana didn’t back down, repeating her demand.

“Get up. You need to rest.”

Vax snorted, turning his attention back to the screen he’d been typing on. The words swam in his vision, refusing to condense into recognizable forms before he was pulled away from his desk.

He stared over his shoulder at Alana, the look on her face as she tried to move him further almost making him laugh. The only reason she’d been able to pull him the few inches she had was because the chair hovered on a cushion of air, but with his feet planted she had no chance of budging him.

“Whatareyou doing?”

Releasing the back of the chair, she stepped to his side again, face set with determination.

“I’m taking you to your room so you can bathe while I get you a meal, and then you’re going to eat and go to sleep.”

A chuckle rolled from him as he leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Are you saying I stink?”

The shocked horror that crossed her face had his lips stretching in a grin. It was only there for a moment before she straightened her spine and schooled her features into a blank mask.

“As a matter of fact, you do.”

Pink flooded her cheeks, but she kept her face straight, refusing to look away as he stared at her. Her breaths came in short bursts and her fingers were twisted in the skirt of her dress, revealing how hard it was for her to face him, but the burnt sugar scent of her fear never increased.

He needed a mate that could keep him grounded and tell him when he was being an idiot, but what good would it do if he didn’t listen to her, especially when it was over something relatively minor. He’d planned to rest once he’d finished the report and made arrangements for the miners who’d lost their lives, but that could wait.

“Okay.”

He shrugged and stood, Alana’s lips popping open in a startled O as she took a step back to keep him from bumping into her. He waited for her to compose herself, his sudden capitulation throwing her off track.

“Okay… Okay. Let’s go.”

She turned away from him, heading for the door. When he followed her through, he spotted Varner standing a short way down the hall, eyes sparkling though he bit his lips to keep from laughing.

Vax narrowed his eyes at his Chief of Staff. He knew Varner had disappeared during the night to get some rest himself, but he hadn’t been gone long enough to get much sleep.

He opened his mouth to instruct Varner to move the calls he was expecting, but Varner cut him off before he could speak.

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