"My sincerest apologies for being such a perplexing puzzle, Chancellor. Had I known I’d cause such trouble for you, I would have scheduled my magical awakening at a more convenient ti."
Damn it. My troubleso mouth is not getting the mo.
Logan’s fingers dig deeper into my hip—a warning. But it’s hard to hold myself back when I already hate this man.
Just as I tell myself to shut the fuck up, my mouth opens again.
"Perhaps next ti I’ll pencil in my existential crisis between tea with the Queen and lunch with the Pope." My smile stretches wide, brittle as glass. "Though I suppose that would require advance knowledge of my apparent significance, which seems to be privileged information."
Vale’s expression hardens, those cold gray eyes narrowing to slits. The temperature in the room drops several degrees.
"Your flippancy does you no credit, Ms. d’Armand."
"Neither does being kept in the dark about my own life, yet here we are. But please, continue treating like a bomb to defuse rather than a person."
Logan’s grip becos painful. "Nicole—"
"No, let her speak." Vale’s lips curl into sothing that might be amusent on a normal person. On him, it looks predatory. "Clearly, she has opinions about her situation."
The invitation drips with condescension. My hands shake, and I clench them into fists to hide the tremors. "You’re right. I apologize for my tone. I should show proper respect to soone in your position. After all, you’ve been nothing but forthcoming about why I’m here and what’s happening to ."
This is strange. I have no intention of opening my mouth and letting these words co out, and yet I can’t help it.
My eyes narrow at the faint hint of pheromones in the air. They’re subtle, different from Logan’s, but...
I take in a deep breath, trying to be subtle about it.
Oh, yeah. Those are pheromones.
Interesting. They seem designed to antagonize, almost as if they’re challenging everyone in his vicinity.
Pheromones aren’t sothing that usually affect —Logan’s aside, of course.
"That will be all, Everett. Go report to your Sergeant Major." Vale’s voice is cool, unruffled by the knowledge that he’s trying to goad into more responses.
Logan’s fingers tighten around my hip. "With respect, Chancellor, I don’t believe that’s wise."
"Did I stutter?" Vale’s pheromones spike, filling the room with a suffocating pressure. "You are dismissed."
My throat constricts at the thought of facing Vale alone. Logan’s presence acts as a buffer against Vale’s oppressive aura, and without him...
"Nicole." Logan’s warm breath tickles my ear as he leans close. His thumb traces circles against my hip in that calming gesture of his. "I’ll be back soon. He won’t hurt you, so don’t worry."
The gentle squeeze of his hand contradicts the rigid set of his jaw. His eyes lock with mine, conveying volus of unspoken concern.
The door clicks shut behind him with crushing finality, even though I can still see him through the glass.
His eyes et mine before he heads off. Who knows how long he’s going to be gone. I warn my brain and body to stay calm and relax, because Logan will be back as soon as he can.
But when? How long is this weirdo staying in here with ? Is this the Xavier of the Conclave?
He doesn’t have the sa creepy vibe, but...
Vale’s presence fills the void Logan leaves behind, his energy expanding to claim the space. The pheromones shift, becoming less antagonistic but no less potent. My skin crawls as he steps closer, and I fight the urge to back away.
"Tell , Ms. d’Armand, do you understand the debt you hold toward ?" Vale’s voice drips honey, but his eyes remain cold as winter frost.
My skin prickles. The way he says my na sounds wrong, like he’s tasting it for weaknesses. "What debt are you trying to get to pay?"
"Trying?" His lips curve. "I don’t try, Ms. d’Armand. I succeed."
The temperature drops further. Through the glass, I catch Logan’s retreating form, his shoulders tight with tension. When he cos back, I’m definitely telling him all about how much of an asshole his superior is.
"You still haven’t answered my question." I cross my arms, fighting the urge to shiver. "What debt?"
"The lives lost due to your... unfortunate lack of control." Vale circles like a shark scenting blood. "Five people, was it not? Their families will need compensation."
My throat tightens. "I didn’t an to—"
"Intent matters little when discussing consequences." His pheromones shift again, wrapping around like invisible chains. "We cannot allow such incidents to go unaddressed."
"What exactly do you want from ?"
"My dear, it’s not about what I want. It’s about what you need. Protection. Training. A chance to understand what you are. We are here to help you, even if you are more defensive than a hedgehog."
My eyes narrow in suspicion. He’s being too friendly now, even as his pheromones do their best to goad into antagonistic responses. "And the price for this generous offer?"
"rely your cooperation." His pheromones pulse, a subtle push toward compliance, even as he reaches out to guide gently toward the bed. My skin cringes where he touches .
He’s cold. Like ice.
And his breath is a familiar, sulfuric scent.
My muscles lock as Vale guides to sit. Each movent feels chanical, like a puppet on strings. The bed dips beneath my weight, and before I can shift away, Vale claims the chair beside .
His hands engulf mine. The touch sends ice through my veins.
"Your Logan," Vale’s voice drips honey, "ca to us in quite a state. Desperate to save you."
The sulfuric scent grows stronger. My stomach churns.
"We mobilized significant resources." His thumbs trace circles on my skin, mimicking Logan’s gesture in a way that makes my skin crawl. "Special forces. dical teams. All because one of our most promising officers pleaded for your life."
His earnest expression belongs in an inforcial. All bright smiles and practiced sincerity. But those eyes... God, those eyes remain dead as winter frost.
"And then," he leans closer, "we discovered what you are. A Catalyst." The word rolls off his tongue like a prayer. "Do you understand how that changed everything? The danger it put us in?"
The room feels too small. Too cold. His hands trap mine like manacles of ice.
"The dragons weren’t the only ones hunting you that night." His breath fans across my face, carrying that bitter sulfur sll. "We had to fight off multiple factions. Lost good soldiers protecting you."
More deaths. More blood on my hands. Guilt crawls up my back, leaving my neck flushed.
But sothing doesn’t add up. The way he emphasizes certain words, like he’s following a script. The calculated pauses. The practiced concern in his voice that never reaches those frozen eyes.
This isn’t an explanation—it’s a sales pitch.
"Your gifts are extraordinary." His grip tightens fractionally. "But untrained, they’re a liability. To yourself. To others. To everyone around you. We can help you."
Now, his voice softens to velvet. "Train you. Protect you. Give you purpose."
But his eyes... Those cold, dead eyes tell a different story. They remind of another pair of eyes—Eliana’s unnaturally bright ones, filled with that sa clinical interest. Like I’m a specin to be studied. A resource to be used.
The sulfur scent tickles my mory. Where have I slled it before?
"All we ask is your cooperation." His smile widens, showing too many teeth. "Your trust."
Trust. Right. Because nothing says trustworthy like pheromones designed to manipulate and eyes that belong on a shark.
The mory hits like a punch to the gut. That sulfur sll. I’ve encountered it before. On Xavier, on Eliana, and on Jim.
Jim must be what threw off the connections in my head. He doesn’t act like the dragon siblings. But Chancellor Richard Vale does.
My fingers twitch in his grasp. Every instinct screams at to pull away, but I force myself to remain still. To keep my expression neutral even as my heart pounds against my ribs.
Because now I understand why his touch feels so wrong. Why his presence sets off every alarm in my body.
It’s the sa cold that radiated from Xavier and Eliana Moon.
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