Page 128 of Crave Me

The other leaders of the world had been cordial, their warnings all politely worded.

However, it was clear that remaining here would drive the Houses to war. There would be no understanding or slow acceptance of Nyx’s powers.

And this was without any of them realizing that her gifts had begun to affect me, too.

That detail would be the final nail in our House’s coffin. And while my people might fight for me—forus—it was a position I would never put them in.

I focused on my second behind my desk. “Are you going to do the honors?” I asked him, referring to the antidote Nox held beside him.

“You’re giving me an opportunity to stab you with something?” Kaspian asked, mirth playing in his dark eyes.

“Consider it a rite of passage,” I replied. It was a token of trust between us. An intimate gesture of friendship.

I stood and removed my suit jacket, then unbuttoned my shirt and shrugged out of it to expose my arm.

“You’re sure about this antidote?” Nyx asked, moving fluidly to my side in one of her trademark dresses.

“About ninety percent, give or take,” Kaspian replied.

My mate narrowed her gaze. “That’s not a hundred percent.”

“He’s lying,” I murmured, sensing the joke in his words.

“Am I lying because it’s actually more than ninety percent, or because it’s less?” he mused.

“Just fucking stab me, Kas,” I drawled.

He chuckled as he filled the syringe.

I’ll be fine,I told Nyx.

Now who is lying?

Well, I’m ninety percent sure I’ll be fine,I clarified, winking at her.

Kaspian grabbed my arm and searched for a vein before poking me with the needle. Nox took it from him and left the office, presumably to discard the syringe.

Nyx’s gaze narrowed, stardust already piling in her palm.

You’re sexy when you’re protective,I told her.

She didn’t reply, her eyes searching me for any sign of damage. When nothing happened after several minutes, she started to relax, but only a little.

“We’ll know in a few hours if that worked,” I declared, aware of my symptom cycle. Nyx had healed me right before this meeting had started, so I had at least sixty minutes before I started to turn gray again.

But I’d prefer to go several hours without symptoms before saying the antidote worked.

“Distract me with updates on everything else,” I requested, my focus on Kaspian as I settled into my couch again. Nyx sat right beside me, her palm on my thigh, like she needed to be touching me to keep me safe.

I placed my hand over hers, giving it a squeeze.I feel fine.

For now,she returned.

For now,I agreed.

“Do you want to discuss what we learned from the rest of the interrogation or review the myriad of calls that I’ve received from pissed-off astronomers?”

I arched a brow. While the former was what I’d had in mind, I couldn’t help repeating, “Pissed-off astronomers?”