Page 16 of Fighting Fate (Monsters of London #4)

Vince

Oh, having Dax around is becoming a real fucking problem.

Sam follows my gaze and when he turns back, he’s wearing his signature smirk. “Someone caught your eye?”

I blink at him. Kieran and I had a conversation after Dax, Cecile, and Saoirse left after that first meeting. He hadn’t realised who Dax was until I walked into his flat. I believe him. I don’t think Dax recognised him, either.

I assured him it wouldn’t be a problem. It’s nobody’s fault that Dax volunteered for the classes, and I don’t want that opportunity taken away from him just because I can’t act like an adult.

“No,” I say, and the fact that Sam doesn’t stop smirking shows he doesn’t believe me. “I’m not going to fuck around at work.”

“I wasn’t about to suggest you get down to it in here.” Sam glances around the space. We’re in a former abandoned warehouse—one he’s apparently been using to train in for a while. It’s kitted out well, even if it is kind of in the middle of nowhere. “Though I’m sure you’ve fucked in worse places, right?”

I roll my eyes. Sam’s a dick, but it’s not like I was any better when we first met. Always flirting with him, even if I knew he didn’t want me. Maybe because I knew he didn’t.

But I’ve seen him with his boyfriends now. No, his mates. They’re disgustingly perfect together, even if the thought of such a permanent relationship makes my skin crawl.

“C’mon,” Sam says. “Kieran’ll throw a fit if we don’t get back soon.”

“We?”

“You’re coming for dinner, right?” Sam throws me a warning look. “Drew asked this morning if you’d be coming, and I told him you would.”

I don’t hide my grin. Yeah, I’m coming. What Drew wants, Drew gets—at least when it comes to his mates. And I don’t have plans tonight. Nick is working, and Jamie’s planned a night in with a couple of other friends.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be there.”

Dante looks up as we approach, cutting himself off mid-sentence. “Be where?”

“Vince is coming by for dinner. Enza? Dax?”

Enza shakes her head straight away. Saoirse is waiting for her by the door, leaning back against the wall as she scrolls through her phone. She’s not unfriendly, and she’s really good with the nervous wolves in class, but there are definite lines she’s drawing between the work she’s doing here and the rest of her life.

She always waits for Enza, though, and is never impatient about it.

“We’re heading back,” Enza says, glancing over at Saoirse. “I’ll bring Odette next week, though, promise!”

Sam smiles. “Right. Dax?”

Dax glances warily between me and Sam. “I don’t know. I should probably—”

“You should come,” I say impulsively, and my stomach churns when they all look at me.

He’s enjoying the time he’s spending with Kieran’s pack members, I think. He seems relaxed around them. I don’t want him to miss out on that just because he’s not sure if we should be around each other.

Dax looks at Sam, head slightly ducked. “Will there be enough?”

Sam snorts. “To eat? Drew’s cooking. There’ll be plenty.” He looks around, clearly done with this. “Shall we go?”

We take the tube back to Kieran’s flat, and as Sam and Dante stride ahead, chatting away about something to do with magic, Dax lingers by my side. The silence between us isn’t awkward, but it’s not comfortable, either.

“How are you finding the classes?” I ask.

Dax blinks at me, almost tripping over his feet when he realises I’m speaking to him. Part of me is amused—he’s so careful in class, and I’ve noticed all the wolves have a level of inherent grace.

The vampires too, actually.

Part of me is sad, though, that he’s surprised. I’ve not been going out of my way to ignore him—I’d never do that. It’s just better if I keep my distance. Better for both of us.

“It’s good,” he says, and the smile he flashes me makes my stomach flutter. “Fun. I like thinking that we’re helping.”

“We definitely are.” We turn a corner, and I see Kieran’s building up ahead. “And… I’m glad you’re helping. The other wolves feel relaxed around you.”

He frowns and I don’t know why. “You think so?”

“Yeah, of course. The mages, too.”

Does he not see it? It can be difficult to, especially if he’s focusing hard on making sure everyone understands what they should be doing and why. But it’s really obvious—of the three of them I met that day, Dax has taken to the classes most naturally.

I’d say everyone likes Dax the most, but Sam dragged Drew along to help volunteer at one of the classes, and everyone loves him. No one’s fault, I guess.

Dax seems to be thinking it over as we follow Dante and Sam into the building. Sure enough, Drew’s made enough food for us all and then some. Kieran picked up a collapsible table last week, and all the furniture has been pushed aside, leaving space for it in the centre of the room.

Quinn’s setting out cutlery and gives us a timid smile when we come in. He didn’t come to the class today, and I figure I’ll ask Kieran about that later. Ophelia is by his side now, though, putting out plates of food she’s taken from the kitchen counter.

Adam grins at Sam, carrying a huge stack of glasses out of the kitchen. Sam moves aside, kicking off his shoes. “That’s way too many, you know.”

“I’m good,” Adam says. “Vampire reflexes and—”

He catches his foot on one of the folding chairs and I flinch, ready for all the glasses to hit the floor.

They don’t.

Dax is by his side, and he deftly catches the couple that fall, almost juggling them as he stacks them into piles.

Adam stares at him, eyes wide. I think it’s a perfect mirror of my own expression.

“Holy shit,” he mutters.

Yeah, no kidding.

“That was incredible,” I say, and Dax flushes a deep, deep red.

“Didn’t know you’d got skills like that,” Kieran says. He takes some of the glasses out of Adam’s arms.

“I… It’s good hand-eye coordination, that’s all.”

“Fuck it is,” Sam says, “or Adam wouldn’t have dropped them in the first place.”

Adam looks a little sheepish at that, though he takes it good-naturedly.

“Well, I juggle,” Dax says.

I blink at him. I’m supposed to be taking my shoes off, but I’ve not moved from where I’m standing by the door.

Juggling isn’t hot, right? Shouldn’t be hot.

But I think if Dax is doing it…

Adam’s grin only widens. “Show us!”

“Adam…” Lucien frowns at him, but a glance at most of the others tells me they’re as excited to see this as I am.

Kieran shakes his head. “Let’s finish getting the table set. C’mon, dinner’s done.” He claps Dax on the shoulder as he moves to go past him—I don’t miss the way Dax leans into the touch—and murmurs something to him.

Dax nods. His shoulders relax. I turn my face away and kick off my shoes before I put my jacket on one of the hooks. When I look up again, Sam’s looking at me, something challenging in his eyes.

I don’t want to deal with that. The only people who know I spent the weekend with Dax—aside from Dax himself—are Kieran, Carey, who were there, and Nick and Jamie, my housemates. Kieran said he wouldn’t tell anyone, and I trust he’s kept it to himself.

Sam was at Bite with us that night too, of course. He could well have seen.

Adam presses three apples into Dax’s hands just as Drew sets the final bowl down in the centre of the table. Kieran’s lips press into a thin line.

“Adam…”

“What?” Adam all but pouts when he sees Sam’s unimpressed expression. He sighs. “Dax, you don’t have to—”

“No,” Dax says, flushing again when we all look at him. I’ve never seen him this uncertain before. We all had things to learn when we began our classes—still do, really—but he never seemed truly out of his depth, not like he seems right now. “No, it’s okay. I can do it.”

I lean against the kitchen side as he takes a step back so we can all see. Then he begins, and I don’t have to know anything about juggling to know he’s pretty fucking good at it. He tosses the apples around with ease, and I can’t fight the grin growing on my face.

Why should I? There’s a lightness in him as he does this, sinking into something that’s clearly familiar to him. My stomach flutters. Again. Fuck.

Dax catches all three apples, eyes glittering, and the others clap appreciatively. Adam lets out a little whoop and takes the apples from Dax’s hands.

“You’ll have to teach me.”

“Oh? Sure.”

Adam puts the apples back and I don’t move from where I’m leaning against the side. There was something hot about that. Something about him having this skill, about seeing him do a thing he clearly enjoys, no matter what anyone else thinks of it.

“What did you think, Vince?” Sam calls from where he’s sitting next to Drew. I don’t have to look at him to know he’s smirking.

I don’t bother looking at him, either. I can’t. I only have eyes for Dax.

“That was impressive as fuck,” I say. It’s not quite what I want to say, but I know better.

Mostly.

Dax flushes again anyway, rubbing a hand bashfully over the back of his neck. “I—Thanks.”

“Come eat,” Kieran orders, and I drop into the seat next to Dante. Dax is opposite me. When our eyes meet, he looks quickly away.

Well, this is just an entirely new problem, isn’t it?