Chapter 59: Jealousy and warnings

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Jealousy and warnings

Chris didn’t even notice when his shoulders stopped creeping up toward his ears. The breeze off the balcony cooled his skin, the food was warm and simple, and every mouthful helped push the tremor out of his hands. The taste of herbs and citrus replaced the bitter ghost of bad coffee. For a while he just ate, breathing with the rhythm of the wind and the faint clatter of silverware.

The thought that he was sitting inside a gilded cage never left him completely, it was there at the edges of his mind like a splint, but the view helped dull it. From this height Altera spread out like a sheet of polished steel and glass; avenues ran in precise grids, towers of mirrored blue and white rose cleanly from the earth, and new gardens stitched green between them like veins. Evening sun flashed on solar roofs and the glint of suspended walkways. The palace’s private wing behind him might have been carved from an older world, but the city below was every inch Dax’s, rebuilt, planned, and very much gleaming.

By the time the plates were cleared, his body felt heavy with food and exhaustion. He excused himself quietly, padding back through the carved doors to the adjoining bath. The attendants had already prepared it, hot water steaming in a deep marble tub veined with gold, folded towels and a robe waiting on a carved bench. Sandalwood and faint citrus curled up from the water.

Chris slid into the bath, hissing softly at the heat, and sank until the water lapped at his collarbones. For the first time all day, no one was touching him. No violet eyes tracking his every move. Just the weightless heat around his limbs and the echo of his own breath.

’Alone at last.’ Chris breathed out and rested his head back against the edge of the tub and reached for his phone. The screen’s light felt almost alien in the soft glow of the lamps. For a few minutes he scrolled mindlessly through headlines and photos, nothing sticking. Then, with a small, almost defiant flick of his thumb, he typed in Saha.

"He moves fast," he murmured mostly to himself. The scroll bar showed a flood of unread messages; Ethan’s name sat at the top of the pile, a string of missed calls. Chris exhaled through his nose, shut the search, and pushed himself up out of the bath. The marble tiles were cool under his feet. He wrapped himself in the soft robe left on the bench and padded into the sitting room just outside the bathroom.

’I should call him. God, I forgot about my life in just a few days.’ He hesitated only a second before pressing Ethan’s name.

The line clicked almost immediately. "Look who finally calls me back," Ethan drawled, voice warm and needling. "Took you long enough."

Chris dropped into the armchair nearest the balcony doors, curling his bare toes against the carpet. "Sorry. It’s been... a week."

"A week?" Ethan gave a short laugh. "Try three double shifts, one cancelled holiday, and a boss who thinks ’overtime’

Chris smiled faintly despite himself, leaning his head back. "Same circus, different day."

"Exactly." Ethan sighed, the sound rattling down the line. "I need a drink before I actually follow through on the quitting part. You around? You promised me a drink after that event."

Chris’s heart gave a small, traitorous kick at the thought of normality. "That sounds..." He hesitated, glancing at the carved door that led deeper into Dax’s wing. "It sounds good, but I’m in Saha for the moment."

There was a low, surprised whistle from the other end. "Saha? Since when do you travel? You hate airports."

"Long story," Chris murmured, shifting the phone to his other hand.

Behind him the carved door whispered open. He didn’t have to turn to know who it was; the dark-spiced scent rolled in before the footsteps did. Two large palms planted themselves on either side of the armchair’s back, bracketing his shoulders without touching, the weight of a presence pressing down like a shadow.

"Who are you talking to?" Dax’s voice came low and quiet, right at Chris’s ear, his warm breath sending a shiver up his spine.

Ethan’s tone sharpened immediately. "Uh... Chris? Who was that? That didn’t sound like a flight attendant. Since when do you have a man in the background?"

Chris rolled his eyes at the phone. "I didn’t know you were in love with me, Ethan."

The hands at the chair’s back went very still, clenching hard onto the wood. For a heartbeat the air thickened; behind Chris, the violet of Dax’s eyes had darkened almost to black, but the man was too concentrated on the phone call to see the change.

On the line, Ethan gave a short, incredulous laugh. "Love? Please. But you don’t date men, Malek. Who is that? You hiding someone from me?"

Before Chris could deflect, a low chuckle slid past his ear. It was velvet and steel together, a sound meant to travel down a spine. "I’m his lover," Dax said in Sahan-accented imperial, voice pitched soft and intentionally seductive. "Who else would I be?"

Chris’s entire face went hot. "Dax..." he hissed, fumbling the phone as if it might burn him.

On the line, Ethan let out a scandalized bark of laughter. "Oh my god. Dax? That Dax? Malek, did you score at someone’s wedding?"

Chris squeezed his eyes shut. "Ethan..."

"Unbelievable," Ethan went on, gleeful. "You disappear for a week and suddenly you’re in Saha with the Mad King? You’ve been telling me for years you don’t date men."

Chris pinched the bridge of his nose. "I still don’t..."

Dax leaned a little closer, his hands still braced on either side of the chair, his breath brushing Chris’s ear. "You do now," he murmured, low enough for only the phone and Chris to catch.

Chris made a strangled noise somewhere between a cough and a groan. "Ethan, shut up."

"Never," Ethan said brightly. "This is the best gossip I’ve had all month. Do you have any idea how many people would kill for a story like this?"

Chris’s black eyes narrowed, the corner of his mouth curving just enough to show teeth. "Tell anyone about this and I’ll make sure those pictures from a party three years ago find their way to your parents."

There was a beat of silence on the line and then Ethan’s scandalized laugh. "You wouldn’t dare."

"I would," Chris said, voice dry as desert wind. "And you know it."

Behind him Dax’s low chuckle vibrated through the chair. Amusement glinted in his darkening violet eyes as he bent shamelessly, letting his head rest on the omega’s shoulder like a man completely unbothered by any threat. His scent, dark spice and rum, curled heavier around them, warm and possessive.

"Seems your friend knows exactly who he’s dealing with," Dax murmured near Chris’s ear, just loud enough for Ethan to catch the echo of his voice.

On the phone Ethan made another exaggerated gag. "Oh my god, you’re disgusting already. Fine. My lips are sealed. But when you get back, you’re buying the first round and telling me everything."

Chris rolled his eyes but didn’t shake Dax off. "We’ll see," he said, his voice having lost its edge.

Dax stayed where he was, cheek brushing the omega’s shoulder, perfectly at ease in his shameless claim while his eyes stayed on the phone, daring the unseen beta to push further.