TWENTY

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Word Count: 2385

~Tove

I gasp, stumbling back.

"Dax...What are you doing here?"

"I'm glad to have bumped into you, Tove." He smiles down at me, triumphant. My stomach turns, because this is no accident, and there is only one reason why he has appeared in front of me.

I draw in a breath, glancing at Mary. She doesn't look scared, although I get the sense that she would rather return home than be back in that manor with the Noble's.

"I'm sorry, I need to get into my apartment," I mutter, shouldering past him.

He grabs my arm, stopping me short. He doesn't care that we are in the middle of the street, that people pass us by. He's a Noble, he can get away with whatever he wants...No one is going to save me.

"I'm afraid I'm going to need you to come with me," he murmurs lowly, tilting his head down so he is speaking right into my ear.

"Why?"

He frowns. "You know why."

"Keo will not be a threat to me any longer. He has promised to leave me alone," I insist.

I've only had freedom for a few weeks. I thought Dax had given up on his pursuit, but it seems I'm mistaken. And now, there's no way to prove that Keo is going to leave me alone unless I tell Dax he's my mate.

That would put me in a whole other world of danger.

"Why would he do that?" He's pushing for information. He wants me to admit as many secrets about Keo as possible, as this is the only glimpse Dax can get into his enemies life.

"He doesn't need me any longer," I grit out, pulling against his arm. He doesn't let me go, and when I look at Mary, I can see the panic gathering on her face.

Dax tilts his head, brown curls shifting over his forehead. "Would you mind coming in for questioning? We haven't had anyone close to Keo in a long time."

"Am I allowed to say no?" I question.

He shrugs loosely. "I don't see why you would."

I narrow my eyes. He knows why I don't want to go with him...If I do, there is a chance I'll never get out of there again. Now that Mary's health isn't a concern, my will is not going to bend just because Dax is a Noble.

"Maybe it's the principle," I growl back.

"You could be saving a lot of lives," he insists. I shake my head. Keo isn't a danger, not anymore. His focus is on one thing, and that isn't going around killing Angel-bloods with no mercy.

"I don't know anything about him, okay? He never told me why he harassed me so much. He didn't trust me," I snap, watching everyone pass us by, none even sparing us more than a glance.

"You could still be in danger."

"Don't pretend like you care about protecting me. You would pick my brain apart to get answers if you could," I remind him coldly.

There is no getting out of this. With his hand wrapped around me, I'm not going to be able to transport myself away. He's not going to let me go, no matter how much I protest this.

I'm going to be forced to tell him everything I know, which is practically nothing.

"So I assume you're not going to come with my willingly?" He looks way too pleased to be taunting me right now.

"You can't keep doing this..." I growl. How long is he going to keep chasing me around? He's a more dangerous threat to my life then Keo is.

Dax frowns a little, and for a moment, it's like he feels sorry for me. "It's for the best interest of the Territory. I hope you understand."

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