Page 117 of The Last Guardian

I finally let out a breath.

But there was no relief in it.

I stood by the fire for a moment, thinking about what had happened. My body still felt the trace of his finger touching me, like a burning ember marking me forever. His whisper still echoed in my ear, resonating in my soul.

Zaidkiel’s voice filled the room, his laughter ringing along the walls, caressing me to the depths of my core.

I closed my eyes for a moment, calming my treacherous heart and my stupid mind for having acted this way.

You need to let it go. You can’t play with fire. Not even his. Definitely not his.

It would crush everything if I did. My heart.

“Are you okay?” Nefeli’s voice echoed from behind, startling me. She looked at me with an innocent air that made me think of Dorian when he did something bad that I almost laughed. “You’re mad at me, aren’t you?” Nefeli asked softly, grimacing.

I frowned, trying to figure out what she meant, but I was still thinking about what had just happened with Zaidkiel.

“About last night—in the bathroom?” Nefeli sighed, relieved, waving her hand in the air. “But you two have forgotten about that, huh? Everything’s fine.” She beamed with a big smile.

“Huh?” I shook my head. “No, everything isn’t fine. It was super weird, Nef! Why did you do that?”

She shrugged. “It’s funny to play with him.”

“Well, don’t trick him with me, please. It was embarrassing.”

“Really?” She shrank, looking at me blankly. “It didn’t seem awkward with the way he was looking hungrily at your tow⁠—”

“Stop. If you’re going to trick him, do it with someone he actually wants to be with.”

Nefeli looked at me with a knowing smile. “It’s more fun when I do this with someone he actually likes, trust me.” She winked at me, squeezing my arms. “Come on, I’m starving. And I want a drink too.”

Dinner was in full swing, laughter buzzing in the air when we joined the table.

“Move, jackass,” Nefeli said, as she pushed Bennett from her seat. “Go sniff someone else’s air for a change.”

Bennett stood up, towering over her. “Of course, Cap.” The soldier smirked. Nefeli rolled her eyes, a slight blush rising on her cheeks. I took my seat next to her, Bennett moving at my other side. “Is she cranky?” he murmured in my ear.

“You know I can hear you, asshole,” Nefeli snarled, her voice loud enough to reach Bennett’s ears.

I pursed my lips as Dax replied, leaning back in his seat, “Cranky moods run in the family, I’m afraid.” The general patted Zaid’s shoulder beside him as my eyes drifted to the commander.

He was already watching me. An intense heat coursed through my core.

“Funny,” Zaid said, his gaze dropping on his plate, a smirk tugging his lips. “If you all did your jobs instead of diagnosing my mood, I might actually improve.”

A genuine laugh escaped my lips, blooming across my face as I bit the inside of my cheeks to hide my amusement.

A slow smile curled Zaid’s lips. His eyes lingered over me, drinking me in, as if he could taste the echo of my laughter.

“Good job,” Dax joked with a grin. “You succeeded in making her laugh.” The general winked.

“Hey!” Nefeli scoffed, throwing him a hard look. “She laughed plenty of times with me. You are just not funny, Dax.”

Bennett and Sam booed while Nefeli wore a satisfied smile.

“Why is everyone against me today?” Dax complained.

From that moment on, the evening continued with a full list of why Dax deserved to be the star attraction of the evening. Bennett and Sam enjoyed themselves, complaining about their general’s attitude.