Chapter 145: Chapter 145

~ ARIA

Nyssa was quiet on the way to work.

She sat in the back seat, staring out of the window as she fiddled with her hands in her lap. I glanced at her through the mirror, a frown etched on my face at her demeanor.

“If your stare any harder you’ll drill holes into her,” Eric drawled into my mind, his voice laced with amusement. “Relax, she’s fine.”

I pulled my eyes away from Nyssa immediately, a flush crawling up my neck as I realized that I’d been caught.

“Shouldn’t you have your eyes on the road?” I snapped back at Eric. “Why are you watching me?”

“Who says I was watching you? You’re right next to me, I couldn’t help but notice.”

I rolled my eyes at him but could not help the small smile that tugged at the corner of my lips.

Eric and I got along surprisingly well given everything that happened and our rocky meeting at the start. He unfortunately had to tag along because Nyssa was with me and that meant bumping into him more often than not at the office.

I heard from the other staff that he was funny, and he knew how to command a crowd. I’d also be lying if I said I hadn’t noticed it myself.

“Aren’t you in the least bit worried about her?” I asked. “She’s too… quiet.”

“Nyssa is always quiet.”

I shook my head. “Not like this. Something is wrong and I don’t know what.”

“Maybe she’s just tired,” he shrugged. “She probably needs some coffee. I’ll stop and get us some.”

He stopped in front of a coffee shop… the very same one Nyssa ran off to the first time she came to the office. I could not help but smile at the full circle moment.

“I’ll be right back!” he said aloud, mostly to Nyssa but still, she did not budge.

He waltzed into the shop like he owned it, flashing a smile at the person on the other end of the counter. He was instantly greeted with a smile by the young cashier and I could not help but roll my eyes.

“Shot off,” I murmured.

“I wouldn’t call it showing off,” Nyssa spoke up quietly. “He’s naturally charismatic.”

I turned to her instantly, shocked that she had even responded. She still wasn’t looking at me but she wasn’t fiddling with her fingers anymore, instead, she was drumming a steady rhythm against the window.

“You could say that,” I responded, trying to keep my voice as even and calm as I could. “He’s still a show off.”

The corner of her lips quirked. “You know, you’re both very alike.”

I reared back in shock, my eyes widening. “We are not.”

“Yes, you are,” she nodded, slightly amused as she turned to me. “You’re both very opinionated and fierce, but you’re also both very funny.”

“A lot of people are opinionated and funny.”

She shrugged. “I’m just saying, I think you’d both get along very well if you tried.”

I could hear the insinuation in her voice and I was quick to shut it down with a shake of my head. “No, thank you! I am not looking for a mate right now.”

She merely shrugged once more. “It was just an offer.”

I shuddered at the thought. It was the appropriate reaction to being paired with someone and yet, when I turned, glancing at Eric through the window once more, I could not help but think it over.

“I see you thinking about it,” Nyssa teased, snapping me out of my thoughts and I blinked rapidly, a flush crawling up my neck.

“I was not!” I lied, but it was clear that she did not believe me. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

She held up her hands in mock surrender. “Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. The seed has been planted.”

I flipped her off. “Fuck you.”

She laughed loudly at that.

It was the first laugh I’d heard from her all day and the most genuine expression that had crossed her face since she got into the car. It filled me with relief to know that she was still very capable of producing such sounds.

My smile tugged upwards. “You laughed.”

“I did,” she smiled as she managed to catch her breath again.

“I have to say, it’s a better look than the grim expression you’ve worn all morning.”

At that, her smile faltered once more.

I cursed inwardly, realizing I’d fucked up. I opened my mouth to take it back or apologize, anything that would bring that happy-go-lucky expression onto her face once more but before I could say anything, she cut in.

“Do you know anything about a council?” she asked finally. “One that oversees everything?”

I hesitated for a moment, wondering where she heard about them. The council was not general knowledge, only higher ranking palace officials knew about them. Besides, they hadn’t been heard of in a while.

“I do, why?”

She glanced out at the window, at Eric who was handing his card to the cashier. “Rowan said he got a letter from them.”

My stomach dropped. “He what?”

“I knew it was a bad thing!” she hissed, running her hands through her hair. “He wouldn’t tell me shit but I knew.”

Fuck.

She was clearly panicking and if Rowan knew I caused his mate to panic, he’d have my fucking head.

“It’s not always bad,” I cut in quickly, lying straight through my teeth. “Sometimes, they just check in. I was just shocked because he hadn’t told me. Then again, we haven’t had the chance to speak much because of everything.”

She eyed me warily, her expression laced with disbelief. “Are you sure?”

I nodded. “Of course I am.”

She opened her mouth to speak but thankfully, Eric chose that exact moment to walk out of the coffee shop and make his way back into the car holding a paper tray with three cups.

“Here we are!” he exclaimed before looking between Nyssa and I, his brows knitted in confusion. “Did I miss something?”

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