Bloodstream

09 Distraction

Axel

"Axel.."

"Ezra I'm fine" i assured him for the third time since we got back to the palace. I was annoyed and I wanted to be left alone.

"It still effects you huh" I turned around to see him standing in the centre of the room with his arms crossed over his chest. I knew what he was talking about.

" It doesn't matter" I turned away from him to look out of the window again.

"Sage doesn't know what happened that night Axel" i heard him take a step closer but my mind was fixed on something else.

"Where was she?" I looked at him again "when the War started. Where was Sage?"

"I don't know" he simply stated

"She said she was attacked" my voice sounded more like a question. But that did make Ezra speak up.

"Hunter sent men after her. That's why she ended up coming back home to fight with us" he spoke slow

"For herself" i corrected. "She came back because she was in trouble too?" I wasn't sure if that was a question or a statement. But it sure made Ezra furrow his brows at me.

"No one ever knows what's going on in her mind Axel. She came back. That's all." He took another step few steps closer and sat down in the chair beside the window.

I turned my head back to look out of the window.

"Do you miss her?" I heard his voice but I kept my eyes straight ahead. "Madelyn" I hadn't heard that name in a long time. I hadn't said that name in a long time.

"I don't know" I stated. But I wasn't exactly lying about it. I felt nothing.

"Do you think about it?" I heard him again.

I didn't know what to say to him . What could I say? I didn't want to talk about Madelyn right now. I hadn't thought about it in a long time until this morning when Sage brought it up.

"Why are you here Ezra? Did you need something?" I turned my head towards him. He understood better than to push the topic.

"I wanted you to stay till the weekend" he stood up "its the Festum" he said with open arms.

"Festum?as in Feast?" I furrowed my brows.

"Yes. It marks the anniversary of the union of all the species in Kallihan. The day we signed the Truce. Pretty big deal for us " he took a few steps away from me and then turned back towards me again "you should stay for the Ball"

"You're going to throw a Ball in the middle of all this chaos?" I was so confused. How could he do something so stupid.

"Yes I am" he turned around  " Its been tradition for centuries and I'm not going to break that for some psychotic fuck that attacks from the shadows" the determination in his voice was evident. Why wouldn't it be.

He looked over his shoulder and I just nodded back at him

"So you're staying?" his voice was back to normal again.

"No" i turned and walked into the bathroom not wanting to continue that conversation. I heard the door lock behind me and I knew he left.

*****

I felt cold water running over my body and I tried to focus my thoughts on why I was here. We were supposed to find out what was happening about the attacks but so far we didn't really have anything much. And then my mind focused on the one person that actually managed to find something of use. Sage. She wasn't wrong when she said she got shit done, however it was the way she snapped in the office that morning that actually took me by surprise. The girl did have a short temper. No wonder she had a bad reputation.