Bloodstream

14 Ten Minutes

Sage

"This was his bloody shortcut?" I turned to see Axel eyeing Xander with clenched teeth.

"It took less than a day" i tried to give him a smile and looked up at the Cohen palace that towered before us. It was white, completely opposite to the one we had in Kallihan which blended into the dark grey skies.

"Its five in the evening Sage. We saved barely four hours" he looked at me with that same glare.

I shook my head and open the car door, stepping out to stretch my legs for the first time in hours.

The car ride wasn't as disastrous as I thought it might be. Neither of us mentioned the incident on the balcony, neither did we talk any more about the War. Well it was mostly him cussing at Xander for making us go through rough terrain and not taking the main highway.

"Welcome to Cohen" Xander stood a few feet away from us with his hands in his pockets, an arrogant smirk plastered on his face. And rightly so.

It was obvious he meant that greet for Axel since this was his first time here. Axel was out of the car by now too, looking around, scanning the place.

Cohen was a beautiful place. Built centuries ago, much like all the other Kingdoms. The only difference was they preserved most of their old architecture, which made the whole city look somewhat out of a vintage painting.

"You were right" Axel smirked

"About?" Xander took a step towards us.

"Y'all aren't savages" he turned around to take in the architecture around him and turned to grab some things from the back seat.

My eyes widened in surprise at his statement and immediately shot to Xander who was already shooting me deadly glares.

I walked towards him putting my arm through his and turning to face the palace.
"He likes being funny" I shook my head.

"He tries" he rolled his eyes at me , causing me to chuckle.

We took a few steps ahead when we heard a laugh and I immediately recognised that sweet voice. Xander's eyes immediately shot to the entrance of the palace. His lips formed into the widest smile as he looked intently in the direction.

"Daddy" the little girl came running towards him with open arms. I recognised that pretty little face. Kinsley.

Xander took a few steps towards her, kneeling down to match her height as he wrapped her in a warm hug, making the child almost disappear in his broad arms.

I felt someone step beside me, I didn't bother looking, I knew who it was.

"He has a daughter?" he leaned into my ears with a low voice.

"Long story" I nodded. Still keeping my eyes on Xander and Kinsley, feeling my heart fill with joy looking at them like that.

"Let's go in" Xander stood up with the little girl in his arms and glanced at us before walking in.

The interior of the palace was completely opposite to its exterior, it was dominated by dark hardwood floors and almost similar walls and furniture. The windows were huge, allowing ample amount of light to pass through.

I sat down on the couch as Xander spoke to one of his men with a grimm look on his face. They continued speaking in hushed tones so I didn't evesdrop on their conversation.

"You gonna stay at the boarding house?" Xander walked over to me along with one of the men he was talking to.

"No need for that. We're just here to meet the witch." I sat up. I wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.