Nathan shook his head and let out a laugh, brief and disbelieving. "You jest," he said, voice caught between amusement and caution.
But Darius didn’t so much as twitch. His face remained still, solemn...grave, even. Nathan’s chuckle died in his throat.
"You lie," Nathan said again, this time softer, trying to read him better.
"I am being honest," Darius replied, calm as ever, though the air between them had grown tight.
Nathan leaned back slowly into the chair, his hand dragging through his hair. "How in all of Kaldora did that happen?" he asked, as though he truly couldn’t find the logic in it.
Darius hesitated. He let Nathan stew a moment in the tension before he said, "It was autumn, early. Emmett had gone out on a scouting expedition, took his daughter Annamarie, and Jack. The western ridges from what I recall."
"I recall," Nathan said, his voice sharper now. "I was near the northern pass when his letters stopped. I thought it was just the ice setting in too soon and you know how Emmett likes to deal with his missions."
Darius nodded slowly. "They didn’t return as scheduled. So many days passed, then more. I was preparing a search when they stumbled back to the gate, injured but alive. As you can imagine, they did not come alone."
Nathan’s brows furrowed deeper.
"There was a woman with them," Darius continued, voice low and steady. "Said she had found them in the wilderness, right by a river, and nursed them in her home. Said she was alone, living on the edge of Lupine Hollow."
Nathan blinked. "Lupine Hollow? No one survives there alone-"
"She did." Darius cut him off gently. "She kept Emmett breathing long enough for him to walk again. Got Anna and Jack warm, fed, protected."
"And they vouched for her?"
"Emmett did," Darius said, his voice softening. "Said Hollowgale was close and snow might fall early this year. He asked if she could stay until spring."
Nathan was silent, staring down at the old wooden table. Then, quietly, he murmured, "He never mentioned her. Not once."
"He would not," Darius replied. "We asked him not to, not until things settled. There were already rumors stirring by the time she had gotten into our parts."
Nathan’s head lifted, suspicion returning to his eyes. "And the Crimsonclaw title?"
"A fabrication," Darius admitted. "A necessary one. Beatrice caught sight of her and nearly summoned half the inner circle to pry into it. So I... spun the tale. When she arrived, I claimed she was an ambassador and she played the role."
Nathan laughed again, but this time it was hollow, wounded. "You spun the tale?" He ran a hand over his mouth. "You, of all people."
"I know," Darius said evenly. "Trust me, I’ve lain awake wondering the same. But she kept our scouts alive. She meant no harm to anyone, she has proven that many times over."
"But she’s a rogue." Nathan’s voice dropped, like he was afraid the word itself might bring a curse. "How do you explain that? How do you justify that?"
Darius looked down for a moment. Then, after a long pause, he said, "Because we are bonded."
The words hung between them like steel.
Nathan’s mouth parted slightly. "You are saying..."
Darius nodded. "We are mates. It became clear sometime after we had a few conversations, real ones. We resisted it. Gods, we tried. But it is what it is."
Nathan looked away, hands clasped before his mouth in deep thought. The fire crackled softly behind them, a low soundtrack to the silence. When he finally spoke, his voice was subdued.
"That’s why your letters shifted tone. I thought you were just brooding less."
Darius allowed himself a dry smile. "I left much unsaid."
Nathan nodded slowly. "Aye. I noticed. I thought you were just grieving in quieter ways."
"I was," Darius said. "And then she came."
Another beat of silence passed before Nathan murmured, "I have fought rogues. I have seen what they do. You know that. The skirmishes at Black Hollow... it’s hard to forget blood in the snow."
Darius didn’t argue. He simply waited. He himself had taken the lives of a few aggressive ones, he remembered it like yesterday. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ ɴovelfire.net
"But," Nathan continued slowly, "I have also seen Emmett’s judgment carry whole legions. If he vouched for her, and if you did..." He looked up, his gaze steady. "Then I can not ignore that even if it unsettles me."
"It unsettles me too," Darius admitted. "Every day."
Nathan exhaled slowly. "And yet you made her a delegate."
"I made her safe," Darius corrected, voice lower. "The role came after, the people needed an explanation for presence. The people needed a name. And I... needed time."
Nathan rubbed his eyes. "So that’s why Julian was cagey when I last wrote to him."
Darius nodded. "Only a few know and even fewer understand."
Silence stretched again, this time heavier with thought than tension. Finally, Nathan leaned forward, elbows on the table.
"Well," he said. "Seems I have missed more than I ought to."
"You always hated gossip," Darius replied.
Nathan grunted. "Aye, but this borders on scandal." He straightened. "I would like to meet her. Properly."
"You will," Darius said. "But not as a rogue, not at first."
Nathan didn’t object. He merely gave a small nod. "I imagine she’s unlike anyone else."
"She is," Darius said quietly. "In every way."
Nathan exhaled, the breath leaving him in a long, tired stream. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked around the dim room. "This place hasn’t changed," he muttered, glancing toward the dusty shelves lining the far wall. "Still feels like a crypt with books."
Darius huffed a faint chuckle. "You always said that."
"It’s bleak," Nathan countered, eyes narrowing slightly. "Like sitting in your own grave. Go out, breathe air that doesn’t smell of dust and ink. Talk to someone who isn’t dead or trapped in a ledger."
Darius gave a faint, amused snort. "Sound advice from a man who lives at the border."
Nathan shrugged, the smallest grin tugging at his mouth. "Even we Scots know to come up for air. Come now, let’s leave this tomb. I’m half-convinced it’s cursed."