Nikhail’s low rumble reached River’s ears as he spoke into his phone a short distance away. She moved towards the canal, leaning against the wooden railing. Faint peals of laughter reached her ears, and she watched as a figure skater leaped, only to be caught by her partner mid-air. They laughed, the wind carrying the sound to her ears. Their joy was contagious, and River’s lips twitched up.
A few minutes later, almond and cedar drifted towards River, and her shoulders relaxed. Even before Nikhail said a word, she knew he was there. She turned, but the smile slipped off her lips as she took in his serious expression.
“I’m sorry,” Nikhail said regretfully. “I have to cut our date short. My team needs me at the office.”
Disappointment welled within River, which was ridiculous. She’d just spent the whole day with Nikhail—and most of thenight before. It shouldn’t bother her that he needed to go to work. After all, this was the nature of his job.
And yet, it did.
“It’s okay. I understand.”
He squeezed her fingers. “I’ll drop you off on my way in. Do you want to go to Atlas’s house, or would you rather I take you to the farmhouse?”
Both options were fine, but neither was what Riverwanted.
“Maybe I could go with you?” The words were out of her mouth before she could second-guess them.
Nikhail’s brows furrowed. “To the office?”
“If I can. I’ve had such a good time with you, and I would hate to cut our date short.” Especially for something like this.
“I don’t know…”
“I understand if it’s not allowed. I just thought that since it’s late, the office would be pretty empty, so…” Her voice trailed off, and her shoulders slumped. “You know what? Never mind. It was a stupid idea, and it’s not?—”
“Fuck it.” Nikhail cupped her cheeks, pressing his lips to hers. The kiss was as intense as it was quick, and River was certain her face was flushed when the air fae pulled back. “You’re right. I don’t want to leave you either.” He tugged on her hand in the direction of his car. “Come on, River. The sooner we go, the sooner we can get back to our date.”
She hurried behind him down the boardwalk. “I love the sound of that.”
River wasn’tsure what she’d expected Nikhail’s office in Golden City to look like, but it wasn’t this. The building wasn’t on themilitary base, and to be honest, it didn’t look like an office at all. At least, not from the outside.
Rather, it was a large two-story red house with a wraparound porch that looked like all the other houses that lined the street.
The similarities to a residence ended when Nikhail pressed his thumb against a sensor and had his eye scanned. The door swung open on silent hinges, opening not to a foyer as River would’ve expected, but a small entryway where a soldier stood guard. He looked at Nikhail, then River.
For a moment, River thought this would be it. The guard would tell her to turn around, and she’d have to take a rideshare back to Atlas’s house.
But instead, Nikhail just pulled out his ID and showed it to the elf. “She’s with me,” he said confidently.
The soldier didn’t even blink an eye. “Go ahead, sir.”
The interior of the building was all hard edges, white walls, and sharp lines. It was cold, lacking the normal fixtures one would expect to find inside a home, and void of life. That said a lot, considering River had grown up in Waterborn House.
It made sense, in a way, that this was where Nikhail worked. The building didn’t exactly scream “military,” but then again, she didn’t even know what Nikhail’s occupation entailed.
A secretive building for a secretive job.
They passed several desks, all lacking personal artifacts. Neither of them spoke. It didn’t feel right. This place was quieter than a temple.
Nikhail led her up a staircase and down a hallway, stopping in front of a door that was cracked open. The air fae knocked on the doorframe, then stepped inside.
A dark-skinned elf who appeared to be a few years older than River looked up from his seat at the long conference table. He was typing on one laptop while looking at another. Several phones littered the surface in front of him.
Judging by the stack of empty takeout boxes, coffee cups, and the scruff on the elf’s face, he’d been here for a while.
“Thank you for coming, sir,” he said, rising to his feet. “I apologize for calling you on your day off, but I thought you’d want to see this immediately.”
“You did the right thing.” Nikhail placed his hand on River’s shoulder. “Corporal Rune, this is my girlfriend, Doctor Waterborn.”