CHAPTER 485: UNWELCOMED LUNCH WITH TWO ROYALS

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Chapter 485

~Zara’s POV~

"Cancel my three o’clock," Zara said without looking up, fingers flying over the keyboard. Her voice was clipped but calm.

"Again?" Taylor asked from the doorway.

She finally looked up. "Yes. And push the Baxter review to tomorrow. I want no interruptions for the rest of the day."

The door had barely shut when another knock followed—softer this time.

Zara’s jaw tightened. "What now?" I groaned. "Unless someone died or the building’s on fire, turn around."

I didn’t even look up from my screen. My tone was clean, clipped, and dangerously close to losing its edge. Today wasn’t the day.

But of course, Taylor didn’t turn around.

"Hello to you too," came that unmistakable voice—smooth, teasing, and laced with just enough arrogance to make me want to throw something.

Davion.

I looked up slowly, and there he stood, framed by the office door like he owned the damn building. Fitted black jacket, the faintest shimmer of scaled embroidery at the cuffs, and that dragon-born smirk he wore like a weapon.

His hair was neatly styled and left in loose waves at the back of his head.

"How did you get past Taylor?" I asked flatly.

"She’s on break," he said with a shrug. "Told the intern I was family."

"You’re not."

"Yet," he added with a wink, stepping in like he hadn’t just trampled past all my boundaries.

I stood, not to greet him, just to create space. "I’m working, Davion."

"Which is why I’m here. Lunch." He gestured vaguely, like the idea should charm me. "You’ve been locked in here for hours. I figured you needed a breather."

"I don’t," I said, voice firm. "Not with you."

His smile dimmed, but only slightly. "I thought your girls’ outing reminded you there’s life outside of quarterly reports."

I stared at him, expression hard. "And I thought I made myself clear the last time. I don’t want this—you. Whatever... game you’re playing."

"Afraid of what Snow would say?" he asked, voice dipping lower, more careful now.

"No," I said coldly. "I’m trying not to snap your neck in his office, that’s what I’m trying to do."

A flicker of something passed behind his eyes. Regret? Frustration? It was gone too fast to read.

"I’m not here to fight," he said after a pause. "Just one meal. No past. No pressure. Just food."

I hesitated. Davion was relentless, I’d give him that, and I was... tired. Too tired to argue with a dragon prince who didn’t know how to take a damn hint.

"I won’t push," he added softly. "Unless you make me."

I gave him a tight smile. "So we’re threatening now?"

"Mildly. But it got your attention. And you know I can take it further if I wish."

My glare was evident, judging by the pleased look on his face and I sighed. "You have one hour. No questions. You drag anything about us being together into it, I’m walking."

His smile returned—smug, victorious, and way too pleased with himself. "Deal."

Somehow, "just lunch" turned into a two-hour movie.

I sat with arms folded and my jaw clenched, watching the screen but seeing nothing.

He, of course, looked perfectly at ease beside me, occasionally tossing popcorn into his mouth like we were on a first date.

"Enjoying yourself?" he murmured, leaning in.

I didn’t answer. The low rumble of his voice had a way of slithering into my skin, like heat under the surface.

The problem wasn’t that he made me uncomfortable. The problem was that part of me noticed him at all.

Davion was danger wrapped in a charming smile. And I’d had enough danger to last me a lifetime.

***************~Upscale Bistro – Late Afternoon~

By the time we sat for lunch, I was already regretting the entire day. I stirred my drink absently, watching the ice clink against the sides of the glass.

Davion was saying something—probably charming, probably pointless, but I tuned him out until my gaze flicked past him. Then, my eyes locked on Kaid.

He stood at the entrance like a shadow, tall and unreadable, eyes sweeping the room before landing on me. He froze.

I sat straighter, grip tightening on my glass. Damn it.

I knew better than to let them meet, but that was unfortunate as Kaid wouldn’t see me or come over.

So rather than making a move, I smiled softly.

Kaid moved toward us with slow, measured steps. His presence struck like a silent warning—the calm before the storm.

"Zara," he said when he reached the table, his voice calm, sharp.

"Hey."

Kaid suddenly had his ears perk up as his muscles tensed. I knew he felt him. "What’s going on here?"

Davion didn’t miss a beat. He leaned back in his chair, turned his head with a lazy sort of grace, and smiled. "We meet again, Lycan King."

"An unwelcomed surprise," Kaid replied, jaw ticking. "But not as unwelcome as seeing you with Zara. Let her be."

"Why?" Davion asked, voice dripping with mock curiosity. "Does my being with her offend you?"

"Very much so. And you know that."

Davion chuckled, brushing a thumb over the rim of his glass. "Strange. Last I checked, you weren’t her mate. Not her husband. Not even her ex. So why do you think you get a say?"

"Because I care about her," Kaid said simply, unapologetically.

Tension coiled in the air like a drawn bowstring.

Davion’s golden eyes gleamed. "Funny. You care, but you left her. I’m here."

Kaid didn’t blink. "You’re here because you want something."

"We all want something. Do not act like a saint. After all, she did come to me when she needed something, too."

"Yes, and she passed your tests, but disturbing her now... how have you fallen so low?"

"Easy for you to scale when you aren’t losing half of your power."

"But you did that willingly," Kaid interjected, as he didn’t wait for an invitation.

He pulled out the empty chair beside me and sat, the legs scraping across the polished floor with a sound far too loud for the soft ambience of the bistro.

A waiter appeared almost immediately, his eyes darting between us like he knew a storm was about to break.

"I’ll have whatever she’s having," Kaid said without glancing at the menu, still watching Davion with the kind of intensity that made most men flinch.

Davion didn’t flinch, though. He smiled wider. "Joining us for lunch, Kaid? How cozy."

"I’m not here for you," Kaid replied, unfolding his napkin with slow, deliberate fingers. "I’m here for her."

I took a breath, staring at the half-empty glass before me. My fingers itched to throw it.

Davion leaned forward slightly, his voice dipping into something edged and quiet. "She already said yes to lunch with me."

Kaid’s eyes flicked to mine, and for a moment, they softened. "And she didn’t walk away when I sat down."

Davion gave a small, humourless laugh. "Is that the bar now? Not walking away?"

"I’m not the one who needs a royal title to be interesting," Kaid shot back, just as smoothly. "I don’t have to use power to make someone stay."

Davion’s jaw flexed.

"Kaid," I warned, my voice low. "You said you wouldn’t—"

"I said I wouldn’t interfere," he cut in without taking his eyes off Davion. "This isn’t interfering. This is protecting."

Davion tilted his head, golden eyes glittering. "Protecting? From what exactly? Lunch? Or are you scared she might actually laugh at one of my jokes?"

Kaid smirked. "From manipulation. From whatever game you think you’re playing."

"Oh, please," Davion snapped, his composure finally cracking. "I’m not the one who abandoned her."

"That wasn’t abandonment," Kaid growled. "That was restraint. Something you clearly don’t understand."

The tension wasn’t just between them anymore. It clung to my skin, thick and suffocating.

I pushed my chair back slightly, but Kaid’s hand gently landed on my wrist—not to stop me, just to anchor. "Stay. You shouldn’t have to walk out of your own lunch because he’s here."

Davion’s eyes dropped to the contact, then slowly rose back to Kaid. "Touch her again, and I’ll show you exactly what dragons do when wolves step out of line."

Kaid smiled, slow and dangerous. "You keep forgetting something, Davion. You’re not in your territory. You’re in mine."

"Zara’s territory," Davion hissed.

"No," Kaid said. "She’s not. Which is exactly why you shouldn’t corner her."

"Cornered?" Davion leaned forward. "You mean like showing up uninvited and inserting yourself into a meal that had nothing to do with you? That kind of cornering?"

Kaid’s fingers drummed once on the table. "Funny. I didn’t see her stop me."

"She didn’t invite you either."

"Does she have to?" Kaid asked quietly.

Both of them looked at me then, like I was a prize instead of a person. I set my glass down with a soft clink and leaned back.

"I’m going to eat," I said coolly, "and neither of you is going to start a war in the middle of a bistro with linen napkins and three-star reviews."

Neither of them moved.

"Do you understand me?" I asked again, voice firm.

Davion was the first to look away, lips pressed into a tight line. "Understood."

Kaid simply nodded and picked up the water glass in front of him. For a few moments, silence reigned again, uneasy and tight. Then Davion tried to speak. "Zara—"

"So, Zara," Kaid interrupted smoothly, leaning forward. "Did you end up filing that petition Snow asked for?"

I blinked. "I... yeah. Yesterday."

Davion opened his mouth again.

"You’ll want to use the newer clause," Kaid said before he could get a word in. "The one that came down last week. The old one leaves too much ambiguity in inter-realm enforcement."

I glanced between the two of them. Davion was visibly seething, and Kaid wasn’t even pretending to hide the satisfaction in cutting him off.