The walk to the breakfast room was shorter than Chris would have liked and made worse by the fact that Dax looked far too pleased with himself the entire way.
"You could at least pretend to be sympathetic," Chris muttered as they turned the corner of the long marble corridor. "You do realize I'm walking into a coordinated ambush."
"I do," Dax said, tone far too calm. "But I find it endearing."
"Endearing," Chris repeated flatly. "That's one word for it. The other is hellish."
"You exaggerate."
"I don't exaggerate," Chris countered. "I anticipate."
They reached the tall double doors of the breakfast room before he could elaborate. Sunlight poured in through the tall arched windows beyond, gleaming off porcelain and crystal. The scent of roasted coffee, lemon pastries, and authority filled the air.
Serathine D'Argente and Cressida Fitzgeralt were already seated at the long table, and had been for quite some time.
