Dax kept his promise and made the meeting with Caelan as short as possible.
Meaning: he walked into the room, Caelan opened his mouth about the illegal experimentation labs, and Dax said a simple, final no, then turned and left without another word.
There were things that deserved negotiation. That wasn't one of them.
He had another priority now, and it was waiting for him with crossed arms, a sharp mouth, and a heart that had decided that Saha was home.
They were technically still on their honeymoon, even if half the world insisted on treating their bond like a political event instead of a private miracle, and Dax refused to feed the capital more of their time than necessary. Leisure wasn't a luxury to him. It was a boundary. A line drawn around Chris with the same instinct he used to draw borders on maps.
So he left the emperor where he stood, walked out like the subject was closed, and returned to the diplomatic house in less than an hour.
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