The Matchmaker - The Arrax Saga Book 1 Chapter 53

Saphira watched as Nikolas stared at the pendant, his fingers tightening around it, the edges pressing into his palm. Time stretched between them, heavy and unmoving, as he studied it top to bottom, back to front, over and over again.

She stayed quiet, though every second of silence gnawed at her impatience. She wanted to know. She needed to know.

But something about the way he held it, the way his body tensed, made her hesitate.

She could feel the weight of it, whatever memory, whatever truth, whatever loss was resurfacing inside him.

After what felt like an eternity, Nikolas finally spoke, his voice barely more than a murmur.

“This was on one of the dragons remains?”

His eyes didn’t leave the pendant, didn’t waver in their focus, as though looking away might make it disappear.

“Yes.” Saphira’s voice was soft, careful. She pulled up her phone, fingers swiping quickly to find the picture, the pillar behind the skeletal remains she found it with, and the spell etched into its surface.

“This was the pillar and spell that was with it,” she added, handing the phone to him.

Nikolas’ fingers wrapped around it, his gaze shifting to the image.

She watched as his breath hitched, subtle but there, the moment realisation settled in.

Slowly, he looked back down at the pendant.

Then, finally, his eyes met hers.

“This was my father’s.” His voice carried something fractured beneath it. “My mother gave it to him.”

Saphira’s mouth parted, the weight of his words crashing into her with full force.

Without hesitation, she reached for his hand, squeezing it tightly. “I am so sorry.”

Nikolas exhaled, but it was sharp, uneven, carrying too much emotion at once.

“They actually helped us look for my parents after they disappeared,” he said, voice darkening.

Saphira felt the shift in his presence before she saw it, the tension in his shoulders, the storm brewing behind his golden gaze.

The change was instant.

Anger.

Pure, controlled anger.

“The Elders need to pay.” His grip on the pendant tightened.

Saphira inhaled deeply, then before he could spiral, she reached up, cupping his face with steady hands.

“They do,” she agreed, holding his gaze firmly. “But we need to investigate more. Their reasons, their motives, who’s working with them.”

Nikolas clenched his jaw, his breath uneven, his entire body taut with barely contained frustration.

“But—”

“No.” Saphira cut in, pressing her thumb lightly against his cheek, demanding his full attention.

“We do this smart. You’ve already been taken twice, the first time when you were strong.”

Nikolas’ gaze flickered, something shifting in his expression, but the fire behind his eyes remained.

“I’m stronger now,” he countered, his voice edged with conviction. “Because I have you.”

Saphira swallowed, her grip on his face tightening slightly.

“And now you have more to lose.”

Her words hit their mark, sinking deep.

She saw the quiet realisation settling in his gaze.

She needed him to understand.

They couldn’t afford reckless decisions.

Not now. Not ever.

Because if they lost this battle carelessly, they wouldn’t just lose the fight.

They’d lose everything.

Nikolas exhaled, his breath uneven, sharp. His grip tightened around the pendant, his knuckles white, the veins in his forearm standing out as tension coiled through him.

Saphira could feel it, the simmering fury beneath his skin, the frustration, the helplessness battling against instinct.

He ran a hand through his hair roughly, his fingers gripping at the strands, as though trying to calm himself, trying to stop himself from snapping, from letting the rage take hold.

“So, how do we do this?” His voice was lower now, taut, controlled, but barely. “If I can’t just go rushing in and removing them from this earth?”

Saphira swallowed, her gaze flicking to his hands, still clenched too tight.

She reached out, covering one of them with hers, squeezing gently, silently urging him to breathe.

Nikolas’ fingers twitched beneath hers, but he didn’t pull away.

“From what you have said and what I saw, they are extremely strong,” she started carefully, watching him for any signs of resistance. “Which means they will have connections, and there could be more than one of each supernatural kind.”

Nikolas’ jaw tightened, his breath hitching slightly, but he was listening.

“Not dragons,” he muttered, shaking his head, his grip on the pendant still rigid.

Saphira frowned slightly. “What?”

“They don’t like dragons at all,” he explained, voice sharp but edged with restrained bitterness. “So they would never have one as an elder, regardless if they had elder blood.”

“But why?” she asked, her voice softer now, gentler.

Nikolas inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly, as though forcing himself to speak without anger. His free hand flexed at his side before he finally settled it on his thigh.

“They don't like how powerful dragons are, regardless of their blood,” he explained, quieter now, as though pulling the emotions back under control. "Plus, dragons don't care about taking a chosen mate and one of a different species at that. Becuase of the extra power I had, if I took a chosen mate then I would be weakened, but it isn't the same for all dragon's.”

Saphira squeezed his hand again, her thumb brushing against his skin.

She saw the slight shift in his shoulders, the faint release of pressure. This was helping, him sharing information.

“Oh wow,” she murmured. “I see.”

Nikolas nodded once, exhaling again, this time steadier.

“So... your plan?” he asked, turning toward her fully, pulling her closer now.

Saphira swallowed, pulling her thoughts together, determined to anchor him in something solid, something rational.

“First,” she said firmly, “we wait until Asher’s mother and Zafira wake up. Until they’re strong enough.”

Nikolas nodded again, his grip on her loosening slightly. “Then?”

“Then we find out what they know.”

She felt the moment settle, in the plan, no longer just reacting, but thinking.

“Then?” he encouraged.

Saphira glanced around, thoughts circling. This was strategy, war, defiance.

“Then we scope them out,” she continued, a quiet strength building in her tone. “Track their movements. Their meetings. Then find a pattern.”

She felt pride swell inside her, but more than that, she saw it reflected in Nikolas.

The look he gave her sent confidence straight into her chest, warmth spreading beneath her ribs.

His smirk was gone.

In its place was something deeper, something real.

A genuine smile.

“Then it’s a plan,” he murmured, reaching up, brushing a stray piece of her auburn hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

The gesture lingered.

Saphira let out a slow breath, finally feeling him ease.

The anger wasn’t gone.

But it was contained.

And for now that was enough. It had to be. Because this was only the beginning. And neither of them would face it alone.