Chapter 2

After getting some much needed rest-which took a lot of convincing on Ashton's part- I headed downstairs to the meeting room. Fortunately, I managed to evade Emperor Caden who'd mentioned something about wanting to meet with me to discuss a few things. I had no idea what that was about, but I could take a few guesses. The atmosphere inside the meeting room was light, owing to the festive mood that the holidays had to offer. Beau was busy typing away at his desk and CaVaughn was getting some documents copied at the other side of the room. Ashton was busy on the phone, talking with someone in what sounded like Italian. I paused by the doorway with a small smile. I could almost imagine Jackson bustling around them with a stack of papers, perhaps with a smile of his own on his face. Kristof and Raúl ­were discussing something on Kristof's computer but Raúl seemed distracted and his eyes wandered to his phone every few seconds. The only persons missing were Jun and