I shrug, trying not to smile. “Something like that.”
“And the game?”
“I wasn’t sure which way Zohran would go… but Mass planted the seed, made sure he had the knife, and we went from there.”
“Shit. Outplayed from the start.”
I clap him on the shoulder and leave him to speak with Lorcan and Prosper. I stride across the room to where Mass is standing with Nika. She looks at me, small and frail, her face wiped clear but the rest of her dripping with red, and I don’t hesitate. I pull her into my arms and kiss her hard, kiss her long and deep, because I know how close that came, and I hate myself for riding so near to the edge of losing everything.
“I’m sorry, Nika,” I say, holding her against me, breathing her smell laced with the sharp copper tang of all that death. “God, I’m so sorry you were here for this.”
“What would you have done without me?”
“Pretended to kill Mass. Maybe even myself. That was the plan, anyway. I didn’t want you near it.”
“There was a moment—when you were coming at me?—“
“Don’t think about that.”
“I knew you wouldn’t. But a part of me was ready anyway.”
“I know, baby.”
“I would’ve let you.”
“Don’t say that.” I kiss her again, harder this time, claiming her, marking her as mine. “Don’t even think it.”
We stay together at the edge of a pool of death until Mass gently guides us toward the door.
“There will be discussion, likely some spirited debate, but congratulations. We have two new Dragons.” He pauses in the foyer. The house staff bustles around us, dragging buckets filled with red water. His eyes stray back to the ballroom. “Artyom… are you sure about him?”
“Not at all.” I squeeze his arm in thanks. “But it’s better than leaving the seat empty. Besides…” I can’t stop the elated grin that spreads across my face. “He fucking owes me now.”
Mass laughs as I put an arm around Nika and lead her away from the house, out into the night, both of us bloodied, drenched and filthy, but alive.
“What happens now? Do you just… take over?”
“There are logistics.” She leans against me in the back seat of the car. “We’ll deal with that later. For tonight…”
I kiss her again, and figure, I can put off becoming a Dragon for a few hours. I won the gift of another day, and another after that, and even more if I’m lucky, and strong, and smart, which maybe I can be with Nika by my side. We’ll see.
CHAPTER 35
GABE
Nothing changes when you become a Dragon.
There’s no surge of power, no lightning strike, no explosion, no outwardly visible marker of the enormous inward shift.
Nobody shows up with a golden crown and a massive fucking scepter.
Which was disappointing.
I wanted a god damn parade.
Instead, there were phone calls.
Dozens of phone calls from men and women I’d never met before and many I’d never even heard of. Heads of state, industry leaders, rich billionaires, artists and authors, anyone with even a tiny modicum of power and enough knowledge to know I’m important now.