The man didn't flinch. Not even a blink. "We don't need you to admit anything," he murmured. "We already have the reports. All we need… is your cooperation."
"What do you want?" I ground out.
"Oh, yes." He flashed teeth. "We want you to work for us. Quietly. Covertly. You could walk into the Soviet sector like a ghost. Fly over it. Burn the truth out of the sky."
"No," I said instantly.
"You want to marry that girl." His smile sharpened. "I can help with that."
My blood went cold. "You stay away from her."
He raised his hands. "Hey, now. I'm offering a trade. You give us intelligence on Soviet positions, on troop movements, on who's defecting. And in exchange…" He tapped his temple. "We keep your secret. And your girl gets every form she needs approved… or I can delay it indefinitely."
The dragon roared inside me. Hot, blistering, violent. I clenched my fists so hard my nails nearly cut skin.
"If you ever show up near her," I kept my voice low and restrained the fire that wanted to torch this bastard, "I will end you."
"That's what I'm counting on," he whispered. "Yourinstincts. Your… abilities." He put his hand on my shoulder. "You need us, Captain. And we need you."
"No," I repeated, shaking him off. "For your sake, walk away."
For a heartbeat, we stood there, the dragon inside me snarling, the CIA man's ambition cracking like ice, Berlin trembling beneath our feet from another bomb some unfortunate soul had stepped on.
He stepped back first. "Sooner or later," he said, "you'll realize we're on the same side."
He turned and disappeared into the alley.
I knew one thing for certain: if he came close to Inga, I would turn him into a pile of ash. No matter what oath I had sworn on my final initiation. I tightened my grip on the ring box in my pocket. I'd buy her safety myself if I had to.
I'd take her and the kids out of this city with my own two hands.
And if anyone tried to stop me?—
the dragon would not be held back.
Berlin — July 21, 1948, Wednesday night
The paperwork weighed heavierin my pocket than a service pistol. It should have made me feel triumphant. I had a ring. I had a plan. For the first time since the war, the future felt like something I could choose instead of something I survived.
But the truth burrowed under that excitement like a splinter. I hadn't told Inga the truth. Not about the war. Not about my family. Not about the dragon. Hell, I hadn't even asked her to marry me.
I stood under the lantern outside Die Ecke, the warm yellow glow pooling in a circle on the cobblestones. Berlin had finally stopped pretending it was still winter. The air was warmer tonight, soft, carrying faint scents of wet earth, coal dust, and something sweet from a nearby bakery trying to get by with American flour.
A soft summer breeze lifted the edges of loose papers on the street, carried laughter from inside the bar, andcooled the back of my neck. My dragon didn't care about breezes. It cared about her.
You cannot mate without revealing your fire,it hissed inside me.You cannot choose her without letting her choose you.
I clenched my fists in my jacket pockets. What would she say? What would she do?
Would she scream?
Would she run?
Would she look at me like I was a monster wearing a man's skin?
Could I live through that?
The lantern flickered. Somewhere down the street, the low growl of an American jeep rolling over cobblestones reached me. A late-night patrol, making sure the streets stayed safe. Berlin never slept. Not really. It clawed its way back to life day by day, brick by brick.
