We walked toward the front door together, and in that moment, I nearly blurted everything out, but I couldn't spoil this for him.
Ignatius met us there, arms crossed like a sentinel. “Remember: this is an honor, Cole. You earned it. Not Wells. Not the league politics. You. Dragons will be watching you. Humans will be watching you. And every one of them will be cheering.”
Cole’s cheeks flushed. “I’ll do my best.”
“Your best is extraordinary,” Ignatius said simply. “Go remind them.”
Cole nodded, then stepped outside toward the waiting car. I followed. My phone buzzed again.
I didn’t want to look. I really, really didn’t.
But I did.
Do I need to go visit Ricky?
A cold wave rolled through me, knocking the breath out of my lungs. I texted quickly.I will message you the moment I'm alone. Traveling. Give me the weekend.
I tucked the phone away before Cole could turn around and see.
He climbed into the car, nerves and excitement warring across his features. I climbed in beside him and Cole took my hand, bracing himself for the biggest week of his season.
And me?
I stared out the window, trying to breathe around the fist closing around my chest. Trying to figure out how to save a boy’s family without losing Cole or myself in the process.
Chapter twenty-three
Neutral zone – The area between the offensive and the defensive zones.
Cole
Walking back into the arena felt like surfacing from deep water.
Everything smelled familiar—cold air, rubber, sweat, old tape, the metallic tang from the skate sharpeners. It hit me in the chest, warm and rough and grounding all at once.
Phoenix stayed close, his arm brushing mine now and then like he needed physical reassurance that I was still upright. Or maybe I needed it more. He’d been quiet since we left Ignatius’s. Not tense this time—just…careful. Like he wasn’t sure he should be here, but I wasn't about to let him be anywhere else. The fans either accepted me for who I was or they didn't. It was a breath of fresh air after my father. And besides, they knew Keegan was out. Not that anyone talked about it. It was like everyone knew, but so long as you didn't shove it down their throats, they could claim plausible deniability.
Icleared my throat. “You should know what’s happening the next few days,” I said softly. “Just so it doesn’t feel like a whirlwind.”
He turned slightly, eyes flicking to mine. “Yeah. That'd be good.”
I nodded and shifted in the seat to face him a little more. “Okay. So. The All-Star Weekend is split into two main parts: the Skills Competition and then the mini-tournament.”
Phoenix listened with the kind of focus that made my dragon almost purr in approval. “We fly to Toronto today, and tomorrow morning,” I continued, “I go through check-in, interviews, and the uniform fittings. Then the Skills Competition is tomorrow night. That’s where players do events like fastest skater, hardest shot, accuracy, trick shot challenge—stuff meant to show off.”
His brow furrowed slightly. “Do you…choose what event you do?”
“Mostly,” I said. “They slot some people into fan-voted categories, but I get a say. I’ll probably do accuracy or the passing challenge. The flashier events usually go to forwards who like attention.” His mouth twitched, and I counted that as a win.
“And that’s just the first night,” I went on. “The day after is the actual All-Star tournament. Three-on-three games between the divisions. Fast, no one hits each other, and the pace is ridiculous. It’s more…fun than anything. No pressure about standings or playoffs.”
Phoenix looked down at his hands, worrying the edge of his sleeve between his fingers. “And you’re the only Colorado Dragon who got picked.”
“Yeah,” I said. “None of the others made the roster this year. Max was close. Taranis too. But it’s just me for the dragons. We're still battling a bad reputation.”
His head lifted, eyes warm in a way I wasn’t prepared for. “I’m glad they picked you.”
The moment we passed the security desk, I heard it. “Armstrong!”
