“Harper’s pet?” Nikolaidis suggested.
“Oh, ew, no. Don’t worry. He’s dealt with.” Another bright smile.
Mrs. Smith blinked. “Oh! Yes. I did hear one of the dragon eggs hatched.”
The Tourneurs turned to her, their gazes fixed and intent as though they were the snake shifters, not her.
Eloise’s eyes shone. “Yes! A little golden creature.” She turned to Francine. “Isn’t that right, Frankie? You’re the one with eyes and ears everywhere.”
Francine finished sipping her champagne and set down her glass.
This was going to go badly. Julian’s mind was a maelstrom whipping the edges of her attention. His emotions spilled out. Guilt and terror, the sensation of the world cracking beneath his feet.
*Get a hold of yourself,*she hissed at him. *If any of the others sense your feelings—*
And just like that, the overflow of emotions was gone.
She cleared her throat. “Oh—a little female. Yes.”
Behind her, ice crawled from Julian’s mind.
“Well, dibs. Can you imagine? A tiny goldendragon?” Eloise spread her fingers out delightedly. “I wouldn’t want it toshift, of course. Have you seen it? How narrow is its neck? I wonder if we could use one of Daddy’s collars to keep it in dragon form. Not that human infants’ necks are very thick. But how cute would it be, a little dragon on a leash?”
Disgust welled up in Francine’s heart and slid across her skin. Behind her, Julian was a statue.
She had to stay in control. Her plan relied on her staying on Eloise’s good side. On hiding the fact that Julian was the shadow dragon she thought had beendealt with.
Two more days until Julian thought he would be well enough to fly them out.
Two more days of pretending to be everything she hoped she wasn’t, and feared she was.
Everything Eloise thought she was.
Her lioness snarled. “You’re talking about ababy,” she hissed through clenched teeth.
Eloise blinked at her. “Yes? But ithatched, from what I heard. So it’s more dragon than baby. And honestly, given it’s a shadow dragon, it should be glad we’re not going to give it to the Soul-Eater. Although—oh! Do you think the Soul-Eater could take away itshumanside? Then I wouldn’t have to worry about the collar.”
Francine stood up. This was the wrong thing to do, it was the end of all her careful plans, but she couldn’t stop herself.
Her chair scraped backwards as she leaned across the table, fists braced on the polished wood. “This is achild.”
“Frankie, it’s ashadow dragon.We’re going to kill the rest of them! If there evenareany others left out there.” Her lips quirked. “You do remember that’s why we’re here, right, Frankie? You’re in this with the rest of us?”
Julian sent her a psychic warning. *Be careful.*
“I’m not an idiot.” She leaned further, pinning Eloise with her eyes. Maybe there was still a way to salvage this. She pulled up poison from the sickest parts of herself. “For example, I remember why we’re here. To be among the chosen few who send the Soul-Eater out to destroy those who don’t deserve their powers. Shifters who’ve forgotten what they were made for. What are you made for, Eloise? What sort of alionessare you?” Her voice dropped. “Lionesses protect our own and kill everything else. We don’t havepets. Either this dragon hatchling is yours, or it isn’t. It’s a cub or it’s irrelevant. Lionesses don’t keep dragons asaccessories.”
Eloise’s lioness snarled out through her eyes. Francine kept her gaze locked on to the other woman’s. Cold and disdainful.
And her lioness was right there with her.
Francine curled her lips back as Eloise broke eye contact. “Make up your mind what sort of a shifter you are, Eloise. Oryour boyfriend might decide for you.” She straightened, rubbing her fingertips together as though she was trying to get rid of a greasy residue. “Enjoy your meal, everyone. I’ve lost my appetite.”
She stalked out of the dining room, Julian a dark shadow at her heels. He had been perfectly still during the whole conversation, his breathing, perfectly even. Now she felt him tremble.
The moment the door to her quarters closed behind them, he grabbed her shoulders and swung her around.
“A hatchling.” Storms raged in his eyes. “All this time. You knew there was a hatchling. One of Adria’s—” His mouth snapped shut.
