Before this moment, Julius would have sworn it was impossible for dragons to simply appear out of thin air. Now, he was forced to revise his opinion, because there was no other explanation for what had just happened. Since he’d never seen anything like this before, he could only assume it very powerful magic. Considering which dragons had just appeared in the icy doorway, though, magic wasn’t an issue.
There were three of them—all female, all pale as snow, and all dressed head to toe in unrelenting white. Julius recognized the two in the back instantly: Katya, looking even more terrified than she had when he’d confronted her in the diner, and Svena, cool as always with frost trailing from her fingers as she let her magic fade. He did not, however, recognize the tall, willowy, snowy-haired dragoness standing at the front of the group, but given how the other two were obviously under her command, it was easy enough to guess.
“My, my,” Estella said, looking over the crowded throne room with a smile as cold as the ice at her feet. “Such a turnout. One would almost think I was expected, but I knowthatisn’t true.”
Her gaze landed on Bethesda as she finished, but the Heartstriker just turned up her nose. “My seer has better things to do than predict something as regular as your arrogance, Northern Star,” she said haughtily, walking out of the crowd. “But I don’t believe you were invited to this gathering.”
“You’re right,” Estella said. “I don’t need to scrounge for invitations to affairs of this…quality. But I had business to discuss with you, Heartstriker, and my sister was happy to extend the invitation.”
Svena did not look happy at all. If anything, she looked ready to bury the whole room in an avalanche of ice. Conrad stepped forward in answer, hand ready on the hilt of his Fang. A heartbeat later, Chelsie appeared beside him. Julius hadn’t even known she was here until she stepped into position on Bethesda’s left, hand resting on her own sword, which was incongruously strapped over what would otherwise have been a very nice black pants suit.
The two Cs weren’t alone, either. All around the room, Heartstrikers were reaching for weapons. But then, just when open war seemed inevitable, Estella raised her hands in surrender.
“Call off your dogs,” she ordered. “Our clans have their differences, butwewould never be so vulgar as to spill blood as guests in your home.”
“Then why are you wasting my time?” Bethesda snarled. “You said you had business with me. Speak it or go. I have no more patience for your dramatics.”
“You would be the expert inthatdepartment,” Estella said, but then, before the Heartstriker could take offense, the seer turned and laid her hand on Svena’s shoulder. “It seems my dear sister has become inexplicablyfond of your whelp of a son. Naturally, this came as quite a shock to me. We are the daughters of gods, above you in every way, but even I can no longer deny what I see in our shared futures.” She heaved a heavy sigh, like this was the worst thing that could happen, and turned back to Bethesda. “It seems that an alliance between the greatest dragon clan and the largest has finally become inevitable. Therefore, I have come to you in peace to discuss terms for a mating flight between Svena, Second Daughter of the Three Sisters, and Ian Heartstriker, to take place as soon as possible.”
Stunned silence filled the room. Bethesda’s jaw was actually hanging open for several seconds, and then her face split into a Grinch-like grin. “Is that so?” she said, the words practically oozing with smug satisfaction. “I’m always open to securing a new alliance, but this is no place for such delicate negotiations. Why don’t we stop putting on a show for the crowd and go discuss the details of this contract in private?”
“As you like,” Estella said, descending gracefully down the icy steps. The crowd parted in front of her, creating a path straight to Bethesda. Svena followed a second later, but Katya stayed behind, hovering in the icy doorway like she wanted to bolt right back through it.
That struck Julius as very strange, but everyone else seemed to be too busy watching Estella and Svena to care. When the two dragons reached her at last, Bethesda’s smile grew even wider as she turned and took Ian’s arm. Knowing what he did about his brother’s plans, Julius was probably the only one who saw him flinch, but Ian had always been a perfect dragon, and now was no exception. If he had any doubts, he hid them instantly, nodding regally to Svena like this has been their goal all along.
“Come,” Bethesda said, leading the way around her massive throne to the doorway in the wall behind it which led to her private apartments. “I already have a mating flight contract prepared in my study. What a stroke of luck.”
Luck nothing, Julius thought with a scowl. That contract was the entire point of this trap of a party. But while that should have been the biggest warning in the world, Estella and Svena didn’t say a word. They just fell into step behind her, leaving Conrad and Chelsie to bring up the rear as the heads of the world’s two most powerful dragon clans disappeared into Bethesda’s lair.
***
The moment they were out of sight, the throne room erupted into whispered conversation as the speculation began. But while the rest of his family seemed to be falling over themselves in their rush to divide up the spoils of the Three Sisters’ apparent surrender, Julius was making a beeline for Katya.
“Hold up.”
He paused and looked over his shoulder to find Amelia glaring at him. “What are you doing?”
“Going to talk to a friend.”
Even as he said it, Julius didn’t actually think it would work. Estella was a seer, and talking to Katya was the most obvious move. There was no way she hadn’t planned for this, but Julius had to dosomething. His mother had set this whole thing up using his name. Katya deserved an explanation for that at least, and though it had never felt like much of one, this was still his family. He couldn’t just stand by while Estella did…whatever it was she was here to do. Talking to Katya was literally the least he could do, and he was about to start pushing his way through the crowd when Amelia grabbed his arm. “Let me give you some advice.”
“Can it wait?” he asked, trying not to sound frustrated.
“No,” she said, looking down at him with a strange expression. “You’re a cute kid, Julius, so here’s a survival tip, from one Heartstriker to another: don’t get involved.”
“But I have to,” he said. “Mother’s—”
“Bethesda’s going to do what Bethesda’s going to do,” Amelia said bitterly. “And that’s what’s best for her. Not for you or for me or for the clan. Her. The sooner you understand that, the happier you’ll be.”
Julius had never had a problem understanding that, but his sister was wrong. “It’s because she’s like that that the rest of us have to do what we can,” he said angrily. “We can’t count on her to save us.”
Amelia shook her head. “You need to focus on saving yourself. Or is that seal on your magic just for decoration?”
He winced. “You noticed?”
“Hard not to,” his sister said with a shrug. “Mother’s work, I’m guessing?”
Julius nodded, and Amelia’s expression darkened. “Look,” she said with a sigh. “I don’t know what’s going on, and I really don’t care, but you’re barking up the wrong mountain if you think sticking your neck out for the Heartstriker will get her to unseal you. Once Bethesda’s got her claws in, they never come out.”
