“Nyx?” Evie asks.
“I’m fine.” Lie. “Are we done?” I glare at Brandt.
“Yes, Nyx, I think so. Thank you all for your assistance this evening—and well done.” I’m out the door before he finishes speaking, striding away as quickly as possible to keep any of these fuckingfeelingsfrom following me into the night.
17
RAMSEY
“Mr. Mondragon, are you listening?”
“Hm?” I respond, just because it pisses him off.
“I’d like to revisit the day of your epiphaneia, and the emotions that precipitated your dragon’s appearance. Epiphaneias are already chaotic and disorienting, whatever emotions triggered your moratus awakening must have been particularly strong, and understanding what those triggers are can help us work towards improving your emotional regulation and control. What can you recall from the moments leading up to your epiphaneia?”
Can we eat him yet?
Ignoring both the dragon and Dr. Lystad, I try to stop the barrage of images from that day. Because the truth is, I remember everything.
Halfway through my shift as the club’s “bad cop” bouncer thanks in part to my scars and permanent scowl, I’d been scanning IDs one after the other, not bothering to look at the indistinguishable faces of drunk humans poisoning themselves with shitty alcohol. Every night for the past two months had been the same: get to work, look scary, get paid, go back tomy shitty apartment where my roommate would be fucking whatever piece of ass he picked up for the night.
That night wouldn’t have been any different, except a nasally voice barked out my name from across the street. Angling my good eye towards the poorly-lit alley, I could just make out a group of drunken frat-bros stumbling towards the club entrance. I didn’t recognize them, but the asshole leading the charge seemed to recognize me as they approached.
“Dude! Holy shit! What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked loudly, eyes glassy.
“I don’t know you, man,” I grumbled, waving another person through the door when they thrust their ID at me.
“Nah, man, you’re Atlas’ big bro!” Mention of my younger brother made me tense and turn towards him as he continued to smile like a fucking idiot. “Hard to forget scars like that.” He said, motioning to my face. “Guys! It’s Mondragon! No, not Atlas, Ramsey. The Dragon Prince! Well, not any more—Atlas got you there!” he brayed like the fucking jackass he was, slapping his knee as if the whole reason I was at that Fate-forsaken club, sleeping in a near-condemned apartment, was the funniest thing in the fucking world.
“Oh shit!” One of his friends crashed into him from behind and they staggered close enough to smell the rancid scent of fae whiskey on their breath. They’d started to attract attention, which was the last thing I wanted. I couldn’t risk losing another job. “Ramseyyy,” the one who crashed into idiot #1 said. “Dude I thought you were dead! Have you been here the whole time?”
I fucking wish I’d died. Instead, my shifter DNA kicked in and managed to heal the savage claw marks on my face enough so that I didn’t immediately die of infection. Couldn’t save my eye, though, dragon or not.
“In or out?” I grumbled, but they were too drunk, and probably high too, to pay any attention to the club entrance.
“Dude we should tell Atlas!” A third jackass lurched over, cigarette hanging out of his mouth. My heart raced as he fumbled with his phone, trying to call my younger brother. I rose to my full height, easily towering over these pieces of shit, before knocking his phone out of his hands.
“Get the fuck out of here,” I growled. My eyes narrowed at the guy’s shocked face but none of them backed up. Instead, they started shouting over one another at me.
“Hey!”
“Why the fuck’d you do that?” Idiot #3 with the phone slurred.
“Fuck. Off.” I repeated, but they only squared up, never minding the fact none of them could stand straight.
“What do you think you’re doing, man? You’re exiled—we could fuck you up for that and no one would give a shit. In fact, your dad would probably throw us a goddamned party!” Idiot #1 cried over idiot #2’s shoulder as the others cheered. Like my life was a joke because I never shifted. Like I was worthless, just because my family decided I was.
“You could fucking try,” I growled, the sound reverberating deep in my chest. His gaze held a new, sinister glint when he turned back to me.
“Maybe we should, you know? Remind you where the disgraced dragon prince belongs on the hierarchy, except—oops. You’renotreally a dragon though, are you? You’re nothing more than one of them,” he nodded to the line of humans watching eagerly as our confrontation escalated. “You’re nothing,” he sneered. I ground my jaw, swallowing the hot bile threatening to rise from my throat.
“Last chance,” I grit out, but idiot #1 just laughed.
He laughed.
They all laughed.
I lunged for him with an animalistic shout, my fist connecting with his face before anyone could see me move, let alone stop me. And then we toppled over, my larger body easily subduing him.
