We land in a clearing in the forest near the city’s outskirts, his black scales blending into shadow. I slide from his back and onto an outcrop of dew-slick stone.
“You should wait here,” I whisper. “Humans haven’t seen a dragon in ages. They’d panic.”
“I’m not leaving you to wander the streets alone.”
“Don’t worry; I know this city like the back of my hand.” I instinctively pat his snout like a horse before I realize what I’m doing. My cheeks flush. “Sorry.”
Draco’s chest rumbles with amusement. He leans down and nuzzles me, firmly enough that I stumble and grab at his jaw to steady myself. Then he withdraws, plucks a scale from his chest, and breathes a flicker of fire over it. The scale glows blue-hot before fading to a shimmering onyx.
“Hold out your hand.”
I obey. The scale, surprisingly cool despite the flame, melts into my skin and re-forms as an ink-black sigil: a dragon curled around an hourglass, right next to Cassian’s bargain. It glimmers faintly as I move.
“You have until sunrise,” he says. “When the mark fades, I will come for you. No matter where you are.” His voice is fierce but not menacing. Protective. A promise. “Be careful, Selene.”
I nod and turn toward the city.
I slip through narrow alleys where lanterns gutter and salt air mingles with damp stone. Every step stirs a memory—vendors calling, Kat’s laughter over honeyed pastries, thriving summer roses scaling the walls of our garden.
Up ahead, raised voices break the silence. I duck behind a dusty barrel and carefully peer around the corner. Two men stagger from a tavern, dragging another between them. They toss him into the street like refuse.
Even half-hidden by shadow, I know that face.
“Tobias!” I cry as soon as the men leave. I rush forward, dropping to my knees beside him. The stink of ale and smoke clings to his clothes.
He blinks up at me, eyes hooded with drink. “Selene?” he slurs.
I clutch his shoulders. “What’s happened? Where’s Kat?”
His brow furrows. “She’s… gone.”
My pulse spikes and my heart sinks, imagining the worst. “Gone? How—how did she die?”
“Die?” He blinks, confusion piercing through the haze. His grip tightens on my arms. “No, she’s not dead. She’s engaged.”
“Engaged?” I stare down at Tobias’s hand, expecting a wedding ring, but there’s nothing. “But you…”
He nods miserably. “Edric Grey.”
The name hits like a blade. My blood turns to ice, stealing my breath.
He stumbles upright. “Your father arranged it after… after the fire.”
My throat closes. “What fire?!”
He nods again, eyes glassy. “ A massive fire burned the Grey family estate to the ground. Everyone died except Edric and his younger brother.”
My mind whirls. A mysterious fire. Everyone dying. Tobias starts to slump over again.
I reach out to steady him. “Tobias, focus. Please… When did this happen?”
“Just before fall,” he says, head bobbing forward.
I feel like I’ve been punched. Fury burns cold in my veins. So, Keiren sent Drako to kill Edric, after all. He ignored my wishes. And how many innocent people died as a result?
“Where is she?” I demand.
“At your father’s estate,” Tobias says softly. “If you see her, tell her I said congratulations.”
