“You’re being sincere,” I prod, still unsure. Nik was never close with his cousins, but he has no family left. Because of me, he’s the last of his bloodline. “Youactuallywant to play double agent?”
Nik’s grin fades with his militaristic nod. “You have my word, for what good it’s worth from a Volkov.” He says that last part bitterly, with a hint of self-loathing I don’t miss.
“How do we know you won’t fuck us over?” Brontë demands.
“You don’t, Bourbon. Get over it.”
Brontë snickers, the crystal in his grip cracking with a distressedchink.
To me, Nik adds, “I’m not asking you to trust me. Whether or not you do changes nothing. Either way, Leviathan will pay for what they’ve done.”
I set the mask and invitation aside, sipping my drink and relishing its burn. “Why are you more committed to my family than your own?”
Nik approaches the bar cart and pours himself a knuckle of vodka. “My cousins were vermin that did not understand the meaning of a promise. Our grandfathers made oaths to the Morgensterns. Those oaths were never meant to die with them.” He downs his drink in one swallow then plops the glass back down. “Vlad and Kai did what they thought our fathers were too cowardly to do. In my opinion, they got what they deserved.”
I have no reason not to believe him. Unlike his turncoat cousins, he hasn’t made a single move to attack me. My allies are scarce. I can’t let my pride stand between us.
“We’ll look into the street cams, see if we can identify the person who paid you a visit. My concern, though, is what happens if you decline the offer. Leviathan is unpredictable.”
Nik’s scarred eyebrow lifts expectantly. “Which brings us back to my proposal.”
Brontë toys with the mask, sharing a somber look with me. I know what he’s asking himself: What if Margot didn’t run away? What if she’s dead? This isn’t about my family or some lost heirloom anymore. This is about slaying a monster before it can slaughter any more innocents.
But I can’t fight back without an army of my own.
I glance at the invitation. No matter what history I share with Nik, I can’t afford to lose him. He’s my best assassin. I care more about protecting his life than risking it. I was never skilled at strategy, but I know when to fall back instead of charging forward at the expense of my most precious pawns.
If I had the strength, I’d stage a coup. Storm those coordinates, battle Leviathan to the death. But I have no warriors. The last thing I can afford right now is losing what little power I have left.
“No spy games.” I knock my drink, letting it scorch the dread from my stomach. “Lay low until I say otherwise.”
“As you wish.” Nik bows his neck and moves for the exit.
“Nikolai.” He halts, casting a questioning frown over his shoulder. “Your family was once part of Leviathan. Do you know anything that can help us?”
“I wish I did, but you know as much as me. There were no stories told to us as they were to you. Shame, I suspect, silenced my kin from sharing the greatest failure of our forebears who abandoned their sacred vows to seek power over yours.”
I nod, heavy with defeat. “Don’t go home. Leviathan knows where you live. Crash with Circe at Indigo. Don’t tell anyone else where you are. I’ll clear your name with Papa and pull the headhunt for you.”
An arrogant grin pulls his mouth into a lopsided smile that once took my breath away. “Careful,printsessa.Your heart is showing.”
“You should count your lucky stars that I still have one. Or I’d kill you where you fucking stand.”
Nik’s expression sobers. With a final dip of his chin, the door shuts quietly behind him.
I sag against Brontë, my body caving to gravity and the exhaustion of my pounding headache. “That was…illuminating.”
“Indeed.” In a sudden yet fluid movement, he rises, forcing me to stumble back onto my feet as he aims for the door.
“Wait!” I catch his elbow, turning him half around. “Where are you going?”
“Home.”
I sputter, confused. “But we came together.”
“Uber exists for a reason.”
“We need to talk about Margot and Leviathan. What’s our next move?”
