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She snatched up her glass, the thing making me smile, because it was the same drink I’d prepared for her during our picnic—a crimson elixir that tasted of dark berries and spiced cherries. “Uh… just… Corvin Morvain,” she said, before taking two big gulps from it.

Nyx shot Kai an alarmed look.

“What?”Kai was snapping in the next moment. “Thatfucker was your first? That piece of shit charlatan? That conniving sociopath?”

“Wow,” I uttered. “Whoisthis person?”

With my whole life spent in the Dracoryn Realm up until recently, I didn’t have the knowledge base that they did when it came to certain figures in this realm. Aside from the most widely known like Ariana’s family and Kai’s.

“He’s more widely known asMasquerade,”Nyx told me.

“Heisthe masquerade,” Kai added. “The living embodiment of falsity cloaked in charm and allure. He’s a fucking user.”

Ariana brought her hand to her face. “It was years ago.And, as I told you, it didn’t end well. He got hurt, remember?”

“He used you. He only wanted you for your infamy and power,” Kai told her.

“Then that worked out well, because I used him, too. For his durability.” She rolled her eyes at our reactions. “It wasn’t a love match, guys. It wasn’t a relationship. Let it go.” She sucked in a breath. “It’s not like I enjoy reliving that night with the trauma and embarrassment attached to it.”

Awkward silence fell over the table at her words.

I couldn’t stand it.

Not for her especially, seeing her ill at ease.

So, I cut through it, blurting out, “I was a whore.”

All eyes were on me in a second.

Nyx looked amused.

Kai was curious as usual.

And Ariana looked surprisedandrelieved that I’d shifted the subject.

I winked at her, then went on, “True story. Being a big deal in the Dracoryn Realm as the son of the leaders of House Titanus, there was a lot of interest thrown my way. And I reveled in it.” I eyed Ariana. “Until a certain angel made her presence known to me and called to me in a completely undeniable way.”

“You’re a one-woman dragon all the way now, huh?” Nyx asked.

“All of yours,” I answered. “All the motherfucking way.”

Kai raised his glass. “Cheers to the four of us, the unity between us, our strengthening connection, ourbond.”

We all clinked glasses.

“Let’s eat,” Ariana spoke. “And thank you for waiting on me.”

“Of course,” Kai said.

“It was just good manners to do so, huh, Kai?” Nyx teased, referencing our earlier conversation.

I chuckled, then said, “Nothing short of the reverence that our Ariana deserves from us.”

“Seconded,” Nyx said.

“Precisely,” Kai agreed.

I watched her as she tucked into her food, a spicy chipotle chicken pie with jalapeno cream, along with drizzled waffle skewers on the side that were topped with crisped bacon. Little sounds of appreciation came from her that had the three of us smiling.