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“You’re making some big promises,” the man says. “You’re confident you can fulfill them?”

“Utterly and completely,” Leonid says. “And I know we don’t have much more time, but I did want to quickly address the questions you had about the Romanov heir.” He shakes his head. “The Romanovs were always usurpers. They never had a right to hold Russia’s throne, and they’re the reason things fell apart like they did. Instead of looking back a hundred years, you should really be casting your recollection back further, back to sixteen hundred and ten, when the last legitimate ruler of Russia died. The throne has been empty since then, as far as I’m concerned. But I’m here now, and I’m ready to bring back the long-lost era of Russian dominance.”

That sends a chill down my spine.

Quicksilver, Grigoriy, and Aleksandr look ready to do murder.

“I’m guessing this means our plan didn’t work.” I pat Quicksilver’s shoulder.

“I think this time, Leonid won on all fronts,” Aleksandr says. “But the best generals know how to regroup.”

It’s the first time in my life I’ve hoped that someone I knew was a decent general, because I think that maniac is coming for us next.

25

It’s been almost a week since I decided to date someone.

In all that time, he’s spent two hours as a human. I’ve fed him hay. I’ve scratched underneath his mane. I’ve ridden him and raced with him.

I haven’t held his hand.

We haven’t gone to dinner or a movie.

There has been absolutely no kissing, not since that very first day.

Basically, dating kind of sucks so far, and as soon as we get him home, and he can finally shift into his human form, the first thing he does is take a shower. I do the same thing, dumping my clothing in the wash and then showering faster than I ever have.

Then I race over to the big house where he’s staying, and I jog up the stairs. The door to his room opens, and he walks out, his hair still wet. I’ve been so hungry for his face that seeing it lifts my spirits tremendously.

Sure, it’s been a weird day.

Leonid has gotten the upper hand. Again. But I’m ready to grab Alexei and—

“Phone call for you.” Aleksandr’s striding down the hallway.

Alexei bites his lip, looks at me longingly for one moment, and then turns and scowls. “Tell them I’ll call them back.”

“It’s the leader of United Russia—the single largest political party in the country, and the current party in power,” Aleksandr says. “You want to take this call.”

Alexei brushes one hand down the side of my face and sighs. “Fine.” He holds out his hand.

“Remember our story,” Aleksandr says.

We can’t just tell the world that he’s the Alexei Romanov and that he woke up from a curse last month. No one would believe it for one, and then they’d all assume he was insane. He’d never be chosen to rule so much as his own life, much less a country. Although, Russia is notoriously tolerant of maniacs, like Putin releasing serial killers to fight on the front lines. It’s been a little like Cuba in that way.

I turn around to head downstairs, but Alexei grabs my arm and shakes his head, tugging me back into his room alongside him. While he sits down on his bed, I hover by the door, unsure he really needs a distraction.

Alexei points at the edge of the bed, and then he presses that finger to his lips to remind me to be quiet. As if I needed that reminder. I perch on the edge of the bed right as he puts the phone on speaker.

“I’ll be brief—I’m sure you’re quite busy right now. I imagine we have one major thing in common.”

“What’s that?” Alexei asks.

“We both despise Leonid Ivanovich.”

Alexei chuckles. “I think his vision for Russia’s not a good one. We agree on that.”

“I’d like to propose a deal,” the man says. “Right now, the referendum is basically a contest between the current regime—”