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I glanced back at the witch. It was one thing to be a prisoner to Calypso—a psychotic sea serpent who had saved my sisterand possibly even me—and quite another to end up captive to Ateleíotes, whose narcissistic and terrifying reputation was well known across the ocean kingdoms.

A decade ago, my father had promised my hand in marriage to Ateleíotes’s oldest son to solidify an alliance and end decades of hatred. My disappearance had probably made things worse between the two kingdoms, but at least I hadn’t been subjected to a life of torture at the hands of the cruel prince.

But fate had turned out to be an even crueler mistress. I had known freedom for ten years, known and grown to appreciate what it meant to work hard for what you got. I had even known love, no matter how fleeting.

Swallowing down the thick lump in my throat, I held my head high. I was determined not to wallow in my misery. I had saved my sister and given her a life to do with as she pleased. If I couldn’t free myself, then that would have to be enough. Knowing she was safe and free would get me through the darkest of days.

I would hold on to that thought until the day I died, even if that day came far sooner than I ever expected.

CHAPTER 15

Dominic

"We can’t release the prisoners until after we confront Ichiro at the Council meeting." My voice was tight with anger. Leaving these people and their dragons in the lab was a grim decision, but necessary. It was risky enough taking the two scientists out of here. "He’ll disappear if he figures out we’ve learned the truth. Plan B will only buy us so much time."

"But how’s he even doing this?" Keiko asked through the comms just before she slipped around the corner and joined me.

Aaron was only a moment behind her from the other direction. "Your grandfather keeps meticulous records," he said. "There’s a good chance we’ll find the answers in the records room here on location rather than digitally. Paper’s less easy to trace these days."

I nodded, visualizing the lab’s blueprints in my mind. "There’s a room he must use as an office when he visits. Keiko and I can go through any paper files. Think you can hack into a hard drive if we find one?"

The cat shifter blinked his eyes slowly, as though I’d asked him if he could tie his own shoes. If he’d been in feline form, his tail would have flicked in annoyance.

"Let’s go then." Still carrying the unconscious scientists, I led the way down the hall and through a door that opened into an area with a few cubicles. Thankfully, we didn’t encounter anyone else.

Keiko picked the office door’s lock, and we slipped inside. I dropped the two humans and surveyed the simple setup. A desk and computer sat in the middle while a half dozen filing cabinets lined the walls. No cameras in sight.

Luck was still on our side. My grandfather must have thought the lab’s location was too nondescript to draw attention, and his security team would deter any would-be opportunist thieves. I had no problem taking advantage of his ego and lack of foresight. This was the problem when people became power hungry—their attention split too many ways and things started to slip.

Aaron got to work hacking into the computer while I directed Keiko to a column of filing cabinets. "I’ll take the other side."

She nodded and slid open the bottom drawer, rifling through the folders.

I did the same, hoping, but not holding my breath, to find something,anything,that would explain how Ichiro had learned to manufacture pyrocrystals this way. We needed to bring more to the Council besides some photos that were damning but not sufficient evidence, two humans who were likely paid to lie on pain of death, and our word.

At least the scientists’ loyalty, and their lives, could be bought.

Only a few moments into our search, Rin’s voice crackled through my earpiece, "We may have a problem, boss."

"What problem?"

"Two SUVs just rolled up…Wait, make that three, and… Yep, it’s Ichiro."

Fuck me. Our luck had run out. My grandfather’s appearance couldn’t possibly be a coincidence. First the diner, now the lab? There was no way he had planned a visit the same night we broke in unless someone had tipped him off.

We had spent years watching and waiting, biding our time until we had what we needed. Killing Ichiro without proof of his wrongdoings would make us no better than him, and it wouldn’t be nearly satisfying enough for the crimes he’d committed. For the pain and suffering he’d put us all through.

A memory of my father’s face flashed through my mind. His hand had ruffled my hair, and he’d smiled. "I’m proud of you, Nic," he’d said before leaving for work, as he’d always done.

Only that time, he never came home.

Instead, Ichiro had stood by my side at the funeral, his stern, disapproving gaze tracking the casket as it lowered into the ground.

"Stop sniveling," he’d hissed at me. "You’re one of us now. A Sato. Adragon. Act like it."

"We’ll have to get one of them to talk." Aaron’s voice brought me back to the present, and he gestured to the unconscious scientists.

Keiko grinned. "You know I can be very persuasive."