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Kol shrugged. “Thank you. But he was a general to his core. It was written in his marrow to lead the fight and die for the kingdom. It was always going to happen. We are from a long line of high-ranking flyers. General Asra was The Dragon of the Night, head of both the legion and our family line. He was right hand to the King, and leader of the Dragon Council. He was the head dragon of all the kingdoms basically, and Nyx should have immediately filled his shoes as his first born, but…”

My eyes widened as the weight of what Nyx had meant when he said ‘take my rightful place’ finally settled on me. “But he couldn’t without me.”

Kol shook his head. “The King appointed a regent to govern in the interim, but Nyx must take his rightful place as soon as possible.”

“You’re his twin. Couldn’t you?” I was grasping at straws, knowing if he could have, he surely would.

“The Regent is a place holder offered by the King, because we all know the next General Asra should be Nyx, not me. If I take the place of the first born, that will be it. It’s more than a rank. It’s the hereditary role of alpha dragon of all the kingdoms. Being an alpha physically changes you. I couldn’t fill in for him and then pass it back. The alpha is the alpha until he dies. He would have to challenge me and kill me to claim his birthright back, and neither of us would ever…”

I nodded, understanding the primal nature of what he was explaining, while also grasping that I was the missing key to Nyx’s whole future.

“So, will he have to challenge the Regent?” I asked, wondering how that would be different to Kol filling in.

“No, the Regent is a dragon not of our line, so he can’t sit at the head of the family. As general and interim head of the Dragon Council, he holds the responsibility, but he can’t become alpha without a challenge. And since there are no bloodlines left capable of challenging Asra dragons, without the Asra blood in his veins, he would simply die trying.”

It was all fascinating, and I found my interest troubling, because I would not be staying, and I did not need or want to know more about the politics I’d unwittingly become part of.

Kol led the way silently for a while as we both digested the weight of that information. We walked through winding passages and up flights of stairs, then out onto a massive courtyard.

I froze, the sight hitting me. The palace sat above a massive city—one I saw in the distance from the air. It stretched farther than the eye could see. If I hadn’t been looking at it myself, I wouldn’t have ever been able to imagine so many houses in one space. The sheer number of fae must have been overwhelming. How could they all live so close together? It must have taken them a day to walk across the expanse of the city.

“Sometimes I forget what a sight it is,” Kol whispered.

“How are there so many fae here?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Very different from what you’re used to, I imagine.”

I nodded in awe. “Did you grow up here?”

“I did. The general was stationed here, so we were born here, but most dragons live within the capital now.”

“Why?”

“We are rare and becoming more so every day. There aren’t many of us left, so living alongside the legion and the majority of our kind protects us before we come into the use of our powers and can defend ourselves.” His words were solemn.

“Why are you becoming so rare?” ‘Dying off’ was the phrase that came to mind, but I would avoid those words at all costs.

“Dragon’s Bane,” he said simply but bitterly.

“I’m sorry.” I still didn’t know exactly what role my community played in that, but it was clear it was something not good, and I didn’t know how to feel.

“It’s not your fault. I’m glad you’re here now. Things can finally be how they should be.”

I frowned, a pang of guilt hitting me in the chest. I didn’t want to stay here or help Nyx… at least I didn’t want to want to. But things were complicated and becoming more so by the minute. How could I reject Nyx when it would affect his twin, too? Twins were a gift from the Goddess. A soul living in two bodies. They were sacred to her. They shared connections others would never understand. While Nyx felt closed off and cold, Kol seemed to wear his mood on his sleeve. I could feel his worry and stress over his brother.

I rubbed a hand over his arm. “I can tell you worry over him.”

“Someone has to.” He forced a smile back to his lips.

“He’s that bad?”

“Worse than you can even imagine!” His eyes danced with amusement. “But he’s a good guy deep down.”

I scoffed.“He must have buried it deep.”

“He hides it well.” He put his hand over mine. “Come on. We have places to be.”

ELEVEN