Page 55 of Kingdom of Darkness and Dragons (Empire of Vengeance #4)

"I should have tried," I agreed. "I should have found a way to expose the truth, to prevent what happened. I was a coward."

"No," Antonius said quietly. "You were trapped. Just like the rest of us."

I looked at him in surprise, seeing something that might have been sympathy in his dark eyes.

"You think we don't understand impossible choices?" he continued. "You think gladiators never had to compromise their principles to survive? The difference is that your chains were made of gold instead of iron, but they were still chains."

"That doesn't excuse—"

"It doesn't excuse anything," Marcus interrupted. "But it explains it. And explanation is the first step toward trust."

The words were more than I had dared to hope for, a crack in the wall of hostility that had separated me from the group since my identity was revealed.

"There's more you need to know," I said, feeling the weight of secrets I'd carried alone for too long. "About the dragons, about my father's plans for the Talfen."

"We're listening," Septimus said.

I took a deep breath, knowing that what I was about to reveal would change everything. "The dragon breeding program is failing. Has been for years. The offspring are getting smaller, weaker. Many births produce normal animals instead of shifters. The bloodlines are becoming diluted."

"Because you're breeding slaves," Tarshi said with disgust. "Forcing matings between creatures who have no choice in the matter."

"Exactly. And my father knows it. That's why this campaign is different from the raids and border skirmishes of the past. This isn't about territory or resources.

" I met their shocked gazes. "This is about capturing every remaining dragon shifter in the world.

Men, women, children—all of them. He wants to completely revitalize the breeding program with fresh genetic material. "

"And the non-shifters?" Septimus asked, though his tone suggested he already knew the answer.

"Extermination. Complete and systematic. He believes that as long as free Talfen exist, they'll continue to harbour and protect the shifters. So the solution is to eliminate them all except for the dragons needed for breeding."

The horror on their faces was a mirror of what I'd felt when my father had explained his vision with the casual enthusiasm of a man discussing livestock improvements.

"That's genocide," Antonius said flatly.

"Yes," I agreed. "It is."

"But why now?" he pressed. "The Empire has been raiding Talfen territory for decades. Why escalate to total war?"

It was Sirrax who answered, his voice heavy with the weight of terrible understanding. "Learning to hide better. Protect our young. Free dragons stronger, more organized."

I nodded grimly. "Sirrax is right. My father feels threatened. For the first time in generations, the Empire is facing an enemy that might actually be able to fight back effectively. So he's decided to eliminate the threat before it can fully develop."

"The shadow mages," Tarshi said suddenly. "They're part of it, aren't they? The Talfen resistance."

"According to Imperial intelligence, yes. Beings of immense power who've given up their humanity to wield forces that conventional armies can't match.”

"We saw what one of them could do in that valley.” Marcus said quietly. “And if he has Livia..."

The unfinished thought hung in the air like a physical presence. We all knew what it meant, what the implications were for our rescue mission.

"We have to stop him," Tarshi said finally. "Your father, the breeding program, all of it. We have to find a way."

"I agree," I said immediately. "But how? He commands the largest military force in the known world. He has dragons, soldiers, resources beyond imagining. What can a handful of escaped slaves and one conflicted prince possibly do against that?"

The question hung unanswered between us, highlighting the impossible magnitude of what we were contemplating. But for the first time since my identity had been revealed, I felt like I was truly part of the group rather than an outsider being barely tolerated.

"I don't know," Antonius admitted. "But we have to try. The alternative is watching an entire people disappear from the world."

"Starting with finding Livia," Septimus added. "If this shadow mage is as powerful as you say, we need to understand what he wants with her."

"And what he might be willing to trade for her safe return," Marcus concluded grimly.

I looked around at these men who had every reason to hate me, who had been given every justification to see me as their enemy. Instead, they were including me in their planning, accepting me as an ally in a cause that could very well destroy us all.

"Whatever it takes," I said quietly. "Whatever the cost, we stop this. We save Livia, we free the prisoners, and we find a way to end my father's war before it can consume everything we care about."

"Together," Antonius said, offering me his hand.

I gripped it firmly, feeling the calluses earned through years of brutal training and the strength that had kept him alive through horrors I could barely imagine.

"Together," I agreed.

For the first time in my life, I felt like I belonged somewhere. Not because of my bloodline or my title, but because of my choices. Because these men had seen the worst of what I represented and had chosen to judge me on my actions rather than my heritage.

It was terrifying and liberating in equal measure.

"So," Marcus said, breaking the moment with practical considerations. "How do we cross this river without getting swept away?"

I looked at the rushing water, at the dangerous crossing that stood between us and whatever lay ahead. It seemed like an appropriate metaphor for everything we were about to face.

"Very carefully," I said. "And with a lot of faith that we'll make it to the other side."

"Then let's have faith," Tarshi said, moving toward the bridge. "And let's go get our woman back."

As we began the treacherous crossing, I found myself thinking not about the dangers ahead, but about the word Tarshi had used.

Our woman. Not his, not theirs, but ours.

Including me in that possessive plural, accepting me as one of Livia's mates despite everything that should have made that impossible.

The water was cold and treacherous, the stones slippery beneath our feet. But we moved together, each man supporting the others, united in purpose if not in background. And for the first time since this nightmare began, I allowed myself to hope that we might actually succeed.

That love might be stronger than politics, that choice might matter more than blood, and that six desperate men might somehow find a way to change the world.