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“I believe in everything until it's disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it's in your mind.”

—John Lennon

The base of the Dark Ones, also known as the Cove, was housed in the no-public-access Chrysler Crown in the heart of New York City.

The previous Dark Queen who reigned supreme, arguably the greatest Dark Queen in the history of that Kind, Jade Cicada, had combined three floors into one so that a magnificently opulent, gigantic Great Hall rose thirty feet from the floor to meet at the intricately decorated point of a vaulted dome. Over ten thousand square feet if it was an inch, the Great Hall was surrounded on all sides by floor to ceiling triangular windows, alternating with ribbed and riveted stainless-steel cladding, radiating outwards in the world-famous sunburst pattern.

Within this unique architectural dream, every piece of décor was meticulously selected to emphasize the gorgeous bones of the building itself. It was brightly lit with chandeliers and sconces, though the black-out windows prevented others from looking in, while those inside had a clear, unobstructed view of the dazzling cityscape. There was no clutter of ostentatious statues, fountains or paintings to distract from the elegant beauty of the architecture itself, but what embellishments were there were of the highest quality and taste.

Albeit a little dramatic. With a lot of devil-may-care flair.

“Vampires” liked to live large.

The current ruler of the New England Hive, and by extension, all of North America, was also the first-ever Dark King across the countless millennia that the race had existed, created by the Twin Goddesses once upon a time. Few knew that he used to possess a Pure One base before choosing the Dark side over death when granted the choice. And even fewer knew he was an Earth Elemental, the strongest in his element of the rare breed.

Which was why when Benjamin D’Angelo walked into the Great Hall toward Alend Ramses’ obsidian throne, he could feel the Dark King’s power emanating all around him, practically throbbing in the walls, the stately columns, and the marble floor beneath him.

The warrior king himself was dressed in head-to-toe conservative black, not unlike his elite personal guards, the Chosen. He wore no crown, no rings, no adornments at all.

He didn’t need them.

His exquisitely masculine features looked chiseled from the most precious stones. The only softness on his person seemed to be his unruly black curls, a haphazard yet stylish toss messily framing his face.

As if he’d just rolled out of bed after an endless buffet of fucking. And needy, greedy hands had pulled and yanked on the tousled waves in desperate debauchery.

But for all his hypnotic sexual charisma and inscrutable mien, wrapped around him like a living cloak, his dark eyes sparkled like black diamonds, sharp, focused, and intelligent.

“Ramses,” Ben greeted, striking his right fist over his heart and bowing his head in respect.

“Dragon,” the Dark King returned, shrewd gaze narrowing upon Ben’s person.

In the thirty years since Ben Awakened to his Beast form and his Pure One base, made immortal through the process, only a small circle of family and friends knew what he was.

The Pure Queen Sophia knew, and so did her Royal Zodiac, the members of her innermost court. Because of the informal alliance between Sophia and Ramses, the Dark King and his Chosen also knew.

While the Immortal Kinds of Pure Ones, Dark Ones, Beasts and Elementals took care of their own affairs, numbering only in the ten-thousands amongst billions of humans, there was a time or two that Ben and his dragons were called in to assist in particularly…hairy situations with their unique brand of firepower.

Why everyone chose Ben as the dragons’ representative he didn’t know.

The dragons themselves deferred to him, were loyal to him. Perhaps because Ben and his “uncle” Erebu the Black Dragon had discovered each and every one of them and helped them find their Destined Mates.

And, too, Ben was the largest and most lethal dragon of them all.

The Black was almost the same size, but Ere wasn’t a natural fighter. According to him, he was a “luvah”. Particularly of his Mate, Sorin, the Golden Phoenix.

Ere’s powers were immeasurable, but they only manifested to an extreme degree when Sorin was in danger. His dragon was still a badass fucker in normal situations, but he was significantly less aggressive.

Training and fighting bored him. Flying practice, especially the long hauls for endurance building, exhausted him. But if he had the right incentive—namely chasing Sorin for lascivious ends—he became jacked up on adrenaline and will power, able to overcome all obstacles.

Unfortunately, in warfare, Sorin couldn’t always be the tempting carrot dangled in front of his face, for better or worse. And Ere just wasn’t much self-motivated to perform without a threat or a treat.

Ben, by contrast, had been trained from age ten to be a dragon rider, honed in martial arts and military strategy by Cloud, a celestial dragon with a Pure One base, who was also one of the Royal Zodiac. And in one of his earliest incarnations, Ben had been the first-ever King of the Beasts of earth. He’d fought for the Twin Goddesses during the Age of Gods.

In other words, he was a warrior, a leader, born and bred. As such, he became the defacto dragon king, though no one put it in so many words. Ben himself would be the first to disabuse any and all of the very notion.

Besides, there had never been a “king” of dragons. There weren’t that many of them to begin with, and each dragon was unique, powerful in their own right. Some looked so different, they might as well be a different species altogether.

Ben wasn’t a king of anything. He was merely a representative.

“Benjamin! It’s so good to see you!”

This came from the small red-haired woman sitting beside Ramses on the throne. She looked like a child up there, legs all but dangling. In her lap was a large, ancient looking tome.

Ben rather suspected that she read books when court was in session while her Mate maneuvered in the shark-infested waters of Dark politics.

“It’s good to see you too, Eveline,” he replied, smiling at the female.

Eveline Marceau was the Pure Ones’ Seer and Scribe, as well as the Dark Ones’ Keeper. Though they’d never had a formal Mating ceremony, everyone knew who she was to Ramses. The title Consort wasn’t ever spoken of, nor acknowledged in any way, just like the Pure-Dark alliance wasn’t ever mentioned.

Both were true, nevertheless.

Eveline was Ramses’ Blooded Mate, but she never interfered in Dark politics. All she cared about, Ben knew from the time he used to live in the Shield with the Royal Zodiac, was books. She called herself the two races’ fortune teller and librarian.

Ben didn’t miss the infinitesimal narrowing of eyes that Ramses directed his way when he smiled at the possessive male’s Mate. Nor could he miss the beaming grin Eveline bestowed upon the Dark King.

“Oh, don’t look like that, Yogi Bear,” she cooed. “You know you’re the most magnificent male who ever breathed. At least to me. Ben might be handsome, but he couldn’t possibly hold a candle to you.”

She reached across the narrow divide between their seats to hug his arm to her bosom, all the while gazing adoringly at him with those big blue-gray eyes.

“So, he’s handsome?” Ramses murmured softly.

Rather dangerously.

“Well, I’m not a liar, am I? Anyone can see that he is,” Eveline said calmly, as if she dealt with this line of questioning all the time.

“So are all of your Chosen warriors—handsome, that is,” she pointed out, all blinking innocence. “Eli in particular is rather delicious.”

“Delicious…”

One black brow rose ominously.

“But none of that signifies,” Eveline continued unperturbed. “The only thing that matters is that I’m hopelessly addicted to your …”

She leaned in closer to whisper, though Ben’s acute animal hearing picked up the words just fine.

“…sausage and milk.”

Ben bit the inside of his lip and turned his gaze away as his chest shook a little on a forcibly suppressed laugh.

It was perhaps a good thing that court was not in session at this time. Only a few Chosen warriors were present in the Great Hall, standing post a polite but readily reachable distance away. (Though he was willing to bet Eveline behaved no differently in front of a more formal audience.)

Ramses was famous for being completely besotted with his librarian Mate.

Finally, the Dark King refocused on Ben, straightening in his seat but allowing his Mate to keep her arm linked with his. Eveline, for her part, went back to reading the gigantic tome.

“I would not have required an in-person interview were it not for the nature of the discovery one of my Chosen recently made,” Ramses said.

Ben straightened as well, all ears.

At a mere sideways glance from the Dark King, a man appeared out of nowhere, taking form from the shadows of the Hall.

Even though Ben and his dragons had defeated the Dark Goddesses’ shadows— Seven ’s shadows—thirty years ago, he still reflexively braced himself.

But he needn’t have worried. It was Ryu Takamura, the Dark King’s Assassin, a rare shadow warrior just like his sire, Eli, Lord Wind.

Eli was the most powerful Air Elemental in existence and didn’t exactly “serve” Ramses as a permanent member of his guard, but he lived at the Cove and protected everyone therein, most especially his Mate, Clara, Ryu and his Mate, Ava, and Kane, his grandson.

The shadow warrior soundlessly stepped up beside Ben, addressing his King.

“While the clues came together to paint a concerning picture over the last week, I’ve actually been on the perpetrators’ trail for the past four decades.”

Ben was immediately alert.

It had been thirty years since Seven, the “Twins,” disappeared from the Universe. And forty years, give or take, since Ere began the dragon quests. Perhaps the timing was serendipitous.

But Ben didn’t believe in coincidences.

Ryu turned slightly to include Ben in his peripheral vision.

“As you know, dragon king—”

“Ben,” he insisted softly.

Ryu blinked, then compromised with, “—D’Angelo, the Dark Hives have ever been on the brink of civil war. It is simply how we’re made.”

“Unruly, bloodthirsty, lusty vampires and all that,” Eveline inserted cheerfully, looking up from her book.

Ramses slid her the side eye.

“I mean it as a compliment where you’re concerned, my love,” she added for his ears, patting his knee.

Ryu spoke on without missing a beat.

“While my king has consolidated power in North America since he took the ruling mantle, the rest of the world remains divided. The legacy of Medusa’s experiments is still out there, both living and inanimate.”

Medusa had been the Pure and Dark Ones’ arch nemesis for many years before they finally put an end to her. Hundreds and thousands of years, if one counted from the start of her expansive machinations.

She was also Ben’s great aunt, but that’s another story.

“You mean the turned vampires, genetically spliced were-monsters and explosive bullets that can be calibrated to different Kinds,” Ben sought to confirm.

“As well as the underground fight clubs and illegal Blood Slave trade,” Ryu added.

“We have eradicated all such threats in my dominion,” Ramses said, his voice a dark growl, “but they have proliferated abroad.”

“I am aware,” Ben put in. “There was an incident in the Middle East that got out of control.”

“And I appreciate your dragons’ aid there,” the Dark King acknowledged. “It was much more swiftly dealt with than my own resources could have managed.”

Shai had been the closest to the situation. He’d eradicated the threat stealthily in one night.

“Team work,” Ben said simply.

“We may be able to repay the favor this time,” Ramses said and looked back to the shadow warrior to further expound.

“The first inkling that dragons existed on earth started about four or five decades ago,” Ryu said. “It was merely rumor and myth in the beginning. But somehow, records of Medusa’s experiments leaked.”

“Or were stolen,” Ben theorized.

“Equally likely,” Ryu agreed.

“There’s a particular journal by a sorceress called Circe that we have recovered and deciphered. She began experiments thousands of years ago with humans and Immortal Kinds. We deduced that the diary came into Medusa’s possession and formed the basis of her own experiments to mix and mingle the genetic ingredients of all Kinds, including humans. As we all know, she succeeded in becoming the Hydra in the end.”

Ere was another proof point.

Ben’s biological sire was the first-ever sky dragon during the Age of Gods in a previous incarnation. In this one, he’d been born a Pure One, then kept alive by Medusa when he would have otherwise died from his tribulations when she injected fragments of her soul into him on two separate occasions.

The way vampires were made instead of born.

After Medusa’s half of the Hydra was destroyed, Wan’er’s half— Seven ’s Dark half—finished the experiments on Ere and succeeded in turning him into a dragon. If others could somehow replicate the process…

It didn’t bear thinking.

Man-made vampires and were-monsters were bad enough, if someone figured out how to create dragons like Ere, the Universal Balance and the fate of the world stood on shaky grounds indeed.

“The good news is, it’s nigh impossible to combine the perfect alchemy to create dragons, according to my expert wife,” Ryu continued.

Ryu referred to his Blooded Mate, Ava Monroe, who was a brilliant geneticist.

“The starting point must be immortal, for the process itself would kill any human from the pain and trauma alone. Most humans can’t withstand the splicing of genes to become vampires or were-monsters. Only about one thousandths of one percent survive. But even if the starting point is an immortal, they must be extremely powerful. The transformation happens in stages over a long period of time, not all at once.”

“There are only two dozen or so beings with such power,” Ramses interjected. “I estimate that there are three, perhaps four, in my own dominion.”

Ben thought he knew who they were—Eli, Maximus, Jade, and Ramses himself.

“A similar number on the Pure side,” the Dark King elaborated.

Ben counted Sophia, Tal-Telal, Inanna and Valerius. They were the most powerful in their own different ways.

“Could I assume that none of you have the desire to become dragons?” Ben asked, just to be sure.

Of course, Ramses could always lie, but Ben was a good judge of character. He’d know.

The Dark King bared the edges of his fangs in a not-quite smile, a dangerous glint in his obsidian eyes.

“I am plenty powerful just the way I am,” he said quietly, the underlying threat implicit yet well understood:

He could bring the whole skyscraper down around their ears and bury them alive with the snap of his fingers if he was so inclined. He didn’t need to be a giant lizard to do it.

“You have no need to worry on the Pure side either,” Ben said on behalf of Queen Sophia, hoping she wouldn’t mind.

“I do not worry,” Ramses stated clearly.

Right.

Ben should take a few lessons in diplomacy from Seth Tremaine, the Consul and Blooded Mate of Queen Jade.

He could almost hear what Seth would say if he were here.

Don’t ever suggest or even hint that the Dark King isn’t the most powerful being in his domain, or that he isn’t in full control of every inch of North America.

Ben had just managed to imply both.

He cleared his throat and put on a sheepish expression, hoping Ramses would overlook his faux pas. After all, he wasn’t even sixty years old, a mere babe compared to other immortals, especially ancient ones like Ramses.

Ramses stared at Ben for a beat longer than necessary, and Ben stood still under the scrutiny, empathizing with pinned bugs under a laser microscope.

Finally, a corner of the Dark King’s mouth quirked slightly, as if he was amused. The way a veteran warrior wolf tolerated an eager young pup that just fell over his own too-large paws.

“For the rest of the immortals with the level of power to attempt such a transformation,” he said, getting back to the topic at hand, “they are scattered around the world, mostly outside of this continent. I have made a list with my Keeper’s help.”

“That would be me,” Eveline chirped, raising her hand.

“Keeper of the Dark and Pure histories by night, and Keeper of Ramses’ heart by day.”

“You are my Keeper every hour of every day,” her Mate murmured, dark eyes hooded.

She beamed at him in reply, practically melting into his side.

“I have been keeping tabs on the names on the list these many decades,” Ryu said, bringing the focus back to him.

“Seven of them I merely observe and check on once in a while. Nine of them require further investigation and vigil. Their strongholds are scattered around the world, in nine different locations.”

“What Kind are they?” Ben asked.

“Six are Dark Ones, three are Pure,” Ryu replied. “One of the Dark Ones has an animal spirit, it seems, and one of the Pure Ones has an affinity to the elements, though I have not been able to capture evidence of these deductions.”

“Are they friend or foe?”

“Five of the Dark Ones are aggressively pro-Dark rule,” Ryu said. “One of them doesn’t seem to swing one way or the other. And surprisingly enough, one of the Pure Ones is quite militant, waging a full-scale guerilla war on Dark Ones, no matter whether they broke the laws or not.”

Ben considered this. Ramses could use help stabilizing the regions outside of North America. It would benefit all Kinds.

“I am happy to lend support again if that is what you need—” he started to offer.

“The time for that may come,” the Dark King interrupted.

“But the more interesting fact about these nine powerful immortals is that their strongholds are built upon ancient ruins. Deep beneath these ruins lay labyrinths of lost civilizations, dating far before the first records of human history.”

The academic in Ben perked up.

“How far?” he asked.

“Tens of thousands of years,” came the reply.

That would put the timeline around the Age of the Gods, during what humans had identified broadly as the last Ice Age.

“I assume none of the ruins have been discovered through human archeology?” Ben sought to confirm.

“Not precisely as such,” Ramses said.

“As you well know, we immortals often hide in plain sight. The Cove and the Shield are both founded in New York City, encased within famous, enterprise-driven buildings. Humans have discovered some of these sites in one sense, but they never dug deep enough.”

Ben knew for a fact that modern archeology only scratched the surface of what was buried beneath the earth and under the seas. Much of what used to be land mass was now covered by water. Dust and debris accumulated over time. Rocks and minerals stacked on top of each other.

Entire empires within the earth were waiting to be discovered.

“You’re about to tell me what’s buried in the bowels of these ruins,” Ben prompted, barely breathing in anticipation.

Ramses did not keep him in suspense.

“Large spherical objects that have many of the ingredients from all Kinds. Perhaps even all of them.”

They sounded like…

“Eggs,” Ben surmised.

“Yes,” it was Ryu who replied.

“We believe they are dragon eggs. Whether created long ago by the Twin Goddesses themselves, or man-made, we cannot know for certain.”

“Do the nine immortals know of them?” Ben asked.

“Some of them, perhaps. I have not yet determined whom out of the nine know about the making of dragons.”

“But you are certain they have access to the information?” Ben persisted. “Were they part of Medusa’s empire?”

“If they were,” Ryu answered thoughtfully, “they had allied with her for their own purposes. Each of the nine is just as, if not more powerful than, Medusa, by my estimation. They would not have bowed to her; they would have wanted power in their own right.”

“But if these objects are dragon eggs, why have they not hatched?” Eveline suddenly inserted, showing that she was tracking their discussion after all.

“They are tens of millennia old, for one,” Ben reasoned. “Perhaps they are truly stone now. But with the advance of modern science, we have the ability to extract genetic material from just about anything, including long-dead mummies. What’s another few thousand years of aging?”

Ryu nodded.

“Ava hypothesized that the eggs might contain the key to stabilizing the process to make dragons.”

Ben recalled how Ryu began the report.

“You mentioned ‘perpetrators’ before. Do you suspect that one or more of the nine is stirring up trouble—and if so, what—and is dragon-making part of it?”

“What else?” Ramses growled.

“World domination. There are many radicals out there who believe Immortals should rule the world, that humans should be our slaves. Some even believe that human population needs to be culled by at least half.”

Half…four billion people…

It didn’t bear thinking.

“A few dragons or even an army of dragons won’t defeat human machinery and bombs,” Ben pointed out the obvious.

“But all-out warfare could trigger the deployment of atomic bombs,” Ryu said. “That would wipe out entire continents.”

“There would also be nothing left to rule,” Ben argued. “It’s insane.”

“And yet, many millennia ago, before humans, there had been other advanced civilizations,” Ramses reminded him. “Some believe that the universe needs to be reset in order to right itself. In order to begin again.”

“Christ,” Ben bit out.

“Indeed.”

Ben regarded the Dark King in solemn understanding.

“I assume my mission is to retrieve the eggs.”

“It is all of our mission to do so,” it was Ryu who replied. “We will provide the necessary on-the-ground support however we can. Ascertain friend or foe out of the nine immortals in the process.”

Ben clenched his jaw and gave a curt nod.

“I’ll have the dragons on alert. Whoever is the closest can join us perhaps. And become the caretaker of the egg we retrieve.”

“Yes, I concur with this plan,” Ramses said. “If these are truly dragon eggs, then they belong with dragons.”

“Especially the good kind, like Ben’s dragons are!” Eveline cheered.

Then, she hesitated, biting her lip.

“Although…are there bad kinds?”

“There is good and bad in every Kind,” Ben answered. “But I don’t currently know of any other dragons in existence outside of my immediate circle.”

He addressed Ramses again.

“It is paramount that we keep the eggs in the right environment, safe and sound. Especially if there’s a chance they could be hatched after all this time. If it’s one thing I’ve learned across my various incarnations, it is that the greater the power, the greater the responsibility, and the greater the need for control. Not to suppress it or even contain it, but to learn to harness it, use it in the right ways.”

He looked at Eveline.

“For good.”

She beamed back at him.

“Of course, everything related to this mission must be done in secret,” Ryu said.

“There are human agencies that are already suspicious; some black ops divisions are aware of the existence of immortals. We must not fan the flames.”

“A cover then,” Ben proposed. “I can use my academic profile to get access to these sites.”

“I have identified an unwitting partner and guide for you, D’Angelo,” the Dark Assassin offered.

“Oh?”

“An expert in pre-history civilizations. One Dr. Elizabeth Winters…”

But Ben heard nothing else of what Ryu said, only vaguely following along, nodding at the right intervals.

Elizabeth .

Lizzy .

Could she be the one he’d been waiting for?