Page 59

Chapter 54

Adrian

"W ell, seems I missed a party," I said dryly, looking at the body that was sprawled across the floor while rubbing the bridge of my nose.

This was not what I was expecting to find when I got back from my quick run to find some better bread. A man I didn't know propped up like some shitty center piece at an art show in the middle of our goddamned living room .

What I wouldn't give to skip whatever this was, crash into bed, and maybe cuddle with Aaliyah to clear my mind before the shit show that was going to be tonight. The First Rights, the starting call for Challenges, and Retaliation. For Exilium, even if it didn't pass.

Instead, here we were.

With a body.

Typical.

"Anyone want to explain what's going on? Or are we just going to leave me in suspense?" I asked, striding forward, then stopping next to Nero.

They were all standing around the man, watching intently at where Aaliyah sat at his side, her eyes closed. With the exception of Fallon, who seemed to be sulking on the far side of the room.

My heart clenched, and I listened for a heartbeat, only breathing again when I found it.

I plopped down next to her, brushing the hair away from her damp forehead, stricken when she didn't move.

"Osiris went looking for a charm in the Pits. Something to do with Darius's power," Eirik grunted, nodding toward the body. Like that explained everything, let alone how Osiris was here . "He found him."

Oh, well, it is what it is.

The man's eyes flashed behind closed lids, moving as though dreaming. He was … something. Like what I imagined an old wizard in an ancient tower might look like, with a scraggly beard and frail frame. Straight down to the bone thinness. His hair had been chopped crudely, recently based on the remnants of the long strands on the floor, just enough to keep it out of his face.

Not to mention the smell . God, it was a good thing I wasn't hungry.

"Problem is, said charm is a man with a couple thousand screws loose. Aaliyah's in his head, trying to piece it back together," Nero added. He brushed his hair back, circling his ear with his pointer finger, the barest hint of his trickster personality shining through, covered almost entirely by worry as he searched Aaliyah's still face.

There went my cuddling plans, now well and truly dashed. I stretched out my muscles, giving my arms a good rotation as I settled into my seat on the hardwood, lucky I couldn't feel how uncomfortable it was. I shuffled again just as a crash rang through the air, and I had to look down to make sure my hand hadn't gone through the floor.

Only for the sound to ring again as Eirik snarled low in his chest. His face twisted as he turned to face the door, like a wall between us.

Whoever was on the other side of the door radiated heat, furious curses on his lips as he crashed into it again. From the scent of smoldering wood and volcanic ash, I'd say we just became hosts to a very pissed off Dragonkin. Lovely . While I didn't exactly know what could have brought Drakon so hot on our heels, I could wager a guess.

Another crash, more cursing.

"Osiris. Was this man the only thing you found in the Pits?" I asked.

I didn't need words. The shake of his head was enough. I sighed, rubbing my neck as I stood, preparing my best impression of a sleazy salesman's smile. I cracked my back, chuckling when the barest hint of a threat came muffled into the room. I walked to the door, then opened it to the fury-filled Dragonkin.

Drakon's eyes were lit with fire, the golden browns seeming almost red under the heat. He let out a breath, smoke fanning his face as red scales crawled up his neck.

"Drakon, just in time," I managed to get out as he barreled in like a crazed bat out of hell and went after probably the worst of us he could have.

"You slimy coward of a fucking man!" he screamed, grabbing Osiris by the collar, slamming him into the nearest wall like he was an unruly couch and not a walking embodiment of ancient death. "You just don't know when to stop!"

It was probably a good thing we couldn't kill each other right now.

I saw the moment Drakon's skin connected with Osiris's, his eyes darkening, the mismatching blue suddenly swirling. Lightning sparked in the air, the scent of electricity sending me into overdrive as I rushed forward, once again ready to play mediator.

"Tensions are obviously very high, but I would recommend airing your grievance say … five feet away?"

But Drakon didn't let up, that persistent Dragon in him pushing him to get closer. I'd seen the markings of it nearly every day with Eirik, the sharpening of his pupils into hard-cut diamonds. More smoke billowed from his nose.

The air sparked again, my hair standing up.

"I think I'm perfectly happy right where I am. I should fucking gut all of you! You ruined everything!" Drakon snarled.

Osiris's eyes bled red, his fingers wrapping around Drakon's wrist, shaking as they squeezed hard enough to clash with the Eternium magic. "Kri'Valta was dealt with?—"

"This isn't about Kri'Valta. This is about the monster you let out of the Pits!" Drakon pushed again before he dropped Osiris's shirt. "Cael is free, and he just Challenged Adathan! All of our planning for nothing! Our deal is over, our partnership, all of it. Fuck you, all of you. I should have known better than to trust the word of a Vivas."

The room fell silent, everyone waiting for Osiris to move as he stood straight once again.

There was a terrifying weight to Osiris's presence, one I tended to ignore since he was my family. But I saw that look now, that unearthly power that made people fear him so much.

He was well over two thousand years old. He held the magic of Echomancy , the strongest and most volatile of its kind, and he was a Vampire. The blood of Sebek Ra.

The fucking Kingslayer .

His head tipped to the side, and he moved, caging Drakon in with sure steps until they were away from where Aaliyah was. The others that had followed Drakon—Aldric, his second, like a ghost, he moved so deftly, and Cassius, his ruthless enforcer—tensed.

"If your plan is shallow enough to break under one man, then it is a worthless plan," Osiris said, deceptively calm. Until he took another step, and fire burned where his feet had been.

"The votes were already close, you know that—" Drakon snarled.

"And you knew that I would Challenge if Exilium failed. But this isn't about Exilium, is it? This was never just about Exilium, or did you think I didn't realize that?" Osiris asked.

Drakon paled as confusion spiked, even in my mind. Eirik was quick to capitalize, quick to move to stand by Osiris's side, staring down Cassius as the large Dragonkin sized up my brother.

He was big, damned fucking big, with black hair and a wiry smile that almost reminded me of Nero. His black eyes were calculating, testing if this were a fight he'd win, if the circumstances were different.

"So, he has something else planned, something dangerous?" Eirik added, looking to Drakon, digging into his soul with a flash of teeth as his wolf came to the fray.

Nero was next; like a well-oiled machine, they were a force, a monster, and with all three of them standing in front of him, Drakon's rage-filled facade crumbled. It was as impressive as it was daunting.

"No, something else. I'd place my bet on revolutionary," Nero pushed, chuckling when Drakon straightened at the accusation. "You do seem the type to hero worship. Let me guess, you'll be the hero of this story?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Drakon snarled, looking suddenly like a trapped dog, ready to bite.

I should have stepped in, but goddamn, even I was scared to get too close. Fallon moved to guard Aaliyah's body with his, simply watching the madness unfold as our brothers showed their age.

Their power.

"Tell me, with Sebek out of the way, what do you really want to vote on?" Osiris asked.

No, he Charmed. The weight of it, the unbearable force slamming Aldric and Cassius to their knees with startled gasps. Drakon stayed standing, barely, but that didn't stop the words from spilling out. "True equality. Eternals by popular vote, not power. Exposure to the humans."

What they meant couldn't be taken back now, a truth like none other. Drakon realized it just as fast, shaking his head. "You bastard?—"

"A goal you can't accomplish without more power. Allies that we've supplied to your cause, but Cael can sway that with his age if he wins, can't he?" Osiris asked, with a finality more certain than death. "You think to play me at my own game, Drakon? That's dangerous for someone so young."

Whatever worry I'd had that he'd follow through with the threat died then as Drakon swallowed his pride, gritting his teeth. "I'll kill you for this. Maybe not now, but one day. I fucking swear it."

Osiris's head tilted, and he stood tall.

"There's a long line of shallow graves full of men that have vowed the same," he said, a spark of fire across his skin promising a fight if Drakon just asked for it.

He had the good sense to step back.

"And even if you do manage it, you still have to deal with the rest of us. Which I can't even say I'd be mad about. You look like you'd be a good fight," Nero added with a whistle, cracking his knuckles.

Drakon, faced with the elders of the Vivas Crypt—Osiris the Kingslayer, Nero the Emperor, and Eirik the Tactician, the fabled Emperor's shadow—dipped his head. He didn't try to go to blows like I half expected him to, even against what the Eternium was likely pushing on him. Instead, he looked over to the couch, to Aaliyah and the man she was trying to save.

"So, do you hold on to this righteous anger and hold out some paltry hope to try to kill us? Or do you trust that we still have the upper hand here?" Osiris pushed, giving him no time to recover from the onslaught of power that had been thrown at him.

Drakon contemplated it, his lips curling back as his tension showed in the flex of his hands and the clench of his jaw.

"I will kill you one day, Vivas. I fucking swear it." Drakon's promise went on deaf ears as Osiris raised a brow and didn't respond. Drakon ground his teeth as he moved on. "Do I even want to know what's happening right now?"

I hummed, happy to step forward and act as the distraction. Though that didn't mean I'd let him get close, still functioning as a block between him and Aaliyah. The last thing we needed was this place going up in flames with her still locked inside the head of a madman.

"Don't you know a human sacrifice when you see one? Such a young, innocent Dragonkin. Too pure for this world," I quipped, taking the moment to ease the tension, smiling widely when Drakon let out a long breath, as though searching for patience.

I flexed my hands, quelling the shaking, forcing a steady breath.

"What Adrian meant to say is Aaliyah is trying to desoupify this lovely gentleman's brain," Nero added, not at all helpfully.

Drakon grunted, rubbing his temples. "Fuck me, there's two of them. You can have a different shtick, you know."

Nero huffed, walking forward and wrapping an arm around Drakon's shoulders. He pulled the man down, acting as if he hadn't been ready to just rip his throat out. Drakon took offense, snarling and tensing up, though it wasn't enough to get Nero to let go. "Technically, if we want to promote accuracy, I'm far worse. I'm the original, after all."

Nero's merciless swagger was only accented by the smirk he plastered on as he pulled away, just as Drakon snapped his teeth at him. Drakon's wary eyes traced where he stood as Nero bowed low. "Now, did you come for an actual reason? Or, just to try to fight Osiris? Because honestly, it wasn't your best choice."

I still waited for more rage, for the crumbling of Drakon's already declining patience. Dragonkin weren't known for letting go of things, not like this, but he just crossed his arms. Seemed Osiris hit the nail on the head with his wants.

We could still help him, even if he fucking hated us, and that was the crux of all good deals.

"Unless the mystery man on your floor can scrounge us up five extra votes, Exilium is going to fail, even with our Challenges," Drakon said, grunting. "And with Cael running rampant, so will a vote on introduction to the human world."

"Not quite. Should only be four, assuming Axius does as I expect," I added, fully confident that he'd at the very least try to persuade Hyland away from his current path. "Then, three at least, assuming this guy is any help at all? If we wipe Darius out, that just might pull the leverage we need."

But that was, unfortunately, my only bit of good news.

Three votes down going into the night wasn't our best odds.

"We always knew it was going to be close," Fallon said, brushing his hair back.

I stole a second, just one, to check him over. The Call still clung to our minds, the nagging need to hunt like stepping on jagged rock but not being able to shake them off. He shook, his hands trembling as he flexed them, hiding that pain well. Even the marks of the sun, the jagged black lines, still hadn't fully faded. And that was nothing to say of the Fae Bargain on his chest, or the haunted look in his eyes.

Osiris was exhausted, his eyes dull as he shook off whatever he'd faced in the Pits. Darius was getting to him. Eirik was a mess, but at least his beast settled for the first time in what had to be ages. Nero was still dealing with the effects of getting his memories back, his mind still scrambled up, his body following closely behind.

We were in shambles, not a good look for a united front.

Especially not with the dilemma I was facing to add a cherry on top of our shit pie. My nails bit into my palm, and I longed for the sour hint of pain.

"If the vote fails, we still have this," Osiris said, producing the vial of High Fae Mana, as if on cue. The shimmery gold liquid sloshed in the small diamond glass. A possibility for a few more votes, but even that could go haywire. At the end of the day, who knew what would come spewing out of Sebek's mouth? "Sebek will tell the truth tonight, whether or not he desires to."

Nothing good, for sure.

Drakon nodded. "And you'll really do it if we come out on the losing side? Challenge him?"

Osiris's eyes flashed red, and he bared his teeth, but it was Nero who stepped forward. Always the gladiator, he didn't even look fazed, brushing his hair back, showing eyes that were only fire. It was one of the few times Nero would lose the bubbly face.

When a fight was coming.

"I'll be Challenging Sebek," he said, all bravado and strength. "Osiris will take out Darius. You worry about the rest."

My heart dropped, and Drakon narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Nero's stance. Osiris stared on, as well, looking shocked yet unable to get any words out.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm of age, technically," Nero said with a click of his tongue when Osiris opened his mouth to protest. "And you and I both know the bureaucracies of the job would lead you to an early grave, Osi. I'll take on Sebek. I need to do this. It's my fight."

He glanced back then, to where Aaliyah still sat silent. For decades he'd watched her get torn apart, unable to do anything about it as our Maker, her Uncle, broke her down and ripped her open. That rage simmered in his eyes now, hidden behind his fragile smile.

"If we're really fucking lucky, it won't come to that," Drakon added. "But be prepared anyway. The last thing we need is dead weight."

"No, hopefully not. But if it does? Gods . I can't wait to punch that worthless fuck in the face." Nero chuckled. "You don't have to worry. If it comes to Challenge. I won't lose."

It hid the real worry in his words, the understanding that fighting Sebek was the last option, because it wasn't one we ever expected to survive. Aaliyah wouldn't like it. She barely accepted it with Osiris, since he was the eldest.

To lose Prince again?

"We need to tell her," Eirik said, voicing my thoughts with a grunt, and Nero hesitated.

"She'll hate it." He sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Yes, but she deserves to know," Eirik finished, the grumble of his wolf adding to his words.

Melancholy silence filled the room, the weight of the evening bearing down. I looked to Nero, to the brother we just got back, and tried to find it in me to accept this choice. It was the right move, strategically. Gave us the best odds at winning if it did come down to a fight.

That didn't make it sit any easier in my stomach.

"Nothing to be done about it now. Drakon, leave. We know our plan, you know your part. We need time to prepare." Osiris's words were final, and he turned away, giving the Dragonkin his back.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Drakon grumbled, his face pinching at the obvious disrespect, but he didn't fight it, just left, his second and enforcer following closely behind him.

Though not before Cassius gave one more look to Eirik, the feral hint of a challenge simmering there.

A problem to deal with later.

"What do we do now?" I asked.

Nero took a seat next to Aaliyah, taking her hand softly in his. Everyone was quick to follow, needing to be close to her. It was a mess of elbows and cursed words as we worked it out, sprawled around her where she sat.

"Wait for her. As long as we have to," Nero mumbled, never taking his eyes off her face.

As long as we had to.

Each second I got to look at her, to breathe her in, was more time than I'd thought I'd have, and I cherished every single one. Counting down the moments I had left.

Before the First Rights decided our fates.