We followed our guide up the stairs. He led us down a hall, his tan eyes glinting in the warm lighting cast by the sconces on the walls. His eyes looked like molten sand, or… maybe I was just jumping at stereotypes. Egyptian – sand. As I studied them further, I decided they were actually more like aged ivory. That felt right. I wondered what kind of magic that signified.

We reached a large set of white doors, taller than necessary, and our guide opened them for us, announcing our names – even though we hadn’t given them. Even Callie.

I entered the large office, not waiting for our guide to finish speaking. It wasn’t that I had a problem with the guy, but I did have a problem with his boss.

Raego Slate sat in a thickly-padded leather chair behind a wide chrome desk. He had both elbows propped on the surface to support his chin resting on his interwoven fingers – like he was posing for a high school glamour shot. Even though he was flashing us an impish smirk, I sensed that he was tired. Exhausted, even. His eyes took in Callie with an appreciative study before moving on to Tory. His smile stretched just a bit wider at her, and he dipped his chin. What was that all about? His minions had been nervous around her, but Raego was… eager?

He finally turned to me, sighed regretfully, and then lowered his hands to wave at the open seats before him. “Team Temple, please, take a seat. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

I bit my tongue, sensing the ivory-eyed dragon still standing behind us and not wanting to give him a reason to call for backup. Raego was openly toying with my obvious anger. Someone should have told him that wasn’t a healthy hobby. I set my satchel beside a chair and sat down.

“What the hell is going on lately, Raego?” I said with false cheer. Almost as if to an old friend. Almost.

He was nodding absently to himself as if making an inner decision unrelated to us. Then he seemed to remember I was there. He blinked those black eyes of his – iris and pupil practically indistinguishable. “Oh, you know. This. That. Things.” His eyes flickered past me. “Thank you, Ivory. That will be all.”

“I knew it!” I hissed under my breath. My triumph at correctly guessing the dragon’s color overrode my annoyance at Raego’s crap answer. I heard the door close behind us, signaling Ivory’s departure and our privacy. Callie furrowed her brows at me for a moment as if debating whether or not she wanted to know what I had been talking about. Then she shook her head and resumed her study of Raego’s office. I didn’t sense anyone else in the room, but that didn’t mean much. I glanced at Tory to see her letting out a relaxed breath. She didn’t sense anyone either, or she wouldn’t have relaxed.

Raego chuckled and then pressed a button on his watch. I heard a faint chime from several spots around the room. “Someone’s always watching, but now we are private.” He indicated a point near the ceiling with a slight gesture and I turned to see a security camera tucked into the crown molding. He had obviously just turned it off with his watch, because I could see a hinged metal cap covering the lens. The others I had spotted in the halls on the way up here hadn’t had the cap.

Bookshelves took up an entire wall of the massive office, and three expensive leather divans formed an arc around a fireplace in the corner – which was crackling loudly. I smelled liquor in the air, but saw no glasses on the desk or tables. Interesting developments for a man who said he’d been out of town. Of course, that was over an hour ago, so he might not be lying.

I waited for more of an answer to my earlier question, but when it was obvious nothing else was coming, I leaned back into my chair and kicked my feet up onto his desk. I accidentally knocked down a glass figurine and it shattered upon striking the marble floor. I shifted my feet as I turned to look down at it and knocked a wooden box of pens over. “Whoops,” I said, frowning.

Raego held out a hand as Callie instinctively made as if to scoop up the mess. I shot her a scowl as well, but she didn’t notice. He then turned to me with a patient look, not upset, but not amused. “Is something on your mind or are you just here to annoy me?” he asked tiredly.

“Just clumsy. But now that you mention it, I do have a few things on my mind…”

He waved a hand for me to continue, but halfway through the gesture one of the fingers on that hand stretched into an inky black dragon claw. He focused his attention on using the tip of the claw to clean one of his human fingernails on the other hand. It wasn’t a casual threat. It was literally just Raego’s personality. Have a dirty fingernail – use my powerful dragon claw rather than wasting my time tracking down some nail clippers.

“The anticipation is killing me…” he said, not looking up.

“Gunnar got married. And you told me you would be there for it.”

“I doubt Gunnar even noticed my absence. It was just a wedding. Statistically, he’ll probably have another.” Tory’s fingers suddenly gripped the desk, denting it as she leaned forward. Raego blinked as if suddenly recalling his words. He waved his human hand, vaguely apologetic, but it felt more like he regretted that we had taken offense rather than him taking back the statement.

Raego had always been bad at recognizing even widely-accepted social behaviors.

“I can’t be bothered with every social event that happens in this town,” he muttered. I stared at him in disbelief, even glancing back at Tory, who was staring at him as if he were a stranger. He didn’t sound angry, just utterly fed up. Exhausted. As if he gave no shits about no things.

He sensed the silence and finally looked up, his hand shifting back into its human form. “Politics are eating away my soul,” he finally admitted with a yawn.

I blinked at him. “You’re the Dragon King. Execute the politicians and stop being a dick.”

He waggled a finger as if my point had been redundant. “Heavy is the crown.”

I decided to change the topic, sensing Callie and Tory both watching me. “Strange things are going down in our city. Rogue shifters. A lot of… old people are moving into St. Louis…” I said, emphasizing old in hopes he would understand I was referring to Gods and monsters.

He nodded, but his eyes suddenly latched onto a letter opener on the desk. He lifted it with a frown, as if realizing he could have used that for his nails rather than his claw. He grunted and tossed it back, turning to look up at me. “I’m sorry, did you ask me something?”

I let out a very patient breath. I hadn’t spent a whole lot of time around Raego lately – only during life or death situations where all we needed to do was go kill things. But when I had first met him, I’d had my doubts about his mental stability. He shared tendencies with autistic savants. He could be brilliantly quick-witted if properly motivated, but without that motivation he was easily distracted and distant. Or maybe he could only function well when full of adrenaline. Conversations with no immediate benefit were the literal bane of his existence.

I briefly thought of those ancient kings who were almost legendary in their conquests but then lost it all during times of peace. I really hoped that wasn’t the case with Raego.

I needed to motivate him, find the right trigger to engage him. Give him a purpose.

I leaned forward, almost pleading. “Can you help me keep an eye on our city? I think some bad things are coming our way, and we’ll need to work together to get through it.”

“I can’t. I have my own shit to deal with.”

I grunted. “Wow. I’m so glad I helped you earn your crown. It’s the residual appreciation that I love the most. How you always repay the favor. This is your city, too, you know.”

He sneered at that. “I can no longer help you. As you just pointed out, too many dragons remember that you helped me earn my crown.” He met my eyes, the black depths of his irises seeming to ripple like hot oil, letting me know he was on the edge – dangerously close to shifting into his black dragon form – one of the rarest types possible. “I appreciate all that you’ve done to help me get here, Nate. We are friends, but it is time for us to go our separate ways. There are too many new faces in town, but I need to look after my own interests – my dragons.”

“Well, three of those dragons are mine,” I said through my teeth. Tory shifted beside me, silently reminding me that the Reds were technically hers. “That wasn’t a question, so I’m glad you didn’t comment,” I added towards Raego.

Raego rolled his eyes and turned to Tory, letting me know he was well aware who was in charge of the teenagers. “The Reds can go where they wish. But you will not keep them from me if they wish to return here. And I will not try to take them from you. Fair?” he asked her.

She thought about it for a moment. “Yahn as well.” He nodded, looking amused. “Agreed,” she finally said.

He continued to study Tory thoughtfully, and I could tell by the look in those black eyes that he was considering involving her in some scheme. Tory didn’t need my help to stand up against Raego. She could have him eating out of the palm of her hand if she wanted to and he knew it. The only way to get to Tory was… through the Reds. Even though Raego had just assured her they were off limits, I suddenly began to have doubts, sensing loopholes in his promise. I opened my mouth to tell him to back off.

But Callie abruptly stood, cutting me off. I’d almost forgotten she was here. She scooped up my satchel and hefted it over a shoulder. “I left my lipstick inside,” she said, patting the satchel. “Maybe Tory and I can go sit by the fire while you two catch up. It’s rather chilly in here.” Tory stood, rubbing her arms in agreement. I glanced down at the bag that was now in full view. I’d almost forgotten about it, but if Raego had seen it earlier he would have said something.

Clever, Callie… I thought to myself.

I turned back to see Raego’s eyes pass over the satchel to instead watch the women walk away. Then he froze and did a double-take, his fingers suddenly gripping the table as they noticed the chain strap. I followed his gaze to see Callie sit down beside Tory as she reached inside the satchel with an empty hand, speaking softly to Tory. She withdrew her lipstick from the satchel and I managed to hide my surprise. I knew for a fact that her lipstick had never been in my satchel. She had deft fingers to pull off a sleight of hand that easily.

I cleared my throat, turning back to Raego. He slowly turned to me, eyes thoughtful. I smiled, batting my eyelashes innocently. He knew what that chain was made of. Dragon scales so tough that they supposedly couldn’t be melted. Black dragon scales. Just like his own.

“Watch your back, Nate,” he finally said, sounding as if he wanted nothing more than to go get some sleep. “A storm is coming. I’m not sure when, or who, but it’s coming in like a high tide, and I fear we may all break under it.”

“Then perhaps you shouldn’t be cowering in your sandcastle,” I urged, suddenly glad that Callie had left. Whatever she had done had changed something in Raego. “Team up with me. Whatever is coming will have a much harder time dealing with us if we stand together.”

“Team up…” he mused, leaning back in his chair. “Under your rule, no doubt.” I shrugged after a moment, not knowing how to answer his question. I definitely wasn’t looking for any personal gain, but someone needed to coordinate things, and I had done pretty well coordinating numerous groups during the attacks that had plagued St. Louis in recent years. He sighed. “My people will not accept you. Even if I told them to. And I won’t. Not without a direct benefit.”

“Jesus, Raego,” I growled, swiping the hair out of my eyes. “I put you in this throne. What more do you want from me? You know I’m not power-hungry. I’m not trying to dominate you.”

A ghost of a smile crossed his lips. “That should be a thing. Domi-Nate. It’s quite catchy.”

After a moment of tense silence, I let out a faint smile. This was the Raego I liked. “No one else seems to think so…” I muttered.

He shrugged, silently stating there was no accounting for taste. “Let’s not part with harsh words, Nate. I’ve helped you, you’ve helped me. Let’s remember that. Perhaps we can one day stand beside each other again. If it benefits me and mine, of course.” He winked.

I sighed. It wasn’t what I had hoped for, but I understood. He wasn’t speaking as my friend. He led the dragons. All of them. And even though he was in charge, it was likely that many dragons – possibly much older than himself – would only offer their support if they got something out of it. He worked for them as much as they worked for him. Give and take.

I also understood his position about teaming up under my banner. If the Academy had approached me asking me to quasi-submit to them for the betterment of all, I would have had a really tough time agreeing to it. He had a point. He needed to rule his own people. I needed to rule mine. Distant allies, not partners. Very distant, it seemed.

Like Gunnar had just made abundantly clear in regards to his wolves.

And Alucard, I guessed.

Why did it suddenly feel like I was being abandoned by all my friends? Or that a line was being drawn in the sand?

“Okay,” I told him. “But if things get bad, don’t be a stranger.”

He watched me thoughtfully, not answering.