He lifted his chin so he could look down his nose at her. “You’ll have it. As soon as he steps into the ring.”

“The rematch is a done deal.”

His lip curled. “When he’s in the ring. Ask about it again and I may change my mind.”

Anger bubbled up in her. She wanted to scream at him. Tell him what a horrible father he was. That he was the lowest of the low and bog scum and that he deserved every bad thing that came to him.

Instead, she managed a tiny bend of her mouth that hopefully passed for a smile. “I’ll see you at the fight, then.”

She turned to reach for the door.

“Actually, I’ll see you at dinner tonight. Your mother’s request.”

Monalisa didn’t bother turning around to answer. “I can’t. I have to stay with the dragon and keep him under my influence. Wouldn’t want anything to keep him out of the ring.”

“Monalisa—”

She opened the door and walked through it, shutting it firmly behind her.

Van stood on the balcony, letting the sun warm his face. He’d put in three solid hours of training today, which wasn’t that much, but for what lay ahead, it was enough.

He’d never shifted in the ring before. Never wanted to. Never had a need. But on Saturday night, for the first time, he would. The days of balance and fairness had ended when Padraig Devlin had forced Monalisa to disrupt the last fight.

This time, Van planned to step into the ring and claim victory as soon as possible. Ronan, even in his manticore form, would be severely outclassed by Van as a dragon. And his fangs would be unable to pierce Van’s scales.

Van would win decisively, but regaining the championship title didn’t matter. Just Monalisa’s freedom.

It bothered him even now that she’d been gone as long as she had. He worried that her father would command her to stay. Or worse. Those dark thoughts caused heat to build in his bones.

Harlan stepped outside. “The doorman called up. You have visitors.”

Van whipped around, his mood already cooling. “Monalisa’s back?”

“No, the friends you invited. I told the doorman to send them up. That was okay, right?”

Van nodded. “Of course.”

“Good.” Harlan rubbed the back of his neck. The kid had done well in the ring today. “If you don’t need anything else, I’m going to split.” He grinned. “I’ve got a date tonight.”

“Have fun.”

“Thanks. See you tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, we will probably all go out for breakfast, so you won’t have to cook.” Van walked inside as the door chime sounded. “Coming.”

“I’ll get it,” Harlan said, jacket in hand. “I’m headed out anyway.” He opened it. “Hello, Ivan’s friends, and goodbye, Ivan’s friends.”

Pandora, Nick, and Willa laughed as they spilled into the apartment. Harlan gave a wave and headed out.

Van met them in the foyer. “I see you all made it. And on the early flight. How was it?”

“So. Early.” Pandora gave him a hug. “But you’re worth it. Where’s Monalisa? Cole and Kaley send their love and best wishes.”

“On an errand, but she will be back soon. That is kind of Cole and Kaley. I wish they could have come.”

She shrugged. “It’s midterm season, and they are both up to their eyeballs in work.”

Van shook Nick’s hand. “Good to see you.”

“You too. Thanks for the tickets. Very generous.”

“Yes,” Willa said. “That was very kind. I’ve never been to anything like this before.”

Van got the feeling fights weren’t her thing, but it was nice that she’d come along with Nick, who was clearly into the whole idea. “This is my last fight, so I am pleased to know I will have friends in the audience.”

Pandora nodded. “You definitely will. And hey, I found a book in the attic that might be of some help with Monalisa’s situation. Well, Gertrude found it. By which I mean she dropped it on my foot when I was up there giving Kaley a lesson, but anyway, I started reading it on the plane and nothing yet, but who knows?”

Gertrude was the ghost who lived in Pandora and Cole’s attic. She was also the former owner of the house and, besides being a witch, also apparently a bit of a hoarder. Van nodded. “Good. We will need all the help we can get.”

A new chime sounded, the one that indicated the doorman was calling. Van went to the panel by the door and pressed the button to answer. “Yes?”

“Your guest, Monalisa Devlin, is here.”

Van rolled his eyes. Sometimes this building was too strict. But relief flooded him. Monalisa was back. “She is allowed up anytime. No need to call.”

“Yes, sir,” the doorman responded.

Van opened the door so he could see her when she got off the elevator. He leaned against the doorframe to wait, but looked at his guests. “Are you hungry?”

Nick nodded. “Always.”

The women nodded too.

“Then we will go eat lunch when Monalisa is ready. I know a place.” He knew many places, actually, and all of them would willingly make room for him and his guests, even without a reservation. It was one of the perks of being a celebrity in this town, at least among the supernatural crowd, but he’d gladly leave it behind for life in Nocturne Falls with the woman who made his world right.

The elevator dinged, and that woman walked out.