Gwendoline’s heart beat frantically in her chest. “I have done no such thing.” Her brother couldn’t know already. It was impossible. Unless...

“Show her,” Gabriel told Cornelius.

The little man glanced at her, then Cronus. He seemed deathly afraid of the White Sword, who was a literal giant compared to him, and he carefully made his way toward her, giving Cronus a wide berth.

Cronus pretended to lunge at the little man, and Cornelius leaped sideways in fright, smashing into the wall.

One of the vampires reacted and opened fire, shooting Cronus. The bullet ricocheted from the powerful man’s chest, striking another vampire in the shoulder.

“Ah!” the vampire said. “Damn it!”

“Hold your fire!” Gabriel said. “Idiot. You can’t harm a Dragon with gunfire. You should have swords.”

The vampire in question foolishly sheathed his pistol and drew a sharp katana instead. Other troops who held guns did the same.

Cornelius limped away from the wall as if in pain. He touched his rib cage. “Ow!”

Cronus erupted in a soft belly laugh. “Funny little man.”

Cornelius glared daggers at Cronus, and when the colossal of a man stopped smiling to scowl at him, Cornelius instantly looked away, seeming frightened. He scurried around Cronus, staying as far from the man as possible. When he was close enough to her, he crouched low, covering his head with one arm and reaching out to Gwendoline with the other, directing the phone’s display toward her. He stretched his arm as far away from his body as possible, not wanting to get too close, as if afraid Cronus might lash out at him at any time.

On the small display, what she saw confirmed her worst fears. Gwendoline and Mathis had been careless. During one of their random lovemaking sessions, which happened to take place in the woods beside a stream after a long walk, they had been caught on a hidden security camera. Via the app on her phone, Gwendoline had checked to make sure the area was clear of cameras, but apparently Gabriel had been busy installing new cameras and hadn’t marked their locations on the app. During the earlier journey to the mountain, when Ephephany had sensed cameras that weren’t showing up on Jett’s phone, Gwendoline had begun to worry about something just like this happening.

Gabriel, you bastard.

She slumped slightly, the anger ebbing out of her. This was what she had wanted after all, wasn’t it? To finally be free of the dragons. To make her relationship with Mathis official.

Cornelius pulled the phone away and quickly made his way around Cronus to return to Gabriel.

“Take my estates and hoards,” Gwendoline said. “Banish me and be done with it.”

“Oh no, dear sister, banishment is not for you,” Gabriel said. “Yours will be a warriors death.”

Gwendoline’s heart beat faster. “What are you talking about?”

“I give you a great honor,” Gabriel said. “In remembrance of the days when you fought for Midnight as a dragon skirmisher during the Vampire Wars. You remember that time, don’t you? Those were quite the days...”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Gwendoline said.

“For the rest of tonight you will be chained in the dungeon,” Gabriel said. “And then tomorrow morning, at nine a.m. you will be executed. I’d do it earlier, but I want to give time for news to disseminate on the Intranet. You know, so that you can have the proper crowd in attendance. It wouldn’t do to execute you without the entire city present: it seems wrong to end someone of your stature without an audience, after all. I’ll be sure to stream it on the Darknet as well, so the witches stop bothering me about returning you. After all, if a dragon dies in the forest, does anybody hear?”

Gwendoline shook her head. “You really are mad... I had refused to believe it. But it’s true.”

“Madness is all a matter of perspective,” Gabriel said.

“But this is the First Rule!” Gwendoline said. “The crime is not death!”

“I’ve decided to change the punishment for breaking the First Rule,” Gabriel told her. “And as you know, I’ve always believed that no one is above the law, not even a member of the royal family. Not even my dear sister. I was willing to overlook the fact you roamed uncollared outside the den, if only because that’s really the Wayfarer’s law, not mine, though I try to enforce it when I can. But the First Rule, that’s all dragon. I can’t allow you to live after what you’ve done. You will serve as an example to everyone in Midnight, and all the dragons of North America, of what awaits any who dare flaunt our rules and mate with non-dragons. Don’t worry, Jett is safe. The law will not apply retroactively. For now. When I capture him, he will go straight to the witches, I promise you.”

Gwendoline glanced at Ephephany. “You have nothing to say about this?”

Ephephany lowered her eyes sadly. “I can’t interfere. I’m sorry, Gwendoline.”

Gwendoline slumped. She felt like spiting Ephephany, telling the witch that she wanted to get rid of Gwendoline so that she could have Mathis all to herself, but she knew it wasn’t true. Ephephany really couldn’t interfere. Gwendoline also wanted to tell Gabriel that Ephephany had also broken the same rule, again to spite her, but she couldn’t do that to a fellow dragon shifter. Besides, Gabriel just said the law didn’t apply retroactively.

“But as your adviser, Gabriel,” Ephephany continued. “I must warn you that killing Gwendoline isn’t a wise move. You would bring the wrath of not only your brother down upon you, but your father.”

“I’ll deal with them both when the time comes, don’t you worry witch,” Gabriel said. “I’ve made up my mind. At nine a.m. tomorrow, Gwendoline will die.”

“Sire.” Cornelius bowed. “What about the blood drive?”

“It will proceed on schedule at ten a.m.,” Gabriel told the short man sharply. “How long do you think it takes to cut off a dragon’s head, idiot?”

“Not long,” Cornelius said. He looked at Gwendoline and his eyes shone malevolently. “Not long at all. Can I do it?”

“I just might let you,” Gabriel said.

Cornelius rubber his hands together. “Goodie.”

“What about the two dragons she brought with her?” one of the vampires with Gabriel asked. Gwendoline didn’t recognize him.

“Who are these men?” Gabriel asked her.

“Mamba and Cronus,” Gwendoline lied. “White Swords.”

Gabriel shrugged. “I hold no quarrel with them. They are free to go.”

“Wait,” Cornelius said, scrunching up his features as he squinted at the group. “That one, lower your hood.”

He was pointing at Flame, who yet stood in front of Ephephany.

“Do it,” Gabriel said.

Flame reluctantly flicked a sword-totting hand near his head and slipped the hood down with his hilt.

“That’s not Mamba!” Cornelius said. “It’s Flame. I’d recognize that face anywhere! Nice job covering your red skin in black makeup. Or is it paint?”

“Are you sure it’s Flame?” Gabriel asked.

“Positive,” Cornelius said. “I memorized all the faces in Jett’s court. I had nothing else to do, considering how you all treated me back then. I especially remember Jett’s personal guards, who threw me out on more than one occasion.”

“That’s because you were a drunken fool,” Flame said.

“I’ve long since given up that nasty habit,” Cornelius said. “I haven’t been besotted since, why, yesterday!”

“Flame,” Gabriel intoned. “You are wanted for attacking the Steel Tower without a collar. I’ve already promised the witches they could have you. You will join Gwendoline in the dungeon, and tomorrow I will send you off to the witches. As for the other one.” He glanced at Cronus. “You are free to go.”

Gabriel cocked his head to one side suddenly, as if listening to someone speaking over his headset. Gwendoline concentrated with her sensitive hearing, but heard nothing.

“Actually, forget that last order,” Gabriel said. “Arrest Cronus, too.”

“Why?” Gwendoline said.

“Aiding and abetting two fugitives of the law,” Gabriel said. “Meanwhile you, Ephephany, are confined to your estate until further notice. I will send guards to escort you.”

“Why am I confined?” Ephephany said.

“It’s simple, really,” Gabriel said. “I don’t trust you.”

Ephephany bowed. “As you wish. My duty is to serve.”

“And serve you will.” Gabriel glanced at Gwendoline. “Ephephany mentioned that Jett might not take too kindly to your execution. I wonder if he’s among the lot we caught on camera entering your estate?”

Gwendoline stared at Gabriel in shock, feeling the panic rising inside her.

“That’s right,” Gabriel said. “I had new security cameras set up all along the perimeters of your estate, on the rooftops of the surrounding buildings. We’ve reviewed the footage. It seems you have guests who broke our curfew.”

“What are you going to do?” Gwendoline asked.

“Oh, I’ll have to dispatch a raid eventually,” Gabriel said. “Sometime before nine a.m. of course. I wouldn’t want them to miss your execution. For now though, we’re merely keeping an eye on the estate, watching for comings and goings. When I do send the raid, I wonder who else we’ll find among them, if not Jett? Perhaps the human whom you broke our most sacred rule with?”

Gwendoline surreptitiously reached into her pocket, intending to secretly text Jett or Mathis, but then Gabriel spoke.

“Confiscate their phones,” her brother said.

Damn it. I should have called Jett before stepping into the mansion, so he could hear all of this.

Then again, the microphone in the sat-phone wasn’t all that great, especially for picking up sounds while inside a pocket.

The vampires and dragons were on them in seconds. Cronus and Flame put up a good fight, but the battle was soon over.

Gwendoline and Ephephany surrendered their sat-phones willingly. Cronus and Flame lay broken on the ground, and offered no resistance as vampires pilfered their weapons and belongings.

“What have you done?” Gwendoline said, staring at the formerly beautiful White Swords, who were now bloodied and injured. Obviously the blades the attackers carried had been enhanced with the Strength to penetrate dragon skin. Ephephany had probably done the enchantment herself.

“They’ll live,” Gabriel said. “At least until morning. Maybe I’ll have them executed, too.” He turned toward his men. “Take them to the dungeon.”