Page 112 of Dance of Deception

He nods. “Kir is making moves.”

My gaze narrows. “Explain.”

Nico shifts, stretching like a cat before sitting forward, his elbows on his knees. His face shadows, his voice lowering, even though the only other people in the house right now are Santino in his basement dungeon lair…

…And my new bride, who managed to find her way up to one of the guest rooms at some point last night and has stayed there ever since.

“Kir’s waging a campaign,” Nico growls quietly, “againstus.”

A long silence stretches out.

He doesn’t mean the Barone family.

He means theotherus.

Nico’s eyes glint. “He wants to wage a war against the Court.”

I glare at my brother. “We don’t talk about that outside of it,” I say, voice flat.

Nico frowns. “Relax, Carmy.” He leans forward, voice dropping to a whisper only I can hear. “It’s just us.”

It doesn’t matter. Outside the Court, it doesn’t exist. It’s a phantom organization, a legend whispered in the dark.

“You know the fucking rules,” I growl quietly.

Nico exhales. “Yeah, I do. But this is important.”

I pause for a moment. “Fine. What’s going on with Kir?”

“He’s never been shy about voicing his distaste for the Court. But now he’s rallying others to join him and actuallydosomething about it.”

I stay silent, waiting for more.

“Kir doesn’t approve of vigilantes,” Nico continues. “He likes order and structure. He thinks power should lie with the major players who built this world.” Nico lifts a brow. “The Commission, the Iron Table, the High Council—notsome faceless group meting out justice from the shadows.”

I exhale slowly. Kir has never been a man who tolerates disruptions to the balance of power. He’s completely unafraid to pull strings or cut throats when necessary, but he does itwithinthe system of the underworld as it exists now. He believes in hierarchy, stability, and above all else, the control of the established familiesstayingwith the established families.

And the Black Court doesn't play by those rules.

“He wants to form a bloc,” Nico adds, watching me carefully. “He’s reaching out to other leaders, pushing the idea thatweare the real threat.”

I sit back, my fingers flexing against the desk. “Who has he approached?”

My brother shakes his head. “No one from the Commission, I know that much. Not yet, anyway. He’s starting small—leaning on old allies, whispering in the right ears. But if he gets enough backing and makes this into a real movement…” Nico trails off, letting the thought dangle.

It doesn’t need to be said: if Kir convinces enough people that the Black Court is a threat, he’ll be able to take his campaign further and bring it to the very people wecan’tafford to have looking too closely.

“He’s playing a long game,” I say finally.

Nico nods. “And as we all know, he’s very good at that.”

The room is quiet for a minute.

“It's not that he disagrees withwhatwe do,” I muse. “Justhowwe do it.”

“Exactly.”

I exhale slowly. This changes things. Kir isn’t just a rival keeping tabs on us anymore, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Now, he’s actively workingagainstus.

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