Page 3 of Dragon Rivals of New York

He closes his eyes and takes a breath like he’s gathering himself, then he stands, takes my hand, kissing my knuckles before walking out of my apartment, leaving me spiraling in thoughts I can’t sort or organize.

What am I going to do?

Chapter 2

Kyro

Thelimopullsuppromptly at seven.

“We get to ride in that?” Otto looks at me with the wide-eyed excitement only the young can possess. I’m still a little surprised Cyrus invited him to his bachelor party. But the two have bonded since Cyrus joined our horde.

The car door swings open, revealing the best man, Jethro. He’s holding a glass of champagne in one hand and a bottle in the other. “Time to party, gentlemen!”

Otto whoops and hollers. I grit my teeth.Don’t breathe fire at the best man.

“I thought this was going to be a quiet dinner.” I duck into the limo after Otto.

Jethro rolls his eyes at me. “It is.”

I look to Cyrus and his brother Midas, who are sitting at the other end of the limo. Midas gives me no expression at all, but Cyrus shrugs. “He’s difficult to reign in.”

“And you wouldn’t have me any other way.” Jethro raises his glass in Cyrus’s direction. After taking a large swig of the bubbly liquid, he pours another glass and hands it to me. “To the groom!”

I hate champagne, but I take the glass.Don’t bite off the best man’s fingers.

“Where are we going?” Otto asks, eyeing the glass in my hand while wiggling the piercing in his lip with his tongue.

I set it down in a cupholder. I’d rather have it tip and spill than drink it.

“We’ve got reservations at the best steak house in town, but we need to pick up Damian first.”

Thankfully, Damian is a dragon I can tolerate. Even if he is part of the Gold Horde. Apart from Cyrus, who joined the Silver Horde a year ago, Otto and I will be the only Silver Horde members at the party. The wedding will be the first time the two hordes have been at the same event in centuries. And before that, all mixed gatherings ended in bloodshed. I can only pray the goddess doesn’t allow Cyrus’s wedding to end the same way.

“Drink up,” Jethro says, handing me yet another glass of champagne. “This is a party.”

“I don’t like champagne.”

“Of course you don’t.” He laughs. “Very on brand for you.” He scoots across the bench seat, trapping me between him and Otto, sipping the drink he poured for me. “What’s your drink? Scotch? Whiskey? You know they’re basically the same thing.”

Don’t burn the best man’s hair to a crisp.

“They’re not the same thing,” Midas says from across the limo, answering for me. I give him a small nod, which he acknowledges with a dip of his chin.

“Suit yourself. More champagne for me.” Jethro finishes the glass and gives me a side-eye. “Tell me something you like.”

Silence. Scotch. The saxophone. Imagining the life leaving your eyes.I grind my nails into my palms.Don’t gouge out the best man’s eyes.

Jethro scoots closer and drops his voice. “Why do you hate me so much?”

The question pulls memories from their graves. Claws. Wings. Teeth. Blood.

Abruptly, I get up and move to the other sideof Otto.Don’t kill the best man.

As much as I loath admitting it, I don’t hate Cyrus, and this is his wedding. For his sake, I need to keep my control and get through the next two days. Once the wedding is over, I’ll have no reason to interact with Jethro. I’ve barely seen him in the past year since our two hordes made peace. There’s no reason I’ll need to see him once we get through this wedding.

“Who’s that?” Otto points out the window.

A dragon with purple toned scales swoops down between two buildings. My muscles clench even tighter. That’s not one of our dragons. In this form and from this distance, it’s hard to tell who it is, but it’s not a member of either the Gold Horde or the Silver Horde. So what the hell are they doing in New York?

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