Page 91 of Dragon Slayer

“I suppose.”

Mehmet smiled again. “Romulus spoke so fondly of his nephews. He wanted us to be friends. To be brothers. Family.” He was beaming, moonlight glinting off his teeth. “It’s what I want as well.”

Vlad will never be your friend, Val wanted to say.

Romulus means to topple us with you – and then the world.

But he saw sincerity in that smile, heard it in the gentle laugh. Maybe Mehmet didn’t know. Maybe he was just another chess piece on the board.

The heir squeezed his knee and then stood; he held himself at awkward angles, still sore from his beating. “You should go back to sleep. I’m sorry I disturbed you.”

That’s alright, Val started to say, but he couldn’t form the words. He watched Mehmet walk to the door, and tried, unsuccessfully, to interpret the look thrown his way before the heir slipped out.

Much later, he would know that gaze had been predatory, and always question if he could have stopped the things that happened next.

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