Page 44 of Dragon Boss

Then he saw them in the sky, approaching the crash site rapidly.

One of them was indeed his father.

The other…

The other was Semyon Kumarin.

Dmitri let his head fall back against the rocky ground, closing his eyes briefly at the reveal that the cavalry had answered the call.

The two ruling heads were both scaled emerald-green, but where Vasili had streaks of bright blue, Semyon had streaks of gold. They touched down with heavy thuds, their enormous forms stepping slowly into the center of the crash site. Vasili looked down at his fallen son, then over at a whimpering Gregor. He had broken more than just his wing.

“Father,” Dmitri said.

“You did good,” Vasili said. “We’ll do the rest.”

“I didn’t mean…” Gregor tried, trailing off.

His dragon form lay twisted and though he’d heal within the hour, Dmitri knew he wasn’t going to be given a chance to.

“You didn’t mean what?” Vasili asked, the disdain dripping from every word.

“I didn’t mean for it to get so out of hand,” Gregor said.

“Did you bind and gag my child and bring her here as payment for your debt?” Semyon growled.

“Yes, but she wasn’t really—”

“Silence!” Semyon bellowed.

Gregor hunkered down, unable to keep from commenting, “But you asked a question.”

Semyon stepped forward until he was towering over the fallen, who stared up at him with fearful eyes. Dmitri watched the exchange, slowly getting to his feet. His wing pained him, but the promise of what was coming made the ache more bearable.

“Did you proceed to hold Dmitri Kuznetsov and my child hostage under Dmitri Kuznetsov’s own roof?” Semyon demanded.

“Yes,” Gregor admitted, keeping his head bowed low.

“Did you stage a coup to strip Dmitri Kuznetsov of his blood-bound heritage?” Semyon asked.

Dmitri had been listening from the sidelines, lingering in the spot where he’d landed, but at this he moved forward to take the vacant spot between his father and Semyon.

“Yes,” Gregor practically growled, over the theatre of the questioning since they already knew the answers.

When he raised his head to look Semyon in the eye, Dmitri knew he’d just sealed his fate. Not that they would’ve had much choice in the matter. His insurrection couldn’t be forgiven, couldn’t be excused. There was no mercy to be granted. Not for a crime that ran as deep as his. A crime against the bloodlines themselves.

“Gregor Popov,” Semyon said. “As for ruling head of the Kumarin family and as the appointed judge in this trial, I sentence you to death.”

Gregor glared up at him. There wasn’t an ounce of fear there, only continued defiance. His eyes darted, he was looking for some means of escape, but his body was too broken to make a quick flight possible. There was nowhere for him to go.

Misha entered the clearing, Alina by his side.

Neither had shifted and Dmitri wondered if it was because Alina’s powers were still suffering from the influence of the magic-infused into the wire. He appreciated Misha more than ever in that moment. The man had known instinctively to go search for Alina. He’d kept her safe. He’d know of Dmitri’s gratitude.

Dmitri’s gaze met Alina’s across the clearing. Hers was warm with adoration. He returned the expression tenfold. He was so happy she was okay, the joy at seeing her was like a high mixing with the victory of the moment. He looked back down at Gregor, who was breathing slowly, looking from one to the next, a question in his eyes.

How was he to be executed?

The answer came the following moment, when Semyon parted his jaws, drawing a deep breath. Vasili followed suit, the two of them breathing out together, their dragon fire encompassing the large bulk of Gregor in an instant. The two elder dragons flapped their wings, rising into the air, keeping their breath directed at Gregor, who was roaring in pain.

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