Page 46 of The Dragon 1
I stared at Kazimir.
I don’t pray enough because what? Now a demon sits in front of me?
The Lion didn’t shift as he watched me.
His men didn’t move either, although I was sure that they were ready to attack.
The air thickened between us.
A waitress approached my side, head bowed, and holding a tray full of sushi.
I waved her off. I no longer had an appetite.
Here we were.
Two monsters.
Two empires.
One room barely containing us.
It was time to get on with it.
I gave the Lion a smile. “How can I help you during your. . .surprise visit tomycountry.”
“Yourcountry. . .” Kazimir slid the chopsticks between his fingers, plucked a piece of sushi from the curve of the woman's hip and brought it to his mouth.
Chewing, he looked up at the ceiling.
The gold dragon stretched wide, its wingspan infinite, its mouth open in eternal roar, fangs sharp and merciless.
Kazimir swallowed. “Dragons.”
I raised one eyebrow.
He lowered his view from the ceiling and put it on me. “Dragons are big. They fly. Fire pours out of their huge jaws.”
Where the fuck is this going?
“Very bold creatures,” Kazimir turned to Sasha. “Dragons hoard treasure too. Right?”
Sasha nodded slowly. Those damn silvery grey eyes were unreadable.
A shadow passed through the far side of the room.
One of my runners, lean and forgettable by design, hurried behind Kazimir’s soldiers.
No one even looked his way.
A few seconds later, the runner slipped beside Reo and handed him a thick, blood-red card edged in white ink.
What’s that?
Reo gave the card a single glance then slid it into the inner pocket of his jacket without a word.
I put my view back on Kazimir.
“Aww,” Kazimir chuckled. “Dragons are fun creatures.”
