Chapter 18

Assassins in Silver Masks

The palace felt quieter after the balcony conversation.

Not peaceful.

Black Citadel would probably never qualify as peaceful.

But something had shifted.

Servants no longer looked moments away from fainting every time Evelynn entered a room. A few even started speaking to her normally now, though always carefully, like they feared saying the wrong thing might accidentally summon dragonfire.

Honestly fair.

Kael, meanwhile, became even stranger.

Which Evelynn had not thought possible.

He still disappeared into endless council meetings. Still carried exhaustion beneath his skin like a permanent wound. But now there were moments—brief ones—where his control slipped around her in quieter ways.

The dragonfire dimmed when she entered rooms.

The tension in the bond softened when she touched him.

And twice now, Evelynn had caught him staring at her like he was trying to solve a problem centuries old.

None of that felt emotionally safe.

By late evening, snow finally stopped for the first time in days. The palace halls glowed warm beneath hanging lanterns while distant music drifted faintly upward from the lower city.

Evelynn wandered alone through one of the eastern galleries after dinner, mostly because sleep remained impossible and Serin had threatened to confiscate her access to restricted books “for everyone’s safety.”

Coward.

The eastern gallery overlooked one of the inner palace courtyards through enormous glass arches. Moonlight spilled across polished black floors while ancient dragon portraits watched from the walls with varying levels of judgment.

Evelynn paused near one massive painting depicting some long-dead dragon queen standing atop a pile of enemies.

“Subtle people,” she muttered.

A quiet sound echoed behind her.

Footsteps.

Too soft for servants.

Evelynn turned slightly.

Nothing.

The corridor behind her remained empty beneath flickering lantern light.

Still—

something felt wrong.

The bond stirred faintly in her chest.

Not Kael.

Danger.

Evelynn’s body tensed immediately.

Another sound.

Closer.

Metal against stone.

Then the lanterns went out.

Darkness swallowed the gallery instantly.

Oh, absolutely not.

Evelynn stepped backward just as something sliced through the air where her throat had been a second earlier.

Steel flashed silver in the dark.

Instinct took over.

She ducked hard, nearly slipping across polished stone while another blade cut past her shoulder close enough to tear fabric.

An assassin.

Wonderful.

Moonlight spilled through the glass arches just enough for Evelynn to finally see them.

Three figures dressed entirely in black.

Silver masks covering their faces.

Not palace guards.

Not dragons.

Human.

One lunged toward her again with terrifying speed.

Evelynn grabbed the nearest object she could find—a decorative metal stand—and swung it directly into the attacker’s face.

The crack echoed beautifully through the gallery.

The assassin staggered sideways.

“Okay,” Evelynn snapped breathlessly, “this feels extremely personal.”

No answer came.

Only another blade.

Evelynn ran.

The gallery exploded into chaos behind her as boots pounded across stone floors. She sprinted through dark corridors half-blind while palace alarms still hadn’t sounded.

Too organized.

Whoever sent them knew the palace.

One assassin suddenly appeared ahead of her from a side hallway.

Evelynn swore violently and changed direction.

Wrong choice.

The corridor ended abruptly in the great eastern hall.

A massive ceremonial chamber lined with dragonfire braziers and towering black pillars.

Nowhere to hide.

The assassins entered slowly behind her.

Four now.

Maybe five.

Silver masks glinting beneath low firelight.

One spoke at last.

“Take her alive.”

Well that was somehow worse.

Evelynn backed toward the center of the hall, pulse hammering painfully while desperately searching for literally anything useful.

Unfortunately decorative dragon architecture was not designed for survival situations.

One assassin moved first.

Fast.

Far too fast.

Evelynn dodged the blade barely in time, but the second attacker caught her arm hard enough to slam her against one of the pillars.

Pain exploded across her shoulder.

Another hand grabbed her throat.

Not like Kael had.

This was colder.

Crueler.

The assassin shoved a dagger toward her ribs—

Then suddenly froze.

The entire palace shook violently.

Every dragonfire brazier in the hall exploded upward at once.

Golden flames roared across the ceiling.

The assassins looked up sharply.

Too late.

A roar thundered through the palace.

Not human.

Dragon.

Real fear finally appeared behind the silver masks.

The windows shattered inward.

Black wings burst through flying glass and storm wind as Kael crashed into the hall like living destruction.

Everything happened too fast afterward.

Dragonfire erupted across the chamber.

One assassin screamed.

Another never even had time to.

Kael moved through the hall with terrifying speed, black scales already spreading across his throat while gold eyes burned almost bright enough to hurt.

Not controlled.

Furious.

One assassin tried running.

Kael caught him by the throat and slammed him hard enough into the wall to crack stone.

The man stopped moving immediately.

Evelynn had never seen violence happen that fast before.

The remaining assassins panicked.

Bad decision.

Kael’s dragonfire tore across the floor in a wave of gold.

Two silver masks vanished into flame.

Another body hit the ground.

Silence crashed into the hall afterward.

Smoke curled through shattered windows while dragonfire burned wildly across the ceiling overhead.

Kael stood at the center of it breathing hard.

Still partially transformed.

Still terrifying.

And still looking at Evelynn.

Not the bodies.

Not the destruction.

Her.

Evelynn slowly pushed herself upright against the pillar, wincing as pain shot through her shoulder.

The moment she flinched—

Kael lost control again.

Dragonfire exploded violently outward from him.

The remaining windows shattered completely.

One of the pillars cracked.

Evelynn’s breath caught.

Not because of the fire.

Because she felt it through the bond.

Pure rage.

Pure fear.

Not fear for himself.

For her.

Kael crossed the distance between them instantly.

His clawed hands caught her face carefully—far more carefully than someone with claws should ever be capable of.

“Where are you hurt?”

The question came rough.

Unsteady.

Evelynn blinked at him. “Hello to you too.”

“Evelynn.”

Warning.

Panic.

Both.

She touched her shoulder carefully. “I’m fine.”

Kael looked ready to personally murder the concept of “fine.”

Dragonfire still burned uncontrollably around the hall while guards finally stormed into the chamber far too late to be useful.

They stopped immediately upon seeing the bodies.

And Kael.

Oh.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

Every guard in the room realized the same thing at once:

The Dragon King had not reacted like a ruler protecting a guest.

He had reacted like a dragon protecting something that belonged to him.

Kael seemed to realize it too a second later.

His jaw tightened sharply.

The fire lowered slightly.

But not completely.

One surviving assassin suddenly coughed weakly near the far wall.

Big mistake.

Kael turned his head slowly toward the sound.

And Evelynn felt murder rise through the bond so violently it nearly knocked the breath from her lungs.

The guards felt it too.

Several stepped backward instinctively.

Kael started moving toward the wounded assassin—

Then Evelynn grabbed his wrist.

Everything stopped.

The dragonfire throughout the hall flickered violently once.

Then calmed.

Kael froze beneath her touch.

His breathing remained rough.

Dangerously rough.

But the rage eased enough for thought to return to his eyes.

Barely.

Evelynn looked up at him carefully. “If you kill the last one, we don’t get answers.”

Kael stared at her for several long seconds.

Then finally looked away first.

The assassin survived.

Mostly because Evelynn’s hand remained wrapped around the Dragon King’s wrist while the entire palace watched him choose not to burn the world down.