through Vasili, lit him up, calling to Niko to strike it down, to end his life and let it become one again.
Amir ran a hand through his hair. “Nikolas, my darling, kill Vasili.”
The flame tingled through Niko’s veins, lending him its unnatural strength, and Niko straightened.
Vasili glanced over. Fear made his blue eye shine. “Amir, stop this.”
“You made a mistake, Vasili.” Amir grinned. “In all this time, you never once fucked up, but you’ve fucked up now, brother. You gave me the greatest weapon there is in this war, and you didn’t think I’d recognize it for what it is.”
Niko approached. Blood trickled down his arm and slickened the grip on his sword.
Vasili glanced between them. “Amir, don’t do this. We must find a way to keep us both alive, to keep the flame controlled. Neither you nor I can control it alone.”
But Amir was beyond reason. Rage warped his face. “You were going to kill me at the shah’s funeral!”
Vasili winced. “No, I was going to render you helpless. We’re too close to the palace. If you kill me, the flame wins.”
“It’s already won. It won the day we were born.”
Vasili lifted a hand, holding it palm-out toward Niko. “Niko, stop.”
Ash silently fell, landing on Niko’s lashes. His orders were to kill Vasili, and he was always a good soldier. He always followed orders.
“Kill him!” Amir screeched.
He didn’t want this.
The screaming in his head grew louder. But the ice held.
Growls bubbled from behind him. Niko spun. Vasili’s beast leaped. His blade sailed unhindered through its body, but the beast’s mass slammed into Niko like it had before, knocking him down. The sword skittered from his grip. He reached for it, saw Vasili kick it free, and met the prince’s icy, blue-eyed gaze. He seemed… defeated. Vasili wouldn’t hurt him, not even to save himself.
A fresh crack sparked through the ice.
Vasili… cared.
A gunshot boomed.
The beast howled and wisped into smoke.
“No!” Vasili flung his glare down the street.
Yasir stood some distance away, hat tilted back, his glare locked down the long barrel of a large gun. Salt. He’d fired salt into the beast, thinking it was Vasili who attacked Niko.
The alien laughter started up again in Niko’s head. Mistakes, that was how the flame won. Men made mistakes. Humans made mistakes. The dark flame was faultless. It existed. Consumed. And it hungered.
Amir laughed. “You surround yourself with fools, brother.” Amir reached for Niko and hauled him to his feet.
“Niko?” Vasili held both blades at his sides. They were the only defense he had, but he was fast with them. “Listen to my voice, not his. You’re too stubborn for this.” His voice hitched. “Damn you, Nikolas. You were not supposed to succumb!”
“He won’t stop, brother. He’s all mine and he’s powerful—can’t you feel it? After he kills you, I’ll have him fuck your corpse right here in the street and make the elves watch.”
Vasili bared his teeth and backed up. “Amir, gods-damn you! Why are you like this?!”
“Because I fucking loved you. You were the only right thing in my life, and overnight you just changed. You forgot me. I lost you and had nothing else.”
“That’s absurd.”
“You don’t even see it, even now. You’re so wrapped up in the flame, you don’t give a shit about me.”
“Amir, I always cared.”
“Bull-fucking-shit. You think I don’t know your lies?! You stopped caring when mother told you about the flame, and then Carlo came and she died, and you were gone, lost somewhere in the legends. And then when the elves came, I made sure you really were gone because I couldn’t fucking stand to be around you when you looked right through me.”
“I looked right through you because of this! I couldn’t look at you and know it would destroy us, so I pushed you away, it’s true.” His face saddened with regret. “I pushed you away to save you.”
“Oh, fuck off, Vasili. Niko, before he dies, take his good eye. I want him to truly feel alone just like I’ve done for my entire fucking life!”
“Yes, master.”
Vasili’s shocked expression made Niko’s insides knot, but he couldn’t take the words back. He couldn’t stop himself from approaching Vasili, and he wouldn’t be able to stop what came next either. The master inside his veins pulled his strings, and he had no means of cutting free.
Amir was back to laughing like all this was perfectly hilarious. “You truly didn’t know he’s this powerful?”
“No,” Vasili replied, his tone dangerously level.
“He’s so damned beautiful brother. Look