Page 97 of The Dragon and the Dove

Caruso Dantes is a bad man.

Too late, she pushed him away.

‘How dare you,’ she said, half breathless. ‘You’ve killed more people than there are blades of grass between us. Two days ago you didn’t give a shit about morality. If Andreas is a monster, then so are you.’ She glared at him through the sheen of her tears. ‘Since when do you care about good and evil?’

‘Since good started calling me a piece of shit.’

She snorted. ‘And I’m good, am I?’

‘Better than good, kitten.’

That lazy smirk … made all the worse by the stain of her blood on his lips.

Caruso Dantes is a bad man.

He went on, frowning. ‘I stood with Andreas that night at the Summer Palace because my best friends had pledged themselves to him. I didn’t want to stand against them. Not after getting Lark back from the dead. Not after everything we went through together as Daggers.’ He absently brushed his hand over the scars on his head. Wounds that should have killed him. ‘But I see it now for what it is. A trick. Lark is not who he used to be. I don’t know the monster he’s become. Nadia is too tangled up in him to walk away. Andreas is a tyrant. A different beast than any I’ve ever killed. He’s worse than the worst scum of this city.’

‘Are you including yourself in that list?’

‘Yes,’ he said bluntly.

Truth.

Hmm.

‘I don’t want to be a monster, Val.’

Truth.

‘At least not that kind of monster.’

She pressed her lips together.

‘I want out…’ His gaze shifted past her, to the half-hidden façade of House Armand. ‘I want in.’

Her brows shot up. ‘You want to join the Order of Flames?’

‘I want to be on the right side of this war.’ He gave her a hard look, the killer in him rising to the surface. It made his eyes glow brighter, his teeth look sharper. ‘And make no mistake, war is coming to Fantome, Valerie. Andreas is going to gut this kingdom of its free will.’

‘Fuck Andreas,’ snarled Val.

Caruso’s laugh was brash. A wolf howling his amusement. ‘Yeah,’ he said, flashing that maddening grin. ‘Fuck Andreas.’

She chewed her lip, pretending to consider him. Without Ransom and Sera, it was her choice to make. He had spoken true of his intentions, even his regrets, and part of her could understand the loyalty that had led him to stand with Andreas that night at the Summer Palace.

But still …

He was an unhinged creature even at the best of times.

He shifted on his feet. ‘Even if you can’t stand me, you have to admit I’ll be helpful to your cause. I know how Andreas thinks, what his plans are … And failing that, I’ve got this.’

He went to the wall, returning with the biggest sword Val had ever seen. The weathered bronze hilt winked at her in the dark.

‘What the hell is that?’

‘Fatebringer. The sword of Saint Cadel.’ He held it out, revealing intricate braiding along the scabbard. ‘I swiped it on my way out of the Appoline. Figured it would make a good peace offering.’

‘You brought me an ancient sword?’