XAVIER

I should've been more concerned that I was facing Ace Kingston for the first time in years. I should've been concerned that he was pointing a gun at my head. I should've been concerned that the look he gave me in those silver-gray eyes was near feral. But I wasn't concerned.

I was delighted.

I knew Ace was still alive, biding his time, creeping around the edge of the delicate, royal game we were all trapped in. I knew he would walk onto the game board eventually. I knew he could finally be an offensive force that could truly challenge me. I looked forward to the day that I could finally find my match.

And that day had come.

With my gun still aimed for his forehead, ready to shoot, I let myself smile a little. "It's been quite a long time, hasn't it Ace?"

His jaw twitched, though he said nothing. He was baiting me, trying to see if I knew of his alternate identity, the street name he had donned all these years and therefore everything he had been up to ever since he escaped Cressida.

Fine. I'll bite.

"Or," I added, "perhaps I should call you Wolf Reznor now. I don't believe you quite deserve the Kingston name anymore."

"I don't believe I want it anymore," he scowled.

"I assume this means you want to kill us." My smile grew wider. "Good. I was starting to get bored."

He scoffed, slowly moving to the right, trying to circle around me, gun still pointed at my head. "I can't believe I was just like you when I was younger."

"That's not how I remember it." I started shifting along with him, heading in the direction of the door at the end of the hall.

"No?"

"No. I recall a little boy who flaunted at my side, trying to gain some of the light shined on me, trying to learn how to be me. You were more like a knock-off Damien, but without any friends."

"Is that why you came knocking on my door every morning?"

"I have to admit, your presence gave me quite the ego boost."

Ace let out a bitter laugh. "You haven't changed one bit, have you? What a relief."

"Why? Feeling nostalgic?"

"More like motivated."

"To do what? Run your little group of vagrants and play at war? What do you guys call yourselves again? The Rebels?" I smirked. "Your creativity has certainly diminished, that's for sure."

Ace tilted his head. "I like to get to the point. It's a freedom I've had the benefit of experiencing ever since I left. I don't have to skirt around my true purpose, to hide my goal like the Court. I can simply state my purpose. And, most importantly, accomplish it."

"My, my, my. How delusional you've grown. Wishing to lead a rebellion against the assassins and win?" I shook my head. "All the compliments your new friends shower you with must've gotten to your head."

I stopped moving, my back facing the door down the hall. I added. "Congratulations, by the way, on finally making friends. Though, if you don't mind me saying, they're not a particularly impressive crowd. Really the only one that catches the eye is my old friend, Indigo Fluor."

He laughed. "Oh, do you miss her already? Sad you don't get to add her as one of your assets in the coming war?"

"Sad isn't quite the right term. Disappointed is more like it. After all, she experienced such impactful betrayals with her mother, Echo Aldridge, Chance Dayholt, and everyone in between. I really thought she would finally learn from her mistakes. And yet, there she goes again, blindly following a man who claims to be a protector of the disadvantaged but is truly a Royal himself." I shook my head. "Her heart is going to shatter when she finds out."

He smiled. "It's a good thing then, that she already knows."

I scanned him. There was nothing off about his expression, nothing tense about his upper body. It was controlled, emotionless, calm. But his foot shifted for the first time since he stopped moving.

My smirk grew.

Liar.

"I guess you won't mind then," I hissed, "if I go check with her myself?"

His smile became strained.

"Blackmail. Of course you would attempt blackmail."

"What can I say? I've always been partial to the classics."

"And what do you wish to get out of it?"

"All of the information you have on Arielle Fortier. The real one, the one who thinks she owns the whole world by parading around as a petty thief."

"Why?"

"Let's just say I've grown a bit curious about our old friend."

"Why don't you just ask her yourself? I heard you two had a nice reunion."

"Oh but that would ruin the surprise. When you're giving gifts, you can't ruin the surprise."

"Gifts?"

"You'll find out eventually."

There was some movement in the shadows behind Ace, though I couldn't quite figure out what it was.

Time to wrap this up.

He shook his head. "This, all of this, this is a mess."

"If only you could lie a bit better. We wouldn't be in it." I narrowed my eyes. "I have to congratulate you though."

"For what, exactly?"

"For trying to stall. It was a great attempt. Quite unfortunate that it won't work out for you."

He smiled. "Won't it?"

A knife plunged into my back.

Pain seared through me as my vision blinked for a moment.

Off guard. You were too off guard.

As my assailant leaned forward, I recognized her from the corner of my eye.

Indigo Fluor.

I hadn't even realized the moment she entered our floor, didn't know how she managed to get behind me. She got better, quieter. Or perhaps the Ravens kept all their doors well oiled. I cursed both of them.

She hissed in my ear, "This is for Chance."

And then she yanked the blade out as I whipped around, pointing my gun at her, though she already had a dagger curving down for my throat. My finger was against the trigger.

And then a gunshot echoed through the hall. Then another.

But they weren't from Ace's gun or mine. It was from the other end of the hall, echoing from the shadows. But the bullets weren't aimed at me. They were meant for Indigo and Ace.

"Shit," Ace hissed as he and Indigo ran for the door, the one behind which another person seemed to be hiding. I couldn't see who it was, but I had my guess. One that stung.

I looked back at the other end of the hall from which Phoenix emerged from the shadows. I watched as the bullets, by some unfortunate luck, missed Indigo and Wolf as they slammed through the doors, joining the third person. I watched, leaning against the wall, as their shadows faded away, running down the stairs.

This is for Chance.

How ironic. I almost wanted to laugh.

Phoenix only stopped shooting well after they were long gone. She approached, watching as I clenched the wound in the side of my torso, trying to stop the bleeding. It would do some major damage, and probably render me unable to fight for about a month, but I would live.

Phoenix said nothing of the wound as she spoke in a terse voice, "I'll go follow Ace and his new friends. Figure out what the hell they're up to and then finish them off."

I shook my head. "No. We can deal with them later. We need to get to the top and find the Raven Ruler first. There's a high chance the Rebels will die by Damien's bombs anyway."

And even if they didn't, Ace would provide me information on the woman standing before me, possibly give me some insight into just what she wants and how I could use that to my advantage. Perhaps some more blackmail would be in store. And, even better, Indigo would eventually figure out Ace's real identity and the Rebels would crumble. Without anyone to lean on, Indigo would be easy to kill. Or even recruit under the right circumstances.

Either way, I win.

"Excuse me, Mr. Heir of the Intellects. Do I have to point out the obvious? It's been almost a half hour since the Ravens identified us. The Raven Ruler probably already escaped."

"I am well aware," I hissed. "I am also well aware of the fact that there's probably a trap waiting for us at the top."

"So why are we still going to the top?"

"We don't have another choice. Stick to the plan. Get to the top. I'll meet you there."

She gritted her teeth but relented.

"Fine. This whole situation's fucked up anyways. Why not fuck it up even more?"

She flung up her hands and stomped towards the staircase when I asked, "Did you see Damien?"

Without stopping, she looked over her shoulder and said, "Not since his brilliant idea to make us all nearly drown."

And then she disappeared up the stairs.

I cursed at myself. If the Ravens tried to get into his head as they did with me, I'm not sure that Damien could resist. He'd been through far too much the past couple of years and was too sensitive for his own good. I need to find Damien. Fast.

Cursing again, I pushed off the wall and headed for the stairs.