"You think Hadeon will come?" Max asked, quieter now.
The question hung in the air, low and dangerous.
Damian was still for a moment, jaw ticking once.
"He might," he said eventually. "If not in person, through someone else's mouth. He'll want to test you. See if you bend now that George is broken."
Max's lips twitched—more a grimace than a smile. "He already tried once."
Damian's eyes locked on his. "And if he tries again?"
Max didn't blink. "I won't bend this time."
A beat.
"I'm not scared of him anymore," Max added. "Not after what they did to Gabriel. Not after seeing what fear cost you."
Damian said nothing. He didn't have to.
Max leaned back again. "If he does show up, let me greet him. I have a few barbed wire arrays left over."
Damian's smile was faint. Dark. "I'll allow it."
They both sat there for a moment—two brothers, bloodless hands stretched over a fire built from the remnants of the empire's last great lie.
Then Max glanced toward the sealed box again.
