Lucas shot him a deadly glare.
Dennis grinned. "Just wanted to savor the moment."
Lucas turned away, muttering under his breath, "Fuck you."
"Love you too, beast," Dennis replied with a grin, walking off with the swagger of a man thoroughly satisfied with himself.
*****
Zoe held the seal in her hand for only a moment before handing it to Dennis. There was no hesitation. No tremble. She passed it like it weighed nothing.
"I never thought it would be this easy to betray the two men who made me who I am," she said. "But then again… they made me strong enough to know when to choose me."
Dennis nodded and stamped the letter Lucas had penned. A warning, not a negotiation.
With the seal pressed into wax, there was no going back.
"What next?" Zoe asked, already squared for the blow.
Dennis looked up, eyes meeting hers with an intensity that could shake mountains. "We train," he said. "We train like our lives depend on it—because they do."
Zoe nodded.
