The Zmeu brother was vague and elusive. I couldn’t read him. All I knew was that a creature like him would never descend from his ivory tower to meet the likes of us unless the situation was serious. But what drove him—fear or strategy? Before sending any word back, I needed to consult the council.
Elena didn’t trust him. Not for a second. Her instincts rarely lied, but desperation had a way of forcing even the wisest into dangerous handshakes.
“My grandmother used to say the Zmei were always rich. Always clever. Always five steps ahead,” she said as we drove. "Nobody knew where they came from. Some said they were dragons turned human, some kind of hybrids, lusting for gold and virgins. But in our lore, the legend says they were cursed to never find love. For centuries that was the only
