- Nikolai Volkov:
The weight of the silence pressed down on me like a hundred tons, my heart hammering in my chest.
I'm terrified and cold.
Every breath felt shallow, constricted by a fear I could barely name.
I was trapped… Again.
I had been trapped ever since I'd fallen into Damon's hand and now into their hands, and now, I could feel the consequences of the desperation that I felt when I crossed the dragon territory, closing in on me.
The two dragons before me—Alexei and Dimitri—were formidable.
Their eyes glowed with an ancient power, and I knew, deep in my gut, that if I said the wrong thing, if I did not answer them fast enough, they would not hesitate to end me.
They are very nice so far because they haven't killed me and are still wasting their time by waiting for my answers.
Every single second I spent in their presence felt like a countdown to my inevitable death.
