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It wasn’t proof. It wasn’t enough. Not yet. But plenty enough to make the tiny, reckless chaos goblin in my head start flipping tables.

“You Dragons really need more swear words,” I said.

“No, we don’t,” Knox and Guy answered at exactly the same time.

I stared at them. Then I pointed at both of their faces. “That was creepy and adorable. I hate it.”

Knox’s mouth twitched. Just barely. But I saw it, and Goddess help me, I wanted to see it again.

Guy sobered first. “Knox and I aren’t the only related pair in this mess.”

The words shifted something in the room.

Knox went still, but not in the same way Bernie did. This was deeper. More internal. Like something ancient inside him had lifted its head.

Across from him, Guy’s eyes flashed bronze-gold for half a second.

“Sullevan and Anluan,” Bernie said softly.

“Brothers,” Guy confirmed.

I looked from Knox to Guy and back again. “So we’ve got related MacAllen Dragon Magic and two Dragon Kings whose Magic is biologically related.”

Bernie’s face tightened. “That creates a sympathetic Magical connection worth investigating.”

“A hell of one,” I said.

“But…” Bernie added immediately, holding up one finger. “It does not prove anyone chose either of them because of it.”

“Right.” I nodded. “Mystery discipline. No conspiracy cartwheels until we have receipts.”

Knox’s mouth almost moved. Almost. I caught it and pointed at him. “Was that almost a smile?”

“No.”

“Liar.”

The faint emerald flicker behind his eyes told me Sully might have agreed with me. I was really beginning to love that Dragon King. My humor faded as the next question crawled up my spine, cold and ugly.

“Would Keevandrie have known?”

Nobody answered right away.

I swallowed. “Would she have known who Knox’s Dragon King was? Would Fogarty have known who Guy’s was?”

Carrick’s spell brightened faintly. “Probably.”

Guy’s jaw flexed.

Carrick continued, “Dragon Guardsmen are not anonymous within the supernatural world, particularly not to powerful enemies who made a habit of studying them. Names, lineages, Bonds, battle histories– none of that would have been impossible to discover.”

“But would they have known Sully and Lou were brothers?” Bernie asked.

“That is a separate question,” Carrick said. “I will not claim certainty without evidence. But they could have discovered it.”

“Well…” I muttered, “That’s comforting in absolutely no way at all.”

“No,” Knox said. “It isn’t.”