“Dammit, Firebrand, you know what he’s like,” Riley snarled back, gesturing down at the street. “You know we can’t trust him. Brother or not, he sold us out to Talon. Hell, he sent a Viper to kill you. Remember that? Remember Faith, and Mist? That was all Dante, Ember. Family doesn’t matter to him anymore. After everything he put us through, you should know that by now.”
“I know,” I said in the most reasonable voice I could manage, though it was hard not to snarl back at him. Frustration and anger boiled, made worse by the dragon and the sudden heat erupting inside me, but I kept my words calm. “I know I can’t trust him. I know he’ll sell us out to Talon again.” I gazed down at the office building, at the doors my twin had vanished through, and clenched my jaw. “I want him to confirm it. I want to look him in the eye and ask why he would give the order to have his own sister killed because she wouldn’t conform to Talon.” My voice trembled a bit on the last sentence, and I took a breath to steady it. “I want to ask why he chose the organization over me. And I want to see his face when he answers.”
Garret placed a hand on my arm and squeezed gently before turning to Riley. “If Dante was involved with what happened at the crash site, then he’ll likely know what Talon is up to,” he said calmly. “If we want answers, he might be the best one to ask.”
“If we can even get to him,” Riley muttered, crossing his arms. “And that he’ll actually talk when we do.” He gave me an exasperated look. “If he’s as stubborn as his sister, I foresee all kinds of problems.”
“Also, not to be the voice of reason or anything,” Wes broke in, “but this is a Talon facility. You’re not going to just stroll in the front doors and say, ‘Hello, we’re your most wanted dragons and we’ve wandered right into your office. Cooperate with us please.’ I say ‘you’ and not ‘me,’ because there’s no way you’re getting me anywhere near that building. I will stay up here with the sane people, thank you very much. Which, I think, is just down to me, at this point.”
I narrowed my eyes at the rogue. “You know I’m going to see him, Riley, with or without you.”
“Shit, yes, I know.” Riley sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “I just want you to be very sure, Firebrand. Dante is part of Talon. I don’t want you going down there thinking you can convince him to leave. He’s dangerous, because he’s your brother and you’re not seeing him as the enemy. But he is, do you understand? He is just as dangerous as Lilith or Faith, maybe even more so. A Viper will kill you without blinking an eye, but you at least know where you stand with them. Chameleons, though, are masters of manipulation and lies. They’ll tell you exactly what you want to hear, and they’ll screw you over while smiling at you all the while.” He shook his head in disgust, giving me a piercing glare. “So, you can’t trust anything he says, Ember. No matter how much you want to believe it. He’ll try to get us to lower our guard, to relax around him, and then he’ll sell us out to Talon at the first opportunity.”
“I know,” I said, though my chest squeezed tight at Riley’s words.
“Repeat it back to me, Ember. Just so I know you get it.”
“I can’t trust him,” I echoed bitterly. “Dante is part of Talon and will betray us all if we give him the chance. Satisfied?”
“Wish I wasn’t.” Riley exhaled and peered down at the building again. For a few moments, he stared out the window, eyes narrowed, mouth drawn into a thin line. I saw the echo of Cobalt in his profile, a phantom blue dragon with sweeping black horns and bright golden eyes, and felt a flicker of heat pulse through my veins. “All right,” the rogue muttered at last. “This is what we’re going to do.”
DANTE
“Welcome, Mr. Hill,” the man in the business suit greeted me as we came through the front doors. “We cannot express what a pleasure it is that you are here. How was your flight?”
“Fine,” I returned shortly. Then, in an attempt not to let my mood get the better of me, I added, “Mostly uneventful, thank you.”
“Good to hear, Mr. Hill,” the human continued, and began rambling about how truly privileged they were that I had arrived, how they hoped this office was doing wonderful things for the organization, and other useless compliments that were mostly lip service. As if I couldn’t smell the fear that radiated from the human like body odor. How he was trying so hard to appear normal and conversational, when he knew exactly what was happening.
“Have the packages arrived?” I asked when there was a break in the stream of endless chatter and adulation. The human bobbed his head as we stepped into a narrow elevator, squeezing into the center of the floor. My two guards loomed over us, silent and menacing, and the human eyed them nervously as the elevator climbed toward the higher floors.
“Yes, Mr. Hill. All arrived safely this morning.” The man pulled a handkerchief out of his jacket pocket and dotted his balding head with it. “And the boxes you requested were delivered to conference room C for your inspection. We’re headed there now.”
“Good.”
The elevator stopped on the eleventh floor and opened with a ding. I followed my bodyguards out and immediately turned, pressing my palm into the doors to stop them from closing. The human blinked at me across the threshold.
“I can find my own way from here,” I told him. “Thank you for your assistance, but I’m sure you’re busy enough without having to escort me around the building. We’ll be fine.” He hesitated, and I gave a wry smile. “I’m actually fairly adept at finding my way around Talon offices. It’s no trouble at all. You can return to your work.”
The blood drained from the human’s face in relief. “Of course, sir,” he almost-whispered. “Right away. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call.”
“I won’t. Thank you.”
I stepped back, and the doors slid shut, taking the human from my sight. I turned and made my way down the nearly empty halls, passing a few humans in business attire, until I found conference room C.
“Wait here,” I told my guards at the door. “I don’t want to be disturbed.” They nodded mutely before placing themselves on either side of the frame, hands clasped in front of them, and proceeded to look stern and intimidating. Opening the door, I stepped inside and closed it behind me.
Silence descended. The room was dim and cool, with stark white walls and no windows to the outside world. A long table surrounded by black leather chairs sat in the center of the carpet, and a single rectangular box had been placed atop it.
For a moment, I didn’t move, staring at the box sitting inconspicuously on the tabletop. It was unmarked and unremarkable. The first of several boxes that would stop here before continuing their journey to the Vault. I knew it had been packaged with utmost care, so that no sloppy mistake would reveal their contents. No one from the human world could guess what lay inside.