I raised my cuffed hands. “Seems pretty obvious to me.”
His face tightened, but he didn’t order them removed. “You’re a danger to yourself, Ember,” he said, turning from the railing. “I want to trust you, but you’ve been with that rogue too long, listening to his lies. Please understand, this isn’t forever. But until we return to the organization, I can’t take any chances. I’m sorry.”
He raised his hand, gesturing someone forward. A woman stepped out from the shadows, not a clone but a human in a white lab suit. The suit itself made me nervous, but the syringe glittering in one gloved hand made me even more jumpy.
“What is that?” I growled as she stepped toward me, smiling in a way that I guessed was supposed to be calming, but it just made me want to bite her.
“Dractylpromazine,” Dante answered. “A mild sedative. It won’t hurt you. It will just make it impossible to Shift for the next few hours. Hold her still.”
The guards took my arms, immobilizing me as the woman stepped up and smoothly sunk the needle into my skin. I clenched my jaw at the stinging pain, remembering what Riley had told me about the drug, which was not a “mild sedative” but a very powerful tranquilizer that worked on our dragon half. Talon had developed it to further control and threaten the dragons in the organization, because not being able to Shift was one of the most frightening things that could happen to us. Almost immediately after the needle was removed, I began to feel drowsy, my limbs heavy and unresponsive. I shook my head, fighting to stay alert as Dante watched me with somber green eyes. I curled a lip at him.
“I suppose Talon told you that drugging your sister was necessary, as well,” I said scathingly.
“No.” Dante’s brow furrowed. “But I know you, Ember. I know how you’ll react, and I can’t risk anything happening to you. Even if I have to prevent you from hurting yourself.” His words sent a chill through me as I realized what he meant, that he was about to do something I wouldn’t like. Dante gave the human in the lab coat a quick glance. “Has the drug taken effect?” he asked.
“Yes, sir. It should be at full strength now.”
“Good.” He turned from me, pulling out his phone and placing it to his ear. “Squad two,” he said quietly. “Initiate. Take the rogue and the human. Alive.”
“What?” I snarled and lunged forward, but the guards grabbed my arms, holding me back. Instinctively, I tried to Shift, but there was no response from the dragon, making me furious and terrified all at once. “Dante, you lying, two-faced bastard!” I raged, struggling against my captors. “You said you would let them go.”
“I did not. I said I would let them live.” Dante’s expression was hard as he watched me, knowing I had tried to change just then. “Cobalt is the worst traitor Talon has seen in centuries,” he went on. “I will not return to the organization having let him slip through my fingers.” He shook his head. “No, I will keep my word and not kill him as I originally planned, but you all will be returning to Talon tonight.” His eyes narrowed, and he gave a small, chilling smile. “The Elder Wyrm is expecting us.”
PART III
Fang and Fire
RILEY
I groaned and opened my eyes. Then immediately wished I hadn’t.
“Shit,” I growled, pressing a hand to my forehead. My skull throbbed, probably from the whack I’d taken, courtesy of a rifle butt to the side of the head. The motion also revealed another fun discovery: thick metal cuffs were locked around my wrists, heavy-duty manacles made for gorillas and Frankenstein’s monster. Blearily, I lowered my arms, waiting for the cobwebs in my brain to clear out. How I got here was kind of fuzzy. I remembered being surrounded by an army of robot-like dragons, feeling utterly helpless as Ember bargained with her slimy brother for all our lives. I remembered the look on her face as she watched us leave, unable to stop her, or save her, knowing there was no way in hell that Talon would just let me go.
Turns out I was right. The soldier and I hadn’t gone a hundred yards when a squad of a dozen armed clones appeared from nowhere, surrounding us. While half of them pointed assault rifles at our faces, one pair had dragged me forward and shoved me against a brick wall. I was already injured, furious at the betrayal, and didn’t exactly appreciate being manhandled by two soulless humans, so I might’ve snarled and elbowed one in the face as hard as I could. Which might not have been the brightest of ideas, as the other had instantly responded by clocking me in the temple with the butt of his gun. That was the last thing I remembered.
“You awake?” came a familiar voice in the corner.
“Yeah,” I muttered, raising my head to peer at my surroundings. Unsurprisingly, I was sitting on the floor of a small, dark cell. The walls were made of steel, there were no windows and the heavy, barred door at the front looked like it could stop a charging buffalo. A pair of cots were set into one wall, bunk-bed-style, but both were empty. St. George sat against the opposite wall watching me, manacled hands resting on his knees.
“How long was I out?” I rasped.
“Hard to tell. At least a few hours, and most of that was the drive. We haven’t been in here very long.” His gaze narrowed. “They stuck you with a needle while you were unconscious,” he told me, making my stomach churn. “I’m guessing it’s something that prevents you from Shifting.”
“Dractylpromazine.” I exhaled and leaned my head against the wall. “Yeah, I’ll be stuck in human form for several hours at least. And they’ll probably keep dosing me with that crap to keep it that way. Or at least until they have no interest in keeping us alive anymore.” On impulse, I gingerly pulled up my shirt—hard to accomplish in shackles—to reveal strips of gauze and bandages wrapped around my ribs. “Oh, well, look at that. The bastards want me alive and healthy for a little while longer at least. Can’t have me dying on the interrogation table, I guess.” I lowered the fabric, grimacing. “Where’s Ember?”
“I haven’t seen her,” the soldier said darkly. “We weren’t in the same vehicle. And they blindfolded me when they brought us in, so I’m not even sure where ‘here’ is.”