But at the same time, I was loath to leave. Ember was finally home. I wanted to talk to her, if not to convince her to join us, then to attempt to understand why she was being so stubborn. How could she not see the huge potential staring her in the face? We were the offspring of the Elder Wyrm. Why couldn’t she think about what we could do together, once we both ruled Talon?
I needed someone to keep an eye on her while I was gone, to make sure she was all right, and that she wouldn’t somehow sneak off again. The guards were competent, I supposed, but they didn’t have a vested interest in my sister. And Ember, as I’d seen time and time again, was just stubborn and crafty enough to be dangerous. Even if she couldn’t Shift, she might be too much for them to handle. I didn’t trust any of the humans in this place to keep my sister safe, to be competent enough to deal with her.
But...there was someone who could.
Making my decision, I headed for the elevator.
GARRET
“Well,” Riley sighed at my back, “today is going to be loads of fun. Ready for this, St. George?”
“Don’t have much of a choice, do I?” I muttered, mentally steeling myself for what I knew was coming. I sat in a chair with my hands cuffed behind the metal back, a spotlight shining in my face. To my left sat a table laid out with instruments and needles that glinted under the light; it wasn’t hard to guess what they would be used for.
Behind me, Riley snorted. “Try not to scream like a little girl too much,” he said. “My perception of you isn’t that great to begin with.”
The door opened, and a girl entered the room, followed by two men in white suits. Riley turned his head, and I felt his smirk even without seeing it.
“Mist,” he drawled. “We just keep meeting like this. What’s the matter, didn’t get enough of me last time?”
The girl ignored him, but the men picked up a pair of syringes from the table, walked over and smoothly sank the needle into my neck. It burned as it entered my skin, and I clenched my jaw. Some sort of truth serum, if I had to guess. That would make resisting difficult, but I could not break and tell them what they wanted to know. Too many people depended on us. If Talon discovered them, they would all be in danger. Everyone I knew—Wes, Jade, Tristan, all the dragons in Riley’s underground—Talon wouldn’t spare any of them. And somewhere in this place, maybe close by, Ember was being held against her will.
Ember, I thought, and closed my eyes. Where are you? Are you going through the same hell we are? The thought of her strapped to a chair with a spotlight in her eyes, being prodded and tortured for information, was more painful than anything they could do to me. I’ll find you, somehow, I promise. Please, hang on.
“Are we ready?” Mist’s soft, cool voice made my heart pound, and I took a furtive breath, cementing my determination. I’m ready, I told myself, opening my eyes. Let’s get this over with.
“I’m surprised Talon let you do this again, Mist,” Riley said behind me. “It went so well for you last time. Though I am a little hurt. I thought we had something special.” His voice, though starting to slur, was heavy with sarcasm. He shifted in his chair, jerking his head back toward me. “But I don’t know why you decided to drag this poor bastard into it. If you think you’re going to get more out of him because he’s human, you’re sadly mistaken. You think I’d share my network secrets with a weak-willed mortal?” Riley sneered, his tone cutting. “You’re wasting your breath. He doesn’t know anything.”
Why are you protecting me? I wondered, but then I realized. No, he’s trying to protect his underground. He doesn’t think I can take this, that I might talk.
Mist walked around to observe me with appraising blue eyes. I met her stare, careful to give nothing away. To not let on that my eyelids were growing heavy, and the room was starting to ripple at the edges. “Or perhaps the opposite is true,” she said, watching my face intently. “Perhaps, against all your better judgment, you have let a soldier of St. George into your inner sanctum, and now he knows far too much. About you, and your underground, and all of Talon.” Her eyes narrowed, shrewd and calculating. “There are rumors that the Patriarch, the leader of the Order, is deceased. And that a single soldier was able to defeat him.” My gut knotted, but I kept my expression vacant. Mist raised an eyebrow and smiled. “I think there is more to this human than you’re letting on, Cobalt. And you are trying to protect both him and what he knows.”
“Hey.” The sneer in Riley’s voice sounded completely legitimate. “If you want to browbeat the kid until he wets himself and confesses that he still sucks his thumb at night, you go right ahead. I’ll be happy to share the attention.”
“No matter. You will both talk soon enough.” The faint smile lingered on the girl’s face as she walked back to the table. “Leave us,” she told the two men, who straightened quickly. “You’re not needed. I’ll take it from here.”
They nodded, but before they could go, the door swung open again, and a figure walked into the room. This time, it was Mist who straightened quickly. “Mr. Hill,” she exclaimed as Dante walked across the floor to stand before us. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
DANTE
“Do we need to stop the procedure?” Mist asked as I walked into the room. A few feet from her, Cobalt and the soldier of St. George sat back-to-back, hands cuffed behind them, a spotlight shining into their faces. I would admit, I felt a flicker of both relief and vindictive satisfaction to see Cobalt like that; Talon’s most infamous criminal would finally be brought to justice. And I was the one who had captured him.
“No, Miss Anderson,” I said. “I apologize for the interruption, but there is something I need you to do for me.”
“Come to finally take your shots, Dante?” the rogue asked, his expression twisted into a smirk. “It’s a lot easier to be brave when the guy can’t hit you back.”
“I am not here for you, traitor,” I said calmly, refusing to glance at him. “You are no longer of any consequence. Miss Anderson, if you would please come with me. I need to speak to you in private.”
Her brow furrowed. “But what of the prisoners?” she asked. “I have orders to question both Cobalt and the soldier, and the truth serum should be taking effect now.”
“Don’t worry, Miss Anderson.” I spared a quick glance at the rogue, keeping my voice professional, not letting the satisfaction leak into my tone. “I’ve assigned someone to take over. They should be here any moment now.”