“But,” I went on quickly, “I don’t want to be with someone because instinct says I should. I want to choose who I want to be with. And I... I don’t love Riley.” For some reason, my voice broke, and fresh tears trickled down my scales at that statement, but I forced myself to say it. To really acknowledge the truth, to myself as much as anyone else. Riley was a fellow dragon, a best friend and my Sallith’tahn. We would always be connected, and I would always consider him one of the most important people in my life. But I didn’t love him. Not like I loved Garret.
“So,” I finished. “That’s the Sallith’tahn. That’s the thing between me and Cobalt. What I’ve been feeling...ever since I met him, really. It’s messed all of us up for a long time, but I finally told Riley...that I wanted to be with you.” Still no answer from the human above me, and I closed my eyes. “I love you, Garret,” I whispered, clenching my talons in the straw, “but I don’t know if the Sallith’tahn will ever go away. If it doesn’t, I might always feel that connection toward Cobalt. I don’t know if you can accept that, but...it had to be said. I don’t want any more secrets between us.”
There was a moment of hesitation, and I wondered if he was going to walk away. If this life-mate thing was too weird for him to handle.
With a rustle of straw, the soldier knelt at my side. His hand came to rest lightly on my shoulder, sending a ripple of current through my whole body. “Is that why you’re hiding from me?” he asked in a soft voice.
“I’m not hiding,” I answered, still not uncurling.
He tapped a finger gently against my wing. “So, you’re telling me that you’re a dragon, and you might feel dragony things from time to time.”
I lifted my wing a bit and peeked up at him. He gazed back, not quite smiling, but there were no hints of anger, disgust or jealousy on his face. Hope fluttered, and I uncurled a little more, folding my wing to my back again. “So, you’re okay with this?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m happy about it,” Garret answered calmly. His fingers gently traced a wingtip, making me shiver. “But I knew there was something between you and Riley that I didn’t understand. Something only another dragon would get. I’d already accepted that when I made my decision to stay.” His gaze rose to mine, and a resigned smile finally tugged at his lips. “You can’t be completely in love with a dragon and expect anything to be normal.”
The heaviness weighing me down vanished, and warmth spread through my whole body. I sat up, and Garret put a hand on my neck, his gaze never leaving mine. “I’m here, Ember,” he said. “Dragon or human, it doesn’t matter to me. Whatever form you’re in, and whatever comes of it, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Dammit, Garret.” My eyes watered again, and I blinked hard. “Don’t say things like that when I can’t kiss you without biting your lips off.”
This time, his smile seemed to banish the shadows from the barn. He rose, brushing straw from his jeans, and I stood, as well. Things were far from okay, and the situation with Cobalt was an open wound on my heart, but he was free. And Garret had chosen to stay. Maybe now the three of us could finally move forward. And hope that time would heal the terrible scars we gave each other.
“Tristan has a place for us to meet,” Garret said, returning to the task at hand. “It’s halfway between here and my old chapterhouse, not too far, but we’ll have to move fast. Are you ready to go?”
I nodded. “I’ll meet you outside.”
DANTE
“Hello, Mr. Hill. We’ve been expecting you.”
A table of about fifteen dragons looked up at me as I entered the room. All older than me. All important. Some I recognized instantly. Mr. Roth, the Chief Basilisk, Mace, Lilith. Dr. Olsen and his team were present, as well, and the scientist bowed his head as I passed, approaching the table.
Fifteen sets of ancient dragon eyes watched as I took my place beside Mr. Roth. A few weeks ago, I would have been nervous, maybe even terrified, to be facing this many older dragons on my own. But that was before I knew who I was. Before I had the power of the Elder Wyrm herself at my disposal. I was not just some nameless hatchling; I was the heir to Talon, the son of the most powerful dragon in the world. No one here would dare challenge me.
Excitement and elation fluttered within. I was close. So close to finally achieving my dream. Just one more step to the top, and freedom. Everything I wanted was almost in my grasp. There was just one last thing I had to accomplish.
An old dragon rose from his seat, scarred and grizzled with a glass eye that glinted in the dim light overhead. “The Night of Fang and Fire is nearly upon us,” he said in a low, gravelly voice. “It is time to strike the final blow against Talon’s enemies and wipe them out for good. Commanders...” He gazed around the table. “You know why you are here. Are there any final questions before we begin?”
“Sir.” I rose from my seat. “If I may?”
“Mr. Hill.” The old dragon blinked his one good eye and stared at me. Clearly, he was surprised, and maybe a little annoyed, to have his meeting interrupted. But he only bowed his head and motioned for me to go on.
“I have a request, sir,” I said calmly. “If the targets have not already been determined, I would like to be in charge of leading the attack against the Order’s Western chapterhouse in the United States.”
“The Western chapterhouse,” the dragon repeated. “I don’t see why not, but is there a particular reason you want that target, Mr. Hill?”
“Yes,” I replied simply. “There is.” He waited for me to go on and, when I didn’t, gave a quiet huff.
“Such as?”
“My reasons are my own, sir,” I said as politely as I could. He grunted, obviously not pleased but not wanting to argue with me, as I’d suspected. “But this chapterhouse has given me, and Talon, a lot of grief in the past. Suffice to say, I want to make certain it’s destroyed.”
GARRET
“Ember.” I reached over and gently shook the girl beside me. “We’re here.”
She stirred and sat up in the passenger seat, taking a moment to scan her surroundings. It had been a long drive from the lone farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, and the scenery had certainly changed. Now large buildings, intersections and traffic replaced endless fields and open sky, unusual for the farmlands of Idaho but not for a city like Reno, Nevada. It was late evening, and the sun had nearly set behind the distant looming mountains. Headlights lit the roads and streets, horns blared and swarms of people meandered down the sidewalks.
I repressed a sigh. Another large, crowded city. I missed the brief respite of the farm; despite the many noisy teen dragons sharing the house, you could still walk outside and hear nothing but birds, insects and the wind in the trees. It reminded me of my old chapterhouse, isolated deep in the Mohave Desert, a sanctuary from the rest of the world.
“What time is it?” Ember asked, turning back to me.
“Eighteen forty-five,” I answered, and at her slightly bewildered look, added, “Quarter to seven.”