“I’m a dragon, Firebrand,” I said. “And—here’s a news flash—so are you. This life-mate thing, this Sallith’tahn, it’s not going away. If you feel even half of what I do, I know you can’t ignore it.” I bent down, gripping the bed frame, leaning forward so that we were eye to eye. I heard her heartbeat pick up, saw her nostrils flare and her eyes dilate, and felt the heat in my veins rise up, reaching out for her.
“We’re connected, Ember,” I said. “This is meant to be. Fight it all you want—it’s going to happen sooner or later. So, you go ahead and pretend to be human, if you like. I won’t threaten the soldier, and I won’t get in your way.” Her eyes widened incredulously, and I gave a small smile. “I won’t have to. Human emotions are fickle things, Firebrand, you’ll see that soon enough. What we have is stronger than emotion, stronger than the humans’ idea of love. Dragons will always outlast humans—all I have to do is wait. But...” I leaned closer, lowering my voice to a near growl. “I will be at your side, day in and day out, and I will take every opportunity to remind you that you are a dragon. You can count on that.”
Ember swallowed. Her eyes had gone rather glassy, echoes of her own dragon staring out at me. “You’re my Sallith’tahn,” I said quietly, and rose, holding her gaze. “That will never change. No matter what you feel for the soldier, you will always be mine.
“Oh, and one more thing,” I added, just as she’d started to relax. “The soldier can only be a human. He can never be a dragon.” Ember started to reply, but I leaned down so that our faces were maybe an inch apart. She froze, and I brushed a palm across her cheek.
“I can be both,” I whispered, and walked away. She didn’t move, didn’t answer, but I felt the predatory stare on my back, unrelenting, until I left the room and the door clicked shut behind me.
GARRET
“We’ve arrived a little late,” Tristan muttered as the engine died. He tugged the bag off my head. “The assembly has already begun. Everyone but the guards should be in there.” He glanced at me, his mouth pulled into a faint smirk, the hint of the Tristan I knew, once. Who could look a hopeless situation in the eye and make a smart-ass comment about it. “You ready for this?”
I took a short breath. “Yes.”
He walked around to my side, opened the door and pointed a gun at my face, his eyes hard and cold again. “Get out.”
I obeyed, and he shoved me against the side of the car, the pistol at my back, taking a moment to check the cuffs and pat me down once more. I endured, hoping this was part of the deception, that his fellow soldiers could be watching, that Tristan was just playing his part. Dragging me off the car, he gave me a little shove toward the large cathedral looming above the trees. “Move. Try to run, and I’ll shoot you before you take three steps. Let’s go.”
I marched in front of Tristan, a gun held to my ribs, as the stone wall of the cathedral rose above us, blazing with light against the darkness. The cathedral was old and towering, a giant that was meant to impress as well as intimidate. A pair of guards flanked the front door, brows lowered in wary confusion as Tristan walked up with me.
“The hell is this?” one asked, hand straying toward his sidearm. “Stop right there. Identify yourself, soldier.”
“Tristan St. Anthony, of the Western Chapterhouse.” Tristan’s voice was steady as he faced the guards down. “This prisoner and I are here to see the Patriarch.”
“Is that so?” the other broke in, raising a brow my direction. “And what makes you think you can march into the assembly, while the Patriarch is addressing the most important people in St. George, to throw this poor bastard at his feet?” Though the guard’s tone was mocking, his expression was hard. “Unless this is the dragonloving traitor himself, I don’t think you...”
He stopped. Really looked at me. Tristan waited quietly for the realization to sink in, the smugness practically radiating off him in waves. “Holy shit,” the guard said at last. “This is...”
“Gentlemen...” Tristan gave a cold smile and dragged me forward a step. “May I present Garret Xavier Sebastian, former soldier of St. George, ally to dragons and the most-wanted criminal the Order has seen in decades.” I kept my gaze on the ground, as Tristan continued in a voice of quiet triumph. “My former associate decided he was tired of running and turned himself over to me, hoping that St. George might be merciful. I thought the Patriarch would want to know that Sebastian has finally been caught. But...” Tristan pulled me back a pace. “If you think he’s too busy...”