“Listen to yourself,” Tristan returned, his expression now caught between disgust and pity. “You sound like one of their slaves, someone they’ve manipulated so thoroughly you don’t know what’s real anymore.” He paused, as if weighing his next words, before adding, “And I think your feelings for that girl are making you see things that aren’t there. You always believed in what we did, until she came along.” His voice hardened. “She’s a dragon, Garret. A monster. You’re only fooling yourself if you think otherwise.”
I ignored that brief stab to the heart, knowing this was useless. Tristan’s beliefs would never waver. He was a soldier of St. George; his convictions were ironclad. I knew, because I had thought the same. And there was no time to stand here and argue with my ex-partner. Jade was waiting for my signal, and Ember and Riley were trapped in the building with the soldiers closing in. Maybe it was already too late. Much as I wanted to talk to Tristan, to explain everything I had learned, I had to move on.
Raising the M4, I met Tristan’s steely gaze. “Turn around,” I ordered, and his eyes went dark.
“Are you going to shoot me now, partner?” he asked softly. “To save the lizards? What’s the matter, can’t look me in the eye when you pull the trigger?”
I kept my face blank, my voice cold, as I answered. “Now.”
Tristan eyed me a moment longer, then spun on his knees and faced the wall. Keeping the gun raised, I walked carefully forward until I stood just a few feet away, the barrel hovering a few inches from the back of his skull.
I wasn’t going to shoot him. Despite everything, even knowing that he was my enemy and would take me out if given the command, I couldn’t kill him. He would wake up with another throbbing headache, courtesy of a rifle butt to the back of the head, and his treasured sniper rifle would be lost forever, but I wasn’t going to stand there and execute my former partner in cold blood. But as I drew back to strike, a flurry of gunfire rang out from the building across from us, followed by excited shouts and barked commands. My attention flickered to the scene outside, just as Tristan whirled on me and lunged.
I jerked up as Tristan slammed into my legs, knocking me off my feet. I hit the floor on my back, and he was on me instantly, grabbing my wrist, keeping the gun pointed away from him. We scrabbled for the weapon, throwing punches when we could, trying to overwhelm the other. I took a couple hard shots to the skull that rocked my head to the side and turned my vision fuzzy, and fought to keep myself protected with one arm.
There was a glint of metal as Tristan suddenly pulled a knife from his vest and sliced it down toward my throat. I threw up my arm, blocking his wrist, feeling the very edge of the blade press against my skin.
Setting his jaw, Tristan leaned his weight into the knife, and my arm started to shake as the blade began slicing into flesh. “I’m sorry, Garret,” I heard him mutter, as a thin line of blood ran down my shirt. My other hand was pinned to the floor; I couldn’t bring the rifle around to bear. “I wish it didn’t have to end like this. I wish we’d never gone to Crescent Beach, and that damn bitch dragon had never gotten her claws into you.” Regret flashed across his face, before his expression turned steely. “I never thought I’d see the day when the Perfect Soldier became a slave to the lizards.”
“At least I know the truth,” I gritted back. “I’m not the one who’s being lied to.” His brow furrowed, and I spat the truth at him. “The Patriarch works for Talon, Tristan! All of St. George is under the rule of the organization, they just don’t know it!”
Tristan’s eyes widened in shock. The blade at my throat eased the tiniest bit, though it didn’t move completely. For a moment, he looked dumbstruck, and I released the grip on my gun. Twisting my arm out of his grip, I shot my hand up to his neck while jerking my head and body to the side, yanking Tristan off balance. The blade scored my neck, slicing another shallow cut across my skin before thunking into the floorboards. Bucking out from under him, I grabbed the rifle, lying forgotten at my side and smashed it into the side of his head. Tristan jerked, falling to his elbows, and I hit him once more, knocking his head to the side. He collapsed to his stomach and didn’t get up.
Panting, I rolled to my knees, ignoring the stinging in my neck, and dug my phone out of a pocket. “Jade,” I rasped when the dragon picked up. “Go.”
“Understood.”
I held my breath, waiting. Then, a roar echoed over the buildings, igniting a flurry of shouting among the soldiers stationed outside. Peering out the window, I saw the men across the street climbing into SUVs, while the commander pointed to the other end of the lot. I followed his gaze, just as a long, long coiling tail dropped from a rooftop in a flash of green and vanished behind the buildings.