Ember stared at me, her head and neck low to the ground, wings partially spread, muzzle pulled back from her teeth. Her back spines were fully erect, and her tail stretched out behind her, only the spade tip flicking back and forth. A primal, unconscious and very obvious threat display. If I didn’t back off right now, she would attack.
Instinctively, I dropped my fist from the human’s collar, but didn’t move from there, turning to face Ember directly. “So, you’ve really decided, Firebrand?” I asked the dragon, who then blinked and raised her head, looking almost dazed at her own reaction. “This is what you want. A human, who will never understand you. Who will never be your equal. Who will be gone in the blink of an eye, no matter how hard you try to hold on.”
The red hatchling twitched her tail, her eyes shadowed. “I’m sorry, Riley.”
“Don’t apologize.” I twisted my lips into a bitter smile. “Of the three of us, I’m not the one who needs pity.”
The door clicked, a sharp sound in the tense quiet, and Wes stepped into the room, his eyes going wide as he saw us. “Shit!” he exclaimed, and quickly shut the door behind him. “Bloody hell, what is wrong with you people?” he went on, throwing the locks and whirling on all of us. “At least close the curtains if you’re going to be flapping your wings where everyone can see them!” Before I could answer, he turned to the soldier, not picking up on—or choosing to ignore—the obvious tension in the room. “What is taking so bloody long, St. George? I thought you were going to tell them.”
The soldier’s voice was dry. “I was somewhat distracted.”
“Tell us what?” I asked.
“Tristan contacted me,” St. George replied. “In the parking lot, just as we were pulling in. He sent me a time and a meeting place not far from here.” His tone was carefully neutral as he looked from me to Ember. “I thought you might want to know his answer.”
I ground my teeth. There were so many things I wanted to do, violent, unspeakable things, mostly involving the soldier. I wanted to char the human into a little pile of dust and bones, then scatter it to the winds with one sweep of my tail. I wanted to shake some sense into Ember, to demand why she would choose a short-lived human over her Sallith’tahn. I wanted to fly up beyond the clouds, where nothing would hear me but the stars, and roar out my frustration until I was cold and empty and there was nothing left.
I couldn’t do any of those things. St. George and Talon were still out there, coming dangerously close to eliminating my underground. My network, my hatchlings and all the dragons I’d freed from the organization were counting on our success. I was Cobalt, leader of the rogue underground, and I could not let personal problems get in the way of the mission.
Afterward, though, there would be hell to pay.
I looked at the soldier, then at Ember, still watching me in dragon form, and smiled coldly.
“All right, then. Guess we should go see what the bastard has decided.”
GARRET
Tristan looked awful.
The last time I’d seen my former partner, walking out of the coffee shop with the evidence tucked under one arm, he’d seemed fine. Dazed and a bit shaken, but otherwise normal. Now, striding across a soccer field toward the section of bleachers I’d staked out, the soldier looked haggard. His clothes, normally spotlessly clean and pressed, were wrinkled. His eyes were bloodshot and dark stubble shadowed his jaw.
Truthfully, I wasn’t feeling much better. My shoulders ached from where Riley had slammed me into the wall, and from the force the rogue dragon had generated, even in human form, I suspected there were a couple bruises hidden beneath my shirt. At least I’d been able to brace myself for the impact. The second I’d walked into the hotel room and seen their faces, I’d realized what was going on, and I knew what was coming. I was just thankful Riley hadn’t Shifted before he attacked; I could tell he’d wanted to and was barely holding himself back. I could take the abuse of a furious human; a furious dragon was a different story. Even with Ember’s intervention, I might not have survived.
Uneasiness stirred. And, surprisingly, guilt. Would I have to watch my back around him from now on? Would there always be a dragon lurking in dark corners and lonely places, waiting for the perfect moment to get rid of me? I knew Riley hated the Order, and we hadn’t seen eye to eye on a lot of things, but to my surprise, I found that I respected him. He was a good leader—brave, cunning and resourceful. And he cared for those under his watch. Except for his obvious disdain for authority, he would have made an exceptional soldier.