“So you decided to come look for us? You’re supposed to be hiding—”
One of the soldiers from earlier, the first one I’d taken down, suddenly lunged out of the shadows, gun held before him. Faith shrieked, swinging the rebar wildly as he appeared, catching him right in the face. He crashed to the floor again and lay still, while Faith scuttled behind Garret, breathing hard.
“Is he dead?” she squeaked, as I forced myself to exhale and relax my muscles, releasing the air that I’d sucked in slowly, and not in a violent explosion of fire. Garret walked to the fallen soldier, knelt and rolled him onto his back. His head flopped, blood streaming from his nose and mouth, and I couldn’t tell if he was breathing or not.
“The others will be on their way,” Garret muttered, not looking up from the body. He started rummaging through the soldier’s stuff, checking for guns and ammo, most likely, anything to help us get out of here. “We need to hurry. Ember…” He glanced at me, narrowing his eyes. “Can you Shift back before we leave the hotel?”
I cringed. Not without my clothes. “Gimme two seconds,” I said, and hurried to where I’d left my belongings, then changed back and slipped into them as quickly as I could. When I returned, Garret stood waiting for me, gun in hand, the soldier’s belt now looped around his waist. Faith hovered beside him, watching his every move with starry eyes. All her fear of the former St. George soldier seemed to have vanished, and I bit down a snort of disgust.
Garret tossed me a pistol as I came up, and I caught it grimly. “Let’s go,” he ordered, and we fled the room, knowing the rest of the force was still out there, swarming the building. I suspected we weren’t safe yet, and I was right.
As we turned down one last corridor, two soldiers looked up from where they guarded the stairwell at the end of the hall. The carbines blared, and we ducked back around the corner as bullets peppered the walls and floor. One of the soldiers called for backup, alerting the rest of them, and I snarled in frustration. So close; if we could just get past these guards, we were home free.
Raising the gun, I tensed to dart out of cover and fire, when Garret grabbed my arm.
“Wait.” Drawing me back, he crept to the edge of the hallway and pulled something from the stolen belt at his waist. A small metal cylinder with a ring at the top. Glancing at me and Faith, he narrowed his eyes. “Look away,” he ordered. “Close your eyes and cover your ears. Both of you.” And he hurled what was in his hand around the corner, toward the soldiers.
The boom rocked the corridor, and even through my closed lids, I saw the brilliant flash of light, as if a star had exploded in the hall. The gunfire ceased, and Garret took my hand, pulling me to my feet with a brisk “Let’s go!” We sprinted past the stunned, gaping soldiers, hit the stairwell at top speed and didn’t stop running until we reached the very last door and burst through it into the hot Vegas night.
Riley
We finally reached the end of the elevator shaft.
I heard Ava hit the bottom, the quiet thump of her feet on solid ground echoing faintly up the tube. Relieved, anxious to be done with tight spaces and lethal falls in utter darkness, I descended the last few rungs and hopped off the ladder, before realizing we weren’t home free just yet.
The floor under my boots swayed slightly, as if hovering a few inches off the ground. Clicking on my flashlight, I saw we’d hit the metal roof of the elevator box, thick cables coming out of the center and rising up the tube. A small square hatch sat in one corner, and Ava crouched next to it, her hair a ghostly silver in the pale light.
“It’s stuck,” she whispered.
Putting the flashlight on the floor, I knelt across from her and grasped the handle at the top. “On three,” I muttered, as her fingers wrapped around mine, slender and cool, and I tightened my grip. “One…two…three!”
Together we tugged. The hatch, like the elevator doors, resisted a moment, then opened with a rusty screech that made my teeth vibrate. I poked my head through the opening, shining the flashlight around, then pulled back with a nod.
“Clear.”
We dropped into the elevator box, Ava landing as lightly as a cat. The doors were partially open, and I could see an empty hall beyond, dark and silent for now.
“First floor,” Ava whispered, gazing at the brass number in the door frame. She sounded relieved. “We’re almost out.”
“Not quite.” I eased into the hall, gazing around warily. “The doors will be guarded for sure, and there’s no telling how many snipers they’ve got watching the exits. And of course, that damn chopper will be circling around, making things difficult.”
“So we can’t go through the doors.” Ava followed me, pragmatic and as cool as ever. “How will we get out, then?”
“Easy.” I grinned at her. “We use a window.”
Voices echoed down another hallway, making us both tense. A moment later, the sound of boots started toward us, marching ominously closer. I switched off the flashlight, and we ran.
Ducking into an office, Ava closed and locked the door while I raced to the window and peered cautiously through the glass. The empty construction zone stretched away into the black, but past the barren lot I could see the lights of civilization in the distance, tantalizingly close. Question was, could we get across that flat, open plain without taking a bullet to the forehead?
“Cobalt!” Ava hurried to my side, her voice a warning growl. “They’re coming.”
Shit. Out of time. “Stand back,” I told her, and grabbed an abandoned fire extinguisher from the floor. Raising it over my head, I smashed it against the window, feeling the impact jar my teeth together. Cracks appeared on the first hit, spread out on the second, and on the third, the glass finally shattered. I bashed the window a few times more, making a large enough hole, then threw the extinguisher down and beckoned to Ava. “Go!”
A heavy blow rattled the door behind us. Ava sprinted three steps and dived gracefully through the glass, then rolled to her feet like an acrobat. I followed, hunching my shoulders as I plunged through, feeling shards catch on my leather jacket. But then I was on the other side, scrambling upright, and we were running across the empty lot, hearing shots fired as we fled into the concealing night. Nothing hit us, but we didn’t stop running until we reached the edge of the pavement, scrambled over the fence and darted across an empty street. Into the safety of civilization and away from the Order at last.
Taking refuge behind an auto-repair shop, I slumped against the brick wall, sucking in deep, gasping breaths while I waited for my heart to slow down. Ava leaned beside me, head back, silver hair spilling over her shoulders.
Damn, we made it. Edging to the corner of the building, I peered back at the hotel, making sure we weren’t being followed. Past the streetlights and the fence, I could just make out the helicopter, still circling the empty lot, and smiled grimly. Still a lucky SOB. Now, if only Ember and the others made it out.
“Okay,” I muttered, hearing Ava step up behind me. “Looks like we’re in the clear. We’ll lie low for a bit, see if the others got out okay. If we don’t hear from them in ten minutes, you go on to the hotel. I might have to go back for Ember and Faith.”
“No, Cobalt,” Ava said, her voice low and grave. “I don’t think you will.”
There was a sharp pain in the side of my neck, like a hornet’s sting, hot and piercing. Alarmed, I started to turn, but the ground swayed, tilted beneath me, and everything went dark.
Cobalt
Twelve years ago
The door swung open without a sound, and the figure in black eased into the room. On noiseless feet, it stole over the carpet, the long, straight knife glimmering in the shadows as it drew alongside the bed. The lump beneath the covers didn’t stir, as a slender gloved hand reached down to grasp the corner of the quilt. In one smooth motion, the shadow flung back the covers and
plunged the knife into what lay beneath.
The pillow gave a muffled thump as the blade stabbed into it, but otherwise made no sound.
“Nice try.”
The assassin spun, raising her knife as I stepped out of the closet, my pistol already trained on her. She froze at the sight of the gun, and I gave a sad smile.
“Hello, Stealth,” I greeted softly, moving around the other side of bed, keeping a large obstacle between us. It would at least slow her down if she decided to lunge. She watched me with dark, impassive eyes, and a lump caught in my throat. “I knew Talon had to send someone eventually,” I said, my voice tight. “I wish it didn’t have to be you.”
The Viper continued to regard me without expression. I stayed where I was, every ounce of my attention focused on the other dragon. I could not let it waver, even for a millisecond. Because that was how long it would take the Viper to leap across the bed and put a knife in my throat.
Stealth blinked, seemingly unconcerned with the gun pointed in her direction. She was lithe and slender, and the black Viper suit looked like a spill of ink across her skin. Straight black hair had been pulled into a tail, and her pale, slightly rounded face seemed to float in the darkness of the room. “They were going to send Lilith,” she stated quietly, making my skin crawl at the name. “I convinced them that it should be me. It’s the least I could do…for old time’s sake.”
“Yeah.” I sighed, feeling an ache begin in my chest. “I could see how you would think that. You did save my life once. Only fitting that you should correct that mistake.”
Her eyes narrowed a bit, but that was all. “How did you know I was coming?”
I gave a small snort. “You know me better than that,” I said, grateful that, for all their lethality, Vipers did not have the same skill set I did. Or the paranoia that came with being a Basilisk. The hidden camera pointed down the hallway was synced to my phone, set to alert me whenever there was movement outside. It was annoying to be woken up by every drunk shambling down the hall at three in the morning, but a few hours’ sleep was a small price to pay when it came to this.
Stealth didn’t press the question, standing calmly with her hands at her sides, still gripping the dagger. “Are you going to shoot me, Agent Cobalt?”
“Not unless I have to.”
Her jaw tightened. “If you don’t,” she warned, “I’m only going to come after you again. You know that, right? We were colleagues at one point, and I respected you, Cobalt. I still do, so consider this your only warning. Next time, there will be no words.”
I nodded tiredly. “I know.” This was a courtesy call. A formality between two agents who had fought on the same team. Once I left the room, that civility ended. The next time I saw Stealth, one of us had to die.
The Viper’s lips thinned and, for the first time, a hint of anger crossed her cool face. “Why did you do it, Cobalt?” she asked in a harsh whisper. “You had just succeeded Blackscale. You were on your way up. There were even rumors that the Chief Basilisk wanted to make you his second. Why did you throw all that away?”
“You wouldn’t understand,” I told her, and she wouldn’t. The Vipers were trained for ruthlessness, to take lives without question. I knew Stealth; if Talon told her to slit the throat of a seven-year-old human girl, she wouldn’t even blink. “And it doesn’t matter now, does it?”
Stealth shook her head. “No,” she whispered, and I heard the resolve in her voice, the knowledge that when we did meet again, she was going to kill me. “I guess it doesn’t.”
I swallowed hard and gestured at her with the gun. “The knife,” I ordered, my voice firm. “Toss it to me, now.” This might be a courtesy call, but there was no way I was letting an armed assassin follow me out of the room. I might not make it to the parking lot.
Without argument, Stealth flipped the blade in her hand and arced it toward me over the bed. It hit the edge of the mattress right in front of me, hilt up, and I grabbed the blade without taking my eyes from her.
“You’ll never escape us.” The Viper’s voice was quiet, matter-of-fact. “Even if you kill me, someone else will take my place. Talon will never let you go, and sooner or later, we’re going to catch up. You’re living on borrowed time, Cobalt.”
Ice settled in my gut, but I sheathed the knife at my belt and gave her a half smile. “You don’t have to parrot the monologue at me, Stealth,” I said. “I was part of Talon just as long as you. You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know.”
“Go, then.” The Viper eased a few steps aside, away from the door. “Run, traitor. I won’t be far behind.”
Keeping the pistol trained on her, I slid around the bed and edged toward the exit. Stealth didn’t move, only watched me with flat, expressionless eyes, as I pushed back the door and left the room.
The second I stepped through the frame, I began to run.
Ember
Made it.
The taxi pulled up to the curb, and I scrambled to the sidewalk and raised my head to bask in the artificial glow. I’d never been so relieved to see the bright neon lights of the Strip and the crowds wandering the streets in the middle of the night. Light meant visibility, and crowds meant lots of witnesses, and no matter how much they hated us, the Order of St. George was just as secretive and paranoid of discovery as Talon. They preferred to do their killing in dark alleys and abandoned buildings, where they could murder us in peace without having to worry about silly things like questions or the law. They would not risk gunning us down in the middle of a busy street.
At least, I hoped they wouldn’t.
“Stay alert,” Garret warned as the taxi cruised off after leaving us on the curb. Every bit of him was tense, gray eyes sweeping the crowds and sidewalks, constantly on edge. “The Order could still be here.” Faith whimpered and edged close to him, clutching his shirtsleeve. Annoyance flared, sudden and unreasonable, but Garret didn’t react to the girl’s pawing. “Keep calm,” he said without looking at her. “If you’re scared, you’ll be easy to notice. Try to act like nothing is wrong.”
“Easy for him to say,” Faith whispered to me. In the glow of the street lamps, she was pale and thin, with dark smudges beneath her eyes, and my irritation faded somewhat. Poor kid wasn’t trying to be overly clingy; she really was terrified.
“You’ll be fine,” I told her, as Garret motioned us toward the hotel. “We won’t let anything happen to you. Just stay close to us.”
Cautiously, we ambled toward the entrance. Okay, so maybe ambled wasn’t the right word; Faith was way too frightened to act normal, and her casual walk was more of a rigid march, eyes glued straight ahead. As we neared the doors, Garret casually reached down and took my hand, lacing our fingers together and making a knot form in my stomach. I stared up at him, and he offered a smile, squeezing my palm. I relaxed, even managing to smile at the bellboy who opened the door for us, like we were just three ordinary humans here for a good time. Faith, having relinquished her grip on Garret’s shirt, glued herself to my other side and clung to my arm as we swept through the doors into the relative safety of the hotel.
Once we were past the lobby, Faith relaxed a bit, uncoiling from my arm and staring at the casino floor in awe. Before, I’d been entranced by all the lights, bells, crowds and movement; now I understood Garret’s suspicion. There were so many people; any one of them could be an enemy, a soldier of St. George or a Talon agent in disguise. How many were watching us right now, gauging our movements, waiting for the perfect moment to strike?
I’d never accuse Garret of being paranoid again.
“Come on,” Garret murmured, and gently tugged my hand, leading us across the floor toward the elevators. Faith trailed us doggedly, trying to look at everything, until we reached the elevator hall. Garret hit the button, then stepped aside, back to the wall, keeping his eye on the crowd behind us.
r /> I edged close, leaning against the wall and lowering my voice. “Did you see Riley anywhere?” I whispered. Now that we’d escaped the hotel and could finally breathe, my thoughts went to the two companions we’d left behind. I’d texted Riley once when we were in the taxi, but hadn’t heard anything back. Of course, that could mean any number of things, and I was trying not to assume the worst, but the hollow feeling in my gut continued to grow with every minute that passed with no word from the rogue.
Garret shook his head, not taking his eyes from the crowds. “No, but I wouldn’t expect him to be on the floor,” he murmured back. “If he’s here, he’ll be upstairs with Wes.”
I nodded, trying to ignore the knot of dread uncoiling in my stomach. He’ll be all right, I told myself. He probably got out long before we did, and hasn’t contacted us because he’s afraid we’re busy running from the Order. Or he’s been too busy to check his phone. Of course, he should have texted one of us, just to let us know he made it out. We should have heard something by now. Dammit, Riley, you’d better be all right. You can’t have gotten yourself killed by St. George.
The elevator dinged, and I pushed myself off the wall to move toward the doors. They slid back just as I reached them, and a man in a bright red suit stepped out, nearly running into me. I dodged back with a scowl, barely catching myself from snapping something rude. Much as I wanted to tell him to watch where he put his feet, now was not the time to draw attention to ourselves.
But the human caught me looking at him and his eyes widened, like he was seeing a ghost. Ducking his head, he sped past me and vanished into the crowds.
Huh. That was weird. For a second, I hesitated, wondering if I shouldn’t go after him. They way he’d looked at me…it was like he knew what I was.
“Did you know that man?” Garret asked at my shoulder, making me jump. Of course, his suspicious hawk eyes had caught everything. I shook my head as we entered the elevator, Faith close at our backs.