Talon

  No answer, just a noise that sounded half growl, half sob, and my alarm grew. “Hey, look at me,” I said, pulling back, though not enough to let her go. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

  “St. George,” she whispered, and I couldn’t tell if she was grief-stricken, terrified or really, really pissed. “He’s one of them, Riley. Garret is part of St. George.”

  “Shit.” This day was getting better and better. “Did he hurt you?” I asked, swearing that if I ever saw that human again, I would fry him to cinders. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m...I’m fine.” She pulled away, raking hair from her eyes, and gazed around the beach. “Where’s Dante?”

  I frowned. “I thought he was coming with you.”

  “We split up. He said he would meet me here...” Ember broke off, walking a little ways down the beach, searching. “Where is he?” Her eyes, her stance, everything, was hopeful, and I sighed, hating what I had to do next.

  “Firebrand,” I said as gently as I could, walking up behind her. “He’s not coming. I’ve seen his kind before. If he hasn’t sold us out to Talon by now, I’d be surprised. We have to go now, before Talon or St. George finds us.”

  “No.” She spun on me, eyes flashing. “You don’t know him. He’ll come. He’ll be here, he promised he would.”

  “Talon has him now.” I shook my head sadly. “He’s theirs, Ember. He’ll betray his own blood if the organization tells him to.”

  “He’s my brother, dammit!” She glared at me, both the dragon and the human girl of one mind. Both stubbornly resolved. “You’re wrong,” she insisted. “I’m not leaving him. Something might’ve come up, slowed him down. We have to wait a little longer. He’ll be here.”

  “No, hatchling,” purred a new voice, one that turned my blood to ice. “I’m afraid he will not.”

  Ember

  “Lilith,” Riley growled, backing away, as my trainer, Scary Talon Lady herself, sauntered toward us. She was dressed like me, a tight black suit hugging her slender body, her blond hair pulled behind her. Her “work” outfit. My breath seized up with the implication.

  “Where’s Dante?” I demanded, suddenly terrified. “What have you done to him? If you’ve hurt him, I swear—”

  “Don’t worry, my dear.” Lilith smiled at me, evil and predatory. “Your brother is fine. He’s at home, in fact, waiting for me to bring you back to the fold.”

  Riley swore. I looked at him, then at Lilith, confused. “I don’t understand.”

  “Dante informed me where you’d be tonight,” the Viper went on. “He said you had been coerced by a rogue dragon that had been hanging around the area, telling all kinds of nasty lies about the organization. He was very concerned about your state of mind, so he contacted me. Smart boy. He knows where his loyalties lie.” Lilith gave me a mock-sorrowful look. “You, however, hatchling, I am very disappointed in you.”

  “You’re lying,” I breathed, shaking my head. “Dante wouldn’t sell me out.”

  “Sell you out?” Lilith sounded shocked. “He saved you, hatchling. Because of him, I can bring you back to the organization tonight. Because of his actions, you won’t be leaving with this traitor, and I won’t have to kill you for collaborating with a known rogue.”

  “What about Riley?”

  “Riley?” Lilith frowned a moment, then turned to him with an evil smile. “Is that what you’re calling yourself these days, Cobalt? How very...human. Setting your sights a little high with my dear protégée, aren’t we? You should’ve known I would find you eventually.”

  “Ember, run,” Riley growled, every muscle in his body coiled for a fight. “Don’t worry about me. Just get out of here, now.”

  “Stay where you are,” Lilith ordered, her voice sharp and cold. “When I’m finished here, we are returning to the organization, where you belong. And you will wait right there until I am done. This won’t take long.” She flexed her nails, smiling a vicious, demonic smile. “But I suggest you turn around now, hatchling, and close your eyes. You probably don’t want to see this.”

  She’s really going to kill him. I glanced at Riley, and he gave me a small, resigned nod that made my stomach clench. Whatever I did, whatever I chose, he understood. If I went back to Talon, he wouldn’t fault me, but he wouldn’t run, either. He couldn’t beat Lilith, especially wounded, but he would fight for me, for Nettle and Remy and Wes, and all his other rogues. He would fight Talon’s best Viper to give them a shot at freedom.

  I swallowed my fear and stepped away from Lilith, backing up to face her with Riley. “No,” I said, making her eyebrows arch. “You want him, you’ll have to kill me, too.”

  Lilith smiled.

  “How unfortunate,” she mused, taking one step back herself. “I was hoping you would see reason tonight, but I see that Cobalt has polluted your mind beyond repair. Very well.” Her eyes began to glow, an ominous, poison green. “If your choice is to turn your back on Talon and side with these criminals, that makes you a traitor, as well. So, now you can die with them!”

  And she surged into the air, almost faster than I could see, rising up to engulf us in her shadow. Her wings spread to either side, huge green membranes fanning the air, making me feel tiny, insignificant. An arrow-shaped skull rose on a long, snaking neck, spines bristling down her back to the slender, lashing tail. Slitted eyes glared down at us, eager and merciless, as twenty feet of full-grown, venomous green adult dragon screamed a terrifying battle cry and pounced.

  Already in dragon form, Cobalt lunged in front of me, snarling a challenge as the adult twice his size bore down on him. Sand flew as Lilith’s arrow-shaped head darted forward, terrifyingly quick, snapping at Cobalt’s neck. The rogue twisted aside, wings and tail beating the air, and struck out with his claws. His talons raked along the poison-green scales of his enemy but didn’t pierce through, and Lilith spun, hissing like a furious snake. Moving insanely fast, she came at him again, lashing out with a flurry of claws and fangs, giving him no time to recover. Snarling, Cobalt was driven back toward the ocean, trying to avoid the savage whirlwind of strikes, but he stumbled, and Lilith reacted instantly. Her talons scored a nasty hit along his shoulder, the blow almost too quick to see. Blood spattered the sand in vivid red drops, and Cobalt howled in pain.

  But she had forgotten about me.

  Sprinting through the sand, I leaped at my former trainer, Shifting in midair, intending to land on her back in full dragon form and sink my claws into her neck. But as I left the ground, her tail came up, whipping through the air and smashing me aside. I hit the sand, and she immediately turned and pounced, sinking curved claws into my side, pinning my wings down. She was so fast. It was like battling a snake, a huge, intelligent snake with claws and wings and lashing tail. I shrieked as her weight crushed my wings and her talons pierced through my scales, drawing blood.

  With a roar, Cobalt hit her from the side, golden eyes blazing and furious. Claws flashing, he would’ve raked her open from spine to belly if she hadn’t moved, releasing me in an instant and leaping back. Growling, the blue dragon placed himself between me and the Viper, wings partially open, muzzle pulled back to show his fangs.

  I struggled to my feet, wincing, as the Viper chuckled, the sibilant noise making my skin crawl. “Well, well,” she hissed in Draconic, circling us in the sand. She moved like a shark, lithe and graceful, and we circled with her warily. “A bit overprotective, aren’t we, Cobalt? Aren’t you even the slightest concerned my student is going to stab you in the back? After all, she was handpicked by the Elder Wyrm to become a Viper.”

  “Don’t listen to her,” I snarled, glaring as Lilith continued to stalk. “She’s just trying to throw you off balance, get you to lower your guard. She does that.” Facing my former trainer, I curled my lip in a sneer. “You already showed me that trick, remember? I’m not falling for it again.”
/>
  The Viper laughed. “Well, it’s good to know my lessons haven’t completely gone to waste,” she said, regarding us coolly. “But I think I’m done toying with you now.” Her acidlike gaze fastened on me. “Hatchling, this is your final chance. You would be an amazing Viper—it’s in your blood. You and your brother were destined for greatness from the beginning. But you’re throwing it all away if you stay with this traitor.” Her voice dropped, becoming low and soothing. “Return with me, and all is forgiven. You can come back to Talon, and everything will be as it should. You and your brother will never be separated, I can promise you that.”

  Dante. I hesitated, and Lilith smiled. “Yes, hatchling. He’s waiting for you at home. Forget this insanity and come back to us. You can’t fight Talon. Dante knows this. It’s time you accepted that, as well.”

  I curled a lip. “And all the dragons who didn’t fit Talon’s standards? The female breeders and the undesirables? Have they accepted it, too?”

  “That is no concern of yours.” Her eyes narrowed, and her voice changed, becoming ugly as she lowered her head. “I am growing impatient, hatchling,” she warned. “Continue this fight and you will die. I will destroy you, Cobalt and those pathetic hatchlings hiding in that cave.” Cobalt jerked up at this, and the Viper smiled. “Did you think I was unaware of those disgusting weaklings? No, I will show no mercy to traitors, hatchlings or not. They will die, and you will share their fate as I tear them limb from limb, making certain they suffer every moment of it. I will skin them alive, crush them in my jaws and bring their shattered bones back to the organization as a reminder of what will happen to those who betray us.”

  Cobalt roared, baring his fangs. “Heartless bitch!” he snarled, flames licking at his teeth in rage. “You won’t touch them. I’ll kill you first!”

  He lunged at the Viper with his jaws gaping wide, going for that long, graceful neck, now temptingly close to the ground. Lilith grinned, and I realized too late that’s what she wanted. As Cobalt went for her throat, her head darted back, quick as a snake, and his jaws snapped shut on empty air. Lilith half reared, wings snapping out for balance, and drove the full weight of her body onto the smaller rogue, crushing him to the sand. I saw Cobalt’s head and neck snap up, a breathless cry escaping him, before he dropped motionless to the ground. His wings flapped once and went still.

  With a shriek, I hurled myself at the Viper, not knowing what I would do, only wanting her away from Cobalt. Lilith stepped over the fallen rogue to meet me, fangs bared in an eager, bloodthirsty smile. Snarling, I raked at her; she dodged aside, smirking. I went for her again, snapping at a foreleg, hoping a broken bone would slow her down. She whipped it out of my reach and flung a stinging backclaw across my muzzle, making my eyes water. My temper snapped, and I leaped at her with a scream, intending to claw and shred and bite until there was nothing left but a pile of bones and scales.

  The Viper met me midspring, driving her horned head into my stomach and chest. It felt like I’d been hit by a speeding Mac truck and, without my chest plates and armor, probably would’ve snapped every rib in my body. Nevertheless, the air left my lungs in a painful explosion, and I was flung backward, hitting the sand at the water’s edge and rolling several feet in a tangle of wings and tail. Dazed, gasping for breath, I felt a stinging pain in my hind leg as the Viper’s talons closed around my ankle. Snarling, I tried getting up, but fell back as she dragged me through the sand, turned and hurled me away a second time. The world went upside down for a dizzying moment, just before I slammed into the lone rock with enough force to nearly knock me out.

  I crumpled to the sand with a gasp, blackness hovering around my vision like fuzzy clouds. The world still spun frantically, and there was a fiery ache in my side where I’d hit the boulder. I tried getting to my feet, but my legs gave out and I slumped back with a hiss of pain.

  “That’s it?” The Viper’s voice echoed weirdly in my head, hollow and ringing, but still amused and smug as hell. Through my darkening vision, I saw the deadly green dragon prowling up the beach toward me, her eyes glowing in the shadows. “That’s all the fight you have, hatchling?” she crooned in Draconic. “Perhaps I’ve underestimated you, after all.”

  Gritting my teeth, I pulled myself around the boulder, my tail and wings dragging behind me. My claws slipped through the loose sand, making progress difficult, and pain flared through my side. Panting in fear, I heard the Viper’s approach, getting ever closer, and I clawed frantically at the ground.

  “Running away now?” Lilith called. “You should know you can’t escape me. Give up, little hatchling. Let me kill you now, and I’ll make it quick.”

  Hugging the boulder, I tried to be calm as the killer dragon’s footsteps shushed through the sand on the other side of the rock. “What pathetic little prey you are,” she mused, dangerously close. “I am quite disappointed indeed.”

  I took a deep breath and felt the heat in my lungs ignite.

  Dragons are never prey, I thought as a long neck snaked over the rock, the arrow-shaped head smiling down at me. Dragons are always predators.

  “There you are,” Lilith purred. “I see you, hatchling.”

  I raised my head and blasted the Viper above me with fire. Flames couldn’t hurt us, of course, as our scales were fireproof, but the sudden explosion caused her to snort and flinch away. Surging upright, I leaped to the top of Lone Rock and hurled myself at the Viper’s back.

  I hit her side, between wing joints and neck, sinking my talons into her scales to stay on. Her spines poked at me as I clawed and scrabbled for a better grip, raking and snapping as best I could. Lilith hissed and spun, bucking wildly, but I clung to her with the last of my strength. Biting down hard, I felt the sharp tang of blood fill my mouth, and Lilith screamed in fury.

  Her long neck whipped around, jaws closing on a wing joint, ripping me from her back. I dangled in the air a moment, before she reared up and flung me to the ground, hard. I landed on my stomach, and before I could move, one clawed forepaw pinned me down, and another fastened around my throat. Claws sank into my skin, pricking me through my scales. I gagged and looked back into the face of the Viper, who was no longer smiling.

  “Now you’ve annoyed me,” she growled as I struggled desperately, clawing at the sand beneath me, whipping my tail. It was no use. She was too big. “Don’t worry, my dear. I’ll make it quick. Once I tear your throat out, you won’t feel a thing.”

  Her claws tightened, digging into my throat, drawing blood. I thrashed frantically, beating my wings, but I couldn’t move the murderous dragon holding me down. “A shame, really,” Lilith said, shifting her weight to a better position. “You had so much potential. I suppose we’ll have to rely on Dante now.”

  Dante? “Wait,” I choked, feeling the claws loosen the tiniest bit. “What do you want with Dante?”

  Lilith smiled once more. “That is not your concern any longer, hatchling,” she said, and squeezed my throat again, making my world erupt with pain. “Because in a few moments, you won’t be alive. Now, why don’t you go ahead and die like a good dragon? It’s what Talon would want.”

  Her claws pierced my neck, sinking through scales, and I knew this time they wouldn’t stop. I closed my eyes and braced myself for the end, hoping it would be as painless as Lilith said.

  Shots rang out behind us.

  Garret

  “There’s her car.”

  Tristan yanked the van off the road, pulling to a stop behind a familiar white sedan on the shoulder before killing the engine. I stared out the window, fighting a sickening sense of dread. There were no landmarks out here, just an empty road, sand and rock, but I recognized this place. I knew what lay beyond the narrow, nearly invisible trail snaking off toward the cliffs. Lone Rock Cove, the place where I met Ember for the first time.

  “She’s probably down in the cove. Come on.” Tristan
stepped out and slid open the door to the backseat, where his rifle lay nestled in its case on the floor. Picking up his gun, he swung it to one shoulder and handed me an M-4 as I stepped around the front. I took it numbly, trying to clear my thoughts, to decide what I was going to do. I couldn’t kill Ember, and I couldn’t go against the Order. I was trapped between two impossible choices.

  “What’s the plan?” I heard myself ask.

  Tristan shoved a 9 mm into a side holster, first checking the cartridge to make sure the gun was loaded. “We scout the area, see where the suspect is, what she’s doing and, if necessary, hold position until the team arrives. If she is here, my guess is she’ll be in that cave on the beach.” He eyed my civilian attire, as I’d left my vest and uniform behind when I went to meet Ember, and frowned. “That’s not going to be much protection against dragonfire, partner. If we do get into a fight, be careful.”

  Without waiting for an answer, he turned and began making his way toward the cliffs, moving quickly over the rocks and sand. I hesitated a moment, then followed, the sick feeling in my stomach growing stronger the closer we got to the cove.

  Tristan disdained to take the path between rocky walls that would lead to the beach, instead seeking out the high ground at the top of the cliff. Lying down near the edge, he peered through a pair of night-vision goggles, while I knelt and waited uneasily behind him, desperately hoping she wouldn’t be there.

  “Bingo,” Tristan breathed, and my heart sank. He motioned me forward, holding out the binoculars. Feeling like my chest was squeezed in a vise, I took the goggles from him and gazed over the edge.

  The cove was already well lit from the enormous silver moon directly overhead, so it was easy to spot the three figures in the sand along the water’s edge. Ember I recognized immediately, causing my heart to thud against my ribs. She was with the young man I’d seen at Kristin’s party, the boy who’d danced with her and fought off Colin’s friends with us. They were both talking to a slight, slender woman in the same black bodysuit that Ember wore. I couldn’t see their faces very well, but by Ember’s posture and quick, angry movements, it looked like they were in a heated argument.