Page 49 of Legion

“Don’t follow us,” I told the Basilisk as we passed. “If I even suspect we’re being tailed, or that a Viper is out there waiting to snipe us in the head, I will have no problem pulling the trigger. We walk away clean, and no one in the organization tries to follow until we are completely gone.”

Luther gave me a flat stare, but nodded tightly. St. George threw open the metal door, and I dragged Ember through the frame, out of the building and into the sunlight.

Mist and the soldier followed at my heels. Through the door lay a flat, empty parking lot, surrounded by lawn, trees and concrete. In the distance, past another set of buildings, I could see the tree line that marked the security fence, but I had no idea how we were going to get to it.

“Mist,” I growled, glancing at the silver-haired Basilisk at my shoulder. “Where to now?” I felt highly exposed, knowing that just a few yards away, the most powerful dragon in the world was watching us through a pair of thin glass doors. “How do we get out of here? And I hope you had a better plan than ‘on foot.’”

“Give it a second,” Mist said, gazing around the lot. “He knew the plan was set into motion. He should be...there.”

A car suddenly streaked around a corner and skidded to a halt a few feet away. Mist sprang forward, wrenched open the door and motioned us inside. Still holding Ember, I pulled her into the backseat, the soldier right behind us, as Mist slammed the door and lunged into the front. I held my breath, waiting for gunshots, for a snarling Viper to land on the windshield and fill the car with fire. But nothing happened except the tires squealing as the car tore across the lot, through the open security gate and into the city streets.

* * *

Holy shit. We’d escaped. We’d actually escaped from Talon.

Cobalt, you are the officially luckiest son of a bitch in the history of SOBs. Wait until Wes finds out; this will go down in dragon history. If Talon doesn’t kill you in the next five minutes.I looked down at my “hostage” and winced.Or Ember. Or St. George for that matter.

“Um, Riley?” Ember’s voice, though not exactly furious, was not happy. “Are you going to let me go soon?”

“Sorry, Firebrand.” I eased the gun away from her throat, but didn’t loosen my grip around her. “Not yet. Not until I’m positive we’re clear of Talon. I wouldn’t put it past the Elder Wyrm to be keeping tabs on us right now, trying to see where we go. Once we’re out of the city and I’m sure Talon isn’t following us, we can drop the farce. And you can punch me out then, if you like.”

She sighed. “No,” she muttered, finally relaxing against me. “Once I got past the shock and the ‘what the hell are you doing,’ I realized you were trying to save us. We wouldn’t have made it out if you hadn’t done that. Though you did freak me out for a second there, Riley.” A shiver went through her, making my stomach twist. “You sounded entirely serious.Ialmost believed you.”

I closed my eyes. “I would have never done it, Firebrand,” I whispered. “That whole time, I was terrified Luther would call my bluff. I had to make it sound as convincing as I could, because there was no way I could even think about pulling that trigger.”

“I know,” Ember murmured back. “And I knew, deep down, that you wouldn’t. Even...even if I am the Elder Wyrm’s vessel, and she just wants me to extend her own life. And it might’ve been better for everyone if you did.” She gave another violent shudder before taking a deep breath, seeming to brush it off. “But we’re out,” she breathed. “We made it out, all of us. Your stupid bluff actually worked, and that’s why I’m not going to punch you in the face when we get out of this.”

“I might,” said the soldier in a low voice.

I glanced at him, and the hairs on my arm rose. His jaw was set, his eyes angry as he met my gaze. His pupils had contracted until they were razor-thin slits against the gray of his irises. And for one crazy, surreal moment, it didn’t feel like I was staring into the face of an angry human. It felt like I was staring down a rival drake, and he was seconds away from snarling the ancient challenge and lunging at me with fangs bared.

But then he blinked, and his eyes went normal again. I ignored the possessive anger in my gut and gave him a weary smile. “Well, you’re welcome to try, St. George,” I said. “But I’m not extending the same offer. You want to kick my ass, you’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way.”

“Perhaps if we can stay on target,” came an exasperated voice from the front, and Mist peered back at us. Her eyes glimmered blue in the fading light. Beside her in the driver’s seat, a man in a dark suit gazed straight ahead, silently ignoring the three dragons and the soldier of St. George surrounding him. I wondered who he was, if he was employed by Talon and if he was now royally screwed for helping us escape.

“We need a place to hide,” Mist said, gazing at me. “One where Talon can’t track us down. From what we saw, all of your safe houses have been compromised. I have a place we can go—my employer set it up in case it came to this.”

“No,” I said, and she blinked at me. “Sorry, Mist, but trusting you to get us out is one thing. Trusting some mysterious Talon employer to provide us with a safe house is a little out of my comfort zone. The fewer people who know where we are, the better.”

“You don’t have any more safe houses,” Mist said. “Talon found them all.”

“Not all of them.” I went over Talon’s list in my mind, making sure this final sanctuary wasn’t among the targets. “I have one last place we can go.”

Mist regarded me a moment longer, then shrugged. “I’d argue that you are being paranoid, but it would be a waste of effort. And I suppose it doesn’t matter where we go, as long as it’s safe.”

“Yeah,” I muttered as the sense of foreboding descended on me once more. I wasn’t sure any of us would be safe, ever again.Call Wes,I thought, planning our next move.Contact all my safe houses. Gather every rogue, hatchling and human friend I have and take them to the deepest, darkest, most impenetrable hole I can find.The storm was coming, looming on the horizon, and if any of us were caught in the open when it hit, no one would survive. I just hoped that, when the initial fury had passed and we poked our heads out again, the world would still be there, and not burned to ashes by dragonfire.

EMBER

“You will be my vessel, Ember Hill,” the Elder Wyrm whispered, her eyes glowing emerald as she loomed above me. “My new body, in which I will live forever.”

“No,” I snarled, fighting against the straps. “Get away from me! I won’t forget him. I won’t forget any of them.”

“Stop fighting, sis,” Dante murmured, walking around the gurney. He gave me an exasperated look and shook his head. “Why are you resisting? This is where you belong. This is your destiny.”

“Dante,” I pleaded, gazing up at him. He stared down with impassive green eyes. “Help me. You don’t know what she’s planning. What she really wants to do. Please.” I gave him a desperate look. “You’re my brother. Don’t let her destroy us all.”

Dante smiled. “I’ll save you, Ember,” he whispered, and climbed onto the gurney, resting cold hands on my shoulders. Chilled, I stared into the face of my twin and saw his eyes had turned a pale, silvery white. “I’ll save you,” he whispered again, digging curved nails into my flesh. Blood welled and ran down my arms, and Dante’s nostrils flared. “Don’t worry, sis. Dragons will never have to live in fear again. I’ll save us all.”

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