Page 39 of Inferno

I turned on Ember as Ward marched off, calling orders to his soldiers. “Okay, what the hell was that about?”

She just smiled. “Nothing. It doesn’t matter. It’s over now.” The relief in her voice was palpable as she leaned into the soldier, who gazed down at her with worried eyes. “You did it, Riley,” she murmured. “The facility, the breeders… you finally found them. And now we’re going to take them away from this awful place and make sure Talon never gets their claws into them again.”

“Yeah.” I took a quiet breath as the realization finally hit. “Not just me, though,” I told Ember, and gazed over my shoulder to where the soldiers of St. George were sweeping across the yard. I could never have done this alone. It had taken all of us, dragons and soldiers, to pull off something this huge. “The Order of St. George teaming up with dragons to rescue dragons,” I muttered, and it still sounded ludicrous. “The world is either a very funny place, or it’s about to end.”

Ember gave a painful chuckle. “Probably both,” she gritted out. “But this was a huge blow to Talon, you can be sure of it.” Raising her head, she observed the buildings and the soldiers moving between them, her gaze solemn and bright. “Now, the question is, how is Talon going to react, and what are they going to do next?”

DANTE

“Welcome back, sir.”

I nodded absently to the guard as I strode through the doors of Talon headquarters, both relieved and apprehensive to be home. I’d destroyed the letter from Ember’s mysterious friend long before I left China, but the words written on that page had haunted me the entire journey back to the States.

The Elder Wyrm intends to use Ember to extend her own life, to achieve immortality.

It couldn’t be true. I’d thought—I’d always assumed—that the Elder Wyrm would leave Talon to one or both of us when she finally left the world. I’d been working toward that ever since I discovered my true heritage, preparing for the day I would take over. It would obviously be me; Ember had no head for business or politics and no desire to manage a giant conglomerate of dragons. She would still be part of Talon, however, and I would make sure she was safe and taken care of.

But if the Elder Wyrm was trying to become immortal…

I strode through the building, giving short, one-word answers to any who tried to engage me. In the relative privacy of the elevator, I pulled out my phone and tapped a familiar number, then held it to my ear. Someone picked up on the first ring.

“Hello, Mr. Hill,” said the Elder Wyrm’s personal assistant. “Welcome back. How was your trip overseas?”

“Fine, thank you,” I replied automatically. “Where is the CEO?”

“The Elder Wyrm is in an emergency meeting right now and cannot be disturbed. I will inform her of your arrival as soon as she is finished.”

Emergency meeting?I frowned. What was going on? It wasn’t like the Elder Wyrm to keep me in the dark. Though this might work out perfectly; she would be distracted for a bit. I really did not want to face her right now. “That’s fine,” I told the assistant. “No hurry. I just wanted to inform her that I was back.”

There was one guard standing at the elevators on the ground floor and a pair watching the hall as I stepped onto my office floor. More security; something had definitely happened while I was away. After informing my personal assistant that I was not to be disturbed unless it was a summons from the Elder Wyrm herself, I slipped into my office and locked the door behind me.

I sat at my desk and stared at the computer screen for a long moment, debating with myself. Did I really want to do this? Go poking around the Elder Wyrm’s private affairs? What if I confirmed something horrible, something I could not ignore? What would I do? Confront the Elder Wyrm? Demand answers from the leader of Talon, the oldest, most powerful dragon in the world? I almost laughed out loud at the thought.

This is for Ember, Dante.

Ember was created to be the Elder Wyrm’s vessel, the letter had claimed. It was a place to start. I certainly couldn’t ask the Elder Wyrm about it, but there were others who might know the truth. I could think of one human in particular who’d helped develop the vessel program and had been involved with the clones from the beginning.

Snatching my desk phone I buzzed my personal assistant, who answered instantly. “Yes, Mr. Hill?”

“Contact Dr. Olsen,” I told her. “Let him know I wish to speak to him immediately via our private channel. Tell him it cannot wait.”

“Of course, sir.”

Immediatelywas a relative term when it came to the head scientist, I’d come to realize. Fifteen minutes passed in silence, while I sat alone with my thoughts and wondered exactly what I was doing. Finally, my computer warbled, announcing an incoming call. I hit a button, and Dr. Olsen’s lined, slightly agitated face filled the screen.

“Mr. Hill,” the scientist greeted with a pathetic attempt at a smile. “Welcome back. I trust this interruption to my work is very important.” His gaze flickered toward the exit, as if he were impatient to be gone. “I was in the middle of a very delicate procedure with one of the vessels, and I really must return as soon as possible.”

“Forgive me, Dr. Olsen,” I said, smiling broadly. “I won’t take much of your time. I just have a few questions regarding your work with the vessels, if I may.”

He relaxed. Talking about the vessels, his created “children,” was something he never tired of. “Of course, Mr. Hill. What did you want to know?”

“You were one of the first scientists to develop the vessel program, is that right?”

He puffed up. “Yes, that is correct. My work in cloning and genetics was essential in creating the program. Why do you ask?”

My heart pounded. I had to play this exactly right. “You are the only one I can trust in this matter, Dr. Olsen,” I replied. “Strict confidentiality is vital, so listen carefully. I need you to forward me all the data you have regarding the research, development and experimentation on the Elder Wyrm’s vessel.”

His brows shot up. “I wasn’t aware that you knew about that, Mr. Hill,” he stated, making my heart plummet. It was true, then. The Elder Wyrm’s vessel was indeed a thing, and Dr. Olsen was a part of it. “I was under the impression that you and your sister’s origins were never to be revealed,” the scientist went on. “The organization made very certain we understood that.”

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