Page 47 of Talon

“Hi.”

A new, unfamiliar voice interrupted us, making me pull back. Annoyed, I looked over to face a guy with dark, messy hair and a leather jacket. His arms were crossed, and he wore a dangerous smirk as he stared at me. I frowned, not recognizing him, but Ember gave a tiny squeak and stiffened in my arms.

“Riley?” she gasped, the instant recognition making me tense. “What are you doing here?”

Ember

Okay, this night was officially weird.

I’d thought I knew what I wanted. Before we’d come to the party, Lexi had pretty much convinced me that Garret would be there. Kristin had invited him, after all, and her birthday parties were the stuff of legends. Half the town had probably heard about it by now. Even when I pointed out that he might not come, and I had no way to contact him if he didn’t show, that hadn’t deterred Lexi. She’d already made plans to stalk the beaches and local hangouts every day until we found him.

As Dante and I had pulled up in the car, parking behind the long line of vehicles already in the driveway, my hopes had shriveled a bit. I’d thought Garret probably wouldn’t be there; he didn’t really seem the party type. I’d steeled myself for disappointment, telling myself that we could look for him tomorrow. All was not lost if he didn’t show up tonight.

At the edge of the yard, Dante saw a cluster of his seemingly endless circle of friends and hurried off to join them, leaving me alone. Rolling my eyes, I continued up the steps, planning to track down Lexi so we could cover more ground together. But then, as I’d walked through the front door, there he’d been, sitting on the couch and looking highly uncomfortable as Lexi tossed him what I hoped was not a condom. My stomach had twisted as I’d stalked up. Even through the mortification, all I could think of was kissing him again, feeling his heartbeat under my palm, breathing in his scent. If these were purely human experiences, then I would just be human for a little while. Talon would disapprove, but Talon could go to hell. They’d already taken so much of my summer away. This part of it was mine.

He was about to kiss me, I could see it in his eyes. I could feel it in his hands, flattening over my back, the way his heartbeat picked up, the sudden intent in that metallic stare. My dragon instincts hissed and cringed away, not liking this, even as my own heartbeat thumped in my ears, echoing his own.

And then, I felt a shift in the air, a subtle change that my dragon recognized instantly. Even before I heard his voice, the hairs on the back of my neck prickled, and a sudden heat spread through my insides.

I turned and met the gaze of the rogue dragon.

“Riley?” I said in disbelief. I’d almost blurted outCobalt,but caught myself just in time, remembering to separate the two. My dragon instantly flared with excitement, sending fire and relief singing through my veins. He was safe! He was still hanging around. “What are you doing here?”

The rogue dragon smiled, eyes gleaming. Ignoring my question, he shot a mock-inquisitive look at Garret, though I could practically see the dragon watching the human like he was about to cook him in the middle of the living room. “Mind if I cut in?”

Garret went rigid, his arms becoming steel bands around my waist, though he gave no outward sign of alarm. His voice was coolly polite when he answered. “I do, actually.”

Riley continued to smile, but his eyes glinted. It was clear he thought the human defying him was amusing, which made me kinda nervous. Riley was a rogue; he didn’t play by Talon’s rules. I didn’t think he’d be stupid enough to Shift here, surrounded by dozens of eyewitnesses, and blast Garret to cinders, but I couldn’t be certain.

Besides, I needed to talk to him. There were so many questions I wanted answers to, so many things about Talon that needed explaining, and he had magically shown up, right here at Kristin’s party. Of course, in true Riley fashion, he had shown up at the worst possible time, but I couldn’t let him get away now. And my own dragon was bouncing against my skin, thrilled that he was here. She hadn’t forgotten that night, soaring the waves with Cobalt, and neither had I.

“Garret,” I said softly, bringing his attention to me. “I know him. Let me talk to him, just for a second.”

He wasn’t pleased. His jaw tightened and his eyes went blank, but he gave a stiff nod and stepped away. Turning, he melted into the crowd without a backward glance, and I was alone with the rogue.

Taking a breath, I was about to suggest we go somewhere private to talk when another song began, faster this time, stirring the dancers into a surging, writhing sea. Riley suddenly grinned and stepped close, moving gracefully with the music, his smile challenging. After a moment’s hesitation, I joined him, pretending to be reluctant, but I couldn’t ignore the excited fluttering of the dragon within. Riley continued to smile, but his eyes were mocking.

“Well, Firebrand, here we are again.” His voice was low and cool, meant only for me as we danced close. Not touching, but I could feel the heat that radiated from him, as if a fire blazed near the surface. “And I see you’ve assimilated quite nicely. You do realize that was ahuman,right? In case you’ve forgotten, you’re not exactly like him.”

“Keep your voice down,” I snapped back, though with the music pounding the walls and the general obliviousness of the crowd, there was little chance of someone paying attention. Still, it was something Talon had pounded deep into my head; never,evertalk about dragon-related things in the company of humans. “That’s none of your business, anyway. How did you even know I’d be here?”

Riley grinned. “I told you I’d find you again, didn’t I?” he crooned, moving even closer. “You seem surprised, Firebrand. Did you forget about me?” His voice was mocking, but his body moved like liquid, graceful and sure. He wasn’t a stranger to this type of scene, that was for certain. My stomach danced, and the dragon surged up like a flame, wanting free.

“Where have you been, anyway?” I asked. He just raised an eyebrow, obviously having no intention of answering that question, and I frowned. “They’relooking for you, you know,” I said, leaning even closer. “They sent agents in last month, because someone ratted you out.”

Dante,I added in my head, though I didn’t say it out loud. Fear suddenly twisted my stomach. Dante was here, at the party. If he spotted Riley now...

Alarmed, I backed away, making him frown. “You should go,” I told the rogue. “It’s dangerous for you here. If my brother sees us—”

In a blindingly smooth move, Riley slipped behind me. Before I knew what was happening, his hands were on my waist, sending a flare of heat through my stomach as he bent close. “Don’t worry about me, Firebrand,” he said in my ear as I wavered between leaning into him and shoving him back. “I know how to take care of myself. Question is, do you still want to know about Talon? Who they really are? What they want?” His lips grazed my cheek, breath tickling my skin. “I can tell you, if you’re still interested.”

I stiffened. He chuckled and slipped his hand into my pocket, very briefly, before pulling back.

“My number is on there,” he told me as I felt in my pocket and discovered a scrap of paper, folded over several times. “When you want to talk,” Riley continued, serious now. “When they show their true face—and theywill,Firebrand, make no mistake about it—I’m here. You can always come to me. I want you to come to me.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. Riley was watching me, gold eyes bright and intense across the space between us, stirring the fire within. Dammit, why did he have this effect on me? Was it because he was a rogue? A fellow dragon, who dared to defy Talon and live his life the way I only wished I could? Or was it something else, something deeper? Something my dragon instincts responded to on a primal level? Riley as a human was charming, mysterious and, yes, if I had to say it, smoking-hot. But when I really looked at him, all I saw was the dragon.

Movement on the other side of the room caught my attention. I looked over to see Garret’s lean, bright form gliding across the floor toward the exit.

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