Page 73 of Talon

“Yeah, Firebrand, they really do. Sorry to burst your bubble, but they’re not who you think they are.”

“And if I stay, they’ll turn me into a Viper.” She shivered and rubbed her arms. “I’ll be forced to hunt down rogues like Remy and Nettle.” She bit her lip, averting my gaze. “And you.”

My heart beat faster. I was close, so close, to convincing her to jump ship, to turn her back on Talon and join the rogues. “Could you do it?” I asked. “If Talon gave you the order to take us all out, no mercy, no questions asked, would you be able to carry out their wishes, knowing what you do now?”

She didn’t answer, still battling some inner torment, struggling with the choice. I watched her, filled with that strange yearning, fiery and terrible. It was like I could almost feel her heartbeat, feel the breath that filled her lungs, mirroring my own.

Taking a gamble, I closed the distance between us, reached out and gently took her arms. Her emerald gaze shifted to mine, pinning me with a fierce, direct stare. My heart turned over, and my dragon roared to life, wanting to sweep his wings down and enveloped us both.

“Come with us,” I said, holding her gaze. Her dragon stared out at me, eager and defiant, and my resolve grew. “You don’t belong here. You’re not one of them, and I think you’ve known something was wrong from the beginning. But—” I slid my hands up her arms, feeling her tremble “—it’s not just Talon, is it?”

She drew back, though not very far. “Riley, I don’t...”

“Don’t pretend,” I insisted, pulling her closer. Her hands went to my chest, and the contact seared the skin through my shirt. My heart sped up, and my voice became raspy. “Not with me. There is something between us, Firebrand. I’ve been fighting this since the day I saw you in the parking lot, and I know you feel it, too.”

She shivered but didn’t deny it. I actually saw relief flicker through her eyes. Relief, perhaps, that she wasn’t alone, that maybe this was just as confusing and torturous for me as it was for her. But then she gave her head a small shake and pushed on my chest. “No,” she muttered, dropping her gaze. “Let go, I can’t do this....”

She tried pulling back, and I grabbed her wrists before she could leave. “Look at me,” I demanded as she tried yanking out of my grip. My dragon roared in frustration, and I dragged her close, lowering my head to hers. “Look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t feel anything,” I whispered. “Tell me that, and I’ll let you go. You can go back to your guardians and Talon and your trainer, and you’ll never see me again. Just tell me, to my face, that there is nothing between us. That this is all in my head.”

“I can’t.” Ember stopped fighting me, though she didn’t meet my stare. “I can’t say that, because every time I see you, I feel like I’m going to explode. And thatscaresme, Riley. But I can’t go with you yet.”

“Why?” I demanded, trying to catch her gaze. “Something is telling us we belong together, you just said so yourself.” Releasing her wrists, I grabbed her by the shoulders, bending slightly to see her eyes. “I would protect you, Firebrand. I’d keep you safe, I swear. What are you afraid of? There’s nothing keeping you here.”

“There is,” she whispered, and finally raised her head. “Dante. I can’t leave Dante behind. I have to go back for him.”

Her brother. Dammit, I’d forgotten about him. “Ember,” I said as gently as I could, “he won’t come. He’s Talon’s all the way—I’ve known it since the night of the party. If you tell him where we are, he’ll probably inform the organization as soon as he can. Hell, he might even go to Lilith himself. I can’t risk that.”

“He’ll come,” Ember insisted. “I know he will. I just have to talk to him, convince him of what Talon is doing. He’ll listen to me.” My skepticism must’ve shown on my face, because her expression hardened, and she took a step back. “I’m not leaving without him, Riley. We’ve been through everything together. I have to try, at least.”

She glared at me, stubborn and unyielding, and I sighed. “I’m not going to convince you otherwise, am I?” I muttered, and she shook her head. “Dammit. All right, Firebrand. What do you want me to do until then? We can’t stay here. It’s too dangerous for Nettle and Remy. Even if I’m willing to risk an attack, I won’t do that to the hatchlings. I promised I’d keepthemsafe, too.”

“We could meet you somewhere,” Ember suggested, green eyes thoughtful as she gazed up at me. “After you leave. Just give me a call when you find a place, and we’ll meet you there in a day or two. That’ll give me time to convince Dante...and say goodbye to a couple people here.”

Her face fell at that last statement, making me frown. For a moment, she’d sounded incredibly sad. Suspicion reared its ugly head; I’d been a rogue awhile now, and knew how hard it was to leave everything behind, how frightening it was for some. What if she was too attached to Crescent Beach, her friends and her old life? What if she went back, and discovered she couldn’t say goodbye, even after everything she’d learned about Talon?

Or was there another reason? I remembered that boy from the night of the party, the one she’d danced with, smiled at. Almost kissed. I stifled a growl and crossed my arms, watching her.

“I don’t know if I like the idea of leaving you here, hoping you’ll catch up to me later. What if you have a change of heart?” She didn’t answer, and I narrowed my eyes. “Or is this just a ploy to get me to leave town, and you don’t have any intention of showing up?”

“No,” Ember said, looking up quickly. “That’s not it. I’m not going to become a Viper. I refuse.” She paused, clenching her fists, and took a deep breath. “I can’t stay with Talon anymore,” she whispered fiercely, “not with what I know now. This isn’t about stupid rules and hateful trainers and not getting to live my life the way I want anymore. This...this is aboutkillingmy own kind. And knowing exactly what Talon is like. I can’t be a part of that. I won’t.

“But...” She faltered, the shadow of some memory crossing her face, turning her eyes dark. “I’ve made connections here, people who are my friends, even if they are human. And they’ll wonder what happened to me if I just up and vanish into thin air. I want to say goodbye.” For a second, an agonized expression flickered through her eyes, before she closed them briefly. “I have someone I want to see, one more time. And then, we’ll go with you, Dante and I. Turn rogue or whatever you call it, and leave Talon for good.”

“Promise me.” I took a step forward so that we were a breath apart, close enough to see my own reflection in her pupils. “Swear that I’ll see you again.”

“I swear.” Her voice was barely a whisper, even as her gaze held mine. We had both gone perfectly still, standing at the edge of a vast precipice, afraid to be the one to take that first step. Or maybe just gathering the courage for the plunge. My heart pounded in my ears, my stomach turning backflips, as I reached out and took her wrists again, holding them to my chest.

“Make me believe it, Firebrand.”

Ember licked her lips. “Riley...”

The alarms blared overhead.

Ember

A shrill beeping cut through the silence. My dragon, already dangerously close to the surface, nearly sprang out of my skin when I jumped. I pushed her down, both relieved and annoyed at the interruption, and backed a couple steps away, looking up at the ceiling.

Riley leaped back, too. With a curse, he fled upstairs, leaving me in the game room with Nettle and Remy peering curiously down the hall. We blinked at one another, then followed him upstairs to a bedroom, where he and Wes stood before his open laptop, glaring at the screen.

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