Page 84 of Talon

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.

“Well, we found her, and some of her friends,” Tristan muttered, taking the goggles back to stare through them again. “All human, for now, anyway. I wonder if she’s going to do anything interesting—”

She didn’t, but at that moment, the woman surged up in the blink of an eye, making my stomach leap into my throat. I tensed, hardly believing my eyes, as a monstrous adult dragon unfurled dark leathery wings and shook the cliffs with her roar.

“Shit!” Tristan scrambled back from the edge. “Well, that answers my question, doesn’t it? Looks like the girl was our sleeper all along!” I didn’t answer, unable to tear my gaze from the scene below. I watched the green dragon lunge at Ember with teeth bared, watched the boy shift into the blue dragon from earlier that night and attack the much larger adult.

“We found them.” Tristan’s voice rang with urgency as he spoke into his phone. “Three targets, Lone Rock Cove. One of them is an adult. Should we hold position until the squad arrives?” He paused, listening, as my heart beat faster with alarm. “Understood.”

I spared one more glance at the battle below. Ember, now in her true form, leaped at the adult’s back, but was smashed aside by the green dragon’s long, whiplike tail. My heart skipped a beat as she flew back, tumbling to the sand, and the huge adult pounced on her viciously. My insides seized up, but the blue dragon lunged in with a roar, driving her away, allowing me to breathe again. But it was obvious they were both outmatched. The adult was bigger, faster and more vicious than either of them. If I went down there now, I would be a traitor to my Order. But if I stayed here, Ember could die.

“Yes, sir. St. Anthony, out.” Tristan put away the phone and took the rifle from his shoulder, lying on his stomach at the edge of the cliff. My heart lurched as he lowered the gun and gazed through the sight, pointing it at the three dragons below.

“What are you doing? I thought we were waiting for the rest of the squad.”

“Change of plans,” Tristan muttered without looking up. “I told headquarters the three targets are on the move. They want me to take down as many as I can before they have a chance to fly off. This might be our only opportunity.”

A cold fist seized my gut. “That’s against protocol. There’re only two of us and three of them, one of which is an adult. We need the whole squad to fight it.”

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