Things like magic. Magic still existed in the world today, otherwise how could a fifteen-ton dragon shrink down into a two-hundred-pound human body? Just because nobody used it anymore didn’t mean magic didn’t exist. In the Elder Wyrm’s time, at least according to the stories, magic was everywhere. There were witches and demons, monsters and ancient swords, wizards, the Good Neighbors and even the rare unicorn, wandering the deepest parts of the forest. But with the rise of civilization and technology, magic had been long forgotten. Even the Elder Wyrm didn’t use it anymore, or maybe there wasn’t a lot of the ancient power left in the world. Because we had lost the capacity for it—or perhaps because we really didn’t need it anymore—Shifting into human form was the last bit of old magic we could do.

But, in recent years, the Talon laboratories had been coming out with strange, crazy, unexplainable things. Bodysuits that wouldn’t tear when you Shifted, drugs that specifically targeted the dragon anatomy, weird crap like that. According to rumors, they were experimenting with blending old magic and science, mixing them together, though that should’ve been impossible. There were also whispers that these tests were just preliminary; that the scientists were working on something “big.” Something that would change the dragon world forever. I didn’t know how much of that I believed, but whenever the labs came out with a brand-new “toy,” somehow my trainer was the first to get his hands on it.

I could feel the old Basilisk watching me, his gaze burning the side of my head, and stifled a sigh. “Of course, sir,” I muttered, not meeting his gaze. “Whatever Talon needs me to do.” Because that’s what they expected me to say, even though my insides roiled with anger as I did. A pause and then, though I knew better, my curiosity got the better of me. “What kind of thing will I be testing out, exactly?”

My trainer chuckled. “Oh, I think you’ll like this, Agent Cobalt,” he said, his hard smile making me realize I would feel the exact opposite. And the old bastard knew it, too. “In fact, I believe it’s right up your alley.”

Garret

“Bloody hell,” the man beside me muttered.

I turned from the window and gave him a wary glance. We’d been traveling for nearly an hour, fleeing down dusty roads with the sun beating down on us, turning the inside of the van into an oven. Knowing St. George was still out there, we’d avoided the main strip of highway, taking back roads and constantly looking for vehicles that could belong to our pursuers. No one seemed to be giving chase, and with every mile, we drew farther and farther away from the St. George chapterhouse, but being out in the open like this made me nervous. The Order wouldn’t stop hunting me, especially now that I was in the company of dragons. Dragons who had broken into their chapterhouse and escaped with a traitor. We had to find shelter soon. I hoped my rescuers had a place they could go.

The driver, Wes, I think his name was, pursed his lips at the dashboard before raising his head to call over his shoulder. “Running on fumes here, Riley,” he said, his voice tight and sharp. “I’m going to need to stop for gas, or we’ll be hauling a bloody dragon carcass across the desert on foot.”

“Dammit,” came the low voice from the back. “All right, pull off when you get the chance, but let’s do this quickly.”

Wes immediately made a right turn and hit the gas pedal, presumably heading toward the highway again. I turned in my seat to peer into the back. Riley crouched at Ember’s side, fully clothed with a bloody rag in hand, pressing it to her ribs. We’d switched places not long after the van started moving, as I had no idea what to do with a wounded dragon, and Ember was bleeding all over the place. She now sprawled across the floor of the van, large wings brushing the windows like leathery curtains. Her scales gleamed metallic crimson in the sunlight through the glass and threw fragments of light over the walls. She was not, I realized with a chill, something small or subtle that we could easily hide. All anyone had to do was peek in the window to see a large red dragon curled up on the floor.

The smell of blood soaked the back of the vehicle, making my stomach turn. “How is she?” I asked, and the other dragon shot me a murderous glare.

“Not good.” His voice was clipped, as if he was speaking to me only out of necessity. “She’s lost a lot of blood, and that slug is still inside her somewhere. I’ve stopped the bleeding for now, but we have to get her somewhere safe before we can take care of the wound.” He put a hand on a scaly foreleg, his forehead creasing with worry. “Probably a good thing she’s unconscious, but she won’t be able to Shift back until we get it out. It could tear something vital if she changes back with the round still inside her.”

My stomach twisted with worry. Not only for Ember, but that we wouldn’t be able to get somewhere safe without anyone noticing the large mythological creature in the backseat. As if reading my thoughts, Riley’s gaze flickered to me and turned hard. “So you’d better hope no one sees her between then and now,” he growled, “or we’ll have the Order back on our tail faster than you can pull a trigger. And probably Talon, come to think of it.” He snorted, lip curling with disgust. “It would be just like them to show up now.”

I frowned, not sure I’d heard him correctly. “Why would Talon be after you? I thought all dragons—”

“Well, you thought wrong.” He gave me a look of contempt. “There’s a lot about us you don’t know, St. George,” he went on, an accusation and a challenge. “Maybe if you tried talking to us instead of blowing us to pieces, you’d realize that.”

“Riley,” Wes broke in before I could answer, “gas station in three miles. If we don’t fill up now, we might not get another chance. And I need to visit the loo.”

“All right.” Reaching down, Riley grabbed the edge of the canvas Ember was sprawled on top of and began tugging it free. “Do it, but hurry up.”

I turned in my seat and watched the desert flash by. Watched the pavement stretch on, until a lone gas station appeared on the side of the road, shimmering in the near distance. My apprehension grew. It was not a tiny little outpost in the middle of nowhere. It was a huge truck stop with a restaurant and mini-mart attached, and there was a crowd. I glanced back as Riley gently peeled one of Ember’s wings from the wall and folded it carefully against her body before pulling the canvas over her. Her tail and the tips of her claws poked out, but at least she wasn’t as blatantly noticeable as before. Still, if anyone got too close, they would immediately know something large, scaly and inhuman was sprawled on the floor of the van.