I would’ve said something suitably barbaric, but with the shuffle of bare feet on the wooden deck, six humans in orange robes rushed out of the building toward us. All of them stopped to bow deeply to Jade, and one old human spoke to her in Mandarin while the rest peered into the truck with large, curious eyes. I sat down, curling my tail around myself, and resisted the impulse to bare my teeth at them. There was a large difference between knowing dragons existed and actually seeing one, and we were probably the first real dragons these humans had ever laid eyes on, but I still didn’t like being stared at like some weird zoo animal.

I was also sore, tired, and feeling unreasonably surly and overprotective, so that probably wasn’t helping things. And the thought of a bunch of strange bald men poking and prodding at me set my teeth on edge. I hoped Ember would keep her temper under control. Injured, grumpy dragons did not make the best patients, either.

Finally, the old man stepped forward, rheumy gaze settling on Ember and me, and sank into a deep bow that bent him nearly in half. If he felt any shock or awe about facing two mythological creatures in the back of a semitruck, it didn’t show on his face as he rose. “Welcome to the Zheng Ji temple, honored ones,” he said in perfect English, and lifted a wrinkled hand. “We have individual rooms set up for all of you. Please, follow us.”

“Riley.” St. George pushed himself off the wall, stopping me as I went forward. I gave him a wary look, wondering if this was about Ember, but he didn’t even look at the red hatchling as she limped past us toward the front of the container. Ember stopped as well, blinking, but the soldier kept his eyes on me. “Where is Wes?” he asked. “Was he with you when the Order attacked?”

I shook my head. “I told him to get the hell out as soon as we knew what was happening. Right now, I assume he’s on his way to a random hotel to wait for my call, that’s how these things usually work.” I bared my teeth in a grimace. “Unfortunately, my burner phone is with the rest of my clothes, back at the lab. I’ll need to find a phone and call Wes soon, before he receives a call from the Order, freaks out and disappears.”

“What’s the number?” The soldier pulled out a phone. “I’ll call him for you, explain what’s going on and that you’re both okay.”

You’re very helpful all of sudden, I thought, natural suspicion for the former dragonslayer flaring up again. What’s going on here, St. George? But I did need to contact Wes, and I couldn’t do it in my present form. “Yeah,” I said, nodding. “That would be helpful. Thanks.” I recited the number from memory, watching as he plugged it into the phone. “You might have to call twice,” I said when I finished. “If he doesn’t recognize the number, he won’t pick up on the first try. He’s kind of paranoid like that.” The soldier nodded absently, and I frowned. “I do have one question, though, St. George.”

He paused, his thumb hovering over the screen, and I gave him a scrutinizing look. “Why?” I asked. “Why come back? Why go through all this trouble to find us again?”

Beside me, Ember tensed, as if she, too, was waiting for his answer. The soldier’s eyes grew dark. “Because I want all of us together as soon as possible,” he said firmly, and something in his voice caused a chill to run down my spine. “Because what I found in London...” He shook his head. “It’s bigger than me, than all of us. Possibly bigger than anything we’ve ever faced. We can’t fight each other now. We need everybody and every ally we have to figure out what to do next.”

GARRET

“Why?”

Ember’s voice was soft, curious. I could sense the flood of questions in the air, ready to burst forth, and racked my brain for something to distract her. It wasn’t a good time to reveal what I’d discovered. Everyone was confused and in pain. I hadn’t escaped unscathed, either. My shoulder throbbed beneath my vest; it had just been a graze, and I’d stuffed a couple gauze squares under my shirt to stop the bleeding, but I was going to need medical attention, too.

Besides, I didn’t know if I could face either dragon right now without my emotions welling to the surface. I could still see Ember, lying on the floor with the blue dragon curled around her, the warning in his eyes perfectly clear. It was my own fault, I knew that. I’d walked away, practically pushed her into his arms. I had no one to blame but myself, and I thought I had been prepared for what that meant.

But seeing them together, remembering when Ember had looked at me like that, I realized I was very much not okay. And a very dark, ugly side of me suddenly wished Riley hadn’t made it out.