“What’s the matter?” I teased, as waves crashed into the rock, drenching me with spray. I didn’t want to stop. I hadn’t had nearly enough. “Getting tired already?”

He flashed me a knowing smile and folded his wings comfortably behind him. “Don’t get too big for your fire gland, hatchling,” he warned, though it lacked the bite of before. “I just wanted to point out that sunrise is about two hours away. And that if your guardians are early risers, you should probably flap on home soon, before they wake up.”

I jumped and looked to the eastern horizon, where a faint blue glow had snuck up and chased away the stars. The dragon bravado shriveled a little, and my human sensibilities rose up to take its place.

“Oh, crap! What time is it? Did we really stay out all night?”

“And then some.” Cobalt regarded me with intense, half-lidded eyes. “And I bet you’ve never had so much fun breaking the rules.

So, what were you saying about rogues again?”

I scowled at him. “You never answered any of my questions, either.

Or was that your plan all along?”

“Pretty much.” The rogue’s grin was smug, and I bristled. “Don’t glare at me, Firebrand. You know asking questions was the last thing on your mind. Now you have an excuse to do this again.”

Again? Could I do this again? Once was risky enough; I had broken curfew, Shifted into dragon form, and had gone flying after midnight with a rogue. Just one of those broken rules was enough to get me sent back to TALON. “What makes you think there will be a next time?” I challenged.

“Because I know you.” Cobalt’s voice turned serious. “Because you’re exactly like me—you don’t want your whole life planned out.

You’re tired of following Talon’s rules, of not having any say in your future. You want to know who Talon really is, but it’s even more than that, isn’t it? You want to be free.” His eyes gleamed, golden and brilliant in the shadows. “And I can show you how.”

A chill crept up my spine. Breaking curfew was one thing, but this? “That’s treason,” I whispered. Cobalt shrugged, making his wings ripple.

“You’re sitting here in your real form talking to a rogue. I think we’re a little past breaking the rules.”

He had a point. Still, I wasn’t about to let him get the upper hand. I’d come here for a reason. It had been forgotten in the thrill of flying and breaking a half-dozen Talon rules tonight, but I wasn’t about to give up.

“You promised me answers,” I insisted, well aware of the passing of time, of every second that ticked by. I had to go soon, or I’d be in a world of trouble. “You said you had information about Talon. Were you telling the truth, or was that just a ploy to get me out here?”

“I do have information,” Cobalt said. “This was more of a test to see how badly you wanted it. Congratulations, hatchling, you passed.

Next time, I just might share some of it.”

“I don’t believe you,” I shot back. “If you’re really so well informed about Talon, tell me something I don’t know.”

“How about the code to the secret room in your guardian’s basement?”

I snorted. “You mean the tunnel out of the house?” I asked. “The one we use every day to meet our trainers? I already know about that.

Nothing earth-shattering there.”

The rogue’s grin stayed smug. “I’m not talking about the tunnel, Firebrand,” he said quietly. “I’m talking about the command room.

Every Talon base has a secret room where the guardians report in, receive orders from the organization, and keep them updated about your progress. That’s their real job—to report any suspicious activity to Talon. If you set one toe out of line, it goes straight to the organization, and Talon swoops in faster than you can blink.” I stared at him, and he settled back on the rock, watching me lazily. “The room is behind a secret door in the basement, and the only way in is to punch in the special code on the panel beside it. If you ask nicely, I’ll give it to you.”

“How do you know all this?”

He chuckled. “I told you, Firebrand. I’ve been around.” I gave him a skeptical look, and he held my gaze. “I have my ways, don’t worry about that. But that doesn’t answer my question. Do you want the code or not? It changes every few weeks, so you’ll have to move fast if you want to use it.”

I debated with myself a moment longer, wondering if he was telling the truth or pulling my leg. But, if there was a secret room…I was curious. I wanted to know what Liam and Sarah were telling Talon behind closed doors. “Let’s hear it,” I growled at last.

Cobalt recited a string of numbers and made me repeat them a couple times to make certain I remembered. “And are you sure this will get me in?” I asked when we were finished.

He shrugged one scaly shoulder. “Go check it out yourself if you don’t believe me. Just make sure they don’t catch you snooping around. Talon doesn’t like that.” He raised his snout, looking down at me from that long, graceful neck. “I can tell you more, of course.

This is only the beginning. But if you want me to share all Talon’s dirty little secrets, you’re going to have to meet me again.”

“When?” I asked, impatient. “Tomorrow?”

“Not tomorrow,” Cobalt said. “Or the next night, or any night this week. We don’t have to set a time or a place. Just, promise that you’ll meet me again, one dragon to another. I’ll tell you everything about Talon then.”

I snorted. “Fine. But you’d better not be playing me again.” He just grinned, and I narrowed my eyes. “How will I know where to meet you if you won’t tell me where you are?”

“Oh, don’t worry, Firebrand.” Stepping back, the rogue dragon opened his wings, casting a dark shadow over the rocks. His eyes gleamed yellow as he gazed down at me. “I’ll find you.”

And he launched himself into the air, his wings blasting me with wind and spray. I craned my neck up, watching his sleek form get smaller and smaller, as the blue dragon soared over the pounding waves and vanished into the night.

Garret

No luck.

Lowering the binoculars, I tossed them to the seat beside me, put the Jeep in reverse, and pulled away from the railing, heading back to the road. That was the third lonely cliff I’d staked out tonight, scanning the sky with the night vision lens, and the only movement I’d seen belonged to planes and a lone pelican swooping over the water.