“And no one ever sees them again,” Remy finished dramatically.

“Because they’re sliced and diced and prodded and turned into something new. A superdragon with three heads.”

I rolled my eyes. “Get out of here,” I said, jerking a thumb at the door. “Both of you. You have a room to straighten. Out.” They scurried through the door and vanished down the hallway, leaving me alone with Ember.

I turned to find her watching me with an amused smile on her face. “What?” I asked, crossing my arm. “What’s that look?”

She shrugged. “Nothing. Just…I’ve never seen this side of you before.”

“What side?”

“The big brotherly side.” She glanced down the hall, where Remy and Nettle had disappeared. “You really care for them, don’t you? I wouldn’t have expected it.”

“Well, to paraphrase a famous fictional ogre, dragons are like onions—we have layers.”

She laughed, and I grinned with her, before she sobered again.

“It’s true, isn’t it?” she whispered, a troubled look crossing her face.

“ Talon really does all that.”

“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 envelope 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 that scares me, 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 keep them safe, 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 or text me an address 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?