“You’ve got some nerve asking me that,” Ember hissed. And though she sounded furious, her voice cracked on the last word. “Don’t play innocent with me, Dante. You were the one who sent her, after all. You set this whole thing up, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” I admitted, not knowing where this absolute rage was coming from. “I did. To bring you back. You belong here, Ember. You belong with Talon.” There was a squeak, as someone in the room rose from their chair, but I barely heard it. “I’m trying to keep you safe,” I said, suddenly furious myself. “I’m trying to make a future for both of us, but you insist on tearing it down! I can’t believe you let that human kill Faith, just because you didn’t want to come back. What is wrong with you!”

I was almost shouting into the phone now, and a second later, it was smoothly plucked from my grasp by Mr. Roth, who gave me a blank, chilling smile before putting it to his ear.

“Ms. Hill,” he said cordially, “this is Adam Roth, senior vice president of Talon’s western operations. How are you tonight?” He paused, smiling faintly, his sharp face giving nothing away. “Well, I’m sure you don’t mean that literally.”

I buried my head in my hands, raking my fingers through my hair, not caring how it made me look. I could only imagine what Ember was saying to Talon’s senior vice president. My stomach turned, shocked at how badly this had turned out. Faith was dead. Where was Mist? I wondered. Had she been killed, too? The two hatchlings had been our best bet to find Ember and the rogue; as the newest agents of Talon, they wouldn’t be recognized by Cobalt or his network, so they’d be able to get close without arousing suspicion. Originally, I’d wanted Mist to talk to Ember, convince her to come back, but she’d later informed me that Talon had other plans for her. I’d been annoyed—this was my operation, after all, and Mr. Roth had put me in charge. But then I’d spoken to the second agent, Faith, who’d assured me that she would bring Ember safely back to the fold. Before talking to her, I’d had serious doubts that the quiet, delicate-looking girl was a good fit for this assignment. Cobalt was a dangerous rogue, and calling Ember stubborn was putting it mildly. But it took only a few minutes of discussion to know that Faith was more than she seemed. And when she’d told me she would get the job done, I believed her, though I had made it clear that she was not to harm my sister in any way.

“Bring Ember back to Talon,” I’d told her. “Use everything at your disposal to convince her to return, but do not hurt her. If she refuses to come back, do what you must. But I want my sister returned alive and safe. Do you understand?”

“Of course, sir.” Faith had smiled at me, confident and professional. “Your sister will not be harmed in any way. I will make certain of it.”

And now she was dead. Faith was dead. Because I had sent her after my wayward twin, and Ember had let her be killed rather than return to the organization. How had this happened? How could she have resorted to that, after everything we’d gone through together? Apparently, I didn’t know my sister at all.

And now, because of her, I had failed. I had failed Talon.

My hands shook, and I flattened them on the tabletop, trying to steady myself. Above me, Mr. Roth continued with polite coolness. “I’m afraid I cannot tell you that, Ms. Hill,” he said evenly. “If you wish that information, you must return to the organization.” Pause. “No, Mr. Hill is in no danger. He is a valued member of Talon, and we appreciate his cooperation.” Pause. “No, our policy on rogues is very clear. Cobalt is a criminal who has caused irreversible harm to the organization. We must protect ourselves from his extremist views.” One last, lengthy pause, and Mr. Roth’s voice grew hard. “I’m sorry you feel that way. But if you would only agree to return and speak with us, you would see that…”

He trailed off, lowering his arm. “Well. It appears Ms. Hill will not be joining us tonight.” Turning, he rested his fingertips against the table and spoke to the rest of the room. “We will adjourn for now, until we can come up with a new strategy to retrieve Ms. Hill and deal with Cobalt. As Ms. Anderson has not yet reported in, perhaps she will give us better news. But it can wait until tomorrow.” He looked over the table with cold black eyes. “Dismissed.”

Everyone rose at once, keeping their eyes downcast as they began to exit the room. I stood as well, but suddenly Mr. Roth’s long steely fingers gripped my shoulder, making me freeze.

“Mr. Hill. You will come with me.”

Ember

“Only you, Firebrand.” Riley sighed.

I grimaced at him over the table, where an open first-aid kit, bandages, burn cream and disinfectant wipes sat scattered between us. My Viper suit lay discarded on the bathroom floor of the hotel room, replaced with shorts and a loose top that didn’t rub against my skin. Riley leaned forward in his chair, winding the last of the gauze around my arm. His long fingers occasionally brushed my hand, sending a pulse of heat up my arm every single time. Garret had left the room a few minutes ago, saying nothing as he slipped out the door, presumably to stand guard or check the parking lot for “suspicious people,” leaving me and Riley alone.

Well, alone except for Wes.

“There.” Fastening the gauze, Riley looked up with a rueful smile, shaking his head. A bandage square covered my left cheek, right below my eye, and it felt weird and tight against my skin. “Don’t pick at the bandages, Firebrand,” Riley ordered. “Hopefully those will heal in a day or two, though this is the first time I’ve had to treat another dragon for burns. Like I said, you are one of a kind.”