Once we were past the lobby, Faith relaxed a bit, uncoiling from my arm and staring at the casino floor in awe. Before, I’d been entranced by all the lights, bells, crowds and movement; now I understood Garret’s suspicion. There were so many people; any one of them could be an enemy, a soldier of St. George or a Talon agent in disguise. How many were watching us right now, gauging our movements, waiting for the perfect moment to strike?

I’d never accuse Garret of being paranoid again.

“Come on,” Garret murmured, and gently tugged my hand, leading us across the floor toward the elevators. Faith trailed us doggedly, trying to look at everything, until we reached the elevator hall. Garret hit the button, then stepped aside, back to the wall, keeping his eye on the crowd behind us.

I edged close, leaning against the wall and lowering my voice. “Did you see Riley anywhere?” I whispered. Now that we’d escaped the hotel and could finally breathe, my thoughts went to the two companions we’d left behind. I’d texted Riley once when we were in the taxi, but hadn’t heard anything back. Of course, that could mean any number of things, and I was trying not to assume the worst, but the hollow feeling in my gut continued to grow with every minute that passed with no word from the rogue.

Garret shook his head, not taking his eyes from the crowds. “No, but I wouldn’t expect him to be on the floor,” he murmured back. “If he’s here, he’ll be upstairs with Wes.”

I nodded, trying to ignore the knot of dread uncoiling in my stomach. He’ll be all right, I told myself. He probably got out long before we did, and hasn’t contacted us because he’s afraid we’re busy running from the Order. Or he’s been too busy to check his phone. Of course, he should have texted one of us, just to let us know he made it out. We should have heard something by now. Dammit, Riley, you’d better be all right. You can’t have gotten yourself killed by St. George.

The elevator dinged, and I pushed myself off the wall to move toward the doors. They slid back just as I reached them, and a man in a bright red suit stepped out, nearly running into me. I dodged back with a scowl, barely catching myself from snapping something rude. Much as I wanted to tell him to watch where he put his feet, now was not the time to draw attention to ourselves.

But the human caught me looking at him and his eyes widened, like he was seeing a ghost. Ducking his head, he sped past me and vanished into the crowds.

Huh. That was weird. For a second, I hesitated, wondering if I shouldn’t go after him. They way he’d looked at me…it was like he knew what I was.

“Did you know that man?” Garret asked at my shoulder, making me jump. Of course, his suspicious hawk eyes had caught everything. I shook my head as we entered the elevator, Faith close at our backs.

“No, I’ve never seen him before,” I said, relieved as the doors closed and the elevator began to move. Had anyone else gotten on, I would have half expected them to pull a gun or a knife as soon as the doors shut. The soldier had made me completely paranoid. “Should we follow him?” I asked, as the numbers climbed steadily toward our floor. “Do you think he’s with Talon or the Order?”

“If he is, there’s nothing we can do about it now,” Garret answered, far too calmly. “We have to get to Wes, see if he’s heard anything from Riley or Ava. Maybe they’re already here.”

I clung to that small flicker of hope as the elevator doors finally opened and we stepped onto our floor. I made myself walk, not run, to Wes’s door and rap on the wood.

It swung back almost instantly, and Wes peered out with wild hazel eyes, making my heart sink. “About bloody time you got here!” he hissed, stepping back to let us in. His room was disheveled, torn apart…and empty, as I’d feared. “Where the hell is Riley?”

“Not here,” I answered, as the hollow feeling in my stomach opened into a dark, yawning pit, swallowing me whole. Garret locked the door and stood against it, gazing through the peephole, and Faith hovered anxiously, looking confused and lost.

Wes shot me a glare full of venom. “I bloody well see that! That’s not what I asked,” he snarled. “Where is Riley? I’ve been trying to contact him for hours. Is he all right? Is he dead? Where is he?”

“I don’t know!”

“What do you mean, you don’t know?”

“We were separated.” Garret eased back from the door, apparently satisfied that we weren’t followed and that no one lurked in the halls. “The Order swarmed the building. We had to take different routes back to the hotel.”

“Well, that’s bloody fantastic,” Wes snapped, throwing up his arms. “So the Order is out there, hunting him down, and you two blighters went and left him to die.”

At that, Faith burst into tears. Wes jumped and looked at her strangely, as if just realizing she was there. Covering her face with her hands, the girl turned into the corner and shook violently with sobs.

“My fault,” she gasped, her voice muffled. “This is my fault. Ava knew I was unhappy in Talon. She convinced me to run with her. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me.” Her voice trailed off into more muted sobbing, and Wes ran a hand down his face.

“Bollocks,” he muttered, sounding both annoyed and sympathetic, which surprised me. “I didn’t even see her there. I suppose this is one of the hatchlings you went to rescue?”

“Her name is Faith,” I said, as Faith didn’t look like she could introduce herself at that point. “There’s another one out there, too, with Riley.”