She snorted. “Yes, well, I’m glad you restrained yourself.” I narrowed my eyes, wondering if she was mocking me, and she held up her hands. “I’m serious, Riley,” she said in a quieter voice. “I know I kind of dropped that on you. I didn’t mean for it to sound like it did, and I know it was unfair.” A pained look crossed her face, and she dropped her gaze to the bed. “I’m sorry it turned out that way.”

I sighed, raking my hair back. “Yeah, well, since we’re on the subject of apologies,” I muttered, “I kind of pushed you to that confession, Firebrand. I didn’t give you a chance to explain it on your own terms. Maybe if you had, I would’ve reacted better. So it might’ve been my own damn fault things went down the way they did. So, ah...” I glanced at the corner. “I’m sorry for that. I might’ve overreacted. A little bit.”

Ember’s green eyes looked cautiously hopeful. “So, we’re okay?”

“No,” I rasped. “Far from it. You’re my Sallith’tahn, and there is a human interloper between us. We are definitely not okay.”

Her face shut down, becoming anguished again. “Riley...”

“Just hear me out, Firebrand.” I walked forward until I was standing at the foot of the bed, gazing down at her. “I’ve been thinking a lot. About us. And the soldier. And what I should do about this situation. And you know what I’ve decided?”

She shook her head, extremely wary now. “What?”

I smirked. “Nothing.”

Confusion flickered over her face.

“I’m a dragon, Firebrand,” I said. “And—here’s a news flash—so are you. This life-mate thing, this Sallith’tahn, it’s not going away. If you feel even half of what I do, I know you can’t ignore it.” I bent down, gripping the bed frame, leaning forward so that we were eye to eye. I heard her heartbeat pick up, saw her nostrils flare and her eyes dilate, and felt the heat in my veins rise up, reaching out for her.

“We’re connected, Ember,” I said. “This is meant to be. Fight it all you want—it’s going to happen sooner or later. So, you go ahead and pretend to be human, if you like. I won’t threaten the soldier, and I won’t get in your way.” Her eyes widened incredulously, and I gave a small smile. “I won’t have to. Human emotions are fickle things, Firebrand, you’ll see that soon enough. What we have is stronger than emotion, stronger than the humans’ idea of love. Dragons will always outlast humans—all I have to do is wait. But...” I leaned closer, lowering my voice to a near growl. “I will be at your side, day in and day out, and I will take every opportunity to remind you that you are a dragon. You can count on that.”

Ember swallowed. Her eyes had gone rather glassy, echoes of her own dragon staring out at me. “You’re my Sallith’tahn,” I said quietly, and rose, holding her gaze. “That will never change. No matter what you feel for the soldier, you will always be mine.

“Oh, and one more thing,” I added, just as she’d started to relax. “The soldier can only be a human. He can never be a dragon.” Ember started to reply, but I leaned down so that our faces were maybe an inch apart. She froze, and I brushed a palm across her cheek.

“I can be both,” I whispered, and walked away. She didn’t move, didn’t answer, but I felt the predatory stare on my back, unrelenting, until I left the room and the door clicked shut behind me.

GARRET

“We’ve arrived a little late,” Tristan muttered as the engine died. He tugged the bag off my head. “The assembly has already begun. Everyone but the guards should be in there.” He glanced at me, his mouth pulled into a faint smirk, the hint of the Tristan I knew, once. Who could look a hopeless situation in the eye and make a smart-ass comment about it. “You ready for this?”

I took a short breath. “Yes.”

He walked around to my side, opened the door and pointed a gun at my face, his eyes hard and cold again. “Get out.”

I obeyed, and he shoved me against the side of the car, the pistol at my back, taking a moment to check the cuffs and pat me down once more. I endured, hoping this was part of the deception, that his fellow soldiers could be watching, that Tristan was just playing his part. Dragging me off the car, he gave me a little shove toward the large cathedral looming above the trees. “Move. Try to run, and I’ll shoot you before you take three steps. Let’s go.”

I marched in front of Tristan, a gun held to my ribs, as the stone wall of the cathedral rose above us, blazing with light against the darkness. The cathedral was old and towering, a giant that was meant to impress as well as intimidate. A pair of guards flanked the front door, brows lowered in wary confusion as Tristan walked up with me.