“Ember, that’s enough!”

Dante’s voice filled the room, sharp and guttural. Stunned, I fell silent, staring at him. “Be angry at your trainer all you like,” he said firmly. “Be angry at me all you like. But start talking like that, and it sounds like you could be harboring rogue tendencies.”

“So what?” I challenged. “Maybe I am. Who would tell them?

You?”

He gave me an angry, hooded stare, and didn’t answer. Rising from the couch, he vanished into his room, shutting the door behind him, a clear message that he didn’t want to talk anymore. Feeling abandoned and despondent, I showered, then wandered down to the beach, walking along the water’s edge.

I ached, both from the bruises I’d gotten in training and from my twin’s cold dismissal. Nothing had changed between us, not really.

The sun warmed my skin, and a breeze fluttered in from the ocean, smelling of salt and the waves I loved so much. Both would normally be a comfort, but not today. I was going to see Garret that evening, and while that made my stomach dance with anticipation and excitement, I couldn’t talk to him about dragon problems. And Dante was out of the question, at least for today. Maybe forever.

If you need to talk, Firebrand, about anything, I’m here.

Reaching into my shorts, I pulled out my phone and stared at it.

After going back and forth with myself several times, I finally touched the screen and began typing a message.

Can we talk?

I hit send and waited. The sun beat down on my head and flashed across the phone screen, making me squint and shade it with my hands. The answer came back almost immediately.

When?

I swallowed. Right now, I texted. Meet me at the pier?

Again, only a few heartbeats passed before his message popped onto the screen.

On my way.

Riley

Perfect. Sending the last text, I lowered the phone and smiled. Already starting to question things, huh Firebrand? That didn’t take long.

“I’m heading out,” I announced, grabbing my keys and jacket from the counter. “I’m meeting Ember at the pier, so I might come back with a guest. If that’s the case, we’ll probably leave town in the morning, so be ready to move out fast.” I glanced at the only other person in the room and frowned. “Hey, other target who is actively wanted by Talon. Repeat what I said so I know you still care.”

Wes, sitting at the dining room table with his laptop, didn’t even look up as I paused in the foyer. “Meet a bloody hatchling, get ready to move out, done this a million times, blah blah blah,” he said, his eyes still glued to the screen. “Have fun with your hatchling. Oh, and on the way back, if you don’t have a chance run-in with St. George, we’re out of Red Bull.”

“Uh oh,” I commented as Ember, perched atop the wooden rails, glanced up and saw me. “I know that look.”

She frowned, the sea breeze tugging at her hair. Around us, the long gray boardwalk, stretching out over the water, bustled with activity. Mothers with strollers, sweaty joggers, couples walking hand in hand, and fishermen hanging their lines off the edge, all milling around completely unaware of the two dragons standing next to the railing. A woman and her tiny white dog passed us, and the thing stopped peeing on everything long enough to yip at me hysterically before being carted off by its owner. I smirked. Such a noisy little mouthful. One snap, and it would be gone.

“What look?” Ember demanded when the woman and the yappy hors d’oeuvre left. I caught her staring at me while my attention was distracted by the pooch, and bit back a smile. “That ‘I hate my trainer and wish he would die’ look” I replied. When she gaped at me, I chuckled. “Like I said, I’ve been around the block with Talon a few times. It doesn’t get any easier from here, trust me.”

“Great,” she muttered darkly. “That’s what I wanted to hear.”

I caught a tiny flash of color on her bare shoulder, a sliver of red that looked like dried blood. Only, it was too bright to be blood, and memories crowded my brain, making me wince with sympathy. “Oh, Firebrand,” I sighed, lightly touching the red splotch. “Soldiers and paintball guns, huh? That sucks.”

She jerked up, eyes widening. “You too?”

“Yup.” Stepping beside her, I leaned back, resting my elbows on the railing. Ember watched me, green eyes awed and intense, burning the side of my face. “Only, mine were rubber bullets at first, which you wouldn’t think would hurt but, damn, they sting like a mother when they hit. They switched to paintball guns when some poor bastard got his eye put out.” I shook my head and gave her a rueful look. “Be thankful you were hatched after the new regime started.

It’s only a little unbearable now.”

She wrinkled her nose and gazed back at the ocean. “So, what happens next?” she asked, kicking one ankle against the railing.

“After this training is done? What are they planning for me when I’m finished?”

“I don’t know, Firebrand.” I hopped onto the railing beside her. “It depends, I guess, on what they have you slotted for. Every dragon has a place in the organization, and your initial training is to determine if you’ll excel at where they want to put you. Really, they’ve watched you since your hatching, trying to decide where you’ll fit. If you pass this stage, they’ll announce your faction placement, and then your training begins in earnest.” I snorted. “Course, they don’t tell you what you’re going to be until they deem you ready for it.”