by Julie Kagawa
“Maybe I will,” I shot back, and raised the pistol, making him tense. “You certainly had no qualms about giving the order to take me out.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Come on.” I sneered, angry that he would lie, that he would try to play it off. “Mist and Faith? The whole debacle in Vegas? That setup was all you, Dante—you told me that yourself. You admitted that you were the one to send them after me.”
“Yes, I did.” Dante’s eyes narrowed. “To bring you back to Talon. They never had orders to take you out. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
He’s lying. Faith told you she had orders to kill, and those orders came from Dante. But my resolve wavered. I didn’t want to believe my brother would actually try to kill me.
“Ember.” Abruptly, Dante closed his eyes, shaking his head. “This isn’t...how I wanted our reunion to go,” he almost-whispered. “I don’t want to fight you, sis. I never did.” Opening his eyes, he gave me a sad, almost pleading look. “I just want you to come home.”
“Talon isn’t my home,” I said softly. “Not anymore.”
The locks released, and the front passenger door clicked as someone opened it from the outside and slid into the seat. “The famous Dante Hill,” Riley stated, giving him a slightly dangerous smile as the door closed behind him. A pistol appeared in his other hand, casually resting against the seats as he draped an elbow over the chair backs. “You’ve caused me quite a bit of trouble these past few weeks.”
Dante stared at him, and for a moment, his eyes glittered with pure, unbridled loathing. A chill went through me, but then Dante smiled, and all emotions vanished behind a civil mask as he nodded at the other dragon.
“Not quite as famous as you, Mr. Cobalt,” Dante replied in a voice of chilly politeness. And suddenly, he wasn’t Dante anymore but a Chameleon, the kind Riley had warned me about. The sick feeling in my gut spread to my whole body as I realized I didn’t recognize him now. That brief glimpse of my brother, the twin who’d looked out for me my whole life, had vanished, leaving only the Chameleon behind. The thing Talon had turned him into. Settling comfortably against the cushions, as if this was a perfectly normal meeting, he crossed his legs and smiled. “Where are my guards and my driver, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Taking a nap.”
“And will they wake up again?”
“I don’t think they’re the ones you need to worry about right now,” Riley said as a shadow emerged from beside the car. Garret leaned against the front door and crossed his arms, doing the whole on-watch thing. “But if you’re asking if I killed them...no, I didn’t. I’m not quite the monster Talon would have you believe.” His smirk widened. “Actually, I find that kind of ironic, considering the circumstances.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.”
“I’m sure you don’t.”
Dante shook his head. “Well, this is getting us nowhere.” He turned away from Riley, as if dismissing him, and looked at me. “You obviously went through a lot to get to me, so I assume you want something. What can I do for you?”
I swallowed. “The town in Arkansas,” I began. “We know Talon was involved, and we know that story about the plane crash is a cover-up. We also know that the evidence collected at the site was sent here, to you.” No change in Dante’s expression; he regarded me with a practiced blank, pleasant expression that gave no hint to his thoughts or feelings. “Why did Talon attack that community?” I asked in a harder voice. “Why did they kill all those people? What are they planning now?”
“Ember,” Dante said in a reasonable tone, “listen to yourself. I don’t know where you got your information, but you’ve obviously jumped to the wrong conclusion. You’re accusing Talon of murdering an entire town, dozens of people, when for centuries, everything we have done has been to remain hidden and avoid detection. Why would we risk that kind of discovery?” He laced his fingers together on his knee, giving me a slight frown. “I assume you witnessed Miranda on the news. She was only there to make certain the humans would not discover our existence. It’s a standard precaution.”
“But why would she need to be there at all?” I demanded. “Why would Talon need to cover something up, if they weren’t involved?”
“There was a Talon agent on the plane that crashed,” Dante explained calmly. “The plane was one of ours, and it was carrying jet fuel to one of Talon’s bases on the eastern coast. Sadly, the agent on board was killed in the explosion with the rest of the community, but we still needed to send Miranda to investigate and remove any evidence that could point back to us. Again, standard precaution. Talon is protecting its interests and covering the truth of our existence, as they have always done.”
I hesitated. His explanation sounded perfectly reasonable, though I knew I shouldn’t believe him.
Dante’s serene expression didn’t change. “Think about it, Ember,” he continued. “Our agents are stretched thin as it is. We don’t have the numbers for the type of operation you’re talking about, even if we wanted to expose ourselves like that. What you saw was Talon trying to cover its tracks, and the evidence was sent here, to me, before it goes on to the Vault.”
“Well,” Riley broke in. “Wouldn’t I feel silly...if that wasn’t the biggest line of bullshit I’ve ever heard.” He leveled the pistol at Dante’s face. “Did you forget who you were talking to, hatchling? I was a Basilisk, remember? I know what’s left behind after a large explosion.” He narrowed his eyes, staring Dante down. “We went to that site. There was no plane. No debris. No crash. Nothing exploded in that town, but things did mysteriously catch fire. And, funniest thing, there were these odd gouges in the floors that looked exactly like dragon claws. So cut the crap. I’ve heard your shit before, and you’re not fooling anyone.”
Dante regarded the rogue with a patient, almost amused look that suggested Riley was being unreasonable, but didn’t dispute his claims. He was lying, I realized. He had just lied right to my face, and I’d considered believing him. Angry now, I clenched a fist on my leg. Dante was a Chameleon, I reminded myself. I couldn’t trust anything he said.
“Stop lying to us,” I growled. “What really happened there, Dante? We know Talon is planning something, and you’re a part of it. What’s going on?”
“Even if I did know,” Dante answered coolly, “what makes you think I would tell you anything?”
“Because if you don’t,” Riley said in a tone of dark warning, “we’re going for a little ride. We’re going to spend some quality time together, the four of us, and you’re not going back to Talon until you tell us what we want to know. How long it takes doesn’t matter. I can be very patient.” Riley smiled, raising the gun very slightly off the chair back. “So decide, Chameleon. You can tell us now, or later. Your choice.”
Dante paled. Just a little; he hid it well, but his skin turned ashen all the same. “Look, I don’t know what happened at the crash site,” he insisted. “The evidence and the reports came in late this afternoon, but I haven’t had the chance to look at them yet.”
“And where are these reports?” Riley asked.
“Back in my office.” Dante crossed his arms. “But you’ll never get there, not without tripping the alarms or running into security. If you try to force your way in, you’ll have the police swarming this place in a matter of minutes.”
Riley was silent for a long moment. I could see him thinking, see the indecision in his eyes as he struggled with what to do next. Finally, he opened his door, slammed it behind him and stalked around to our side. Wrenching open the passenger side, he pointed his weapon at Dante. “Get out.”
Stone faced, Dante complied. Quickly, I opened my own door and scrambled out, while Garret watched the proceedings warily, a hand on his own weapon. “What are we doing, Riley?” I asked, coming around to their side. Dante stared at me, his
gaze shadowed and dark, making my insides twist.
“We’re going inside,” Riley said. “And Dante here is going to escort us.”
My stomach dropped. “Inside? But this is a Talon office. Guards, security, alarms, traps—isn’t that what you told me? Why are we going to risk going in?”
“What else are we going to do, Firebrand?” Riley gave me a weary look. “We’ve come all this way. Everything we’ve done until now will be for nothing if we don’t figure this out. Yeah, I know, it’s Talon. It’ll be a risk either way, but at least if we have the boss with us, no one will try anything. Isn’t that right, Mr. Hill?”
Riley turned, giving Dante a dangerous grin. “I’m sure you know your way around the office and past the security,” he said as Dante stiffened. “So this is how it’s going to work. You’re going to get us through the doors, past the cameras and all the alarms. If we run into anyone, you’re going to convince them that absolutely nothing is wrong, or you’ll be down one less employee.” His eyes narrowed, his voice turning cold and hard. “If the police or anyone from Talon shows up, I have no problem using you as a hostage. Or a meat shield. You get me, Chameleon?”
Dante glared at him, then gave a tight nod.
“Good.” Riley gestured him forward with his gun. “After you, then.”
We started across the parking garage, Dante leading, Riley close at his back. Garret and I trailed close behind. I saw a pair of legs behind a pillar—Dante’s guards, I guessed—but beyond them and us, the garage was empty. The office building, too, seemed unnaturally dark and still. Dante let us in through the garage door, using a key card to get in, and said nothing as he led us to an elevator at the end of the hall. A uniformed guard sitting behind a desk straightened quickly as we approached. I saw Riley tense, his hand straying toward the gun hidden beneath his shirt, but Dante strode up without hesitation.
“Good evening, sir.” The guard gave Dante a pleasant smile, then eyed the rest of us over his shoulder. “Everything all right?”
Dante nodded. “Just giving some friends a tour of the building,” he said, sounding perfectly at ease. I held my breath, knowing how we must look: a trio of vagrant-looking young people trailing another teen in a very expensive suit. But the man behind the desk immediately nodded.
“Of course, sir. I’ll let security know.”
He waved us through. We passed the desk and entered the elevator at the end of the hall.
When the elevator doors closed, Riley suddenly pushed Dante into the wall, the gun beneath his chin. “That,” he growled as I flinched at his brutality, “was entirely too easy. No one in Talon lets three strangers waltz in off the street. What are you playing at, Chameleon?”
“Who do you think you’re dealing with?” Dante’s voice was equally as hard, and he glared back at Riley with cold green eyes. “Some low-level computer monkey? I own this place. Everyone here answers to me.”
Stunned, I stared at him. I’d always known Dante was ambitious. He had rarely talked about his plans for when he finally got into Talon, but I knew he had them. But an executive? A corporate partner? How had he risen so far in such a short time? He was sixteen, same as me. Either his Chameleon talents were nothing short of miraculous, or there was something else going on.
Either way, I didn’t like it. And neither did either of the boys. Garret’s posture was tense, his eyes shifting between Dante and the glowing numbers above the door, climbing steadily upward. Riley, still pinning Dante against the wall, gave a grim smile.
“Just remember, Mr. Hill,” he warned, pressing the gun to his chest. “I expect you to get us in with no problems. Any alarms ‘mysteriously’ go off, or if we run into any trouble, I’m putting a hole through you first.”
I clenched my jaw at Riley’s threat but didn’t say anything. Dante wasn’t our friend, I reminded myself. He was a Chameleon. I couldn’t think of him as my brother right now, though it still made me slightly ill, seeing him like this. I wished it could be different, but Dante didn’t seem inclined to leave Talon, no matter what I said to convince him otherwise.
The elevator stopped, and as the doors slid open, we all tensed, half expecting a line of guards on the other side, taking aim with their guns. The dark, empty corridor that greeted us didn’t make me any less nervous. Dante stepped forward, but Riley reached out and grabbed his shoulder, pressing the gun into his ribs.
“Slowly,” he growled. “Don’t get too far, Chameleon. Like you said, you’re just giving us a tour.”
“Yes,” Dante said in a tight voice. “And they’re certainly not going to expect anything if I go creeping through the halls with you, hostage-style.”
Riley chuckled darkly and released him. “Just remember, I can shoot faster than you can run. Let’s go.”
We entered the floor. Past the elevators was an open floor of cubicles and desks, all empty and dark except for the flicker of computer screens. Dante led us across the room, our shoes clicking against the tile, and down another corridor with individual offices lining the hall. These, too, sat vacant and still, large glass windows showing off the night sky and the blinking cityscape below.
“I don’t like this,” I whispered to Garret. “It’s too empty. I thought Talon would have more security, or alarms, or something. This is too easy.”
“Agreed,” was the low reply. “Stay on your guard.”
“My office is through here,” Dante explained as we reached a door in the middle of the hall. “The reports are logged into my computer. One moment while I unlock the door.” He slid his card into a key slot, then pushed the door back to reveal an empty, darkened room.
Riley gestured at him with his gun. “After you.”
As we stepped through the door together, Dante turned, as if to throw the light switch. Suddenly his arm shot out, something small cupped in his palm, striking Riley in the ribs. There was an electric flash of white, the buzz of static, and Riley snarled, jerking as if he’d been stung.
The lights came on, revealing half a dozen armed, armored humans in the room, pointing their guns right at us.
RILEY
Well, shit. We’d walked nose-first into a trap.
Still reeling from being tased, I didn’t move fast enough, and Dante slipped out of reach. He was smiling as he backed toward the desk and the trio of guards standing there with their guns aimed at my middle. St. George already had his weapon out, pointed back at them, but it was too late.
Dammit! This was bad. I’d known the devious little bastard had been up to something, but it was worse than I’d thought. This was more than bad luck or bad timing, and it wasn’t coincidence that everything—Miranda, the evidence, and Dante—had pointed us here. I knew a setup when I saw one. We’d been played.
“Did you really think we had no idea you were coming?” Dante asked, a pleased smile curling his lips as he confirmed my suspicions. He met my glare and shook his head. “Did you really believe your presence went unnoticed at the crash site? Why do you think Miranda was on television to begin with? Because we knew you would recognize her, and if you did, you would come snooping around. We had her giving ‘press interviews’ on every news station for three days straight, to make sure you saw her.” He circled the desk and stood behind it, two guards flanking him like attack dogs. “The evidence would lead you here, as we knew it would, and everything else just fell into place.” That arrogant smile turned sharp as he gazed at me, eyes glittering with hatred. “I will admit, I’m going to enjoy watching you die, Cobalt. For everything you’ve done, all the grief you’ve caused me, and Talon, I hope it’s painful. A quick death is more than you deserve.”
I smiled coldly back. “You think you can take me down, hatchling? Do your worst.”
“Dante.” Ember stepped forward, prompting half the guards to level their guns at her. The heat inside flared as Cobalt surged up,
making my skin feel tight. Ember ignored the guards and their weapons, keeping her gaze on Dante. “Don’t do this,” she pleaded. “Please. You can still walk away. Look at what Talon is doing. They destroyed an entire town, killed every human there. That can’t be what you wanted. My brother was never a killer.”
“You don’t know me anymore, Ember.” Dante’s voice was weary. “You don’t know what I’ve done, what I’m willing to sacrifice, for our race. I know what Talon is planning. It’s far too late for me to go back.” He raised his chin, his voice becoming defiant. “I gave the order to wipe out that town. No witnesses, no survivors. And I would do it again, if that’s what Talon wanted.”
Dammit. I spared a glance at the soldier as they were talking. He was tense, pistol drawn and ready, his body coiled to spring into action. He caught my gaze and gave a tiny nod. I returned my attention to the twins as the air in my lungs started to boil.
“You gave the order,” Ember repeated softly. “But...why? How could you do that?”
“You don’t understand now,” Dante said. “But you will. Once you come back with me, you’ll understand everything, I promise.” His voice softened, turning almost gentle. “We belong with Talon, Ember. It’s our destiny. Once you come back, you’ll see why.” His attention shifted to the guards standing around the room. “Bring me the girl,” he ordered, taking a step back. “Kill the rest.”
I exploded into Cobalt, surging up with a roar as the guards opened fire. Bullets tore past me, a couple sparking off my chest plates and several punching through my wing membranes. I sent a cone of fire at the nearest guard, and he reeled back, blazing like a torch. At the same time, Ember pounced on another, changing into a dragon midlunge, and St. George closed with a third, grabbing his weapon arm and forcing the muzzle away. Two pistol shots rang out, and the guard crumpled to the ground.
Growling, I turned on the last two guards, who had converged behind the desk and were raising their weapons to fire. Dante was nowhere to be seen, but the open door behind them told me where he’d escaped to.
