Rogue (18 page)

Garret

What are you doing, Garret?

I followed Ember through the casino, keeping a wary eye out for security, and one guard in particular. The soldier in me operated on instinct, scanning the floor, constantly alert for hidden threats. I knew it was unlikely that St. George was here, and even more unlikely that they would attack us in the casino, but a lifetime of war and fighting had made me paranoid; I couldn’t turn that off even if I wanted to. Which was good, because my emotions had become somewhat…distracting.

You know what she is. You can’t plead ignorance anymore.

I knew that. Ember was a dragon; it was impossible to forget that now. I remembered the groggy red creature staring at me from the bloody floor of a van. I remembered the way she spoke in the abandoned house, the hurt on her reptilian face when she thought I was afraid of her, that we were enemies. Even then, she’d still sounded like Ember, like the girl I’d met in Crescent Beach, though her outside form had changed. It was strange; not long ago, dragons had been monsters. Ruthless, cunning and intelligent, but monsters nonetheless. Ember wasn’t human, and maybe I was being profane, but the line between girl and dragon had somehow blurred, and I didn’t see either of them as monstrous anymore.

You’re a soldier of St. George. A dragonslayer. She should hate you, and everything you’ve done to her kind.

I winced. That was true, as well; I could never erase the years I’d fought with St. George, killing dragons, driving them toward extinction. That Ember had rescued me, risked her own life to save mine, was still hard to believe. She had to realize how dangerous it was, crossing into St. George territory, just to find me. Had it been a sense of obligation, the fact that I’d helped her and the rogue escape Crescent Beach, that made her risk everything to break into the Order chapterhouse? A debt that needed to be paid? Or could it be…something else?

Could I hope for something else?

I shook myself, trying to clear my head, calm the storm of confusing thoughts and emotions that battered me from within. I was still unsure what I was going to do, what was going to happen tonight, as Ember pushed back a door and led us outside. A rooftop pool glowed in the center of the space, and a few civilians lounged in a nearby whirlpool, despite the heavy desert heat.

Ember led us across the roof to an isolated corner surrounded by planter boxes and fake trees, where the bright lights of Vegas glimmered beyond the rails. The space was empty, but the soldier in me scanned the area out of habit, making sure it was safe, that we were alone. Ember gave a low chuckle and shook her head.

“Relax, oh paranoid one. I doubt there’ll be Talon agents hiding in the potted plants.”

“You never know,” I returned, feeling strangely light and flippant, not like myself at all. Being around Ember had that effect on me, I was discovering. “It could be a brilliant Talon plot. Instead of humans, dragons Shift into benches.”

She laughed. “Oh, great. Now I’m going to be paranoid every time I sit down. I hope you’re happy.” She turned and rested her elbows on the railing, gazing out over the city. I mimicked her pose, leaning against the rails, our arms almost touching. I was acutely aware of her body next to mine, radiating warmth, especially when Ember let out a sigh and leaned her head on my shoulder, making my pulse spike.

“Thanks for this,” she murmured, as I told myself to keep breathing. “I needed to get out, to do something, or I was going to go crazy. Staying in that room alone, there were just so many memories. I can’t be in my own head right now…” She paused, giving herself a slight shake, as if to drive those memories away. I didn’t move, afraid that if I did it would break the spell and she would pull back. Instead, Ember pressed closer, causing all my nerve endings to stand up, and we stared out at the city lights for several silent heartbeats.

“Does it ever get any easier?” she whispered at last.

She didn’t have to explain what she meant. “Yes,” I told her. “Unfortunately. You have nightmares for a few weeks, and you question yourself for a long time—did you do the right thing, was there anything you could have done differently—but after a while, if you keep at it, pulling the trigger gets easier and easier. Eventually, it becomes routine, something you do without thinking.” I glanced at her, hoping she didn’t think I was bragging. “It’s not something to be proud of,” I said softly. “And it’s not something you should strive for, not if you want to be anywhere near normal. I’ve been a soldier all my life. St. George taught me how to kill, but that’s all I can do. It’s the only thing I know how to do.” Ember didn’t answer, her gaze far away and dark. Maybe she despised me now, a soldier who took lives so easily, who killed without thinking. I wouldn’t blame her if she did. “You don’t want that, Ember,” I said, not adding what I really thought, my own selfish desires.
I don’t want that for you. I kill when I must for survival, but I wish you didn’t have to be part of this war. If I could take you away from all of it, I would.

“I know.” She shivered and pulled away, hugging her arms as if cold. “That’s why I left, after all,” she went on, her voice barely audible. “Because they wanted to turn me into a killer, an assassin for Talon. They wanted me to slaughter people, not only in the war with St. George, but to silence anyone who wasn’t loyal to the organization. They expected me to take out my own kind, rogues like Riley, if they ordered it.”

I nodded, remembering an earlier conversation with Riley, how he’d said not all dragons wanted to be a part of Talon. And while he hadn’t actually come out and said what happened to the rogues who left the organization, it had been strongly implied. Suspicion rose up, mingling with the guilt. Before this summer, it had never occurred to me that there were dragons who rejected Talon’s ambitions, who wanted to be free of the organization. Dragons like Riley and Ember. Rogues hunted by their own.

I wondered how much St. George really knew about their ancient enemies. Were they truly ignorant of the rogues and the dragons outside of Talon? Or did our superiors choose to hide certain things from the rest of us?

“My old trainer, she was teaching me to be just like her,” Ember continued, interrupting my dark thoughts. “Ruthless and completely unmerciful. Someone who would kill a defenseless hatchling in cold blood if Talon gave the word. She wanted me to strike fast and never question why, to execute people without thinking about it. She wanted me to become a killer.” A shudder racked her body, and she gripped the railing, her voice a low rasp. “And now, I am.”

I moved beside her and rested an arm on the railing. She didn’t look at me, continuing to gaze at the streets below. Her posture was stiff, but I saw the grief, the helpless anger, the fear that she was becoming what she hated. The Perfect Soldier scoffed in disgust; this was a war. It was either kill or be killed. Pull the trigger before your enemy did, that was the only way to survive.

Before Crescent Beach, I would’ve agreed. Second-guessing yourself was dangerous. I had killed because the Order told me to, and I hadn’t thought twice about it. But this summer, I’d met a daring, cheerful, fiery dragon girl who had turned my world upside down. Who showed me things I’d never seen, imagined or experienced. And it might’ve been selfish, dangerous even, considering where we were now, but I didn’t want her to ever change.

“I know about the Vipers,” I said, which made Ember glance at me sharply, perhaps surprised that I knew the name of Talon’s infamous assassins. “I know what they do. I’ve seen what they’re capable of.”

“You have?” She blinked rapidly, her voice surprised and a little awed. “I mean, you actually saw one? And…lived?”

I gave a solemn nod. “Yes, but everyone in the Order has seen this particular Viper,” I said. “Not firsthand,” I added quickly, as her eyes got huge. “No one who was there that night survived. But we’ve all seen the footage. It’s from a security camera the Order managed to recover from the area. They make us watch it as part of our training. To fully realize what we’re dealing with.”

Ember wrinkled her nose. “That’s morbid.”

“Yes.” I paused, remembering the fuzzy, black-and-white images: a warehouse aisle, a flickering overhead light, four soldiers creeping forward with guns raised. A blur of shadow as something dropped from the ceiling, into their midst. Screams. Gunfire. The light swinging wildly back and forth.

And then silence, as the lamp swayed over a blood-streaked floor and the sprawl of blackened, shredded bodies, the killer nowhere to be found. “They didn’t have a chance,” I said, remembering the horror I’d felt when I first saw the footage. I was eleven years old, and for weeks afterward, I couldn’t walk into a dark room without scouring the ceiling for dragons. “There was no hesitation on the Viper’s part. It knew exactly what it was doing.”

Ember was still watching me as if she could see the scene play out in my eyes. “That dragon from the video,” I went on, my voice just a breath between us, “the assassin, the killer…you’re not like that, Ember.” I paused, then said, very softly, “You’re not like
any
dragon I’ve seen before.”

“What am I, then?” she whispered.

My heart was pounding again. Slowly, I reached for her arm, turning her to face me. If she stiffened or pulled back in disgust, I would let her go. But her gaze rose to mine, direct and unafraid, and my breath caught.

“You’re the girl who taught me to surf,” I said, holding her stare. “And shoot zombies. And dance. And to never make you angry, even in human form, or risk being kicked where the sun don’t shine.” She snorted, not quite smiling, but her eyes lightened a shade at the memory. I smiled and eased closer, feeling the heat pulse between us, even in the stifling Vegas air.

“You’re the dragon who chose not to kill a soldier of St. George when you had the chance,” I went on in a softer voice. “You risked your life to break into a compound full of enemies who would slaughter you on sight, to rescue someone you should hate.” Unbidden, my other hand rose, brushing a fiery strand of hair from her eyes, and she shivered. “I don’t know what that makes you, exactly, but from where I’m standing, I’d say it’s pretty amazing.”

Her eyes gleamed, and a smile finally tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Okay, now I
am
worried,” she murmured in a teasing voice. “Who is this smooth-talking, nonuptight normal person and what did you do with the real Garret?”

I shrugged. “I’ve been told I need to loosen up,” I said, and kissed her.

She made a tiny noise of surprise, and then her hands were in my hair, holding me close, and my arms were around her waist, pressing us together. I closed my eyes, feeling my stomach twist, feeling her lips against mine, eager and insistent, her arms wrapping around my neck. She tugged on my bottom lip, and a groan escaped me as I let her in, clutching her tighter. There was no disgust. No regret. I stood on this roof, openly kissing a girl who was really a dragon, and I wasn’t sorry at all.

“Ember!”

The shout cut through the quiet, and my nerves leaped in warning. I jerked back to see the rogue dragon striding across the roof toward us, a murderous gleam in his eyes.

Riley

I’m going to kill her.

I stood in the center of the casino floor, surrounded by surging, babbling, oblivious mortals, and tried to ignore the temptation to turn the whole place into an inferno. Where was she? I’d already gone upstairs and pounded on the door to her room but, as Wes had said, she was gone. She and the soldier both. I’d called the throwaway phone Wes had given her and had been sent to voice mail both times, which meant she had either left it in her room or was deliberately ignoring me.

The urge to blast something to a smoldering ash pile grew stronger, and I started moving again, scanning the throngs for bright red hair and green eyes. Normally, Ember was impossible to miss, even in a crowd. But a Vegas casino, with its blinking lights, aimlessly wandering humans and deliberately confusing floor plans, was one of the worst places to pick someone out of a crowd. That was why we’d come here, to hide from Talon and the Order, but now that ploy was working against me. Which was ironic, annoying as hell and doing a great job of pissing me off.

Dammit, Ember. Where are you?

With a growl, I circled the casino once more before heading upstairs. I didn’t have time for this. I had to get to that abandoned hotel to look for runaway hatchlings before St. George got wind of them. For every minute I wasted here, the Order could be drawing closer. There didn’t seem to be any St. George activity around the casino, so I doubted Ember and the soldier were in trouble. I suspected the defiant red hatchling had gotten bored and had either bullied or convinced the human to come with her. That she was missing annoyed me. That she was missing and alone with the soldier pushed me a little closer to murderous rage, which I knew was unreasonable. She wasn’t mine. I didn’t want this attachment, despite every instinct telling me otherwise. I had more important things to focus on; my hatchlings, my underground, keeping everyone in my network safe from Talon and St. George. Wes was right; ever since Ember had come into my life, I’d been distracted. There was something about the fiery red dragon that I couldn’t ignore, and that was stupid and dangerous and could very well get us all killed, but I couldn’t help it. Like it or not, Ember had buried her claws in deep, and I was either going to have to accept it and give in, or find a way to live with it, because I’d be damned if I pushed her away now.

After searching the casino, the restaurants and the myriad stores with no success, I finally made my way to the roof. There were a couple humans floating around a brightly lit pool, but no Ember. I circled the edge and made my way toward the far wall, where the tops of the Vegas skyscrapers loomed against the night sky.

And there they were, both of them, by the railing. I saw Ember mutter something, her eyes downcast, saw the soldier turn her to face him. He said something that made her smile…

…and then he kissed her.

Something inside me snapped. My dragon gave a shriek of outrage and reared up, filling me with fire and hatred, tinting everything with a red haze. I felt myself moving across the roof, heard myself shout something just before I reached them. The soldier glanced up, and I threw a savage right hook at his face.

He dodged, jerking his head back, my fist missing him by inches. Ember yelped in shock. St. George swiftly backed away and raised his fists, a clear invitation to fight, and the dragon roared acceptance.

Snarling, I tensed to lunge, but before I could go for him again, something grabbed my arm from behind.

“Riley, what the hell are you doing? Stop!”

I seethed, wanting to attack, to Shift to my true form and rend the human to little pieces, then char those pieces to ash. My dragon howled, violent and enraged, wanting to set something on fire. The soldier was now too far away, and on guard for an attack. I turned my anger on Ember, instead.

“What am
I
doing?” Spinning around, I yanked my arm from her grasp and glared down furiously. “What the hell are you doing, Firebrand? I leave for an hour,
one
hour, and come back to find you…” My voice caught on the words, and I curled my lip in disgust. “He’s a human,” I spat. “And not only that, a soldier of St. George. A dragon killer! I thought you were done with this idiocy when we left Crescent Beach.”

Her eyes flashed, and she lifted her chin to face me. “You have no right, Riley—”

“You’re a
dragon
,” I interrupted, making her scowl. “Have you forgotten that part? Never mind that he was part of St. George. Let’s ignore the fact that he’s killed who knows how many dragons before his miraculous change of heart. Let’s not ask how many hatchlings he’s shot in the back, while they were running away.” I sneered at the human before turning on Ember again. She stared me down, defiant; I growled and turned us away from the soldier, lowering my voice.

“Listen to me, Firebrand,” I said, attempting to calm my anger, though my dragon still raged up and down my veins, wanting retribution. “You’re not thinking straight. He’s a human, with a human life span. How long do you think he’s going to stick around? Where do you think you’ll be sixty years from now? A hundred years from now? Have you even thought about that?”

“Of course not!” Ember snarled. “Right now I’m still trying to keep up with the present. Right now, staying alive and getting Dante out of Talon is keeping me pretty occupied. What about you?” Ember challenged, glaring up at me. “Have
you
thought about the future at all?”

“Every single day,” I retorted, making her blink. “Every day, I wake up thinking about my safe houses, if they’re secure, if the hatchlings I get out of Talon will survive another year. What will happen to them if
I
bite the dust, because I don’t know how long I can keep getting lucky. But this isn’t about me.” I shot another glance at the human, wondering if he could hear us, then deciding I didn’t care if he did. “Humans and dragons aren’t supposed to be together,” I insisted. “Their lives are a heartbeat compared to ours. What kind of future do you think you could ever have?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t give me that, Riley,” she growled. “That’s BS. Admit it—you don’t want me with Garret because he was part of St. George.”

I ground my teeth at her stubbornness. “I have
no
problem admitting that, Firebrand,” I snarled. “What I don’t understand is how you can let that murdering dragon killer anywhere near you without wanting to rip his head off!”

“Hey.” The soldier had come forward again, eyes narrowed, his body tense and ready for a fight. “Leave her alone,” he said evenly, as I gave him a dangerous look. “It’s not her fault. I started this. Take it up with me if you have a problem.”

I would love to, St. George
,
I thought viciously, but Ember beat me to it.

“Don’t, Garret,” she snapped, and I didn’t know if the anger in her voice was directed at me, the soldier or us both. “I’m not afraid of jealous rogue dragons, and you don’t have to step in front of him for me.” She turned from the human then, looking me right in the eye. “I can take care of myself.”

Jealous?
I took a deep, cooling breath and stepped back, shaking my head at them both. “I don’t have time for this,” I said, which was true. The runaway hatchlings were still a question, and I’d wasted enough time already. “I’m supposed to be somewhere else right now,” I went on, “and I’m done talking to the pair of you. Might as well beat my head against a wall.”

“You’re leaving?” Ember narrowed her eyes. “Again? Where are you going this time?”

“Out,” I retorted, feeling mulish and immature. “Somewhere important, if you have to know.” Her expression darkened, and I knew she was on the verge of demanding to come along. I took a step back. “Come or stay,” I growled, “it makes no difference to me. I’m done here.”

I spun on a heel, then strode across the roof without looking back. I heard them start after me, and controlled the urge to spin back around and lay the soldier flat on his back. It was my dragon talking, but what troubled me wasn’t the anger, or the disgust, that Ember had forgotten everything St. George had done. She was still young. She didn’t know the Order like I did, hadn’t seen the true face of St. George, not yet.

No, what bothered me most was that, even after everything, my fiery red hatchling had still chosen the human…instead of me.