“Wait.” I caught his hand before he could leave, and he went perfectly still. Choose, Ember. Right now. Dragon or human? Which side are you? What do you want to be the most?

“I’m sorry,” I told him, and felt every muscle beneath my fingers go rigid. “I’ve made mistakes, too, and people have been hurt because of it. I need to stop running away, and face them head-on, no matter how painful. In the long run, it’ll be better for everyone. It shouldn’t have taken me this long to realize that.”

“Ember...”

“Back at the hotel in Vegas,” I continued, hurrying on before I lost my nerve. “Right before you left for England. When you told me...” I trailed off, not wanting to say it out loud. Garret was barely breathing, as if he feared any movement would cause this moment to shatter. I could no longer look at him and dropped my gaze to the desk. Even then, I’d known what I wanted. I’d just let Talon and my own doubts convince me otherwise.

I’m sorry, Riley. But we do have a choice and, at least in this, I choose to be more human.

“I was wrong,” I admitted softly. “Letting you walk out...was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. I should have said yes.” Garret’s hand trembled in mine, and I closed my eyes. “I should have asked you to stay.”

For just a heartbeat, we were both frozen. The clock on the wall ticked, a faint sound in the absolute silence.

Then Garret grabbed the hand that still held his own, yanked me to my feet and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he pressed forward, backing me against the wall of the tiny room. His kisses were hungry and intense, shocking me with their passion. Like this had been pent up for a long time and was finally free. My dragon howled in protest, shrieking that this was wrong, but the flames within only made me desperate to get closer. I gasped and arched my head back, digging my fingers into his shoulders, shivering as his lips traced my jaw and neck. I didn’t care that we were in a semipublic place, that people could walk by and see us, and Garret didn’t seem to mind, either. My hands roamed over his back and shoulders, tracing his skin, feeling the hard muscles beneath. He leaned forward, kissing my shoulder, and I nipped the side of his neck, hearing his ragged intake of breath as he nearly fell into me. His mouth found mine again, and I growled as I locked our bodies together, startled by how much I wanted this, too.

It seemed like a long time before we drew back. Both our hearts were thudding wildly, our breaths ragged and erratic. Garret gazed down at me, those metallic-gray eyes so open and trusting it made my chest hurt. “What now, dragon girl?” he whispered.

I swallowed hard. Now came the challenge of telling a possessive, hot-tempered rogue dragon that I had chosen to be with a human. “I’ll have to talk to Riley,” I muttered. About a lot of things. “Probably better that he doesn’t...see us together. At least not yet.”

Garret’s thumb brushed my cheek, making me shiver. “Is he going to try to kill me?” he asked with a faint smile. “Am I going to wind up in the emergency room with third-degree burns and a group of very confused doctors?”

Unbidden, a tiny laugh forced its way past my lips, though I wasn’t sure if he was half-joking or being completely serious. “I don’t know,” I said, while inside, the dragon raged at me, furious and appalled. What are you doing? she snarled. You belong with Cobalt! He’s your Sallith’tahn! He just doesn’t know it yet because you haven’t told him.

I pushed her down. Stop it, I told her. This is my choice. I don’t want to be with someone just because it’s instinct. Maybe it was the wrong choice, but my human side couldn’t ignore this any longer. Dragons being incapable of love was probably another lie Talon had propagated. And even if it wasn’t, whatever I was feeling now, emotion, instinct or otherwise, it sure felt awfully close.

Garret’s phone buzzed on the countertop.

Reluctantly, he pulled back. Walking to the desk, the soldier plucked the phone from the counter and looked at the screen. I watched tension creep into his shoulders once more, and held my breath.

“It’s Tristan.” He turned back, and his gaze was solemn once more. “He’s agreed to meet with me, alone.”

RILEY

I didn’t like this.

Generally speaking, I didn’t like anything that had to do with the Order of St. George, but this had taken it a step further. Parked outside a coffee shop on a busy downtown street, I scanned the cars and sidewalks around me, looking for anything, anyone, that seemed out of place. As a whole, St. George did not have the same blending-in skills that Talon agents possessed, and I could usually pick the soldiers out of a crowd even when they were bothering to be inconspicuous, rather than charging in guns blazing like they usually did. That I didn’t see anything suspicious did not lower my apprehension. I didn’t like the fact that we were meeting with St. George. I didn’t like that I was out here, scanning for hidden threats or ambushes, in case said representative decided to double-cross us. Garret Sebastian was a special case and had proved himself multiple times over, but I trusted the Order about as far as I could throw them. St. George didn’t bargain with dragons; there was no compromise. I gave it a fifty-fifty shot that this soldier would come alone, or show up with a group of friends to snipe us all in the head. And he probably felt the same way about us.