That was the reason I told myself, anyway.

“Well…” She pondered the question a moment more, then grinned, making her eyes flash. “All right. I’ll do it, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. If Lexi were here, she’d be telling you all kinds of horror stories about me and surfing.”

“How much?”

She frowned. “What?”

“The apartment we’re staying at offers surfing lessons,” I explained to her confused expression. “It isn’t free. They charge a hundred and fifty an hour for private lessons.”

“Really?” For just a moment, a thoughtful, eager look crossed her face, as if she was imagining all the money she could make with this information. Dragons were extreme acquisitionists, power hungry and eternally greedy. Acquiring wealth was the only thing they cared about.

But Ember shook herself, and the eager look faded into one of disgust. “Don’t be silly,” she said, waving it off. “Calvin and Lexi taught me with no strings attached. I’m not going to charge anything for teaching something I love to do.”

That surprised me, but I kept my expression neutral. “All right, fair enough,” I nodded. “When can you do it?”

“Hmm.” She scrunched up her forehead, thinking. “How about this afternoon,” she said, as we pulled into a well-kept subdivision close to the main beach. “Meet me at the Smoothie Hut at two, no…better make it three o’ clock, and I’ll give you your own private surf lesson. That is, if you’re not afraid of getting pounded a few times.”

She grinned, looking sly. “You’re a good swimmer, right?”

I glanced at her. “Yes, but isn’t it customary to start small and work your way up to the big waves?” She continued to flash me that slightly evil grin, and I raised an eyebrow. “Or is this free ‘lesson’ just to watch me make a fool of myself?”

“No, it’s to see if you really want to do this,” she answered, abruptly serious. “Surfing isn’t for the faint of heart. You’re going to wipe out, and you’re going to get your ass kicked by the ocean a few times. But don’t worry.” She smiled, and her green eyes sparkled as she looked up at me. “I’ll be gentle.”

“I look forward to it.”

She grinned, but then a shadow crossed her face and she pointed to the sidewalk. “Um, you can let me off at that corner,” she directed, looking nervously up the road. “No need to drive me all the way to the house. I can make it home from here.”

I was puzzled but didn’t argue. Pulling to a stop at the corner, I hopped out and grabbed the bike from the back seat, then set it before her on the sidewalk.

“Thanks.” She reached for the handlebars, but one of her hands came to rest over mine before I could pull back, sending a jolt racing up my arm. “I owe you one. You’re a lifesaver. Really.”

My heart pounded, and I swiftly drew my arm back, all my senses buzzing like crazy. Ember didn’t seem to notice and started pushing the bike down the sidewalk. “I’ll see you this afternoon at three,” she called over her shoulder. “And if you don’t show, I’ll just assume you got scared of the big bad waves and chickened out.”

“I’ll be there,” I replied. Waves didn’t scare me. They were big, they were violent, and if you made one wrong move they could easily crush you. Very much like a dragon. I wasn’t afraid of dragons.

I respected them, and I knew that one day, one of the savage creatures would probably kill me, but I wasn’t afraid of them. Ancient reptiles, fighting, killing, and death, odd as it might seem, were familiar and comfortable.

What wasn’t familiar was the way my skin prickled when Ember smiled at me, the odd pulling sensation in my stomach when her gaze met mine. The way my throat was suddenly dry as she walked away, her lithe body swaying as she broke into an easy jog, loping down the sidewalk. I watched her, unable to tear my eyes away, until she turned a corner and was gone.

With a mental shake, I hopped back in the Jeep and wrenched the key in the ignition, trying to gather my thoughts. Dammit, what was wrong with me? That was twice now I’d lost my focus around that girl. It had to stop. This was a mission, and Ember was part of the objective. I could not lower my guard. I wasn’t here to surf, or go to parties, or talk to an intriguing red-haired girl who didn’t hesitate to kick bullies in the crotch or tackle giant waves. I was here to find a dragon, flush it into the open, and kill it.

And if Ember was the sleeper…Remember your mission, solider. Do not lose sight of it again.

Putting the Jeep in drive, I headed home.

“That took longer than expected,” Tristan said as I walked through the door of the apartment, tossing the keys on the counter. “Did you get lost on your way back? Maybe take a detour to the Smoothie Hut?”

“No,” I muttered, though mention of the Smoothie Hut made my stomach clench with nerves…and anticipation. “But I think I have a lead.”

Ember

Made it.

The house was still dark as I ditched the bike, unlocked the front door, and crept down the silent hallway, sparing a quick glance at the clock on the wall. Four fifty-two am. Close, but I was home free.

Liam and Sarah weren’t up yet; all I had to do was climb the stairs, slip into bed, and they would never know what had happened.

At the edge of the kitchen, however, I stopped. The basement door was just a few feet away, taunting me. The secret room was down there, hiding any number of secrets about Talon, my trainer, maybe even me.

I slipped across the linoleum to the basement door, hesitated, and put a hand on the knob.

Just as something grabbed my arm.

I jumped a foot in the air and whirled around. “Dante!” I hissed, as my twin stared back at me, a grave look on his face. “Geez, give me a heart attack why don’t you?” My heart pounded, but I forced myself not to panic. “What are you doing up?” I whispered. “You’re supposed to be asleep, stalker.”

“Come on, sis. It’s me.” Dante’s voice was low, angry. “You’ve never been able to hide anything from me. I don’t know why you thought you’d be able to sneak out unnoticed. I just hope your illegal midnight flight was worth it.” His eyes flicked to the basement door and narrowed to green slits. “Shouldn’t you be trying to get upstairs right now, before Liam comes out and sees you?”