“Lilith is in town,” he said quietly. Wes blanched, then shoved away from us, rattling off an impressive list of swear words. “Keep it together,” Riley warned, as the human stalked back, his eyes a little crazy. “She doesn’t know we’re here yet. At least, I hope she doesn’t.

But she’s not here for us.”

“Of course she’s here for us!” Wes was not doing a great job of keeping it together, I thought. “Why else would a bloody Viper be here? She’s bloody well not on vacation!”

“She’s my trainer,” I said, hoping to calm him down. It did not have the effect I wanted. The human’s eyes bulged even farther, and he swung a wild glare at me.

“Riley, what the hell! Are you off your rocker? You brought the snake’s new apprentice right into our house? How do we know she’s not a plant? She could run off to tell the bitch exactly where we are.”

“She won’t,” Riley said calmly. “I trust her.”

Wes shook his head, scrubbing his hands through his hair. “I hope you know what you’re doing, mate. I really do.”

“Go find the other two,” Riley ordered. “Tell them we’ll be leaving soon. Get them ready to move out. Remember, we don’t want any evidence that we were here. Leave everything as we found it. that means the alarms need to go, too.”

“Bollocks,” Wes mumbled, turning away. He walked out of the room, still muttering, and I looked at the rogue.

“Still confused as hell over here, Riley.”

He nodded wearily. “I know. Come on.” He motioned me into the living room, gesturing to one of the sofas, but I was too keyed up to sit. Riley continued to stand as well, gazing out the window with arms crossed to his chest, seeming to gather his thoughts.

“What do you know about Talon,” he asked at length, “and the Vipers?”

I shrugged. “Only what they tell me, which isn’t much. I know the Vipers are some sort of special operatives that Talon sends out when things get really messy, but I don’t really know what they do.

I tried asking my trainer, but she never tells me anything. I didn’t even know her name.”

“Her name,” Riley said, turning to me, “is Lilith. And, besides being the most evil bitch to set foot out of Bitchtown, she’s the best Viper Talon has. Which makes it very interesting that they chose her to train you.” His eyes narrowed, appraising me across the room.

“That means Talon is very invested in your education—they wouldn’t send their best operative to train a hatchling unless they were planning to use you for something big.”

“Is she really that important?”

He snorted. “You have no idea. Lilith is sort of a legend in the organization; even St. George knows about her. And if you’re such a badass that even those genocidal maniacs sit up and take notice…”

He shrugged, but he didn’t have to say anything else.

“So that’s why Wes freaked out. He thinks Lilith was sent here to bring you back to Talon.”

“Firebrand.” Riley gave me a very solemn look, one that sent chills up my spine. “You still don’t know what Lilith is, what the Vipers actually do. If your lovely trainer does come for us, what do you think will happen? She’s not going to swat our wrists with a ruler and scold us for leaving Talon, that’s for damn sure. If someone like Lilith is sent after you, she only has one thing in mind.”

I swallowed, as everything—the secrecy, Lilith’s training, Dante’s reaction to the news that I was put with the Vipers—suddenly became very clear. “No way.”

He nodded. “Afraid so, Firebrand. The Vipers are Talon’s assassins. That’s their purpose for the organization. They’re sent to kill whoever Talon points them at. Usually, they go after high ranking officials of St. George, getting behind the lines and into enemy territory where no one else can. But they don’t just knock off genocidal maniacs.” Riley’s lip curled in an expression of pure contempt. “Ever wonder why there are no ex-rogues or deserters in Talon, and why no one ever seems to have a disloyal thought in their heads? Do you think it’s because Talon is such a shiny happy place that no one in their right mind would ever leave?” He snorted. “No, it’s because Talon uses the Vipers to silence anyone who isn’t loyal. Humans and dragons alike, it doesn’t matter. They’ll take out their own kind if Talon gives the word. That’s why the Vipers are so feared.” His eyes narrowed. “And that’s why I’m determined to get as many dragons out of Talon as I can.”

I was still reeling from the news, from the discovery that Talon wanted me to become an assassin, so his last statement took a few seconds to seep into my brain. But then, it did, and I gaped at him.

“Get them out? But, you just said the Vipers kill anyone who goes rogue! Why would you want to put their lives in danger?”

“Because it shouldn’t be a choice,” Riley snapped. “We shouldn’t have to choose Talon or freedom. Because I refuse to be part of anything that tries to kill me for not wanting what they want.” He stabbed a hand through his hair, then gestured at the ceiling in disgust. “They’re brainwashed, Firebrand, every one of them. from the very beginning, every hatchling is trained to Talon’s standards.

They’re brought up to want what Talon wants—power, wealth, influence, control. Talon preaches that it’s all in interest of preserving our race, and that’s true, but only by maintaining a stranglehold on everything they own. Dragons that have no use in the organization, or who break away and forge their own path, are put down by the Vipers. They might spare a hatchling—it depends on how old they are, how long they’ve been out of Talon, and if they feel the hatchling can still be useful. But rogues like me and Wes, who have been on the inside, who know what Talon is really like…” Riley shook his head. “They’d kill us, no questions asked.”

I felt ill and had to sink onto one of the sofa cushions as my legs were no longer supporting me. “I can’t do that,” I whispered. “I’m not a killer. I can’t hunt down and slaughter my own kind. How could they expect me to do that?”

“Technically, they wouldn’t give you that bit of information,” Riley said. “Not yet. Not until you’re fully trained to believe whatever Talon says and not question orders. But, once your training is complete, there’s usually a final exam required to become a full Viper.