“No, you don’t.” I whirled on her and she took a step back. “You might have forgotten we’re supposed to be Sallith’tahn, Ember, but I haven’t. I’ve been as fucking patient and understanding as I can. I haven’t said anything about you and St. George, I haven’t gotten in your way and I’ve tried very hard not to notice whenever you two go sneaking off alone.” I didn’t glance at the soldier as I said this, but I could sense the brittle unease surrounding all three of us. “I’ve kept my promise,” I told her softly. “I’m trying to be all right with this, but you’re asking me to let you go into St. George territory, alone. I have to choose between the safety of my life-mate and the safety of my underground—do you realize what a sucky choice that is?”

“Life-mate,” the soldier said quietly, as if something had just clicked in his head. “Sallith’tahn is...life-mate, in Draconic?”

I blinked at Ember. “You didn’t tell him?”

We both stared at the red dragon. For a moment, Ember seemed frozen, trapped. She gazed past us with glassy green eyes, wings and muscles quivering, as if she couldn’t decide whether to stay or flee.

Then she relaxed. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, and two thin wisps of smoke curled from her nostrils as she exhaled. When her lids opened, her eyes were dark, shadowed, but there was a steely resolve in her expression that made my heart beat faster.

“Garret.” Her voice was calm, serious. St. George watched her, his expression shut into that blank soldier’s mask I’d seen before. “I have to talk to Riley for a minute. It won’t take long. Don’t leave without me, all right?”

The soldier gave a stiff nod. He turned away, walked around the barn wall and disappeared. Ember let out a gusty sigh and bowed her head.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, almost too soft to be heard. And I didn’t know if it was directed at me, St. George or us both.

Raising her head, she gazed at me with shining green eyes, setting my blood on fire. “We need to talk, Riley.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, crossing my arms. “We do.”

“Not here.” Ember raised her head and looked around, as if suddenly realizing how out in the open we were. Granted, we were in the middle of nowhere; it wasn’t like a family in a minivan would come cruising around the bend and spot us. But it made me nervous all the same. “Can we find a place that’s more private?”

“Just Shift back, Firebrand. No need to stay scaly to talk, right?”