I pushed the door back with a squeak. Ember sat on her bed with her back against the headboard and one leg drawn to her chest. She had changed out of the black suit, which lay in a crumpled pile at the foot of the bed, and now wore jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, though I could still see the slick material of the Viper suit poking up through her collar. I knew she rarely went without it anymore, just in case she needed to Shift into her real form, either to escape or to attack. Her hands rested in her lap, one of them curled around an item I couldn’t see.

“Hey, Garret.” Green eyes rose to mine as I entered the room, and she offered a tired smile. “Shouldn’t you be out there plotting our next move with Riley? Or should I say, secret agent man?” The smile widened the tiniest bit. “I meant to tell you earlier—you look good in a tie. You and Riley both. I think we should pretend to be government agents more often.”

I smiled as I closed the door, though my mind wasn’t on clothes right now. “Good luck with that. I think Riley changed out of his suit even before you did.” Walking to the bed, I gazed down at her, feeling that odd heat start to spread through my insides. “You all right?” I asked softly.

She nodded, scooting aside to make room for me on the mattress. “Yeah,” she admitted as I settled carefully beside her, leaning back against the frame. “Sorry I wasn’t out there. I was...distracted.”

Her arm brushed mine, and my pulse stuttered. Gently, I reached for the hand pressed against her knee and turned it over to see what she was holding. A small quartz crystal lay in her palm, glimmering softly in the light as her fingers uncurled. Ember smiled as she gazed down at it.

“Dante gave this to me,” she admitted, “years ago, when we were just kids. He knew I liked shiny things. He did, too, actually. Maybe more than I did.” She chuckled, though it sounded a little sad. “That’s one thing the stories get right—dragons love treasure. We each had our own little hoard that we hid from each other. I knew he wanted to keep this.” She tilted her palm so that the crystal gleamed under the lamps. “But he gave it me instead. It’s the only thing from Crescent Beach I’ve been able to take with me.” She wrinkled her nose. “Well, besides the damn Viper suit. Everything else I’ve lost or had to give up, but I still have this.”

Her eyes were shadowed. Reaching down, I took her hand, curling my fingers over hers. “I’m sorry,” I murmured. “I know you miss him.”