“If we can even get to him,” Riley muttered, crossing his arms. “And that he’ll actually talk when we do.” He gave me an exasperated look. “If he’s as stubborn as his sister, I foresee all kinds of problems.”

“Also, not to be the voice of reason or anything,” Wes broke in, “but this is a Talon facility. You’re not going to just stroll in the front doors and say, ‘Hello, we’re your most wanted dragons and we’ve wandered right into your office. Cooperate with us please.’ I say ‘you’ and not ‘me,’ because there’s no way you’re getting me anywhere near that building. I will stay up here with the sane people, thank you very much. Which, I think, is just down to me, at this point.”

I narrowed my eyes at the rogue. “You know I’m going to see him, Riley, with or without you.”

“Shit, yes, I know.” Riley sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “I just want you to be very sure, Firebrand. Dante is part of Talon. I don’t want you going down there thinking you can convince him to leave. He’s dangerous, because he’s your brother and you’re not seeing him as the enemy. But he is, do you understand? He is just as dangerous as Lilith or Faith, maybe even more so. A Viper will kill you without blinking an eye, but you at least know where you stand with them. Chameleons, though, are masters of manipulation and lies. They’ll tell you exactly what you want to hear, and they’ll screw you over while smiling at you all the while.” He shook his head in disgust, giving me a piercing glare. “So, you can’t trust anything he says, Ember. No matter how much you want to believe it. He’ll try to get us to lower our guard, to relax around him, and then he’ll sell us out to Talon at the first opportunity.”

“I know,” I said, though my chest squeezed tight at Riley’s words.

“Repeat it back to me, Ember. Just so I know you get it.”

“I can’t trust him,” I echoed bitterly. “Dante is part of Talon and will betray us all if we give him the chance. Satisfied?”

“Wish I wasn’t.” Riley exhaled and peered down at the building again. For a few moments, he stared out the window, eyes narrowed, mouth drawn into a thin line. I saw the echo of Cobalt in his profile, a phantom blue dragon with sweeping black horns and bright golden eyes, and felt a flicker of heat pulse through my veins. “All right,” the rogue muttered at last. “This is what we’re going to do.”

Chapter 12: DANTE

DANTE