I caught Riley’s gaze, watching me from against the door frame. He was breathing hard, one side of his shirt stained dark red. I could see Cobalt just below the surface, wanting to burst out and fling himself at his enemies, numbers and consequences be damned. But there was also weary resignation in his eyes; he knew there were too many to fight, that we would die if we made our final stand here. I could tell he was thinking about his hatchlings, his network and his underground, because they were never far from his mind.

I swallowed hard and peeked back at Garret. He stared down at me, his gaze intense, metallic eyes stony with determination. “Ember,” he whispered, and his voice was anguished. I put a hand on his chest.

“Go, soldier boy,” I told him. “Get out of here. You know we can’t win this one. Walk out, and live to fight another day.”

Footsteps thumped behind us. A pair of guards approached, weapons raised menacingly, to flank me on either side. Garret retreated a few steps, backing up until he stood with Riley, the open door at their backs. Riley pushed himself off the frame, his gaze dangerous as he met my eyes.

“We’ll find you,” he promised, his eyes glowing as he took one step back, toward the open door. “We’ll get you out again, I swear it.”

“I know,” I whispered, memorizing their faces before I jerked my head at the door. “Go. Get the hell out of here before Dante changes his mind. Go!”

Their jaws tightened, and they went, both of them, slipping through the door and out of sight. Not two seconds after they cleared the frame, the metal barrier slid back with a clang, cutting us off from each other and trapping me in the room with the clones.

I swallowed the terror threatening to overwhelm me and turned to face Dante, alone.

The soldiers closed in. One of them took my arms and slapped a pair of thick metal cuffs around my wrists. They were heavier than normal handcuffs, solid bands of steel nearly two inches wide. I didn’t know what good they would do if I decided to turn into a dragon, but my stomach dropped all the same.

Without speaking, the guards motioned me forward. I spared a last look at the door Garret and Riley had gone through, hoping they were running as fast as they could from this place, before taking a deep breath and stepping into the dark.