She stared at him. “What…what are you going do?” she whispered, looking between us fearfully. “You won’t leave me here, will you?”

He shook his head. “We’re not going to leave you,” he said, with that quiet intensity that made my skin prickle. “But you have to get out of sight. I can’t worry about you if I’m going to do this.” She blinked in confusion, but he didn’t explain. “Get up there,” he said gently, nodding toward the scaffolding. “If the worst happens, wait until they’re gone, then get out any way you can. Go.”

With a final sniffle, Faith turned and scuttled up the ladder, vanishing from sight.

Voices echoed outside, and flashlight beams pierced the blackness beyond the doors. The soldiers were converging on the room. Garret took my wrist and pulled me farther back into the shadows.

I stepped close, resting my palms on his chest, feeling his heart race. “What’s the plan?” I whispered, surprised that my own voice was so steady.

He took a deep, furtive breath. “There’ll be two teams,” he murmured, glancing at the entrance and the lights getting closer. “Possibly more, if they called for backup. Six soldiers at the very least, with M-4s, a sidearm and a pair of stun grenades. That’s standard procedure for this type of strike.” His voice was cool, unruffled, as he calmly analyzed our odds of survival. “We should split up,” he said gravely. “I’ll get in close, take one or two out, then you hit the others from a different angle when they respond. Try to surprise them. If they see us coming, it’ll be over.”

I shivered, closing my eyes. “All right,” I muttered, clenching my fists in his shirt. “No problem. It’s just like training back with Scary Talon Lady.” Just with real soldiers, and real guns. No paintball bullets this time, Ember.

Garret gazed down at me, and for the first time, a shadow of fear crossed his face. Not for himself, I realized, but for me. “Ember…”

“Don’t you dare tell me to stay up top and hide, Garret,” I warned, narrowing my eyes at him. “That’s something Riley would say, and I’ll tell you exactly what I’d tell him. I’m not letting you fight them by yourself.”

“I know. I mean… I wasn’t going to.” His hands rose and gripped my arms as he stepped close. “But…be careful, Ember,” he said, his intense gaze searing into me. “They’ll be searching for a dragon. They know how dangerous one is when it’s cornered and trapped. Remember, this is the type of scenario they train for, what we’ve all trained for. Do what you have to do…” One hand pressed to my cheek. “Just stay alive,” he whispered.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “You, too.”