“Dammit.” I glanced at Garret, who lowered his gun, looking resigned. Bending down, he set the pistol on the cement and rose, clasping his hands behind his skull. With a growl, I did the same, tossing the weapon to the floor and lacing my fingers behind my head. The half circle of men closed in, motioning us forward, keeping their guns trained on us. They also kept a safe distance away, I saw as we were herded toward the front. Wary and alert, offering no opportunity to be pounced on by a dragon. They knew what they were dealing with.

The man in the suit didn’t smile as we were brought before him, didn’t move a muscle. His grip on Faith didn’t lessen, though he kept his gaze trained on us. My mind raced. Talon was here for me. Not Faith or Garret. Just me. I didn’t know how I knew this, but I did.

Faith met my gaze, pale and terrified, her eyes pleading for me to do something. Setting my jaw, I took a step forward.

“Let her go,” I said, as all the guns came up, pointed at me. I stopped, keeping my hands raised, meeting the impassive stare of the human in front of us. “Leave both of them out of this,” I insisted. “They’re not important. Just a runaway and a human nobody. You’re here for me, right? I’m the one you want.”

The agent didn’t reply. He continued to stare at me, expressionless, and my desperation grew. “Please,” I continued, taking one more step toward him. “You don’t need them. Let them walk out, and I…I’ll come quietly. I’ll go back with you to Talon. Just let them go.”

And Faith started to laugh.

“Oh, Ember.” She chuckled and slid easily from the human’s grip, smiling at me. “You are naive, aren’t you?”

Riley

Riley

I slumped forward, feeling sweat run down my face into my eyes, my jaws aching from clenching them so hard. I knew if I relaxed an inch, I would start babbling like an idiot, but at the same time, my inclination to care was getting smaller and smaller. I knew the drug was working its way through my brain, suppressing inhibition and my ability to think straight. I had been completely, utterly trashed exactly once in my lifetime, having consumed enough alcohol to drown a football team. This felt very much the same.

“It doesn’t have to be like this,” Mist said in a gentle voice. “Tell us what we want, and this can be over. You know you’re going to break sooner or later.”

“Probably.” The word slipped out before I could stop it. Damn. Stop talking, Riley. “Though I don’t see why I shouldn’t drag this out as long as I can,” I went on, as my mouth refused to cooperate. “You’re going to kill me as soon as this is over.”