“Let him go,” I told Faith, who raised her eyebrows. “He’s not part of the Order anymore. You’ve been around us. You know he’s not one of them.” Her lip twisted nastily, and my voice hardened. “He saved your life from St. George, remember that? They would’ve killed us all if he hadn’t been there.”

“Ember,” Garret said quietly, a motionless presence at my back. “You don’t have to do this.”

I ignored that, continuing to stare at Faith. “Let him go,” I said once more. “I’m the one you want, right? Trust me, you don’t want to kill him.”

“And why is that, exactly?” Faith smiled, eyes gleaming. I wondered how I’d ever thought of her as some innocent kid. “I’ve seen the war,” she continued. “I know what St. George does to our kind. Who cares if the human doesn’t hunt dragons now? He was still part of the Order, which means he’s killed before. As a loyal member of Talon, I’m not only expected but required to take out their enemies whenever I get the opportunity. Why should I let him go?”

I swallowed hard. “Because,” I whispered. “If you let him go, I’ll come back to Talon willingly. I’ll become a Viper, or whatever they want from me. Let him live and I…I won’t try to leave again, I swear.”

“No,” Garret said, stepping forward. “Ember, don’t—”

Two men closed on him, weapons raised. Garret stopped, lifting his arms again, but his gaze sought mine. “Don’t bargain for me,” he said in a low voice. “Not with Talon. They don’t accept compromise. It’s either all or nothing…and my life isn’t worth your freedom.”

I met his gaze. “Yes, it is.”

“Ember—”

“Don’t argue with me, Garret,” I almost hissed, feeling my throat tighten. “There is no way I’m going to stand here and watch them shoot you. Just shut up and let me do this, okay?” My voice was starting to tremble; I swallowed hard and took a quick breath to steady it. “I already lost Riley,” I whispered. “If I have to go back, at least I’ll know you’re still alive.”

“Well, this is all very interesting.” Faith’s cool, amused voice made me bristle. I turned back to find her watching me, that chilling smile on her face. “You are correct,” she told me. “We do want you to return to Talon, that’s why they sent me, of course. But there is a small problem with your proposal. You see, you’ve already confirmed your disloyalty to the organization, and they are somewhat reluctant to take you at your word. If you want to come back, you’re going to have to prove that we can trust you again.”