“All right.” I looked down at the screen, at the first place on the list, and nodded. Carson City, Nevada, was our first stop. “Let’s get this resistance started.”

Ember

Ember

I lowered my arm, feeling my heart pound, my emotions raging everywhere all at once. Riley was okay; I couldn’t express how relieved I was to hear his voice, to know he was alive. The past few hours had been a nightmare; I hadn’t even realized how much Riley meant to me until he was gone.

And my dragon, surging like molten lava through my veins, was acutely aware of Riley’s promise, was relishing it, even. She couldn’t wait to see him again. She recognized her other half, had always recognized it. Cobalt called to her. She felt the other dragon’s pull as surely as I felt the need to fly or sleep or breathe. And Riley wasn’t holding back anymore.

So what was holding me back?

“We should move.” Garret’s voice echoed at my side. I glanced up and found him watching me, his face shut into that blank, expressionless mask that made my insides shrink. “Talon is probably aware by now that their ambush failed,” he went on, gesturing to the carnage around us. “If they aren’t, they’ll find out very shortly. We should leave the premises before they send in the cleanup crew.”

“Right.” I nodded and pushed myself off the crate stack, but pain shot up my leg and I nearly fell, barely catching myself on the edge. “Ow. Dammit. Ow.”

“Are you all right?” Garret hovered at my side, his remote expression cracking a little with worry. I waved him off.

“I’m fine.” I took another step, clenching my teeth as my leg, back, ribs and shoulder throbbed. I didn’t know if it was from dragon claws, or just general aches and bruises from my fight with the Viper, but dammit I was sore. Of course, the stupid magic Viper suit didn’t show rips or tears, so I couldn’t even see how bad the wounds were. “Right behind you,” I gritted out, wishing I could Shift to my real form again. The human body didn’t deal with pain as well as a dragon’s. “Just moving…a little slower than normal. Keep going.”

Garret hesitated, then stepped beside me, putting a hand on my back. Surprised, I glanced at him as he bent, scooped an arm under my knees and lifted me off my feet. I gasped, wincing as the motion tore at the open wounds beneath my suit, but then he shifted me gently in his arms, and the pain receded.

“Garret.” My heart pounded, my stomach tying itself into knots at being so close. I put a hand on his chest, feeling his own heart thudding beneath my palm. “You don’t have to do this,” I said, torn between exhilaration and embarrassment. “I’ll be okay…”