I buried my head in my hands, raking my fingers through my hair, not caring how it made me look. I could only imagine what Ember was saying to Talon’s senior vice president. My stomach turned, shocked at how badly this had turned out. Faith was dead. Where was Mist? I wondered. Had she been killed, too? The two hatchlings had been our best bet to find Ember and the rogue; as the newest agents of Talon, they wouldn’t be recognized by Cobalt or his network, so they’d be able to get close without arousing suspicion. Originally, I’d wanted Mist to talk to Ember, convince her to come back, but she’d later informed me that Talon had other plans for her. I’d been annoyed—this was my operation, after all, and Mr. Roth had put me in charge. But then I’d spoken to the second agent, Faith, who’d assured me that she would bring Ember safely back to the fold. Before talking to her, I’d had serious doubts that the quiet, delicate-looking girl was a good fit for this assignment. Cobalt was a dangerous rogue, and calling Ember stubborn was putting it mildly. But it took only a few minutes of discussion to know that Faith was more than she seemed. And when she’d told me she would get the job done, I believed her, though I had made it clear that she was not to harm my sister in any way.

“Bring Ember back to Talon,” I’d told her. “Use everything at your disposal to convince her to return, but do not hurt her. If she refuses to come back, do what you must. But I want my sister returned alive and safe. Do you understand?”

“Of course, sir.” Faith had smiled at me, confident and professional. “Your sister will not be harmed in any way. I will make certain of it.”

And now she was dead. Faith was dead. Because I had sent her after my wayward twin, and Ember had let her be killed rather than return to the organization. How had this happened? How could she have resorted to that, after everything we’d gone through together? Apparently, I didn’t know my sister at all.

And now, because of her, I had failed. I had failed Talon.