Sickened, I drew back, sliding from Garret’s arms. He opened his eyes but didn’t move, watching as I backed away from him. The look on his face was devastating, but only for a moment. Then that blank, remote soldier’s mask slipped into place, his eyes turning cold and flat.

Spinning on a heel, he walked away again, and this time his stride was confident and sure. I watched, heart in my throat, until he hit the stairs on the other side and started down, not looking back once.

And then he was gone.

I swallowed, blinked rapidly until the stinging in my eyes went away and went back into the room.

Riley and Wes were still at the computer, but they had moved to the table now, with Riley standing behind the chair as the human hunched over the screen. Wes didn’t move, but Riley looked up as I came in and leaned against the door, still coming to grips with the fact that Garret was really gone forever.

“Firebrand? You okay?” Riley stepped toward me, frowning in concern. “Where’s St. George?”

“He…left,” I answered, making Riley’s brows shoot up. “Just now. He said he was going to check up on the Order or something. He’s…not coming back.”

“Huh.” As expected, Riley didn’t seem terribly heartbroken at the news. “Well, I’d say that’s too bad, but then I’d just be lying. Don’t glare at me, Firebrand,” he went on, crossing the room. “You knew this was coming as much as I did. He’s a human and a soldier of St. George. Did you really expect him to stick around a bunch of dragons for the rest of his life?”

“No,” I whispered, my voice breaking a little bit. Of course not. Garret was human. He belonged out there, with the rest of humanity. Maybe now he could finally live a normal life. “I knew he had to leave sooner or later,” I admitted. “I just… I’ll miss him, that’s all.”

Riley stepped forward and, without hesitation, pulled me close. My pulse skipped, and warmth bloomed through my stomach, burning away the grief, at least for now.

“Forget him,” Cobalt murmured, bending his head to mine. “You don’t need the human. You have me. And when you’re ready, when we reach a spot where we can both be ourselves, I’ll show you exactly what that means.”

Yes, my dragon agreed, as I closed my eyes, basking in the warmth. This was right. This was what I wanted. I didn’t need humans or their tangle of confusing emotions. I was a dragon; it was time I finally accepted that.

Pulling back, I looked up at Riley, saw myself in that bright gold gaze and tried to smile. “So,” I asked, as Cobalt peered back at me, eyes glimmering, “where to now?”