Garret winced and had the grace to look ashamed. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, and the anger vanished as quickly as it had come. “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I owe you my life, and I’m glad you came for me. I just…” He paused, uncertainty creeping into his voice and stance. “I’m not entirely sure why.”

“Why?” I cocked my head, peering down at him. “What do you mean, you don’t know why? The answer should be obvious.”

Hope rippled across his features, so fast I might’ve imagined it. Though his voice remained neutral. “I’m a soldier of St. George,” he insisted. “All my life, I believed what the Order believed. I followed the tenets, and I killed when they told me to, what they told me to, without question. Every single time.” He looked away for a brief moment, eyes darkening. “You know what I’ve done,” he murmured, staring at the wall. “You know what I am. Why would you risk your life to save a dragonslayer?”

A lump rose to my throat. “You weren’t a soldier of St. George to me.” The words came out a near whisper, and I swallowed hard. “Not in Crescent Beach. I never hated you, Garret. Even after…that night.” The night he’d pointed a gun at my face, and I’d seen what he really was for the very first time. The night we’d inevitably turned on each other, because what else could we be except lifelong enemies? A soldier of St. George and a dragon. “And after what happened with Lilith, I couldn’t leave you to die. Even if it was the Order, I wasn’t going to let them kill you.”

Garret still wasn’t looking at me. He stared at the far wall as if he couldn’t bear to see a huge reptile standing beside him instead of a girl, and my heart sank. “So, what now?” I asked softly. “Are we enemies, Garret? Do you hate me for being a dragon?”

“No!” He looked over quickly, his face earnest. “I could never hate you, Ember. If anything, I should be asking you that question. If you really knew what I’ve done…” He sighed, bowing his head. “But no. I’m not your enemy. You risked your life when you went into St. George, you and Riley both. I’m in your debt.”

I sat down, curling my tail around my legs as I gave the former dragonslayer an exasperated snort. “Yes, well, for future reference,” I said, thumping the spade-tip of my tail against the ground, “when someone decides to save your life, for whatever reason, the proper response is thank you. Guilt and groveling optional but highly encouraged.”