“Thank God,” Wes muttered from the bed, laptop perched on his knees. I ignored him, which was getting harder to do in the tiny room. After meeting Riley and Wes in front of the rail yard, we’d fled downtown Vegas and the Strip, putting as much distance between us and the massive glittering casinos as we could. This tiny hotel on the outskirts of town had more roaches than slot machines, and the four of us were currently packed into one room like sardines in a can, but Riley wasn’t planning to stay long. According to Wes, there was a used-car lot two blocks down that would sell you anything, no credit history, no questions asked, and Riley planned to be there as soon as it opened in a few hours. I had no idea where we were going, but I knew Riley was in a hurry to leave Vegas. And after tonight, I was more than happy to say goodbye, too. Goodbye to the City of Sin. Goodbye to Talon and the Order…and Dante.

A lump caught in my throat, and I swallowed it with a growl. I refused to mourn my traitor brother, no matter how sick it made me feel. Dante was part of Talon now. Part of the organization that wanted me dead. He’d sent a Viper after me and a Basilisk after Riley, with orders to kill us both. I didn’t know him anymore. Riley had been right all along.

“There.” Wes tapped a final key and looked up. “I’ve sent instructions to all our nests, telling them to relocate immediately and not contact anyone until they’ve heard from you. They’re on emergency evacuation until further notice.”

“Good.” Riley stood up, wiping his hands. “Hopefully that will buy us, and them, some time until we can figure this out. See if we can’t find who the hell is leaking information to the organization and shut them up for good. If Talon wants to kill us, I’m not going to make it easy for them.”

I was only half listening, still brooding over Talon and Dante and the whole screwed-up situation, so a gentle touch on my shoulder surprised me. I glanced up into Riley’s intense golden eyes.

“Firebrand? You okay? Are you in any pain?”

“No,” I whispered, as the now-familiar heat surged up again, pushing me toward him. Gingerly, I stood, testing my range of motion. My various cuts and burns throbbed, but they were slowly going numb with salve and painkillers. The real hurt wasn’t physical, and no amount of aspirin would make it go away. “Just…thinking about Talon,” I told Riley, who hadn’t taken his eyes from me, “and St. George and what a bastard my brother is. You can go ahead and say I told you so—”

Riley stepped close and very carefully pulled me into his arms, making me freeze in shock.

“I’m sorry about Dante,” he murmured, keeping one hand on my waist, the other in my hair, avoiding my many bandages. My cheek was pressed to his shirt; I could feel the heat of his skin through the fabric, his voice rumbling in my ear. “I wish we could have taken him, too. But he made his choice, Firebrand. And now you have to make yours. Are you still going to stand with me, against Talon? Even though you might be fighting your brother again one day?”

Putting my hands on his arms, I pulled back to face not Riley but Cobalt peering down at me. The human veneer was still there, still in place, but the dark blue dragon stared out through human eyes, ghostly wings outstretched, casting us both in their shadow. I swallowed hard to keep my own wings from breaking free. “Why now?” I whispered.

“I told you, I’m done fighting this,” Cobalt rumbled, and one hand was suddenly against my cheek, hot and searing. “I almost lost you today. I won’t make that mistake again.” His fingers traced my skin, brushing my hair back, and I shivered. “You don’t have to make a decision tonight,” Cobalt said. “I have time.” The corner of his mouth quirked, and he stepped back, looking more like Riley. “I’m a dragon, after all.”

“Bloody hell.” Wes’s disgusted voice rose up from the corner. “Will the pair of you please stop before I yark all over the room? Riley, you might want to come see this.”

Rolling his eyes, Riley pulled away. I stood there, watching them for a moment, my heart thudding in my chest and my dragon surging beneath my skin. The temperature in the room was suddenly too hot, stifling, and the walls seemed too close. I had to get some air.

With one last look at Wes and Riley, still deep in conversation, I slipped out the door into the warmth of the night. I told myself I needed to be alone, to clear my head, but that was a lie. And I didn’t have to search far. A lean, pale form stood in the outdoor hall with his elbows against the railing, gazing out over the parking lot. I started toward him, but as I did, my steps faltered and I hesitated, suddenly torn between saying something and going back inside. Why was I afraid? This was Garret.

Swallowing, I forced myself to move, knowing he’d heard me come out. “Hey, you,” I greeted as the door clicked behind me. I kept my voice light, a stark contrast to the uncertainty within. “Spot any ninjas yet? Maybe a secret agent hiding in the cactus?”

“No,” he said quietly, still watching the pink glow over the horizon. “But there is a suspicious-looking bench near the parking lot that I’m keeping an eye on. Just in case.”

Smiling, I joined him at the railing and mimicked his pose, and we stared at the distant mountains for several heartbeats. In this quiet moment before dawn, the world was silent, peaceful. I wished I could feel the same, but the raging storm of questions inside made that impossible. I wondered where we would go next. I wondered where Dante was, what he was doing, what he was planning now. I wondered if there would come a time when I could stop running. If someday Talon and St. George would just stop killing each other, if the war would ever cease.