“Garret?”

At the sight of the gun, Ember’s eyes went huge. Frozen, she stared at me over the muzzle of the Glock, more confused than fearful, pleading for an explanation. I ignored her questioning look, ignored the trembling in my other arm, and kept the pistol aimed right between her eyes.

Pull the trigger, Garret.

The perfect soldier’s voice echoed coldly in my head. Kill her. She’s a dragon, and this is your duty. This is what you were sent to do.

“Garret, what are you doing?” Ember stared at me, her eyes glimmering with hurt, betrayal. “Why…”

She trailed off, the blood draining from her face. I saw the moment where everything clicked in her head, the confusion shifting to horror as she realized. The broken whisper that followed made my stomach clench. It was an accusation, a cry of despair, and a plea that this was a terrible mistake, all at once.

“You…you’re St. George.”

She took one staggering step away from me, stopping as I pressed forward, her face going blank. I forced myself to speak, my voice soft and cold, a sharp contrast to the swirling chaos inside. “Where are the others?”

Green eyes flashed, and she raised her chin. I followed the tiny movement with the gun, keeping the muzzle level with her face. she set her jaw and remained silent. “Tell me,” I insisted. “Now. I will shoot you if you don’t.”

“You’ll shoot me anyway,” Ember retorted, and now I heard the rage in her voice, the furious betrayal. “That’s what you’ve been after all this time, isn’t it? You’re with St. George, and you came here to kill us.” Her voice trembled, and she swallowed hard. “That’s why you were so interested. That’s why you hung around. Everything we did, everything you told me—It was all a lie.”

Not everything. My other hand was shaking violently, and I clenched my fist, trying to calm myself. This was it, the end of the mission. I had to focus. I couldn’t let myself think of those “everything” moments. Slow dancing, surfing on one board, riding the Ferris wheel with her beside me, not wanting to be anywhere else.

Kissing her in the ocean and feeling my entire world stop. Wishing I could be normal, if only to be with her. Because she hadn’t just taught me how to surf and shoot zombies and to scream while plunging down a roller coaster drop. She had shown me how to live.

Ember was still staring at me over the pistol, her gaze defiant. “Go on then,” she whispered, and I saw she was shaking as well. “Shoot me. I’m not telling you where the others are so you can kill them, too.”

Do it. The soldier’s voice returned, and I took a deep breath, straightening my arm. The gun sight hovered at her forehead; it would take only one tiny motion to end this. She’s a dragon, and this is what you were sent for. Why are you hesitating? Kill her, now!

I set my jaw, my finger tightening around the trigger. Ember still watched me, unwavering, but for the first time since I’d known her, I saw a tear slip from her eye, crawling down her face. It gleamed in the moonlight, punching a hole right through my stomach, and the hand that held the gun started to shake.

I…I can’t.

I relaxed, not lowering the pistol, but everything inside me slumped in defeat. I can’t do it. I can’t kill her. Stunned, I stared at her over the weapon, at the girl I knew was a dragon, knew was the enemy.

And I couldn’t kill her.

Dazed, I let my gaze drop, my focus wavering for just a moment.

As Ember moved.

In the split second before I would’ve lowered my arm, the girl lunged, crossing the space between us in a blink. My attention jerked immediately to the danger, but by that time, Ember hit my arm from below, forcing my wrist and the pistol skyward, wrenching it from my grip. Stunned, my body still reacted on instinct, even when my mind was elsewhere. As the weapon was stripped from my grasp, I lashed out with a kick, striking the hand that held the gun as Ember drew back. The pistol was hurled away, skittering over the rocks, and came to rest a few feet from the edge of the cliff.

Unarmed, Ember backed up, eyes glowing with an eerie, ominous light. I saw the air around her ripple, felt the shift of energy between us, and spun, hurling myself at my weapon. Behind me, there was a soundless explosion, an enraged snarl rang out, turning my blood to ice. Diving for the edge of the cliff, I snatched up the gun, whirled around—

—and felt the breath explode from my lungs as something big and red slammed into me, knocking me off my feet. I hit the ground on my back, seeing snarling fangs, wings, and crimson scales fill my vision, and brought the gun up for one last, desperate shot.

A clawed foot hit my elbow, forcing it to the ground. another struck my chest, sinking curved talons into my shirt, as five hundred pounds of hissing, furious red dragon landed on me, pinning me down. Hot wind blasted me, whipping at my hair, as the monster bared its fangs and roared in my face.

I slumped, the gun dropping from my nerveless fingers. I couldn’t move; the dragon had my weapon arm pinned, its whole weight pressing me down. I could feel its claws pricking my chest through my shirt, though they hadn’t sunk in all the way. Its breath fanned over my face, smelling of smoke and ash, and the narrow jaw, filled with lethal, razor sharp teeth, hovered inches from my throat. Briefly, I wondered how it would kill me. Would it rip me apart, sink those claws into my chest, tear out my throat? Or would those jaws open all the way and blast me with dragonfire?

But the dragon didn’t do any of those things. I’d been holding my breath, waiting for the pain of being torn apart or incinerated, but it only stood there, front claws pinning me down, just watching. As if it couldn’t decide what to do with me. I looked up, past the jaws and teeth and flaring nostrils, and met its gaze.