Rogue, Page 35

  Garret didn’t reply. He still watched me, those solemn gray eyes making me want to drop my gaze and hide. I stifled the impulse and continued to face him.

  “But,” I went on, “I can’t ignore what I feel for Riley. And I don’t want to lie, to either of you. I honestly don’t know what’s going on between the three of us, and until I’m sure… I can’t give you a real answer. I’m sorry, Garret.” I couldn’t take the way he was looking at me any longer, and I turned away. “I think…I need some time to figure this out.”

  “All right.” His voice surprised me. I was expecting anger, contempt, accusations for leading him on, not this quiet resolve. “Then I guess that makes this easy.”

  I looked back at him quickly. “Makes what easy?”

  This time he turned away. Only then did I notice the backpack, propped beside the door, already packed, and everything went cold inside me. “You’re leaving?”

  “There’s no reason for me to stay.” Garret’s voice was calm as he swung the pack to his shoulder. “I’ve paid my debt, to you and Riley at least. And it’s not safe for me to stick around. Sooner or later, St. George will come after me again. Better if I’m far away when that happens.”

  “Where will you go?”

  “I don’t know yet.” He glanced back at me, eyes shadowed. “England, maybe, if I can get there. Something is wrong in the Order—that ambush with Mist and Faith wasn’t a coincidence. St. George knew we were coming, and I don’t like what that implies.” His gaze narrowed, expression going dark. “If there is a connection between Talon and the Order, it will change everything St. George has believed for hundreds of years. Everything we thought we knew will be a deception. Now that I’ve seen both sides, I need to know if there’s something more to this war than either faction is letting on.” He sighed, and for the first time a shadow of doubt crossed his face. “I hope I’m wrong,” he murmured. “But I have to be sure.” One last pause, barely a heartbeat, one last chance to tell him to stay, before he stepped back. “Goodbye, Ember,” he said, as something shattered inside me. “Thank you…for everything.” And he walked away.

  “Garret, wait.”

  He turned around, eyes widening with surprise, as I flung myself against him, wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. His arms circled my waist, pressing us together, as I buried my fingers in his hair. He groaned, backing me into a pillar, his mouth at my jaw, my neck, searing a path down my skin. Our lips met again, hungry and eager, sending the pit of my stomach into a wild swirl. A low growl escaped me as I locked my body to his, wanting to feel him with my entire being.

  Abruptly, Garret pulled back, breaking the kiss, and set me gently on my feet. I glanced into his eyes and saw the confusion, the uncertainty and the wary hope shining through, and my heart stuttered. The soldier watched me a moment longer, then closed his eyes.

  “Tell me to stay,” he whispered, his voice a low, husky rasp, “and I will.”

  Cold flooded my body. I took a breath to answer…and nothing came out. I knew the words that would convince him…but I couldn’t say them, even now. Especially now. That would be even more cruel on my part, telling him what he needed to hear, just to get him to stay with me, when I wasn’t certain myself.

  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?”

  “Now?” Riley said, his voice full of dark promise as he turned away. “Now we’re going to hunt down a traitor.”

  EPILOGUE

  Dante

  I stood in another small, cold elevator, Mr. Smith and another Talon agent flanking me, as the tiny box descended into what felt like the bowels of the earth. Gazing at my blurry reflection in the metal door, I thought back to the past two days and allowed myself a small smile.

  After the disastrous meeting and phone call with Ember, Mr. Roth had escorted me into his office and closed the door, inviting me to take a seat. I had obeyed with a numb sense of dread, knowing I had failed, both the organization and my sister. Sinking into the seat before the desk, I waited for the ax to fall, to be reamed out for my failure.

  “First off, Mr. Hill, I’d like to congratulate you.”

  I had stared, unsure I’d heard him right. Why was he congratulating me? Surely this was a joke, though I hadn’t known any of the senior executives to kid around. “Sir?”

  Mr. Roth smiled. “This operation with your sister was a test, Mr. Hill. It was the reason we put you in charge of returning Ember Hill to Talon. We wanted to gauge your loyalty to the organization, as well as your ingenuity and commitment to doing the right thing.”

  “But…I failed, sir. I didn’t bring Ember back.”

  “No, that failure was not yours, Mr. Hill.” Roth’s eyes glittered, though it wasn’t directed at me. “You performed exactly as we hoped, and suffice to say the company is pleased with the results. There will be…repercussions. Reign is not going to be happy with the loss of his people, but that is

  Talon’s concern, not yours. You’ve proven you can be trusted, that your ideals are in line with Talon’s, that you value the safety of the organization above all else.” He leaned back in his leather chair. “So again, I offer my congratulations, Mr. Hill. You have passed your final exam.

  “Now,” he continued as I sat there, reeling from the announcement. “We have business to discuss. As a full-fledged member of the organizatio
n, you now know how serious the rogue threat is. Your own sister committed a heinous act against one of her own kind, allowing her to be slain by a soldier of St. George. Such is often the case with dragons that go rogue. Without structure, they become violent and unpredictable, a danger to themselves and to the organization. Your sister has started down a very dark path, but we believe it is actually the rogue dragon Cobalt who is influencing her. He is an extremist whose hatred of Talon is well-known, and his tactics against the organization border on terrorism. Cobalt and his network of criminals must be stopped at all costs. How dedicated are you to bringing this about, Mr. Hill?”

  Rage burned, and I clenched a fist on my leg, careful not to let Mr. Roth see. Cobalt. The rogue dragon who had lured my sister away, turned her against me, was my personal enemy now. He had almost cost me everything and would pay for what he had done. “Whatever it takes, sir,” I said evenly. “Whatever Talon needs me to do.”

  “Even if it means working against your sister?”

  I took a deep breath. “Ember made her choice,” I said. “She has to live with the consequences of her actions. My hope is that she’ll realize her mistake and return to the organization willingly, but if she doesn’t, I will bring her back by force if I have to.” Mr. Roth raised an eyebrow, appraising, and I spoke firmly, confidently. “The rogue movement must be eliminated, for the good of us all. I’m fully committed to seeing that happen, sir.”

  “Excellent.” Mr. Roth beamed. “Then I do believe you are ready.” He stood, extending a hand to lead me out of his office. “Rest up, Mr. Hill,” he announced as he escorted me to where Mr. Smith stood waiting in the hall. “Tomorrow morning, you have a plane to catch.”

  * * *

  The elevator slowed, and finally stopped with a faint ding. As the doors slid back, revealing a sterile white hallway and a pair of guarded metal doors at the end, Mr. Smith turned to me.

  “Keep in mind, Dante,” he warned as we stepped into the hall, passing humans in white lab coats scurrying from room to room. “This is one of Talon’s greatest secrets. That you are even allowed to be here shows the amount of faith and trust the organization has in you. Do not abuse that.”

  “I won’t,” I promised, and meant it.

  We came to the doors, and the Talon agent flashed a badge at one of the armed guards, who nodded briskly and waved us through. We stepped into an even smaller room, barely larger than the elevator box, where the guard pressed his hand to a small sensory pad by the door. It lit up, green lines scanning his palm and fingers, before it beeped once, and the light above the metal door turned green.

  “Remember, Dante,” Mr. Smith warned again, and pushed back the door.

  My eyes widened. I stumbled forward in a daze, hardly believing what I saw. Steam billowed through the frame, and the air was hot and humid, as if I’d stepped into a rain forest. I was almost instantly drenched in sweat, but I barely felt it. I couldn’t tear my gaze from the wonders of the scene before me.

  Dragons. Hundreds of them. In rows of huge cylindrical vats marching down the aisles. They floated in translucent green liquid, eyes closed, wings and legs folded neatly to their bodies. Tubes jutted from their necks and stomachs, snaking to the tops of the canisters, where they disappeared in a tangle of machinery. From their size, most of them were hatchlings, some barely out of the egg, but there were a few near the end that were larger, older.

  And they all looked the same. Through the glass and the green-tinted murk, their scales were a dull metallic gray, with no hint or spark of color at all. They all had the same ridge of ivory horns over their eyes and along their jaw. The same bony spikes jutting from their backs, shoulders and forelegs. The similarities were more than coincidence, more than sharing the same bloodline or parents. They were identical. Down to the same crooked horn on the left side of their head.

  I smiled, as I realized what Talon had been planning, all this time.

  “Behold, Dante Hill,” Mr. Smith said, walking up behind me, his deep voice full of triumph. “Welcome to the future.”

  * * * * *

  Thank you for reading ROGUE, book two of THE TALON SAGA.

  Look for book three, SOLDIER, coming soon.

  Only from Julie Kagawa and Harlequin TEEN.

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to my parents for your prayers and guidance, and for encouraging me to go after my dreams, no matter how crazy they were. To the people at Harlequin TEEN for your continued hard work, amazing support, jaw-dropping covers and so on. A massive thank-you to my wonderful editor, Natashya Wilson, who continues to be Superwoman in everything that she does. To my agent, Laurie McLean, who asks the questions I cannot, without whom I would be completely lost. Also to Brandy Rivers, for championing my books and making the impossible happen.

  And, of course, to Nick, my other half. My love for you burns hotter than dragonfire.

  Questions for Discussion

  Two dragon lifestyles are contrasted in Rogue; that of the dragons in Talon and that of Riley’s rogues. What are the advantages of each and which does Ember seem best suited for? Why does Dante want to stay with Talon? Point to evidence in the story.

  Ember and Riley have different ways of seeing Las Vegas. How does each of them describe the city, and how do you account for the differences in their points of view?

  Garret has spent most of his life in the military-esque Order of St. George. In what ways is he equipped to live on his own, and what challenges might he face as he learns to survive outside the Order?

  Cobalt had become disillusioned with Talon prior to his mission to break into the St. George chapterhouse and blow it up. What experiences pushed him to leave, and what might have happened if Talon had not tried to kill him back then? Where might Cobalt/Riley be now if Wes had not joined him?

  In Rogue, Ember begins to feel a greater split between her dragon and human selves, mainly caused by her different reactions to Garret and Riley. Why does each character appeal to a different side of her, and what does that show about a dragon’s ability to feel emotions?

  Garret does not understand why Ember saved him from being executed. Ember has learned that Garret has killed many of her kind. Why is Ember so determined to save Garret, despite knowing what he is? Point to evidence about her character in the book to inform your answer.

  Dante believes he has failed his mission to bring back Ember and is shocked when Mr. Roth congratulates him and welcomes him as a full member of Talon. Why, in Talon’s view, did Dante succeed, and who do you think will take the fall for the failure of the mission?

  Exploiting your enemy’s weakness is a running theme in Rogue. What makes each entity—the rogues, Talon, the Order of St. George—weak, and in what ways might those weaknesses also be strengths? In what ways is the author hinting at a potential future solution to this ancient conflict?

  Madison and Stealth both have minor parts in Rogue but each has a big impact on Cobalt. How is he changed by his encounter with each of these characters? How might his actions toward each of them impact those characters in the future?

  Dante is trusted with an incredible secret at the end of Rogue. What do you think Talon is planning? Discuss.

  For your reading pleasure Julie Kagawa and Harlequin TEEN are proud to present this exclusive excerpt from the final novel of THE IRON FEY series

  THE IRON WARRIOR.

  “A Dragon Novel For The 21st Century.”

  —MTV.com

  From the limitless imagination of New York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa comes the first fantastic adventure in The Talon Saga.

  Talon

  Long ago, dragons were hunted to near exti
nction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they’re positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.

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  The rulers of Summer and Winter stood at the head of the table, watching us as we came in. I’d never seen either of them before, but they were instantly recognizable. Oberon, the King of Summer, stood tall and proud at the table edge, silver hair falling down his back, his antlered crown casting jagged shadows over the surface. A pale, beautiful woman stood a few feet away, dark hair cascading around her shoulders, a high-collared cloak draping her armor of red and black. Piercing dark eyes stabbed me over the table, and my insides curled with fear. Mab, Queen of Winter, was just as dangerous and terrifying as I had imagined she would be. The only good thing was that Titania, the Queen of Summer, appeared to be absent today. The queens’ hatred for each other was well-known, and the situation was volatile enough without two immortal faery rulers throwing down in the middle of the war council.