The urge to blast something to a smoldering ash pile grew stronger, and I started moving again, scanning the throngs for bright red hair and green eyes. Normally, Ember was impossible to miss, even in a crowd. But a Vegas casino, with its blinking lights, aimlessly wandering humans and deliberately confusing floor plans, was one of the worst places to pick someone out of a crowd. That was why we’d come here, to hide from Talon and the Order, but now that ploy was working against me. Which was ironic, annoying as hell and doing a great job of pissing me off.
Dammit, Ember. Where are you?
With a growl, I circled the casino once more before heading upstairs. I didn’t have time for this. I had to get to that abandoned hotel to look for runaway hatchlings before St. George got wind of them. For every minute I wasted here, the Order could be drawing closer. There didn’t seem to be any St. George activity around the casino, so I doubted Ember and the soldier were in trouble. I suspected the defiant red hatchling had gotten bored and had either bullied or convinced the human to come with her. That she was missing annoyed me. That she was missing and alone with the soldier pushed me a little closer to murderous rage, which I knew was unreasonable. She wasn’t mine. I didn’t want this attachment, despite every instinct telling me otherwise. I had more important things to focus on; my hatchlings, my underground, keeping everyone in my network safe from Talon and St. George. Wes was right; ever since Ember had come into my life, I’d been distracted. There was something about the fiery red dragon that I couldn’t ignore, and that was stupid and dangerous and could very well get us all killed, but I couldn’t help it. Like it or not, Ember had buried her claws in deep, and I was either going to have to accept it and give in, or find a way to live with it, because I’d be damned if I pushed her away now.
After searching the casino, the restaurants and the myriad stores with no success, I finally made my way to the roof. There were a couple humans floating around a brightly lit pool, but no Ember. I circled the edge and made my way toward the far wall, where the tops of the Vegas skyscrapers loomed against the night sky.
And there they were, both of them, by the railing. I saw Ember mutter something, her eyes downcast, saw the soldier turn her to face him. He said something that made her smile…
…and then he kissed her.
Something inside me snapped. My dragon gave a shriek of outrage and reared up, filling me with fire and hatred, tinting everything with a red haze. I felt myself moving across the roof, heard myself shout something just before I reached them. The soldier glanced up, and I threw a savage right hook at his face.
He dodged, jerking his head back, my fist missing him by inches. Ember yelped in shock. St. George swiftly backed away and raised his fists, a clear invitation to fight, and the dragon roared acceptance.
Snarling, I tensed to lunge, but before I could go for him again, something grabbed my arm from behind.
“Riley, what the hell are you doing? Stop!”
I seethed, wanting to attack, to Shift to my true form and rend the human to little pieces, then char those pieces to ash. My dragon howled, violent and enraged, wanting to set something on fire. The soldier was now too far away, and on guard for an attack. I turned my anger on Ember, instead.
“What am I doing?” Spinning around, I yanked my arm from her grasp and glared down furiously. “What the hell are you doing, Firebrand? I leave for an hour, one hour, and come back to find you…” My voice caught on the words, and I curled my lip in disgust. “He’s a human,” I spat. “And not only that, a soldier of St. George. A dragon killer! I thought you were done with this idiocy when we left Crescent Beach.”
Her eyes flashed, and she lifted her chin to face me. “You have no right, Riley—”
“You’re a dragon,” I interrupted, making her scowl. “Have you forgotten that part? Never mind that he was part of St. George. Let’s ignore the fact that he’s killed who knows how many dragons before his miraculous change of heart. Let’s not ask how many hatchlings he’s shot in the back, while they were running away.” I sneered at the human before turning on Ember again. She stared me down, defiant; I growled and turned us away from the soldier, lowering my voice.
“Listen to me, Firebrand,” I said, attempting to calm my anger, though my dragon still raged up and down my veins, wanting retribution. “You’re not thinking straight. He’s a human, with a human life span. How long do you think he’s going to stick around? Where do you think you’ll be sixty years from now? A hundred years from now? Have you even thought about that?”
“Of course not!” Ember snarled. “Right now I’m still trying to keep up with the present. Right now, staying alive and getting Dante out of Talon is keeping me pretty occupied. What about you?” Ember challenged, glaring up at me. “Have you thought about the future at all?”
“Every single day,” I retorted, making her blink. “Every day, I wake up thinking about my safe houses, if they’re secure, if the hatchlings I get out of Talon will survive another year. What will happen to them if I bite the dust, because I don’t know how long I can keep getting lucky. But this isn’t about me.” I shot another glance at the human, wondering if he could hear us, then deciding I didn’t care if he did. “Humans and dragons aren’t supposed to be together,” I insisted. “Their lives are a heartbeat compared to ours. What kind of future do you think you could ever have?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t give me that, Riley,” she growled. “That’s BS. Admit it—you don’t want me with Garret because he was part of St. George.”
I ground my teeth at her stubbornness. “I have no problem admitting that, Firebrand,” I snarled. “What I don’t understand is how you can let that murdering dragon killer anywhere near you without wanting to rip his head off!”
“Hey.” The soldier had come forward again, eyes narrowed, his body tense and ready for a fight. “Leave her alone,” he said evenly, as I gave him a dangerous look. “It’s not her fault. I started this. Take it up with me if you have a problem.”
I would love to, St. George, I thought viciously, but Ember beat me to it.
“Don’t, Garret,” she snapped, and I didn’t know if the anger in her voice was directed at me, the soldier or us both. “I’m not afraid of jealous rogue dragons, and you don’t have to step in front of him for me.” She turned from the human then, looking me right in the eye. “I can take care of myself.”