Inferno (Talon #5)(74)
This time his smile was wry. “If you say so, Firebrand.” Stepping close, he gazed down with intense gold eyes, and Cobalt’s presence surrounded me, the echo of the blue dragon so clear it was like I was staring right at him. “But in case the worst happens,” the rogue dragon murmured, “and I go out in a blaze of glory and dragonfire, I don’t want you beating yourself up over it. I regret nothing between us, Ember. Everything we’ve done, everything that’s happened, has been worth every pain and fear and drop of blood. And if we do get through this, I can’t wait to see what will happen next. It’s been a good fight.”
“Yeah.” I blinked back tears. “A great fight.”
“Then let’s finish it,” Cobalt said. “Once and for all. St. George?” He grinned at the human then, shocking us both, held out a hand. “I trust you’re going to do what you do best, and fuck up Talon’s plans to hell and back?”
Garret’s mouth curled, and he gripped the offered hand firmly. “I’ll do my best.”
“Good. Try not to die in there.”
Two more soldiers broke away from the second truck and came forward, dressed in all black, the remaining members of the infiltration team. They were, according to Martin and Ward, the best soldiers from each of the chapterhouses, and each had volunteered to back us up on the mission. One of them was Tristan, who gave me and Garret a brief nod as he stepped up. The other, unfortunately, was Peter Matthews.
I bit back a grimace. I didn’t know why he had volunteered, but I suspected he wanted to be on the mission that was the most important. Or maybe the thought of blowing up a roomful of Adult dragons appealed to him. I hoped his tendency to be a douche would not interfere in the middle of the mission, or I would be tempted to set him on fire.
“This everyone?” Matthews commented as he and Tristan joined us. The soldier’s gaze lingered on me and Riley and his jaw tightened, as if he wanted to say something, but he kept his opinion to himself. “The whole circus team?”
“Almost,” I replied, determined not to let him get to me. “There’s one more. She should be here anytime.”
Tristan blinked and frowned at Garret, who was watching with a raised brow and the hint of a smile on his face. “Something you want to say, Sebastian?”
“Just surprised that you’re here,” Garret replied, “and not crouched behind that huge gun we lifted from the train. I was sure you’d be the one to volunteer for the prototype.”
“Oh, believe me, I wanted to.” Tristan shrugged. “I’m already kicking myself for not being the first one to fire the Dragonkiller. But, the way I see it, this is probably our last mission together. And I promised Martin I’d watch your back, make sure a lizard doesn’t drop onto it while you’re trying to save the world.” He smirked at Garret. “So don’t make me regret that decision, partner.”
Mist appeared behind Riley like a ghost, soundless and graceful, her pale hair tucked under a dark cap. She carried a pair of backpacks in each hand, and gingerly handed one to each of us. “Be careful,” she warned as I hefted mine onto my back, feeling something large and rectangular inside. “There’s enough explosives in each of these to bring down the whole cave system. So I would try very hard not to jostle it around.”
“All right. Then we’re ready.” Looking around at the small group of three soldiers and two dragons, Garret nodded and stepped back toward the trees at the edge of the road. “Dawn is an hour away,” he announced, slipping into the role of squad commander like it was nothing. “And it’ll take that long to reach the second entrance. Let’s go.”
As we started off, Riley suddenly reached out, catching Mist by the arm and making her turn. For a moment, the two of them stared at each other, seeming to forget the world around them. My pulse skipped a beat at the emotions flaring between the two, at the way Riley gazed at Mist like he would never see her again.
Could he be…? My heart throbbed as I hurried after Garret and the others, but not in the way I thought it might. Though the tug of the Sallith’tahn was still there, weak but persistent, both sides of myself had chosen the soldier. Dragon instincts stirred, more curious than jealous at the thought of Cobalt with another dragon, but mostly I was happy for them, for Riley in particular. The worry on his face, and the way Mist gazed back at him—it was more than concern for a teammate. They might not know it themselves, but they felt something for each other, something more than friendship, trust and the begrudging respect each had for the other Basilisk.
But I knew why they would resist getting close to anyone right before the final battle, and I ached for them both. Nothing about this was certain, except the knowledge that there would be casualties before the night was over. I desperately hoped they would survive. We had all suffered, but Riley had experienced so much loss in such a short time; he deserved to find happiness with someone.
“Be careful, Mist,” I heard him whisper as I entered the trees after the soldiers. “Come back alive.”
“I will,” Mist answered quietly, “but only if you promise to do the same.”
Riley’s answer was too soft for me to hear, and I didn’t want to stop to look back at them, so I continued to follow Garret and the soldiers. A few seconds later, the Basilisk appeared beside me, her expression somber. She caught my gaze and raised a brow, but I didn’t say anything about the conversation with Riley, and neither did she.