motivations might be…tainted.” He offered a smile, even as his eyes stayed hard and cold. “So, I fear I must ask. Can we trust you, Mr. Hill?”
I smiled. “Sir,” I began, as clearly and confidently as I could. “I know my sister. Ember and I have always had…
different opinions, when it came to the organization. I know she can be reckless and stubborn, and that she has a slight problem with authority.” A tiny snort from Mr. Smith was the only indicator of my massive understatement.
“But Ember isn’t a traitor,” I went on, feeling Mr. Roth’s hard gaze on me, assessing and critical. “She’s gullible and hotheaded, and I believe the rogue dragon Cobalt took advantage of this to get her to leave with him. He lied to her about the organization, and he lied to her about me, otherwise she would have never turned on us like this.”
Mr. Roth’s expression hadn’t changed. And neither had mine. “Ember tried to get me to come with her that night,” I admitted, seeing no indication of surprise from Mr. Roth. “She begged me to leave town with her and the rogue, but I knew I couldn’t do it. Not because of the consequences, but because I know my place.” I raised my chin slightly, not enough to challenge, just enough to state my cause. “Sir, my loyalty to Talon has never wavered. I don’t know why Talon is taking a less…direct approach to dealing with my sister, why the Elder Wyrm has chosen to spare her, but I do know that I am grateful. And I’ll do whatever it takes to bring Ember back so she can resume her place in Talon, where she belongs.”
Mr. Roth nodded.
“Excellent, Mr. Hill,” he said in a bright tone of voice. “That is exactly what we want to hear.” He picked up his desk phone and pressed a button on the machine. “Please send Ms. Anderson in,” he ordered into the speaker. I blinked, wondering who Ms. Anderson could be; I’d never met her before.
Abruptly, Mr. Roth stood, which prompted us to rise, too. “Your words are commendable, Mr. Hill,” the VP said, walking around to stand beside us. “Therefore, Talon is prepared to give you the best possible resources to locate and bring back your sister. In a moment, you’ll be shown to your new office, but for now, there is someone I want you to meet.”
I gave a pleasant nod, though my mind was spinning. New office? And the best resources possible to find her? I was pleased, of course. It seemed the organization had recognized my potential, but at the same time, I knew this was abnormal. Talon was huge; its reach spanned the globe, and it had countless other developments, mostly of the multimillion-dollar variety, to worry about. The disappearance of a single hatchling, rogue or not, was barely a blip on its radar. Why? Why are they going through all this trouble to find one hatchling? Ember, what have you done?
The office door clicked softly as it opened, and Mr. Roth raised a beckoning hand.
“Ah, Ms. Anderson. Please come in. Have you met Mr. Hill?”
“Haven’t had the pleasure,” said a lilting, musical voice. I turned to face the newcomer. My brows arched a bit, and I straightened quickly. Not a human; this was another dragon, and on top of that, a hatchling. Except for my sister, I’d only ever met with adult and senior dragons, but this girl looked just a year or two older than me. She was fair and slender, wearing a light blue skirt and heels and looking faintly uncomfortable in them. Like she’d rather be wearing jeans and a T-shirt. Her pale, almost silvery hair was styled atop her head, the sides pulled back to accent her high cheekbones, and the large, crystal-blue eyes stared straight ahead.
“This is Mist,” Mr. Roth introduced as she regarded me in silence, her gaze coolly remote. “Ms. Anderson, this is Mr. Hill. I expect the pair of you will get along famously.”
I hid my surprise. By introducing her by her first name, Roth was subtly informing her—informing all of us—that I was in charge. That, although she was slightly older and had probably been working here awhile, we were not equals. I hoped the other hatchling wouldn’t challenge my position, but Mist held out her hand as if this meeting was nothing out of the ordinary. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Hill,” she said, her voice as cool as her face. I took the offered hand with a wide smile.
“Mist.” I smiled, holding her gaze. “The pleasure is mine.”
“Ms. Anderson is one of our newer operatives,” Mr. Roth continued, seemingly unaware, or uncaring, of the tension as we sized each other up. “She comes highly recommended by her trainer, and we believe her skills are adequate for this situation. She will be aiding you in the search for our wayward Ember.
“Ms. Anderson,” Mr. Roth continued. “Would you please introduce Mr. Hill to the rest of his team and then have someone show him his office? I would take him myself, but I have a meeting with your trainer in a few minutes. Mr. Hill…” He turned to me. “You say you have your sister’s best interests at heart? Now is your chance to prove it. Bring her back to Talon, where she belongs. We will be keeping an eye on your progress.”
I nodded politely, though I knew the meaning behind those words. We’ll be watching you was the translation of that statement. Don’t disappoint us.
I won’t, I promised silently, and turned away.
As I followed Mist out of Mr. Roth’s office, I nearly ran into someone coming in, and I stepped aside with a hasty apology. The person I’d almost hit barely gave me a second glance as she passed, but my stomach dropped as I met her familiar poison-green eyes. Lilith, Talon’s elite Viper assassin, gave a short nod, recognizing me as well, before continuing into Mr. Roth’s office and closing the door behind her.
Apprehension flickered. Why is Lilith here? I thought. Is she…? I glanced at Mist, walking beside me with her eyes straight ahead. Is she Mist’s trainer? Is that why she’s here?
Wary now, I followed Mist into the elevator, keeping her in my side view as she pressed a button, still not looking at me. The doors slid shut, and the box began to move.
“So.” Mist’s voice echoed in the tiny space, startling me. I’d been expecting her to stay quiet and distant, not speaking unless absolutely necessary. I’d been about to break the silence myself and was surprised that she’d beat me to it. “You’re Dante Hill.”
Her voice was a challenge. It seemed we were going to butt heads after all, unless I could win her over. I could’ve used my position to demand obedience; Roth had put me in charge, after all, but resentful employees did not produce fast results. If I was going to find Ember quickly, I needed her on my side.
Smiling, I leaned against the wall and put my hands in my pockets, adopting a pose of easy nonchalance. “I am,” I agreed pleasantly. “Though you seem surprised, Mist. Let me guess—you expected me to be taller.”
Mist’s expression remained neutral. “A Chameleon in training,” she remarked, raising a slender eyebrow, “using humor to defuse a tense situation. Classic disarming technique.”
I kept the smile on my face. “Did it work?”
She blinked, and the other corner of her mouth twitched. “No,” she replied, though her eyes said differently. “But thank you for trying. I am, unfortunately, well versed in the various faction trainings and techniques. Your Chameleon charm is not going to work on me, I’m afraid.”
“Give it time.”
The elevator had passed the first floor. And still, we continued to descend. Past the basement, and the subbasement, going even deeper underground. “Do
