“It’s Talon’s decision to tell you when,” Dante said, crossing his arms.
“Not mine. And none of this would’ve happened if you just stopped fighting them.” He huffed and gave me a look of supreme exasperation. “Talon is only concerned about our survival, Ember, and you act like they’re the devil incarnate! They’re not the bad guys, can’t you understand that? They’re the ones keeping us safe from St. George.”
“Dante.” I scrubbed my hands over my eyes, weary and frustrated.
He wouldn’t listen; he wouldn’t hear anything I had to say about Talon and the rogues and St. George. Riley had been right.
Still, he was my brother, and I had to try. “I’m leaving,” I said softly, my voice hoarse and resigned. “Tonight. Riley offered to take me with him when he leaves town and…I’m going with him.”
Dante stared at me a moment, the blood draining from his face.
“You’re going rogue?” he whispered, his voice choked. “Ember, you can’t! They’ll hunt you down. You know what Talon does to traitors, you said so yourself.”
“That’s why I can’t stay.” I gave him a pleading look, needing him to understand. “I can’t become a Viper, Dante. Not with what I learned tonight.”
“Is this because you’re upset with your trainer? With me?”
“No!” I scrubbed both hands down my face. “It’s not about my trainer,” I whispered. “It’s not about you, or breaking the rules, or anything like that. Dante, I’m not going rogue because I’m tired of Talon telling me what to do. This isn’t about not getting to fly, or not liking training, or having the organization constantly run my life. None of that matters. I’m leaving because…I can’t stand by what Talon believes. What they expect me to do.”
Dante sank to the bed, running his hands through his hair. I watched him a moment, then said, “I’m going. I don’t expect you to understand. Not yet. But Riley and the others are waiting for me and I…I want you to come with us, too. You’ll see, Dante. Once you meet them, you’ll see why we have to go.”
Dante closed his eyes. For a moment, he sat there, head and shoulders bowed, thinking.
“If I don’t come,” he said at last, his voice low and grim, “you’ll go without me, won’t you?”
I bit my lip. I really, really didn’t want to leave my brother. We’d been through everything together. But I couldn’t stay and let Talon change me into something I was not; something I didn’t want to be.
Dante would be safe here; St. George wasn’t after him, they wanted Riley and the other rogues. And me.
“Yes,” I answered, though that one word was the hardest thing I’d ever said. Dante flinched, as if he too, wasn’t expecting it.
“And nothing I say will change your mind.”
It was a statement, not a question, but I shook my head all the same. “No,” I managed. “I’m leaving. With or without you.”
“All right.” The words were so soft, I barely caught them. With a shaky breath, he let out a long sigh and looked up at me. “I’ll come,” he murmured, making my heart leap to my throat. “I don’t like it, and I think this is a huge mistake but…you’re my sister. I can’t leave you to face this alone. I’m coming, too.”
The breath exploded from my lungs in a rush. I’d hoped he would come, that he would choose family over Talon, but until this moment, I hadn’t been certain. Crossing, the room, I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He held me a moment, before gently pushing me away, looking embarrassed, anxious, and slightly guilty all at once.
“Where are we meeting this rogue?”
“I don’t know. He said he would call me later.”
Dante nodded. “Better get packed, then,” he said, averting his gaze. “I assume we’ll want to take a few things before we’re hunted all over creation.”
Numb with relief, I nodded and walked toward the door, but his voice stopped me at the frame. “Ember,” he said, very somberly, and I turned. His eyes were troubled as they met mine. “You know what we’re doing, right? How serious this is? This isn’t like breaking curfew, or forgetting to call when we’ll be late. This is treason. Once we go rogue, there’s no turning back.”
“I know,” I said. “But, we have to do this, Dante. If we don’t go now, we’ll never be free.”
He didn’t say anything to that, just turned away without a word, and I hurried to my room.
I threw on pants and a shirt over my ninja suit, not knowing if I would need to Shift and wanting to be ready if I did. Digging a backpack out of my closet, I began stuffing it with clothes. I threw in my hidden roll of cash and my little box of treasures, then noticed my phone sitting on the dresser, where I’d left it before going to see Riley. It blinked at me, indicating new messages had come through.
I picked it up and switched on the screen.
Eight missed calls. All in the past twenty minutes. All from Garret.
My stomach turned over. After tonight, I wouldn’t see him again.
I wouldn’t see any of my friends again. Lexi I’d planned to call later tonight, when we were well away from Crescent Beach, just to tell her goodbye, and to thank her for everything. For teaching me to surf, for encouraging me to pursue a boy I liked, for being a friend.
I’d miss her, and I knew that a phone call was a sucky way to end things, but there was nothing else to be done.
But, Garret…I hit his name and held the phone to my ear. After two rings, someone picked up. “Hello.”
I swallowed. “Hey, you.”
There was a very long pause on his end, so long I thought we’d lost the connection or he’d hung up. “You still there?” I prodded.
“Where are you?”
His voice sounded strange, dull and flat. Had something happened with his dad? Was he upset that I hadn’t been here when he called?
“Home,” I answered. “I was hanging out with a couple friends this evening and didn’t bring my phone. Sorry.”
“I need to talk to you,” he went on, as if I hadn’t said anything.
“Will you meet me somewhere?” Another pause, and he added in an even softer voice, “It’s important.”
Now I hesitated. I had to meet Riley later tonight; as soon as he called to let us know where he was, we would leave Crescent beach and not look back. But…this was the last time I would see Garret. I didn’t want to just disappear on him, with no explanation of where I had gone. I wanted to say goodbye, at least.