I grinned at her. “It’s a surprise.”
Ember
“Movies.”
“No.”
“Bowling.”
“No.”
“Ice skating.”
He looked at me strangely. “In California?”
“I’m sure there are spots for it. We have a professional hockey league and everything.”
“I suppose you’re right. And no.”
“Concert.”
“Not even close.”
I let out a little huff. “I’m being kidnapped and spirited off to Saudi Arabia to be the forty-second wife of Grand Sheik Ramalama.”
He chuckled. “You caught me. I hope you brought your camel repellant.”
“Smart ass.” I wrinkled my nose at him. “You do realize I have a brother, right? I can keep this up alllll afternoon.”
He gave me a patient smile, as if he too, was familiar with sibling tactics and no amount of pestering or torture would make him spill.
“Do you have something against surprises?”
“Yes! I don’t like secrets. I’d rather have everything up front and out in the open.”
Which was, now that I thought about it, a bizarre thing to say. my whole life was a lie. Everything Talon did, everything they taught us, was to maintain that deception. I was tired of it. Not to say that I wanted the world to know about the existence of dragons; even I knew what would come of that, but it would be nice, sometimes, to be myself. To not have to lie to everyone about everything. I used to be able to do that with Dante, but, it seemed, not anymore.
Garret blinked, and a shadow crossed his face, as if my statement touched something for him, too. But then he pulled off the road, into a crowded parking lot, and I gasped at the sight of the Ferris wheel and huge wooden coaster, looming at the end of a boardwalk.
Garret swung into an open space and killed the engine, grinning at me. “I thought you might like this more than sitting in a theater for three hours,” he said, and there might have been a note of amused triumph in his voice, but I wasn’t paying much attention.
“Of course, we could still go to the movies, if you want. Turn around and head back—”
“Are you insane?” I wrenched open the door and hopped out, turning to glare at him impatiently. “I will personally rip all four tires off your car if you try to leave now, so come on.” He laughed, slid out of the Jeep, and followed me across the parking lot as the screams, music, and intoxicating smell of cotton candy drew me forward like a siren song.
Past the gates, I paused at the edge of the boardwalk just to take it all in. I’d never been to a carnival before, and didn’t want to miss anything. Crowds of people, some with bright stuffed animals tucked under one arm, milled back and forth with no sense of direction. Bells and whistles rang out, things spun, glittered, flashed, and whirled so quickly it was almost overwhelming.
This was going to be awesome.
Garret stepped up beside me, gently brushing my elbow. “Well?”
he asked, bending close to be heard over the crowd. “This is your occasion. Where to first?”
Suddenly, I got a cold, tingly feeling on the back of my neck, and froze, my stomach turning uneasily. Was I being watched? Where?
By whom? Was Riley somewhere in the crowd, spying on me, having followed us all the way from Crescent Beach? That was a bit creepy, though. It didn’t seem like him. The rogue dragon might be arrogant, defiant, and rebellious, but he didn’t strike me as a stalker.
Who, then, was watching me?
Garret blinked as I came back, still waiting patiently to hear what I wanted to do. If he noticed that I was distracted, he didn’t comment on it.
“Hold that thought, then,” I said, gazing around for a restroom, spotting one behind a hot dog stand. “I’m going to wash my hands.