by Mari Mancusi
He thought back to the stadium. Of Trinity diving into the mob, throwing herself on Emmy’s back, taking off into the skies. Of the locals, pulling out their guns and opening fire. Had she been hit? Had she been killed? As much as Connor wanted to believe his brother’s angry assertion that they would know, somehow, if she were gone, Connor was also a realist. And Caleb hadn’t seen her—barely holding on as Emmy desperately clawed her way to higher altitudes. It would be tough enough for someone to ride a dragon as small as Emmy to begin with, without having to dodge bullets to boot. All they’d have to do was graze her leg or arm to throw her off balance. Send her careening to her death, the dragon soon following her into oblivion.
And then it’d all be over, his father’s voice pointed out. Mission accomplished, despite all your screw-ups.
He gritted his teeth, pushing the ugly thoughts from his mind. Sure, it would be nice to have this all be over. To have no more reason to hide, to live in fear. No more possibility of a dragon apocalypse looming on the horizon. But not at the cost of Trinity’s life.
Just like the dragon, his father taunted. Luring you in. Convincing you to protect her. Going against all you’ve been taught, all common sense.
“Shut up!” he muttered. But the thought had already seeded itself, poisoning his mind, refusing to leave as they crashed through the woods. Would his tenderness toward Trin, his protective instinct, ultimately bring about the end of the world? Was she an innocent girl who deserved to live—or a disease, worming inside of him, eating away his good intentions? Causing him to turn his back on everything he believed in? Endangering everyone he loved?
He should want her dead. It would be best if they were both dead.
And yet somehow, all he could hope for—all he could pray for—as they ran through the forest, was that she would be alive, unhurt, safe. That she would look up at him with those big dark eyes of hers then smile and tell him everything was okay.
He groaned. Seriously, the Academy should revoke his Dragon Hunter degree.
“Over here!” Scarlet cried out, interrupting his reverie. He followed her and his brother into a clearing surrounded by thick, gnarled cedar trees and littered with rocks and weeds. Scarlet was standing in the center, hands on her knees, obviously winded from her sprint through the woods.
“In there,” she told them, pointing to an overhang draped by foliage. “There’s a cave. Emmy’s hiding in there.”
Connor narrowed his eyes as his soldier’s instincts kicked in. He glanced at the girl, realizing suddenly how little they knew about her. What if this was some kind of trap? What if Homeland Security agents were even now waiting in the bushes, ready to ambush them when the girl gave the word? His hand automatically felt for the pistol he kept strapped under his shirt. Then he looked to his brother. Caleb shrugged, also looking a little uneasy.
There was only one thing to do. Closing his eyes, he listened to the girl herself. Taking in her thoughts, directly from her own head.
I’m sorry, Emmy. I thought I was helping. I’m really, really sorry.
Okay. He let out a breath. At least she sounded sincere in her regret. And he felt no presence of anyone else in the vicinity. So, ignoring the now encroaching headache—the lovely parting gift he got from using his powers—Connor dropped to his knees, brushing away the overgrowth and peering into what did appear to be some kind of small cave. There was a flickering of light…Then…
ROAR!
Connor stumbled, losing his balance and falling onto his back like a turtle upended. Rocks and roots dug into his skin, but he ignored them, reaching under his shirt and whipping out his gun. Pointing it at the entrance, ready to—
“Don’t shoot!” cried a voice from inside. A very familiar voice.
His jaw dropped. “Trinity?” he stammered in barely more than a whisper. “Is that you?”
“Connor?”
She was alive. She was ALIVE.
Connor tossed the gun aside and dove through the brush, crawling on his hands and knees as fast as he could, desperate to reach her. Desperate to see her with his own eyes. To know the voice wasn’t some hopeful hallucination. That she was really there. That she was really okay.
And then there she was. Right there in front of him, her face illuminated by candlelight. Filthy and frightened and yet—oh God—so beautiful. Beautiful and very much alive.
He threw his arms around her, squeezing her so tightly he was half-afraid he’d break her bones. In an instant, all the poisonous thoughts of how she’d be better off dead evaporated, and all he could focus on was her.
The world could all go to hell, as long as he had her in his arms.
“Oh, Trin. Oh, Trinity.”
He could feel heavy eyes boring into his backside, and he reluctantly pulled away from their embrace. Emmy was sitting there, next to Trin, watching him suspiciously. He gave the dragon a rueful smile, his grudging thank you for keeping her safe and not letting her fall. Even if it had been only to ensure the beast’s own survival, rather than some showcase of true affection.
“Trinity!”
He turned to see Caleb and Scarlet crawling into the cave behind him. His brother looked as relieved as Connor felt and gave Trin an awkward hug of his own. Connor watched curiously as they avoided each other’s eyes, and he wondered, not for the first time, if something had gone down between them. Then he pushed the jealous thought from his mind. It didn’t matter now. All that mattered was she was safe.
He turned back to Scarlet to thank her for leading them here, surprised to realize she’d gone straight to Emmy. He watched as she gave the dragon a tentative pat on the snout. “I’m sorry,” he heard her whisper. “I think I gave you some bad advice.”
Connor watched as the dragon sniffed the girl for a moment then rewarded her with a large slurp to the face. Evidently all had been forgiven. Scarlet looked taken aback for a moment then she started laughing out loud, throwing her arms around the dragon as if they were best friends.
“Oh, Emmy! I’m just so glad you’re okay.”
Connor stole an uneasy glance over at Trin, who was watching the scene play out with a small, puzzled frown. Not surprising. He’d never seen Emmy show much affection or interest to anyone but her Fire Kissed before. Who was this girl anyway? And what kind of bond did she and the dragon share?
“So what happened?” he asked Trin, attempting to relieve the tension in the air. He gave her a once-over. She didn’t appear hurt; maybe the bullet had missed her after all.
Trin shrugged, reluctantly dragging her eyes away from the stranger talking to her dragon. “I don’t really know,” she admitted. “Last I remember I’d been shot. I was falling off Emmy’s back as she came in for a landing. She must have dragged me in here after I passed out. When I woke up, I was completely healed.”
“She probably healed you with her blood,” Scarlet broke in suddenly. “Her blood has magical healing properties, you know.”
Connor could see Trinity bristle. “Yeah, I know that,” she said in a tight voice. “She and I have been together for a while now, thanks.” She started to turn back to Connor.
But Scarlet wasn’t finished. “Yeah, she told me,” she said. “She also told me you went off on a date and left her stuck in the barn?” She gave Trinity a disgusted look. “No offense but that’s really not cool. Poor Emmy deserves better than that.” She turned to the dragon, scratching her snout. “Don’t you, Emmy?”
Connor watched as Trinity’s face turned a disturbing shade of purple. “Who the hell is this?” she demanded, turning back to him. “And why is she here?”
“She’s the one who let Emmy out of the barn in the first place,” Caleb interjected. “The one who started this whole mess.”
“She also helped us find you,” Connor broke in. His brother had such a knack for making every situation worse. At Trinity’s questioning look, he went on t
o explain the impromptu blood transfusion that Emmy had evidently performed before. “And now the two of them seem to share some kind of link. She can hear Emmy talk and she can pinpoint her location too.”
“What?” Trinity stared at Emmy, the hurt and confusion on her face making Connor’s heart squeeze. Stupid dragon. “So that must be how…” She gave the dragon an accusing look. “You told me you didn’t know how you broke your scale.”
Emmy shuffled from foot to foot, looking appropriately guilty. Trinity watched her for a moment then sighed and shook her head, looking as if she was doing everything she could to hold back tears.
“Look,” Connor said, trying to regain control of the situation. “We can settle all of this later. Right now we have more pressing concerns. Our position has obviously been compromised. The military is likely on their way.”
“It’s time to say hasta la vista to Vista, baby,” Caleb piped in helpfully.
“What about Grandpa?” Trinity asked, peering through the cave’s mouth to the forest outside, as if hoping the older man would suddenly materialize. “Is he with you?”
“He was still out hunting when I left the house,” Caleb informed her in an apologetic voice. “I tried to call him on that cell you gave him, but shockingly, he didn’t answer.”
Connor sighed. Trin’s grandpa was a stubborn old duff. And his mistrust of technology was legendary. Not to mention extremely inconvenient in times like this.
“Right,” Trinity replied. She glanced at her watch. “Well, he’s got to be back by now. One of us needs to go retrieve him so we can get the hell out of Dodge.”
Connor opened his mouth to volunteer, but before he could speak, Scarlet piped in again. “You mean the old McCormick place?” she asked. When they all looked at her, puzzled, she added, “The farmhouse where you were stashing the dragon?”
“Yeah,” Caleb replied with a scowl. “You know, the place where you decided to start this whole mess to begin with?”
She flinched at the jab, and Connor saw her face pale. “What is it?” he demanded.
“It’s just…” She cringed and looked away.
“What?” Trinity cried now, her voice shrill and anxious.
Scarlet hung her head. “My mom’s boyfriend and his buddies. That’s where they were headed, last I heard. They’re drunk and angry and…” She trailed off with a sigh. “If your grandfather somehow got in their way…”
“Why didn’t you say anything before?” Caleb demanded, his eyes flashing with fury as he glared at her. As if he needed another excuse to be pissed at this poor girl.
“I…I didn’t know there were more of you,” Scarlet cried, backing away. “I was only thinking of her.” She glanced over at Emmy, who seemed to have stepped closer to her, taking on an almost protective stance.
“We have to go get him,” Trinity announced. “Now.”
She made a move toward the exit, but Emmy was too quick, stepping to the right and effectively blocking Trin’s path, her reptilian mouth set in a firm line, her nostrils flaring. As if to say, Just try it.
“Come on, Emmy,” Connor tried, though he knew it would probably do no good. “Nothing’s going to happen to her, I promise. I’ll guard her with my life.”
But Emmy didn’t even spare him a glance, her eyes locked determinately on Trin. Connor muttered a curse. They were wasting time. “Don’t be stupid, Emmy,” he tried again. “If there’s trouble, we’ll need her gift to—”
“I’ll stay with you, Emmy.”
Connor watched in disbelief as Scarlet crawled up to the dragon again, reaching out and stroking her nose tentatively. For a moment, Emmy did nothing, then, slowly, she dropped her gaze from Trin and turned to Scarlet instead.
“I know you’re scared,” Scarlet whispered. “And you don’t want to be left alone in the woods. But let them go. I’ll stay with you until they come back, okay?”
Connor could almost feel the frustration radiating from Trinity as she watched the scene play out in a mixture of dismay and disbelief. Even more so when Emmy curled her head into the girl’s lap and started grunting contentedly as Scarlet scratched behind her ear.
He knew what Trin was thinking—they’d been so close, had shared everything over the past few months. And yet somehow she’d managed to misread the dragon now. Emmy hadn’t been afraid of Trin getting hurt. She’d been afraid of being left behind.
“Emmy,” Trin tried, her voice cracking dangerously. But it didn’t matter. The dragon didn’t even look in her direction, only snuggling closer to her newfound friend. Trin’s face crumbled, and Connor’s heart ached at the naked pain broadcasting from her eyes.
“Come on,” he said gently, taking her hand in his. “We need to go. We have to go get your grandfather.”
“I’ll stay here with Emmy too,” Caleb added, glaring at the girl with eyes filled with suspicion. “Make sure this chick doesn’t try anything funny.” He looked at Scarlet with such indignation that, in any other situation, Connor would have laughed.
But there was not much to laugh about now. Trinity sighed deeply then nodded her head. “Okay,” she said at last. “You’re right. We need to go.” She turned back to the dragon, giving her one last beseeching look. “We’ll be back, Emmy, okay?”
Connor couldn’t hear the dragon’s answer. But the sad look on Trin’s face told him all he needed to know.
Chapter Fourteen
After Trinity and Connor had taken off into the woods, Scarlet had stayed in the cave with Emmy while Caleb stood watch outside. The dragon was clearly exhausted from the whole ordeal, not to mention weak from her second blood transfusion in less than a week. With Scarlet softly stroking her scales, it didn’t take long for her to close her eyes and fall into a troubled sleep.
Not wanting to disturb her further, Scarlet carefully made her way back outside. There she found Caleb, sitting on a nearby log, digging something out of his boot. She watched as he tossed the object from hand to hand. It was small, round, red. Some kind of jewel?
“What’s that?” she asked curiously.
Caleb’s face turned bright red. He stuffed the object into his pocket. When he pulled his hand back out, she noticed his fingers were shaking.
“None of your business,” he retorted, his voice sounding a little hoarse. For some reason, he suddenly reminded her of her brother, Mac. He’d had secrets too. Secrets that he claimed were “none of her business.”
Except they actually were.
“She’s asleep,” she announced, deciding not to press him. He wasn’t her brother, after all. Just a stranger who blamed her for everything that had gone down. And for good reason too.
Caleb’s troubled face twisted into a smirk. “Well, aren’t you the great dragon whisperer,” he muttered.
She drew in a breath. “Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot. Can we start over?”
“Depends on what you want to start with.”
“How about an apology?”
She gave him a rueful look. “I’m really sorry. I had no idea.”
Caleb held up a hand. “Cheer up, Buttercup. They’re just going to blame me for the whole thing anyway. Like they always do.”
“What?” Confused, she cocked her head. “Why would they blame you? You weren’t even there.”
He nodded grimly. “Exactly.”
They fell silent for a moment, giving Scarlet a chance to study him closely for the first time. Now that he wasn’t actively yelling at her, she realized he was actually pretty cute, with a long, lean frame and shaggy brown hair that fell into his eyes. His eyes were strange too. So piercing blue they seemed to glow in the dark. It was funny, she thought. He looked exactly like his brother. And yet somehow, at the same time, they both seemed entirely different.
“So are you the good twin or the bad twin?” she asked curiously.
He rais
ed an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“You know, between you and your brother. There’s always a good twin and a bad twin, right? Are you the bad one?”
“Bad to the bone, baby,” he said with a snort. But he didn’t sound too proud of the fact. If anything, he sounded pretty regretful.
“Well, that’s a relief then,” she declared. When she felt his questioning look, she shrugged. “I mean, you can never really trust the good twin, right? They’re always too…perfect. Like, there’s got to be something going on beneath that goodie-two-shoes surface of theirs. For all we know, they could be bottling up a mountain’s worth of depravity.”
Caleb rolled his eyes, but she could see a hint of a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. “Why are you still here again?” he asked, his tone a little more kind this time.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you’re not a part of this whole mess. You could just go home. Go to sleep in your own bed and pretend the whole thing’s been nothing more than some bad dream.” He shook his head. “Do you know much I would love to do that if I could?”
“Yeah, well, you obviously haven’t been to my house,” she mumbled.
He looked up sharply. “What?”
“Nothing,” she said quickly. “In any case, I can’t leave. I need to make sure Emmy’s okay. It’s my fault everyone’s out there, looking for her. If I hadn’t broken into the barn in the first place…”
She trailed off, feeling unhinged. This was all her fault. And if something happened to that beautiful dragon, she would never be able to forgive herself. She glanced over at the cave, a small sob escaping her.
Caleb rose to his feet. He put an awkward arm around her shoulder, as if not used to the idea of trying to comfort someone. She supposed it was more the kind of task in the “good twin” handbook.
“Hey,” he said gruffly. “It’s not your fault. Well, not entirely. The whole thing was a perfect storm of good intentions and bad moves by all of us. Even Emmy herself. You may have opened the door, but she walked out.”
