by Mari Mancusi
But the dragon refused to move.
“You need to get her in there, now,” Virgil broke in, sounding both angry and worried at the same time. “I can’t keep the power grid up for much longer. We’re going to blow a circuit and it’ll take weeks—maybe months—to get up and running again. She has to go now.”
Suddenly the dragon’s eyes flew back to the TV. Trinity couldn’t help but follow her gaze, her eyes widening as she now saw Connor himself—surrounded at gunpoint by a group of men. He was holding up his hands. His expression was full of fear.
Oh no. Oh, Connor.
Emmy turned from the TV. Then she started to flap her wings.
“Emmy, no!” Trinity cried, realizing what the dragon planned to do.
“Oh no you don’t!” Virgil leapt forward, throwing a makeshift lasso over the dragon’s neck. “I’m not going to let you go and risk the fate of the entire world—just to save one guy who isn’t even supposed to be here to begin with.”
He yanked the lasso hard, sending Emmy sprawling back toward him. The dragon’s eyes bulged from her head and she bared her teeth at the scientist, a hissing sound winding up her throat.
“Virgil, stop!” Trinity protested. “Just give her a moment to think it all through. She’ll do the right thing. I know she will. Don’t try to force her to go.”
But Virgil ignored her, turning to her father. “Help me!” he demanded. “Get her into the box! Now!”
But Trinity’s father stood as if frozen in place. He looked from his daughter to the dragon then to Virgil. “Trinity’s right,” he said at last. “She has to make her own decision. I’m not going to force her.”
Virgil scowled. “This is ridiculous,” he cried. He lunged at Emmy, grabbing her, tossing her in the direction of the machine. “Get in there, you stupid beast! No one wants you to stay! The world doesn’t want your kind! You can only cause devastation and ruin!”
Trinity gasped as Emmy dug in her heels. Then she whipped around, her eyes flashing fire as she stared Virgil down. It was a look Trinity knew all too well.
“Virgil, watch out!” she cried.
But it was too late. The flames shot from Emmy’s mouth, hitting Virgil square in the chest. The scientist screamed, stumbling back into his equipment, the fire tearing through his clothes and hair. A moment later, the control panel burst into flames, sparking and spitting as a warning siren began to wail.
“We need to get out of here!” Trin heard her father cry. “The whole place is going to blow!”
Trinity looked around for Emmy, but the dragon was already gone. Up the ladder, burning a dragon-shaped hole through the trapdoor.
“Oh, Emmy…”
Lungs choked with smoke, she forced herself to wrap her hands around the rungs, pulling herself up one by one by one, her father hot at her heels. They had barely made it to the surface when the ground shook with an explosion, shooting them across the parking lot. Trinity hit the pavement hard and spun into darkness.
Chapter Forty-One
Emmy tore through the parking lot as fast as her wings could take her, her eyes locked on to the large building in front of her. The store, Trinity had called it. The place where the Hunter was trapped.
She glanced behind her, feeling a twinge of regret. She hadn’t wanted to hurt the old man. And she certainly hadn’t wanted to destroy the machine that would take her to the special place with all the dragons. But she had no choice. The boy Trinity loved was in trouble. She couldn’t let him die.
Trinity had sacrificed her entire life—her entire happiness—to help Emmy.
Now it was Emmy’s turn to do the same.
She flew at the store, crashing headfirst into panes of glass so clear she hadn’t seen them until it was too late. The windows exploded around her and her ears caught the following screams of terror.
Let them be scared, she decided. Let them see the true power of a dragon.
She soared through the store, skimming the tops of the shelves, knocking over whatever impeded her path in her attempt to reach Connor. All around she could see flashes of light going off, shocked people holding up small electronic devices in her direction. But Emmy ignored them all. They didn’t matter to Trinity. He did.
Finally she found him, at the very back of the store, surrounded by men, a gun pressed to his temple just as she’d seen on the screen. When he spotted Emmy, his eyes widened. He tried to shake his head no, to tell her to turn around and leave the store. Stupid boy, Emmy thought. Always trying to be the hero.
But it was her turn now.
She dive-bombed the men, claws out, teeth bared, spearing the one with the gun right in his stomach. He screamed in pain, dropping to his knees instantly, his guts spilling out onto the floor as his gun skittered across the ground. Emmy turned and went after the weapon, locking it in her talons, then tossing it to the Hunter. He caught it, a surprised smile ghosting his face. He didn’t want to approve of her actions, but he couldn’t help it a little.
That will teach you to doubt a dragon.
The other men were backing away now, their faces filled with fear. Emmy roared as loud as she could, driving the point home, the power she was suddenly wielding as tasty as a steak bone dripping with blood. If they walked away now, she wouldn’t kill them. But if they even thought to fight…
Emberlyn…Emberlyn…
My darling Emberlyn…
It’s time to go home.
Emmy scrunched up her face, confused and distracted by a sudden sound that seemed to echo through the store. It was a song, she realized after a moment. Some kind of sad, slow song, sung by the most heartbreakingly sweet voice she’d ever heard.
Where was it coming from? Who was singing it? And why?
Against her better judgment, she turned toward the song, everything inside her suddenly yearning to find its singer, though she had no idea why. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw the Hunter gesturing wildly in her direction, trying to call her back, but try as she might, she couldn’t seem to focus on him—only the haunting melody rising louder and louder in the air.
And then, there she was. A breathtakingly beautiful woman, with long blond hair and glowing eyes, standing before her, still singing the song. Emmy lowered herself down, bowing her head in worship, her whole body trembling to the tune.
Please, don’t stop singing, she found herself begging.
The woman smiled. But it was not a beautiful smile like the beautiful song. It was a cold smile. A twisted smile. And a moment later, Emmy felt something hard and sharp snap over her jaws.
The cold metal of a trap.
Chapter Forty-Two
“Trinity! Wake up, sweetie, wake up!”
“Five more minutes, Grandpa,” Trinity moaned, trying to shrug off the rough hands shaking her awake.
“We don’t have five more seconds. Get up. Now.”
She opened her eyes. Her father was staring down at her. His face was covered in ash and his hair was half-singed from his head. Her jaw dropped, everything coming back to her in a flash of horror.
Connor! Emmy!
Somehow she managed to scramble to her feet, her bruised ribs twanging in protest. “Where’s Emmy?” she cried.
Her father gestured toward the front of the store. “She went that way.”
She nodded grimly. “Okay. Let’s go.”
But to her surprise, her father just shook his head. Trin opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong but then saw for herself. His left leg was blackened, charred nearly to the bone. There was no way he could move now.
Or maybe ever again.
It was all she could do not to throw up. All the work he’d done…all the years he’d sacrificed…and this was to be his reward? “God, I’m sorry,” she said lamely, not knowing what else to say. “Oh, Daddy, I’m so sorry.”
He waved her
off. “Go find your dragon, sweetie. Go save the world.”
After giving him one last tortured look, Trinity ran down the parking lot, barely able to breathe as panic wound up inside of her at a frightening rate. The place was a madhouse now—screaming people, police, fire trucks, the media.
And somewhere out there, the Dracken.
“People, I need you to stay calm!” a man’s voice broke out over a bullhorn. “You need to get in your cars and go home. There’s nothing to see here.”
But there was plenty to see and everyone knew it. As Trinity raced toward the front of the store, a policeman stepped into her path. “Sorry, miss,” he said. “You can’t go inside.”
“You don’t understand,” she cried. “I can help!” Her eyes fell to the broken window and her heart sank. Something inside of her, something very small indeed, had been holding out hope that maybe the dragon had decided to flee the scene instead of making a rescue attempt.
She should have known better.
“Wait, who are you?” The man’s eyes narrowed. “You look—”
“There you are!” Suddenly Luke was in front of her, grabbing at her arm. “Come on, Sis. We have to go. Now!”
Trinity allowed herself to be dragged away from the police officer. The man watched her go, squinting at her hard, then reached for his walkie-talkie, speaking in a low voice she couldn’t hear. Crap. He’d recognized her, she was sure of it. He’d be alerting the others to be on the lookout for her now. But what could she do? She ran after Luke, skirting the thick of the chaos, then around to the side of the store.
“Connor!” she cried as her eyes fell upon a familiar figure pacing the parking lot.
“Trinity!”
They ran to one another, throwing their arms around each other in a desperate embrace. “Oh, Connor,” she cried again, unable to help herself.
She could feel his whole body trembling as he clung to her, his face buried in her curls. “She saved me,” he told her in a tortured voice. “They were about to kill me and she swooped in and saved my life.”
Trinity didn’t have to ask who. “Where is she now?”
He gave her a tormented look. “They have her. Mara was able to lure her away from me using a Hunter’s song.” He winced. “She actually got Emmy to walk straight into a trap. I’m guessing they’re going to try to bring her around to one of these side exits and take her away with as few witnesses as possible.”
Trinity’s heart wrenched. “We’ve got to save her!” she cried. She turned to the store, her mind whirling for a possible plan. But what plan could there be? They had the numbers. They had the guns. They already had her dragon.
Connor shook his head. “I’m sorry, Trin. There’s no way…”
“But we can’t just let them take her away!” she protested, horrified. “If they do, I won’t be able to find her. We’re not bonded anymore. If they take her away now, she’ll disappear forever.”
His eyes locked on hers, his expression grave. “I’m sorry, Trinity, but there’s only one thing left to do.”
For a moment, she didn’t understand—she couldn’t understand. Except somehow she did. She knew exactly what he was suggesting.
Sacrifice one to save the world.
“No,” she said in a hoarse whisper. “You can’t. She saved your life.”
“Do you think I don’t know that?” he demanded. “Do you think this is how I wanted it to be? But what choice do I have? You yourself said there’s no more bond between you. That means they can give her to someone else. Someone who has their best interests at heart, not Emmy’s. They’ll abuse her, clone her, use her for their own gain…”
Destroy the world.
Suddenly the side door to the Wal-Mart burst open. A group of men poured out, dragging a dragon-sized cage, Emmy thrashing behind the bars. Mara was barking orders to each of the men, thankfully not looking in Connor and Trinity’s direction.
Trinity let out a horrified cry. Connor grabbed her, pulling her down behind a car so as not to be seen. Then he squeezed her so tightly she was half-afraid he’d break her bones. Not that, at the moment, she would have cared.
“I’m an ace shot, Trinity. I know where to shoot so she won’t feel any pain. It’ll be over in an instant.”
Trinity stared at him, her whole body numb. She had no idea how she was even upright at this point. Everything inside of her told her Connor was right. It was the only thing they could do now. For Emmy. And for the rest of the world.
She drew in a breath. Her heart squeezed. She opened her mouth to speak, hating herself for the words that would move past her lips. Emmy’s pendant seemed to burn at her throat as if it were made of fire.
Oh, Emmy. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.
But the dragon couldn’t hear her now. She’d never know the bullet was coming. Or why it had to come. Trinity could only hope she died instantly. That she didn’t realize she’d been shot. Didn’t realize Trinity had been the one to give the command. Emmy had sacrificed her own happiness to try to save the boy Trinity loved. And now he was about to put a bullet in her.
Oh, Emmy…
She squeezed her eyes shut. Then she opened them again, losing herself in Connor’s large blue ones. “Trinity?” he choked out. “Trinity tell me to do it. I won’t do it unless you tell me to. It has to be you.”
She peeked over the hood of the car. Across the parking lot, the men were almost ready to load Emmy into one of the trucks. It was now or never.
“Okay,” she managed to spit out. “Okay, you can—”
“Connor! Trinity!”
A military truck screeched to a halt in front of them. Trinity’s mouth dropped open as she realized it was none other than Scarlet herself at the wheel. As she watched, the girl popped open the door, half jumping, half falling out of the large vehicle.
“What’s happening?” she cried as she ran toward them. “Where’s Emmy? Are we too late? Did they get her?”
Connor nodded grimly, reaching for his gun. “But don’t worry. We’re going to—”
“Wait!” Trinity interrupted, looking at Scarlet, a strange feeling of hope rising within her. “Scarlet, go to that truck over there! Go to Mara and tell her you’re the one bonded with Emmy. That you’re her Fire Kissed now. Tell them that you’ll go with them. You’ll do whatever they want. That you can’t leave the dragon behind. Tell them…” She swallowed past the huge lump in her throat. “Tell them that you are destined.”
Scarlet stared at her for a moment then at the truck, looking utterly confused. Trinity closed her eyes and pushed her as hard as she could.
If you love Emmy, do not ask questions. Just go now. Or Connor will have to kill her.
Scarlet’s eyes widened. Trinity could almost see the war going on in her head as she grappled with what to do. Then, without another word, she took off, tearing down the parking lot toward the truck and the soldiers. Connor watched her go, a look of dismay on his face. Then he turned back to Trinity.
“What have you done?” he whispered.
She met his eyes with her own. “What I had to do.”
His face twisted. “Don’t you get it?” he cried, sounding distraught. “If Scarlet bonds with Emmy, you’re never going to get her back. That’ll be it.”
“Yes,” she agreed sadly. “I’ll never get her back. But she’ll be alive.”
Her voice broke. Her knees trembled. Emmy. She’d lost Emmy.
But Emmy would not be lost. And that’s all that mattered in the end.
“And what about the Dracken?” Connor demanded, still looking angry and frustrated. “You do realize you just sent the girl into the hands of the Dracken, right? Not to mention the government. What’s to say they’ll even believe her? Or take her back to their headquarters?”
“Because they need her,” Trin said quietly, watching the girl cross
the parking lot with determined steps. “At least for now. Until they find a replacement.” She shrugged. “And that will give us some time to come up with a plan to break her out. When I went inside Scarlet’s head, I opened up a back door to her mind. Just like you did to me once upon a time. Wherever they take her and Emmy, we’ll be able to track them down and break them out.”
Connor’s eyes narrowed. “Break them out?” he asked in a slow voice. “From the secret government lab? And let me guess. You’re going to ask your new friends the Dracken to help you out. Is that what you’re saying to me?”
A shiver tripped down Trinity’s spine as she realized what he was getting at—what had sent the flicker of fear across his pale face. “Connor…” she started to say.
But a loud banging interrupted the rest of her words. Trinity squinted at the truck that Scarlet had pulled up in. Was someone still inside?
Connor motioned his head to the back of the truck while pulling the gun from his waistband. Slowly she wrapped her hands around the back handle, sliding it upward as Connor raised his weapon.
“Don’t shoot!”
Trinity let out a strangled cry as her eyes fell upon Caleb, on his knees inside the truck, his hands out in front of him in surrender. He was ghostly pale and sick and shaking and in horrible, horrible shape.
But he was here. He was alive.
“Caleb,” Trinity cried, the tears streaming down her cheeks. “Oh my God, Caleb!”
He squinted at her then at his brother. For a moment, his cracked, bruised lips seemed to move, as if he were trying to force words out that refused to come.
“What is it?” Trinity asked, the emotions swirling inside of her, too fast and furious to catalog. “Can I help you? Do you need something? Water? Food? Anything?”
