Smoked

by Mari Mancusi

  Are you sure you want to stay? he surprised himself by asking.

  Zoe gave him a sharp look. What do you mean?

  I mean… He raised his paw, sweeping it across the landscape. There’s nothing forcing us to stay. We could leave tonight, just the two of us. Never look back.

  Zoe’s face twisted in horror. Leave? she repeated. Leave Scarlet-mom? Caleb-dad? Where would we go? What would we do? How would we eat?

  We’re dragons, Zavier reminded her. We can go, do, and eat anything we want to. We’re kind of top of the food chain, if you didn’t notice.

  But Zoe only shook her head. Then they really would believe we are bad dragons, she told him. We’ve already messed everything up. Now’s our chance to show them that they’re wrong about us, that we’re good dragons and we deserve to be part of the team.

  Zavier let out a frustrated breath. Why do you even care what some humans think?

  Zoe dropped her gaze, shuffling her feet against the sand. She looked so dejected Zavier felt bad for his harsh tone. I’m sorry, he amended. I know you want them to like you. It’s not that I don’t. It’s just, I’m just worried that you’re hoping for something that can never happen. We have no idea whether they’ll ever accept us after today. And what if they decide to do something worse?

  Worse…?

  You know. Like hurt us. Or…worse, he amended lamely. A moment ago, she’d been so happy, and he was the bad guy dragging her back to earth.

  But Zoe only shook her head. Scarlet-mom would never let that happen, she told her brother. She promised to protect us, and she never breaks her promises.

  Zavier sighed. As with everything else, he knew it was impossible to make her see what he saw. And while he could easily go off by himself, leave her to the human world she loved, at the end of the day, he knew it wasn’t really an option. They were a pair. They’d been together since they were eggs. The world held nothing of value to him besides his sister.

  Okay, he said, putting a wing around her. Let’s go back to the hangar.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “This is not good. This is so not good.”

  Scarlet paced the small bathroom she and Caleb had retreated to after their talk with Trinity, her steps quickly eating up the distance between walls. Caleb watched from the doorway, wanting desperately to reach out to her, to pull her into his arms. But he wasn’t sure she’d appreciate the gesture.

  “It’s going to be okay,” he tried to tell her for what felt like the thousandth time. The lie rolled more easily off his tongue now but still knotted in his stomach. “You heard Trinity. She’s not going to let anything happen to them.”

  Scarlet whirled around, her face radiating her distress. “And you just believe her? What, because she’s the great and powerful Trinity Foxx? You’re just going to sit back and let her decide the fate of your poor dragon instead of standing up and fighting for him?”

  Caleb raked a frustrated hand through his hair. “Look, I know you don’t believe this, but Trinity is on our side, okay? I mean, sure, she’s a little pissed off at us right now. But that doesn’t mean she won’t make every effort to do the right thing.” He took a step forward. “After all, she’s dedicated her entire life to protecting the dragon race.”

  “After walking on water, right? Saving the world before breakfast?”

  Caleb groaned. “Look, I know you don’t like her, okay? And I’m not saying you should either. But, Scarlet, what choice do we have?”

  “We could leave,” she said flatly, staring him down. “We could walk out that door and take Zoe and Zavier with us.”

  Panic rose inside of him. She was serious. Trinity’s voice seemed to echo through his head.

  Do not let this get any worse than it already is.

  “No.” He shook his head. “There’s no way.”

  Scarlet scowled. “Why not?”

  “Because that would basically prove we have something to hide. Don’t you see? We have to show them we’re cooperating. If we break them out and take off—that’s basically handing my brother permission to come after us.”

  “Well, he won’t need permission if we’re just hanging out here, our dragons nice and neatly chained up and ready for the slaughterhouse.”

  His gut sank as he saw the look on her face. She meant everything she said, and she was going to do it. Which left him, in his best estimation, with three options. He could help her. He could try to stop her. Or he could simply let her go. None of them sounded very promising.

  “Please, Scarlet. Just give it one night,” he tried at last. “My brother’s unconscious, locked up, and stuffed to the gills with painkillers. He can’t do any harm tonight. And in the morning, we’ll go and talk to the others as we promised. We’ll make them understand. And if for some reason they don’t? Well, then we can leave.” He met her eyes with his own pleading ones. “But at least let’s try to give them the benefit of the doubt first. Okay?”

  Scarlet let out a small moan, and Caleb could see the fight slipping from her shoulders. With her bravado gone, she looked small and scared. He found himself stepping closer to her, then, after a moment’s hesitation, taking her in his arms.

  “I’m sorry,” she murmured into his shoulder. “It’s just… I’m so frightened. The idea that something could happen to them…” She cringed. “They’re all I have in the world, you know.”

  Caleb swallowed hard. “That’s not actually true,” he told her, remembering something she had said to him in the Nether, back when he had been the one to feel all alone in the world. “You have me.”

  She froze, looking up at him with wide, fearful eyes. “No,” she said, her voice shaky. “Don’t say that if you don’t mean it. It’s not fair. It’s not—”

  He silenced her with a kiss, his heart squeezing in his chest as their lips came together, hungry, desperate, seeking something solid and real in a world gone mad. Her lips were soft, so impossibly soft, and as his mouth moved against hers, his hands took on a mind of their own, pulling her to him, tangling himself around her, their breath coming hard and heavy and fast. She tasted like mint gum. She felt like heaven. And for a moment, he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted his precious Nether. Which was quite a lot indeed.

  How long had he been holding back, scared of letting go? And now that he had, he never wanted it to end. He wanted to kiss her until there was no breath left in his lungs. And then to kiss her some more.

  But she was already pulling away, meeting his eyes with her own. Such desperate eyes, such pleading eyes. It was all he could do not to say yes, no matter what her next request.

  But he was pretty sure he was going to have to say no.

  “Please, Caleb,” she begged. “Let’s get out of here. Let’s take the dragons and go. We can be a family—just like we were. We don’t need the rest of them. You don’t need her.”

  Don’t need her.

  Caleb jerked as reality crashed down, shattering the fantasy world. Suddenly, his mind flashed to their earlier meeting with Trinity. To her imploring eyes. To her voice, whispering across his subconscious.

  You told me once—whatever I needed—you would be here for me.

  He’d dedicated his whole life to her, given everything to help her in her quest. And yet time and time again, when she’d needed him most, he’d failed her. He’d made stupid decisions, given in to temptation, proven himself weak.

  Keep her away from those dragons tonight. No matter what you have to do.

  “What’s wrong?” Scarlet asked, staring at him with a devastated look on her face. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  He hung his head. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I’m really, really sorry. But it’s for the best.”

  Before she could reply, he stepped back, through the door and into the hallway. As she made a move to follow, he closed the door in her face. Then h
e clicked the lock.

  “What are you doing?” she cried, banging her fist from the inside. “Let me out!”

  “I’m sorry. I can’t,” he said again, his heart breaking into a thousand pieces as he turned and walked away.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Connor opened his eyes. It was dark. The middle of the night. Quiet. Everyone must have still been asleep. For a moment, he couldn’t remember where he was, what had happened. Then he reached up and touched his forehead, and it all came rushing back to him. The dragons. His attempt to sing them down. His brother attacking him, slamming a rock into his temple. Blackness crashing around him.

  The dragons. His heart pounded in his chest. What had happened to the dragons?

  He slid out from under his blanket, stifling a groan as his bare feet connected with icy-cold floor. He paused for a moment as the room spun. God, he felt as if he’d been run over by a truck. He glanced at the bed, tempted to lie back down. To close his eyes. To sleep away the pain.

  Instead, he slipped out the door and into the hallway. When he passed Trinity’s room, he stopped for a moment, staring at it wistfully. Things had been so strained between them, and now it would only get worse. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if, after tonight, she never spoke to him again. A heavy remorse blanketed his shoulders.

  The soft spot you have for that girl will be the death of you…and the rest of the world, his father’s voice jeered in his head.

  And for once, the old man was right.

  His mind flashed to little Salla back in his world, sucking on a messy pigtail as she looked up at him with awestruck eyes. She was counting on him. The world was counting on him, whether they knew it or not, and he was the only one who could save them now. He’d warned Trinity of the potential dangers time and time again. He’d begged her to take precautions. But she’d refused to believe him. Now things had come to the boiling point. And the time for hesitation was through.

  He’d traveled two hundred years back in time to stop the dragon apocalypse, only to be thwarted at every turn. Now here was his chance, once and for all, to make things right.

  For you, Salla, he thought. And for you, Trinity, even if you’ll never understand why.

  He slipped outside. Closing his eyes, he drew in a breath, focusing his Hunter’s gift on his prey. They were still alive. Nearby. Most likely holed up in that second hangar. But quiet—maybe asleep. Good. If all went well, perhaps they’d never even wake up. Walking around to the storage locker at the back of the terminal, he spun the combination dial and opened it. Then he reached for his gun-blade.

  “What are you doing?”

  He froze at the sound of the voice piercing the otherwise still air. Whirling around, he recognized none other than Rashida, dressed all in black, slipping through the darkness like a thief in the night.

  “I thought you were, like, in a coma and locked up or something,” she said, giving him a skeptical look.

  He swallowed hard. “I…had to go to the bathroom.”

  Rashida raised an eyebrow. “Funny. And here I thought the bathrooms were inside.”

  Fleck. What was he supposed to say now? “Yeah,” he stammered. “I just… I wanted some fresh air, I guess.” He started to back away, trying to conceal the gun-blade behind his back.

  “Please. You expect me to believe that? After all we’ve been through? Come on, Connor. You know I’m not stupid. And I know you don’t give a crap about fresh air. Admit it, Hunter. You’re out here for one reason and one reason only.”

  He pursed his lips, his pulse thrumming at his wrists. “Which is…?”

  She met his gaze. “The same reason I am. To kill the dragons.”

  Connor stared at her, for a moment rendered speechless. Then he grabbed her and dragged her under the shadow of the storage locker so as not to be caught by anyone else. His hands found her shoulders, and he shook her hard. “No,” he said, his voice leaving no room for argument. “You can’t kill the dragons.”

  “Well, I’m certainly not going to let them live,” Rashida shot back, grabbing his hands and wrenching them from her body. “I mean, did you see the black one? It almost killed poor Emmy. How can we just stand around and risk it happening again?” She scowled. “Besides, you’re the one always going on and on about the looming dragon apocalypse. I actually thought you’d approve.”

  Connor groaned. This was so not how he’d wanted this to go down. “Look, just go back to bed, okay?” he pleaded. “I’ll take it from here. Trust me. This is what I trained for, after all. This is what I do.”

  “Yeah, well, this is what I do when a dragon threatens my friend. Sorry, Connor, but you’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

  Connor let out a frustrated breath, shooting a look at the dark and quiet hangar. They were wasting precious time. And who knew how long it would take for someone else to wake up and start nosing around? Besides, he told himself, it was never a bad thing to have backup along. Rashida understood the dangers, and he wouldn’t mind having her along to help.

  “Fine,” he said, reaching back into the storage locker and tossing her his laser pistol. “Then let’s do this. Let’s end this—once and for all.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  A loud creak echoed through the hangar, startling Zavier awake. He opened one sleepy eye, then another, trying to focus on the crack of light that had appeared across the room. Was someone coming? He reached out, trying to feel for the sudden presence. Was it Scarlet-mom, returning for them at last? But no, it wasn’t her. It wasn’t Caleb-dad either. But there was definitely someone there.

  A cold chill seemed to sweep over him, and the scales on his back bristled, though he wasn’t sure why. Forcing himself to lie totally still, he watched the sliver of light widen. He wondered if he should wake his sister, who was sleeping soundly beside him. She was exhausted and weak from giving Caleb’s brother her blood. Poor thing, Zavier thought, his nostrils flaring a little. He’d better appreciate her sacrifice.

  He strained to listen again as a song began to weave through the air. No, not just any song, he considered, but perhaps the most beautiful song he’d ever heard. Against his better judgment, he found himself craning his neck forward, his ears pricking, desperate to catch each and every note. Beside him, he could feel his sister stirring; she must have heard it too.

  He realized he’d risen to his feet without even being aware of doing so—as if his body had somehow taken over his conscious mind. He took a step forward, feeling himself drawn to the song. The hauntingly beautiful song.

  He wanted to roll around in it, bathe in it, drown in it if he could. It was that good.

  What is that? he heard Zoe breathe softly beside him. It’s so…beautiful.

  He glanced over; her eyes were open but had a glazed look to them, as if under a spell, and her mouth had curved into one of her sweet smiles. Not surprising—Zoe had always loved music. In fact, when Scarlet-mom had first moved them into the maintenance shack, she’d brought them this amazing device that would play thousands of songs at the touch of a pane of glass. Sometimes, he’d wake in the middle of the night to find Zoe lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling, lost in the music.

  But none of those songs sounded quite like this one. This song—well, it was almost as if all the dragons in the Nether were lifting their voices into a single chorus.

  It’s him, Zoe exclaimed suddenly. I can feel him! I can hear him!

  Zavier frowned, the spell broken at her words. Who? he asked, confused.

  The boy I healed! Caleb-dad’s brother. Zoe turned to him, her eyes alive and dancing with delight. He’s awake! He’s come to see me! Do you think he knows I cured him? Is this his way of thanking me? By singing me this beautiful song? She sighed dreamily, taking another step forward. I’m here, my blood brother. I’m right here.

  Zavier frowned, her words seemed to itch at
the back of his brain, though he couldn’t pinpoint why. But something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

  He looked back to Zoe only to realize she was no longer standing beside him. She had broken her chains again and was already halfway across the hangar, bounding happily toward the source of song. He frowned.

  Zoe! he tried, worry winding through his voice. Come back here!

  He’s calling me, Zavier! He wants me to come to him! He wants to thank me for—

  A shot rang out, the recoil of the rifle cutting through the song like a knife through hot butter. Dazed, it took Zavier a moment to understand what was going on.

  Then he heard his sister’s scream—a scream that blasted his ears with such force, he wondered if he would go deaf from it. Horrified, his eyes locked on her a few yards away, terror pounding at his insides. He could see Zoe standing perfectly still, staring off into the distance, a confused look on her face.

  The bullet missed her, he told himself, trying desperately to quell his fear. It just freaked her out. But it didn’t get her. She’s okay. She’s totally okay.

  Zoe, we have to get out of here. Before—

  His sister let out another scream, this one louder and more piercing—so piercing it could probably break glass. Then she fell, hitting the ground with a loud crash. Zavier watched her for a moment, frozen in place, as she writhed and kicked her feet in the air. Then somehow, he found his feet and raced to her, heart in his throat, steam shooting from his nose. When he reached her, he let out a horrified gasp.

  No. Zoe, no!

  Blood, black as night, gushed from his sister’s soft scale as her chest heaved up and down with effort. The very same scale she’d used to bring a boy back to consciousness only hours before, now the instrument in her death. Helpless, Zavier let out an alarmed wail, desperately pawing her exposed flank with his foot. His sister looked up at him with glassy eyes filled with hurt and betrayal.