Smoked

by Mari Mancusi

  “From now on, stay away from me,” he told him. “Because next time? My gun won’t be set to stun.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Present Day

  Caleb put a hand over his eyes, attempting to squint into the blazing sun, swearing under his breath as Emmy flew him and Trinity through the skies. They’d been traveling all night, trying to puzzle out the sightings reports Luke was calling in over the walkie-talkies and match them with the signals Trinity was getting from Scarlet through her gift.

  Problem was, while at first it seemed as if both dragon and rider were traveling the same path, as the sun began to rise, the reports started to conflict with one another—Scarlet still in the location they’d been heading and the dragon flying in the opposite direction. A fact that set Caleb’s nerves on edge. Had Zavier dumped Scarlet? Had she fallen off his back? Was she hurt? Was she…?

  “We’re closer to Scarlet,” he told Trinity. “Let’s find her first.”

  “No,” Trinity said. “We can’t waste time. We have to get to Zavier before Connor does.”

  Caleb gritted his teeth. “Come on, Trin. We’ve been flying around in circles, playing catch-up all night. Scarlet might know where he’s headed. She could save us time in the long run and give us a better chance of catching up to him.”

  And I can make sure she’s okay, he added to himself.

  Trinity turned, giving him a pointed look. “What makes you think she’ll tell us, even if she does know?”

  Caleb sighed. He didn’t want to admit she had a point. Scarlet had been so angry before she’d taken off on him. The things she’d said… Things he totally deserved for her to say.

  He’d spent the entire flight wracked by guilt, trying to figure out a way to get Scarlet to forgive him—and so far he’d come up empty. And who could blame her? He’d basically tricked her—kissed her, then locked her up, taking away her free will. Taking away her chance to protect her dragons. She’d warned him they weren’t safe, but he’d refused to listen.

  And now Zoe was dead. It couldn’t have been more Caleb’s fault if he’d struck her down with his own hand.

  “I’ll make her see,” he declared with a bravado he didn’t feel. “Whatever she thinks of us personally, she’s going to need help to keep Zavier safe. And we’re the only ones who can do that.”

  Trinity frowned, not looking happy about the plan. But to her credit, she didn’t argue, only directed Emmy to turn west, skimming an old desert road until a rocky mountainside rose up to greet them. Caleb squinted down at it, heart in his throat. Was she there? Was she alive?

  Please be okay. Please be okay.

  “Hurry,” he urged Emmy.

  Emmy complied, swooping in for a landing on the largest of the mountain’s ledges. At first, it appeared empty, just jagged, barren rocks mocking them in all directions. But then, his eyes locked onto something moving. A small, dark shadow peeking out from behind a stalagmite.

  His heart leapt to his throat. It was her. She was alive.

  He dove off the dragon, ignoring the jarring in his ankle as he hit the ground too hard and at a bad angle. Running to her, he could feel the tears brimming in his eyes, his heart lurching in his chest. “Buttercup!” he cried. “Oh my God, Buttercup.”

  She stared at him warily, taking a step back as he approached, anger and confusion warring on her face. Her eyes went from him to Trinity and Emmy before returning to him. “What are you doing here?” she demanded in a tight voice.

  Caleb forced himself to stop short. Even though all he wanted to do was to put his arms around her and squeeze her tight—to throw himself at her feet and beg for a forgiveness he didn’t deserve.

  “I…just…I wanted to make sure you were okay,” he stammered.

  She frowned. “I was until you showed up.”

  “Scarlet…”

  “Look, Caleb,” she interrupted, cutting him off with a wave of her hand. “Zavier will be back any minute now, and trust me, you don’t want to be here when he comes. Let’s just say the merciless slaughter of his innocent sister hasn’t exactly put him in the cheeriest of moods.”

  “Where is Zavier now?” Trinity demanded, slipping off Emmy and stepping forward. “Where did he go? And why did he leave you here?”

  Caleb frowned, shooting her a warning look. Let me handle this, he begged. You’re only going to make it worse.

  Sure enough, Scarlet’s face twisted. “Why would I tell you?” she sneered. “So you and your little boyfriend can finish the job?” She shot a look at Caleb, her eyes burning fire. “Or is he your boyfriend now? I never can seem to keep track.”

  Caleb’s gut wrenched. “Scarlet, that’s not fair.”

  “No! This isn’t fair!” she screeched. “You promised me they’d be safe! You promised no harm would come to them! I trusted you! And you repaid that trust by locking me up so I couldn’t protect them!”

  He closed his eyes as he felt her fury rain down on him, knowing he deserved it all and more. “I know,” he said when she was finished. “And I’m not expecting you to forgive me for what I did. But Zavier’s still alive, Scarlet. And my brother is after him. We have to work together if we want to save his life.”

  Scarlet’s face paled. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, looking devastated.

  “Where is he?” Caleb pressed, deciding to go for it. “Where is Zavier now?”

  “I…I don’t know,” she blurted out, bursting into tears.

  He stared at her. “What?”

  She dropped her gaze to the ground. “He dropped me off here. Told me to wait—that he’d be right back. But that was hours ago, and I haven’t seen him since.” Her expression tightened. She shot a look at Trinity. “I mean, he’s probably just out hunting or something,” she added quickly. A little too quickly. “He’ll be back any minute now, I’m sure.”

  But she wasn’t sure, Caleb realized with sickening dread, as he caught the shadow of doubt flickering across her face. She wasn’t sure at all.

  “Come with us,” he said gently. “We can find him together.”

  “No.” Scarlet shook her head. “He’s coming back. I need to be here when he does.”

  Caleb sighed. “Okay,” he said. “If that’s what you want, then that’s what we’ll do.” He forced himself to calmly walk over to a pile of dead brush, grabbing a few larger pieces and tossing them into a small pile.

  “What?” Scarlet cried, looking horrified. “No way. You can’t stay here!”

  “Why not?” Caleb forced an innocent shrug. “We’re looking for Zavier. You claim he’s on his way back. Why shouldn’t we stay?”

  He felt Trinity’s stare burning a hole into his back but forced himself to ignore it. Instead, he turned to her dragon. “Emmy, do a guy a solid and light us a little fire, won’t you? It’s getting pretty chilly up here, and I forgot my coat.”

  Emmy widened her eyes, looking as doubtful as her Fire Kissed beside her, but in the end obliged, blowing a short burst of flame onto Caleb’s makeshift fire pit. Caleb thanked the dragon, then settled onto the ground in front of the blaze, kicking out his legs and propping his head behind his hands. Now both girls—all three if you counted Emmy—were staring at him in disbelief.

  “What?” he asked innocently. “Can’t a guy get comfy while waiting for his dragon to return?”

  “You can’t be here,” Scarlet repeated. “He’ll kill you if he sees you here.”

  “Maybe. But I doubt it,” Caleb replied. “He and I are blood brothers, remember?”

  Scarlet scrunched up her face, glaring at Trinity. “Yeah, well, what about her?”

  “Admittedly, he’s probably less fond of her,” Caleb agreed. “In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d enjoy dining on her raw.” He paused, then added, “Or maybe he’d flambé her first. For an old school carnivore, he’s oddly fond of ov
ercooked meat.”

  Trinity rolled her eyes.

  “Caleb, can I talk to you for a second, please?”

  “Of course.” Caleb scrambled back to his feet. “Be right back, Buttercup. Don’t eat all of my imaginary marshmallows while I’m gone.”

  Scarlet groaned, shaking her head as she sat in front of the fire. Encouraged, Caleb followed Trinity. Once they were out of earshot, she turned to him.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Caleb?” she demanded.

  “I think it’s pretty obvious.”

  “No. What’s obvious is that Zavier is gone. And let’s face it, he’s probably not coming back.”

  “Maybe so. But she’s not going to just give up that easily. You know Scarlet.”

  “I don’t care about Scarlet. She’s made her choice. It’s you I’m concerned about here,” Trin argued, pacing back and forth, raking a hand through her tousled curls. “You can’t just stay here. I mean, you can joke all you want, but you know as well as anyone Zavier could still be dangerous. And he might want to kill you.”

  Her voice broke on the words, and he watched as she bit her lower lip, tears welling in her large black eyes.

  “Trin…” he tried.

  “Don’t you see, Caleb?” she pleaded. “I almost lost you once. I can’t bear to lose you—all over again.”

  He met her eyes with his own, a sadness falling over him. It was funny; for so long he had wanted her—had been so desperately in love with her. And now, he realized, with Connor out of the way, he might finally have his chance. The way she looked at him now, he knew she wouldn’t refuse him. He could take her into his arms, tell her how he felt about her once and for all.

  Except… He frowned. He wasn’t sure he felt that way anymore. Sure, he loved her. He would always love Trinity Foxx. But it was a different sort of love now—almost a nostalgic love for a time gone by. When he had been a different boy. And she had been a different girl.

  “Please, Trin,” he said gently. “Don’t ask me to go with you. Because if you ask, I’m probably going to say yes. After all, I dedicated my entire life to you long ago and promised to do anything to keep you safe. And I will keep that promise if you ask me. But right now, it’s Scarlet who needs me, and I want to be there for her.”

  Trinity was quiet for a moment, and Caleb’s heart ached as silence stretched out between them. Half of him couldn’t believe he’d just said that. The other half felt an overwhelming relief that it had finally been said.

  “You really like her, don’t you?” Trinity said at last.

  He gave her a helpless look. “I think I love her,” he admitted. “I’m sorry, Trinity. God, even saying that makes me feel like a disloyal bastard. I’ll always love you, you know. That’ll never change. But Scarlet…”

  Trinity waved him off before he could finish. Which was for the best, since he had no idea what he’d been planning to say.

  “Of course I won’t make you leave,” she said roughly. “But, Caleb, be careful, okay? If you guys run into trouble—any trouble—just call me and I’ll come for you. And Scarlet too, of course. Just promise me you’ll stay alive. I’ve lost too many people in my life. I cannot lose you too.”

  “Please,” he said, his voice as shaky as it was sarcastic. “You should know better than anyone, I’m not that easy to kill.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  So Trinity and Emmy headed out, back on the quest to find dragon and Hunter. It felt very strange to be on her own again, Trinity thought, without Connor or Caleb by her side. Even stranger to realize it hadn’t been her choice this time. Once upon a time, both boys had dedicated their lives to her; now they both had other priorities. Connor had chosen his mission. Caleb had chosen Scarlet. And Trinity was, once again, on her own.

  Come on. Aren’t I enough for you, Fire Kissed?

  Trinity startled at the sudden voice teasing through her head. “Emmy?” she cried, her pulse kicking up in surprise. “Did you just read my mind?”

  The dragon also seemed to startle. She turned to look at Trin, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement. I guess I did! she exclaimed. Quick! Think something else to see if I can hear it.

  I love you, Emmy.

  The dragon sighed. I love you too.

  Trinity reached down, wrapping her arms around her and squeezing her tight. Are you okay? she asked her when she’d released her. We took off so quickly, I didn’t really get a chance to ask you how you felt about everything.

  I don’t know. I guess I’m…sad, Emmy admitted after a pause. It’s so strange. For so long now, I thought they were already dead. And I was okay with that. At least I thought I was. But last night, after we talked, I got to thinking about what it would be like to be their mother for real. To nurture them, to teach them, to show them how to be dragons—something I never had from my own mother. And I guess, well, I guess I kind of got excited. When I finally allowed myself to think about would it could be like—she closed her eyes for a moment, her wings still steadily flapping in the air—I thought it could be good. Really good. Not just for them…but for me as well.

  Trinity’s heart ached at the pain she heard in the dragon’s voice. “It would have been,” she agreed. “And maybe it still can be. Zoe might be dead. But Zavier’s still alive. If we can reach him… If we can make him see—”

  Her words were cut off as her walkie-talkie burst to life. “Trinity! Come in, Trinity!” She grabbed it from her pocket and put it to her mouth.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “A sudden surge of 911 calls, coming from the town of Callaway. Fire trucks have been dispatched. We’re not sure if it’s related—no one’s emailed us yet. But…”

  In a juggling act, Trinity stuffed the walkie in her pocket, then reached for her cell phone, wishing dragons came with integrated GPS. After checking the map, she swapped devices again. “We’re really close,” she told him. “We’ll go check it out now.” She stuffed the walkie-talkie back in her pocket and turned to her dragon. “Emmy, head north, okay?”

  Emmy obeyed, shifting slightly to change trajectories, flying toward the town. As they grew nearer, they saw it: a cloud of thick smoke billowing in the air. Trinity scanned the skies, searching for Zavier, adrenaline surging in her blood.

  It could be just a brush fire, she reminded herself. Or an oil fire. Or someone could have dropped a cigarette in a bale of hay. But deep down, she knew there was no way they’d be so lucky.

  Oh, Zavier, she thought miserably. Please don’t force us to take you down.

  It was the last thing she wanted, but she knew, in the end, that they would do what had to be done. If the dragon couldn’t be controlled. If people had been hurt. Or worse… She and Emmy would do what they had to, to keep the world safe. Connor wasn’t the only one with a mission after all.

  But hopefully it wouldn’t come to that.

  As they got closer, she could hear the fire engines wailing below, but there was still no sign of a dragon. She frowned. Where was he? Had he done a drive-by and already headed to the next town?

  “Go ahead and land,” she told Emmy. “Let’s see if we can find out what’s going on here. But be careful. If things seem hairy, we might have to take off quickly. After all, if these people have just been attacked by a dragon, chances are they’re going to assume you’re an enemy too.”

  Understood. Emmy gave a quick nod, then dipped her head, flying in large circles as she dropped elevation. Finally they landed in the middle of a small park in the town’s square. Trinity cringed a little as she took in the all-too-familiar scene—smoking buildings, burning trees, shell-shocked citizens wandering around aimlessly, covered in soot and ash.

  “Look!” cried a voice behind them. “There’s another one!”

  Oh crap. Trinity whirled around to find a bearded man wearing a vintage Aerosmith T-shirt, probably in his l
ate twenties, pointing at her, a terrified look on his face. In an instant, everyone was looking at them. Someone screamed. A little girl a few feet away burst into tears. Trinity bit her lower lip, panic rising inside of her. Maybe this had been a bad idea.

  “It’s okay!” she cried. “Emmy and I are here to help you!”

  “Oh my God! It’s her! It’s really her!”

  A girl with black-rimmed glasses shoved her way through the crowd, waving something in her hand. Trinity squinted; from where she was, she could just make out the sprawling gold script. What was…?

  Then it dawned on her. It was one of the printable Team Dragon membership cards that Natasha had created as a thank-you for those who had donated to the FreeEmmy.com website.

  She let out a breath of relief. Team Dragon was in the house. Thank goodness.

  The girl stopped in front of Emmy, dropping to her knees as if in worship. Her eyes were wide and bloodshot from the smoke, but her face had lit up like a Christmas tree. “Thank God you’ve come!” she said in a voice filled with reverence and respect. “We need your help.”

  Trinity looked around, assessing the rest of the crowd, who had huddled around them now. Some looked suspicious still, others more cautiously hopeful. She supposed they must realize that if Emmy was going to hurt them, she probably would have gotten started already.

  “When did this happen?” Trinity asked the girl.

  “A half hour ago,” she replied, rising back to her feet. Her eyes never left Emmy. “He just swooped down out of nowhere and started tearing things up.”

  “He was huge!” added a woman to her left. “All black and as big as a house!”

  Trinity frowned. In truth, Zavier wasn’t much larger than a good-sized Clydesdale, but she supposed it was hard to accurately estimate something’s size while you were running for your life.