Embracing The Inferno (Dragon Within #5)

by Kyra Dune

  Marie came back with Zack. She eyed Sam in a disapproving way that made me like her even more. "I gave Zack some medicine for you to take, and some sandwiches for the road. Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

  "Yeah. Thanks, again." I hesitated, then went ahead and gave her an awkward, one armed hug.

  "You're welcome." She patted my back. "Take care of yourself."

  It should be of no surprise to you that I was starting to get a little misty eyed. Marie reminded me so much of my mom and the life I used to have. The life I wasn't sure I could ever go back to. I quickly turned away and stepped outside. No way was I going to let myself cry in front of Sam.

  A dark blue, two door Camaro sat with its motor idling in the driveway. Zack stepped past me and opened the passenger side door, then lifted the seat so I could crawl in the back, which is not the world's easiest task even with two good arms, let alone with one of them in a sling.

  And then what do you think Zack did? He dropped the seat and sat down up front. With Sam. Can you believe that? I glared at the back of his seat, seriously considering hauling off and kicking it as hard as I could. But Sam was already thinking of me as a kid and I didn't want to prove her right, so I didn't do it. I totally wanted to, though. And I think he would have deserved it too.

  Brandy would have said I was being stupid getting myself all worked up over some girl I just met who might, or might not, have had a past relationship with my boyfriend. She would have told me this was no time to be playing the jealous girlfriend. And she would have been right. I had way bigger things to be worrying myself over.

  But as we pulled out onto the street, I couldn't seem to make my mind focus on any of them. I stared out the window, listening to the sound of silence. Not exactly the most comfortable of silences, but I was really glad Sam wasn't going to be Miss Chatty. Every time she opened her mouth I wanted to put my fist in it and that was so not me. I was going to have to get a serious grip on myself before she started training me or this was not going to end well.

  I would bet if you looked it up in the dictionary, spending three hours in a car with your boyfriend and his maybe ex would be the definition of awkward. Especially since nobody said anything. I swear, not one word. It was the longest silence of my life. You could have cut the tension in the air with a knife.

  Finally, we turned off this long, winding dirt road overhung with tree limbs and came upon a two story farmhouse that looked like something straight out of a horror movie. I swear, I expected to see a masked man with a chainsaw come bursting out the front door any second.

  "This is where you live?" I asked.

  "Sometimes." Sam pulled the Camaro to a stop in the driveway. "Like I said, it's not much, but I'd bet it beats sleeping on the side of the road." She looked over her shoulder at me. "What, did you think I was going to take you to my clan? Not a chance. I wouldn't put them in that kind of danger. No matter how much I owe Zack." She opened her door and got out.

  She had a right to feel that way, but I still didn't like it. Was it me she was worried about protecting her clan from, or the trouble I was bound to bring them? Either way, it kind of made me feel like dirt.

  Zack held the seat up for me again, and steadied my arm when I lost my balance getting out. Except for a few chirping birds, it was quiet. Like, spooky quiet. Until a sharp squeal about gave me a heart attack, that is.

  The sound was the hinges on the screen door as it opened. At least the guy who stepped out on the porch wasn't waving a chainsaw. He was kind of cute, actually in that scruffy sort of way. You know what I mean, mussy hair, three day old beard, rumpled clothes looking like he spent the night in them. I guessed him to be about twenty five.

  "This her?' he asked, nodding at me.

  "Yup," Sam said. "Abigail Freeman, meet my brother, Tony."

  Brother. Dang it. I was hoping he was her husband. Or at least a boyfriend. Would have made me feel a lot better.

  "You didn't tell me she was a kid." Tony gave me a disapproving sort of look.

  Again with the kid thing. I cleared my throat. "I'm almost seventeen, I'm not a kid. And I'll thank you not to treat me like one."

  Tony's expression didn't change in the least. "I don't like this."

  "Yeah, I get that." Sam climbed the porch steps. "But she's here, and here is where she's going to stay." She patted his arm as she stepped past him into the house. "So deal with it."

  Zack took my arm as we started up the steps, keeping himself between me and Tony. I wondered if he had good reason to be overprotective, like maybe some history with Tony, or if it was just Zack being Zack.

  Once inside the farmhouse I could tell immediately it wasn't going to be as nice staying there as it had been at Marie's. I felt like if I flopped down on the ratty old couch I'd probably kick up a serious dust storm. I mean, I'm not the tidiest person in the world, but come on, would it have killed one of them to run the vacuum cleaner? Of course, I didn't see a TV or any lights, so I had to wonder if maybe they didn't have any electricity, hard as that was to imagine. Even back in the bunker we had generators.

  "You guys can sleep in the spare room." Sam started up the stairs leading to the second floor. "It's not much more than a glorified closet, but at least it has a bed."

  Tiny is not even a small enough word for the room she took us too. It was practically wall to wall bed with hardly any floor space for me to step. "Why would anybody build a bedroom this small?"

  "It's not supposed to be a bedroom," Sam said. "We converted it into one for when we have," she glanced sideways at Zack, "guests."

  Okay, what was that look about? And why did she say 'guests' in that weird way like she really meant something else? I wanted to ask, but I was afraid too. Maybe I didn't want to know the answer.

  "Zack, can we talk?" Sam asked. "In private."

  "Yeah." Zack tossed the backpack onto the bed, and glanced at me. "Stay here."

  I opened my mouth to protest being ordered around like a dog, only to have him slam the door in my face. Talk about rude. If laser beams shooting out of my eyes was part of my dragon powers that door would have been so toast. I dropped back on the bed, grimacing as the movement jostled my broken arm.

  If Zack thought he was going to start treating me like a five year old, he had another thing coming. I mean yeah, sure, at the moment I was staying in my room like a good little girl, but that was only because I was tired. And I didn't want to fight with him in front of Sam.

  I pulled the backpack over to me and rummaged around inside for the camcorder. Just having it in my hand made me feel a little better. A little closer to Curtis. Thinking about him hurt, but it also helped me remember why I was doing this.

  Ten minutes later, Zack came back to the room. He stood in the doorway, looking down at me. "You okay?"

  "I'm great." I started to sit up and floundered a bit for only having the use of one arm to prop myself up with. Zack stepped forward, reaching to help me. I gave him the dirtiest look I could muster and he quickly backed off.

  "What is your problem?" He asked the question in a low voice, probably because the door was still open.

  "Who said I have a problem?" I asked, once I actually managed to get myself into a seated position.

  Zack's eyes narrowed. He slid along the wall and pushed the door shut. "Nobody had to say it, it's obvious."

  "Well, since it's so obvious, I guess I don't have to tell you, right?"

  "It's obvious you're in a mood. Not so obvious why."

  I rolled my eyes. "You are really dense sometimes, you know that? Or maybe you're just pretending to be so we don't have to talk about this."

  "Talk about what?" Zack crossed his arms and, you guessed it, scowled at me. "I don't get your problem here. You needed a safe place, I brought you to a safe place. You needed battle training, I got you battle training. What more do you want from me?"

  "Nothing. I want nothing from you." I sighed, rubbing the space between my eyes. "I'm tired and my arm hurts, so let's
just forget it, okay?"

  Zack's brows furrowed. "Sam wanted to start your training right away, but if you're tired I'll tell her--"

  "No." I planted my feet on the floor and stood, clutching the camcorder to my chest. "I'm ready to train." Ready to knock Sam on her butt. If I could. "What kind of dragon is she?"

  "Earth."

  "Okay." Like Hannah. Not exactly what I wanted to be thinking about right then. But I didn't say anything. That was still a raw wound I did not want to talk about. "What about Tony?"

  "Fire dragon." His lip curled at the corner.

  "Do you guys have some sort of problem with each other?"

  Zack made that face like people do when they taste something sour. "We just don't get along, is all."

  "What? You don't get along with someone?" I pressed a hand to my chest in mock surprise. "How shocking." Okay, I know I was being mean, but I was in a mean kind of mood. Jealously will do that to you.

  "I don't exactly have the best track record with fire dragons."

  Did he have to keep reminding me Derek killed his mom? Like I didn't know. Like I didn't already feel terrible about it, even though it wasn't my fault. "Do you think Tony is okay, though? You know, like, he's not going to turn us in or something?"

  Zack shrugged. "He doesn't like hybrids. He doesn't want you here. I knew that when I called Sam, but you didn't give me much choice. Maybe he'll be a problem. Maybe he won't. We'll have to see."

  Not exactly comforting, but at least I knew Zack was always on the lookout for trouble and could probably head it off the minute it started our way. Sometimes hyper alertness can be a good thing.

  "So where does Sam want to train?" I asked.

  "Backyard." Zack opened the door and then stepped aside so I could leave the room.

  When he didn't follow me into the hall, I stopped. "Aren't you coming?"

  "No." His grip on the edge of the door tightened. "Sam thinks I'll be a distraction."

  For me, or her? But I didn't ask. I didn't dare. "Okay. Fine." I thought I saw surprise flicker through his eyes, like maybe he was expecting me to put up a fuss. But I'm not sure, maybe it was only something I wanted to see.

  I found Sam waiting for me downstairs. "You ready to get started, kid?" she asked.

  I bit the inside of my lip and drew a breath in through my nose before I could say something nasty. I really needed her to train me no matter how much I didn't like her. "Sure. But my name is Abigail. Not kid."

  A smile twitched at the corner of her lips. "Okay. Sorry. Let's go."

  The backyard was huge and mostly empty, except for a worn out barn and a rusty propane tank. Trees bordered it on three sides. I set the camcorder on the tank and turned it on.

  "What's that for?" Sam nodded at it.

  I wasn't sure how much Zack had told her about what we were up to, so I lied. And I didn't even feel bad about it. "It helps me to watch video of my training."

  "Like a football player watching clips of old games." Sam nodded. "Smart. So, Zack tells me he tapped your powers once and it didn't end so well."

  I couldn't stop the flush of embarrassment from rising in my cheeks. I couldn't believe he told her about that. "He didn't tell me what he was going to do. If he'd warned me, maybe I could have handled it better. Besides, I didn't have as much control over my powers back then."

  "Okay, cool. I get it. Not trying to rile you up." She held her hands up defensively. "Are you always this cranky?"

  "No. It's just..." You, that's what I was thinking, but I didn't say it. "My arm hurts. I have some pain pills, but it still bothers me." Which wasn't even a lie. Not totally, anyway.

  "Zack told me how you got banged up." Sam shook her head. "That's no way to train a dragon. Megara sounds like a psycho."

  "How much has Zack told you about us?" A question I really should have asked Zack, since I was guaranteed to get the truth from him. But I was too busy being jealous to think about it.

  "Everything he thought I needed to know." She grinned. "Which probably isn't half of what's going on, knowing him. But I know enough to get that you need battle training badly. Zack's a little freaked out about it. I can't blame him. You haven't even had that much regular training, and what you have got hasn't been very good. Don't get me wrong, I know Zack tried, but he didn't know what he was doing."

  "And you do?"

  Sam nodded. "I'm not just a tracker, I'm a trainer too. I was taught to do regular training and battle training, so I know a thing or two about it. For sure more than a spirit dragon."

  I stiffened. "Zack told you about Jonah?"

  "Sure did. You two have a thing?"

  "Me and Jonah?" A laugh jumped out of my mouth before I could stop it. "No. Why would you think that?"

  She shrugged. "Zack seemed real jealous talking about him. I'm kind of surprised he never put the guy through a wall. He's got the temper for it."

  The way Sam kept talking about Zack in that knowing way, with this little smile on her lips, was getting on my last nerve. "Can we just get on with it? I came out here to train, not talk about my personal life."

  "You got a little bit of a temper yourself, don't you? I've always heard hybrids are like that. Volatile."

  I gritted my teeth. "I am not volatile. I just don't see any point in all this talking about stuff that is none of your business. I don't even know you. It's not like we're going to be best friends, or something."

  "Fair enough." Sam reached out to me, but paused when I took a step back. "Chill, ki-- Abigail. I have to touch you to tap your powers."

  "Oh. Right. I forgot about that." The memory of that night on the beach, with Zack's hand pressed against my bare stomach, had me flushing in a whole different kind of way.

  Sam lightly gripped my uninjured arm, just below the elbow. "When Zack did this, it was cold, right?"

  I nodded.

  "Well, with me it'll be kind of warm. Ready?"

  I swallowed hard, my stomach all full of butterflies. "Look, I don't know if Zack told you about Oregon, but--"

  "He told me enough." Sam's voice lost some of that snarky edge. "I get it. Fire bad. I'm not looking to get fried extra crispy, so we're going to start with what I like to call your base power. For you, that's air. I'm going to tap the emotion that fuels that particular power, and then I'm going to teach you how to do it. You'll be stronger when you can control your emotions instead of letting them control you."

  That sounded good to me, but I still wished it was Zack teaching me instead of Sam. I wasn't completely sure I could trust her. I glanced at the house, wondering if Zack might be watching us from a window. But if he was, he was hiding himself well. I saw no sign of him.

  "Ready?" Sam asked again.

  I wasn't, but I couldn't put this off forever. Like Zack said, it was my idea. "Yeah.

  "Okay. Here we go."

  Warmth spread from her hand into my arm and quickly made its way through my body. It was like being touched by the sun on a cool spring day. Kind of nice, actually. And then I felt the weirdest sensation. I'm not entirely sure how to describe it, except to say it was like the wind was blowing inside of me. I know that probably makes no sense to you, but that's what it felt like.

  This was definitely different from the way it felt when Zack tapped my powers. I didn't know if that was because she was a trainer, or because I didn't have the feelings for her I had for Zack.

  "Breathe," Sam said.

  "What?" The word came out on a push of breath I hadn't even realized I was holding. "Oh. I didn't know I wasn't."

  Sam smiled. "It's cool. Normal air dragon reaction. Zack said that's what you would have been, if you weren't a hybrid. Tell me, does it usually act up when you feel threatened?"

  "Yeah." It kind of surprised me that she guessed that. "Or sometimes when I'm upset."

  "Air is fueled by fear," Sam said. "It's a defense mechanism. It's meant to be used when you feel physically threatened. But it can act up when your emotions are in turmoil too. Normal
air dragon training includes learning to put that fear in a cage. But in battle training, we're taught to put it on a leash. That's two very different things. Regular dragons are generally discouraged from using their powers outside of training.

  "I don't know how much you understand about all this, being raised by humans, but dragons have different levels of powers. Most air dragons, except for the very weakest, can levitate objects by manipulating the air around them. They can 'float' their own bodies. Some can almost fly."

  "Megara can ride tornados," I said. "Is that a hybrid thing, or can other air dragons do that?" As we talked, the air was making lazy circles around us.

  "I've heard of some air dragons being able to make tornados," Sam said. "But it's rare. Riding one? Never heard of that before Zack told me about how you broke your arm. But then hybrids are said to be the most powerful of dragons. That's why they were never battle trained. Because whatever you can do on your own, battle training will give you the ability to take it one step further."

  Okay, that was kind of scary, even though it was exactly what I needed. "Why are you doing this for me? Doesn't it bother you to be battle training a hybrid?"

  "I won't lie, I'm not crazy about the idea," Sam said. "But I owe Zack. Big time. I figure taking this chance on you repays him."

  "What, did he save your life or something?" I didn't know why, but the idea bothered me.

  "Not my life." She glanced at the house. "But like you said, we're not supposed to be getting into personal stuff here, right?"

  I figured there was probably an interesting story behind that, but hey, I told her my personal life was none of her business and that's a two way street. "Right. We're focusing on training."

  Sam drew her hand away and the wind stilled. "It's okay to be nervous, or even scared. I'd be more worried if you weren't."

  "I don't want to hurt you," I said. "I've... done a few things I'm not very proud of. I... I've..."

  "Hey," Sam laid her hand on my shoulder. "I get it. I'm a tracker, I know a thing or two about regret. We're not all stone cold, like Zack. He's a good guy, but to be honest, he scares me a little."