by Katie French
“God,” Ki whispered. “There has to be dozens of dragons.”
Trent nodded. “Fifty or more. The bad news is there are more headed in that direction.” His finger swept toward little clusters of blips on the other side of the screen.
“Who are they?” Aunt Scarlett asked. “Frostfire and Bentclaw are surely on Tara’s side, but what about them?”
“Ah, that is the six-million-dollar question, isn’t it?” Trent folded his arms over his narrow chest, then leaned against his desk. “If you can spare me a few moments, I can plot where their signals originated and cross reference that with my dragon database—”
“Dragon database?” Tom interrupted. “You have a dragon database?”
Aunt Scarlett pipped in. “That’s interesting. We’ve never been able to get an accurate count of the population before. Numbers have been deliberately withheld from wardens for some time now.”
“How do you have a dragon database?” Ki asked, peering at the computer screen.
Trent smiled. “You should see how much time one has when one has nothing to do.” Turning to another computer monitor, he began typing and clicking. Soon, the screen flashed with the words “Dragon Database.”
“Clever title.” Tom arched an eyebrow.
“Creativity was never my strong suit,” Trent answered dryly.
“So, how long will it take to cross reference?” I asked, my eyes moving between the two screens.
“An hour? Maybe less?” Trent glanced around the room.
“Do it,” Aunt Scarlett said. “If we know who’s coming and how many, it’d give us a huge strategic advantage going into the battle.”
With a nod, Tent bent over his computer.
Hopeful expressions were mirrored on each face around the room. Having Trent on our side might prove helpful after all. But my good mood was cut short as my gut twisted again. My vision swam, and I clutched the desk to keep myself from crumpling.
“Lila…” Ki was at my elbow almost immediately. “Are you okay?”
A hand at my back let me know Santiago had rushed to my side, too. “What’s going on?”
“I just need air,” I said, pinching my forehead.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” my aunt said. “Tara could still be out there.”
“Tara’s long gone,” Trent said, pointing at a blip on his screen.
“I’ll take her,” Santiago said, holding onto my arm gently but firmly, like he was afraid I’d keel over. “We have an hour, right? Plus, we need Lila in tiptop shape.”
Aunt Scarlett finally nodded. “Thirty minutes. Stay close.”
Santiago agreed as he helped me to the door. “Be right back.”
As we walked down the dim hallway, he leaned close, whispering in my ear. “I was hoping you were faking to get out of that room. It smelled like sweaty balls in there.”
I laughed despite my nausea. “A guy alone probably doesn’t worry that much about laundry or cleaning.”
“Or hygiene. Can you imagine? Stuck inside with nothing but video games to keep him warm? I’d go nuts.” Santiago scrutinized me. “So you really are sick?”
How should I respond? That my insides were rolling like a bundle of earthworms? That I could feel things stretching inside me, changing? That I was afraid I was losing my mind?
“Just a little sick to my stomach. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
He gave me a dubious eyebrow lift.
“I’ll be okay.”
“That’s what they all say.” He helped me to the ladder.
The climb up took a while. Four a few moments, I was worried I’d lose my grip and topple over backward, but I made it to the top. Standing on solid ground, the afternoon breeze blowing back my hair, really did make me feel better. Above me, the Jack pines swayed. A bird called, and another answered as it bobbed on a branch a few trees away.
Santiago pulled himself up, taking the time to dust off his European designer jeans. “Why does everything we do have to involve getting dirty?”
“I’d have thought you would have given up your expensive threads a while ago. Half the time, you tear right through them.”
Eyes comically rounding, he gazed at me like I had two heads. “And dress like Ki and Fang? You know they buy their T-shirts in bulk, right?”
“And what’s wrong with that?” I said, laughing.
“If I have to tell you,” he smirked, “then we probably aren’t romantically compatible.” His smile spread wider. He was flirting mercilessly.
And, despite my fear and sickness, despite the unraveling bits of my life, this flirtation felt like exactly what I needed right now.
“Romantically compatible?” I placed a hand on my hip. “Is that what you think we are?”
He shrugged, adopting a nonchalant posture, hands in pockets, shoe scuffing into the dry pine needles. “Hard to tell. We should really do some investigation into the subject.”
“Should we?” I could feel the tension building between us, my chest pounding in anticipation. My thoughts flitted back to our kiss at the lighthouse. It felt like it’d happened so long ago, yet it had only been a few days. I liked Santiago a lot, but I also liked all of my dragons. Was kissing any of them a good idea when we were about to go into battle?
My eyes traced over the smooth lines of his face, the way his top lip curved up when he was pleased with himself, his dark eyebrows brooding over the frames of his oval glasses that made him look smart and sophisticated, yet approachable. His wild curls shifted in the breeze, reminding me how deceivingly soft they were. My hands ached to let them slip through my fingers again.
He took a step closer until there was barely a whisper of breeze between us. I stared up at his handsome face as his eyes traced the contours of my mouth. “Amor,” he breathed.
“Yes?”
“I want to kiss you very badly,” he said, one hand reaching out and tucking a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. “But I don’t want to be just one more item on your worry list. You have so much already.”
“I’m okay,” I said, my heart still thundering. I wanted this. Wanted him.
“Are you sure because—”
“Santiago, you never know when to stop talking.” I gripped his shirt, unceremoniously yanking him to me.
When his lips pressed against mine, a jolt of pleasure radiated over my body. His mouth was soft, and his cologne smelled so tantalizing it made me shiver. His arms folded around my body, pulling me into his embrace. I gripped his shirt with one hand while allowing the other to wind into his curls. So soft.
All the hurt and fear melted away as my body exploded with romantic tingles. Tiny bubbles traipsed up and down my veins, making me feel like I was floating. Being with him banished the pain and anguish that had been hanging over me like a cloud.
I focused on the sensation of his fingers tracing the back of my neck. On his tongue as it toured my top lip. He tasted like mint, his breath hot and sweet as he pulled away to kiss my neck.
“Amor,” he whispered against the sensitive skin there, urging me closer until our bodies were crushed together. We felt so right, fit together like two pieces of a whole. I clung to him, finding his mouth again and kissing it like it was my first, my last.
I wanted more, wanted it to go on and on, but a voice cleared itself behind us.
We pulled apart, whirling around to spy Ki’s head as it poked out of the underground hole. His expression went from shocked to jealous before settling into a forced non-expression.
He climbed up and stood beside the hole, rubbing his neck awkwardly. “I… uh… tried to reach you guys telepathically, but I couldn’t get through. Seems like you were… busy.”
I swallowed hard, exchanging a look with Santiago. He didn’t appear ashamed at all, more elated. Part of me thought he’d do a fist pump and run to Ki for a high-five.
I turned to Ki, shrugging. “Um… sorry. What’s going on? Is Trent’s scan done?”
Ki’s face tightened,
which immediately sent alarm bells blaring in my head.
“What is it?” I asked, stepping forward.
He met my eyes. “There’s a complication. You need to come down. You’re going to need to see this.”
“Just tell us,” Santiago demanded.
Ki’s eyes darted between our faces before answering in a grave and wavering tone. “It’s dragons. Lots and lots of dragons.”
Chapter Eighteen
Santiago and I followed Ki back into the tunnels. When we reentered Trent’s computer haven, everyone was in an uproar, talking at the same time.
“How do we know we can we trust this? What it’s showing is crazy. It doesn’t work,” Fang said, his tone raised.
“Of course it works. I designed it,” Trent said with a bored roll of his pale eyes.
“Exactly!” Fang exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air.
Tom cleared his throat. “C’mon, Trent. You have to consider that there may be something wrong with your design. That’s way too many dragons. And not just that, the whole cluster originated in the deep south.” He indicated toward a group of dots at the bottom of the monitor. “We don’t know of any dens that far into South America?”
“The code doesn’t lie.” Trent pushed his keyword away. “Whether you like it or not.”
“Cocky much?” Santiago said. “You’ve got an awfully big head for a dude who spends all his time alone with his computers.”
My aunt was the only one keeping to herself, a frown etching her forehead and a fist resting against her chin in concentration.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
They turned their attention our way, noticing us for the first time.
With a sigh, Trent left his chair and strode toward the narrow door on the far-left corner. “I’m done wasting my time trying to convince you all. Let me know when you get your shit together.” He disappeared behind the door, shutting it with a bang.
Tom winced, rubbing the back of his neck. “Oh, nothing’s happening,” he said to me. “Only that, according to my brother, there are almost twice as many dragons as we originally thought headed to Mirror Island.”
I blinked. “You mean Tara has convinced over one-hundred dragons to join her?”
He nodded.
My stomach clenched. Bile rose up my throat. For a moment, the world spun, and I had to grab the back of Trent’s chair to steady myself. I disguised my frailty, leaning forward to stare at the blinking monitor. Luckily, no one noticed. I was tired of everyone constantly asking how I was doing. It was as annoying as someone asking me if Auntie Flow was visiting when I was just ticked off.
I was a hot mess—that was how I was. But I didn’t need everyone obsessing over my wellbeing.
Forcing my eyes to focus on the clusters of glowing blips on the screen, I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. There certainly were many more than before. A few clusters were still a fair distance away from Summers Lake, but they were all moving in our direction.
No wonder Fang thought Trent’s system was broken. There were a lot of dots.
“That shit is crazy,” Santiago said as he examined it from over my shoulder. “Do we trust it?”
“I don’t. It’s too many dragons,” Fang said. He wore a skeptical expression, but more than anything, I thought he seemed worried and maybe a little bit scared.
“Aunt Scarlett, does this seem right to you?” I asked.
She’d been so lost in thought she startled at my question. Her gaze met mine as she considered. Her green eyes seemed to hold a storm inside of them, a storm that promised death and destruction. For us or Tara seemed to be the question.
“It is possible,” she said.
I waited for her to elaborate, but she went back to acting as if she were lost in la-la land. Great.
“We’re screwed,” Santiago said. “I mean, we were screwed before, but this is like a monumental type of screwed. A mega screw.”
We all were quiet for a moment, silently agreeing with Santiago. Monumentally screwed sounded about right.
“If we go, it would be like signing a death warrant,” he said in his lilting Spanish accent. “We can’t fight that many dragons. Not even with Longtail and Backdraft on our side.”
I paced to one corner of the room, the image of Dad’s gentle face flashing before me. Would I ever see him again? Would I watch him grow old and receive his advice as I went through life trying to find my way? It seemed like a bleak possibility, but regardless, the answer had to be yes. The rest of my life without Dad simply wasn’t an option.
Santiago was right, though, what good would it do to face Tara Palmer when she had complete control of the situation? If only I knew where she was keeping Dad, I would go there and rescue him while she pulled her power play. Then we could disappear to some remote place where Tara and her den would never be able to find us.
Long after our brooding silence became too thick to cut with my warden sword, Trent reappeared. By now, I was sitting on the floor with my back against the wall while I played with my ring. Sluggishly, I lifted my gaze.
Freshly showered, Trent stood framed by the door, scrutinizing our listless postures. His light blue hair was combed back. He wore a fresh pair of jeans, a charcoal button-down shirt, and a pair of new-looking loafers that completed the outfit. He was so tall, thin, and handsome that he reminded me of one of those runway models with sunken cheekbones, pouty lips, and impenetrable eyes.
For a short instant, his gaze darted in my direction, making me blush with its intensity—also making me wonder if, when he blushed, he turned purple. Then he glanced down and went back to ignoring everything and everyone as seemed to be his way—the proverbial supermodel staring into the distance, holier-than-thou.
“You clean up well,” Santiago said, a drop of sarcasm tainting his tone.
Trent ignored him, retaking his seat at the head of the computer display. “Anyone come up with a genius plan yet?”
Fang scoffed. “Everything I’ve thought of spells D-E-T-H.”
“It’s D-E-A-T-H, Fang,” Santiago said with a raised eyebrow. “Stop eating Trent’s lead paint chips. Okay, buddy?”
Fang shrugged, blushing brightly.
Ki pushed away from the far corner where he’d been reclining, deep in thought. “I need to get in touch with my father. We need to know who’s on our side. We’re blind. I mean, are some of those dragons with us?”
“Nope,” Trent said. “Not unless this bunch is.” He pointed at the den moving from the south. “But I sincerely doubt it since I don’t see any movement from Longtail and Backdraft, which is smart if you ask me. They don’t seem to be rushing toward Mirror Island to stop the madness. D-E-A-T-H by S-U-I-C-I-D-E isn’t part of their strategy.”
Fang repeated the letters to himself, a look of intense concentration in his eyes. When he deciphered the meaning, he nodded. “Death… by suicide. Man, I hate English spelling. So long. Give me a Chinese character any day.”
Trent turned to his brother. “Tom, you came here looking for help, and I’m glad to offer it. You can stay here until this thing blows over. Not a second longer, though. I want my peace and quiet back.”
“We can’t stay here and do nothing,” I said, getting to my feet while keeping a hand on the wall for support.
“I’m sorry, amor,” Santiago said. “But I don’t think trying to stop Tara’s new crazy scheme will help us save your father. It’ll only get us killed.”
“It didn’t work last time,” Aunt Scarlett pointed out in a callous tone.
I turned to her, my temper rising. “Not for lack of trying.”
“But sometimes doing nothing and staying put is the best course of action,” she said. “If you don’t want to make things worse, that is.”
What was the matter with her? Why was she so mean? Well, I could be mean, too. I opened my mouth to say something, but Tom beat me to it.
“Stop being such a… witch,” he said. “We’re all in the same boat here,
trying to do the best we can. Leave Lila alone.”
Aunt Scarlett didn’t look affected by Tom’s words in the least. What she said, however, surprised me quite a bit.
“You’re right,” she told Tom, then turned to me. “I apologize, Lila. This situation has my temper on edge.”
I fidgeted, unsure of what to say. She’d never struck me like the type of person who offered apologies, but apparently, she was more gracious than I’d given her credit for.
Turning to Trent, she said, “Thanks to you the journey proved useful. We’ve learned some valuable information we couldn’t have acquired otherwise. Now, I should leave and join my brethren to support them in whatever course of action they decide to take.”
Squaring her shoulders and adjusting the sword at her hip, she headed for the door.
“But how will you get back?” I asked, my fingers twitching with the impulse to stop her.
My aunt glanced backward. “Don’t worry, I have my means.”
“Take me with you. I want to help.”
She shook her head. “Lila, you need to rest. You shouldn’t even be here. Besides, your sword… your ring… they don’t work. You’re not a warden anymore.”
I felt the loss of my home and my power all over again. It mixed with the anger toward my aunt and her cold nature. Why did she have to be such a witch with a capital B?
As if sensing my thoughts, she doubled back and approached me. My body tensed, anticipating more of her meanness. The guys straightened and inched closer, as if they expected trouble.
Her gaze dove into mine. To my surprise, it didn’t hold the coldness I expected. On the contrary, there was warmth and sympathy there. “When this is all over, I’ll help you get the lighthouse back. You have what it takes to be a great warden, Lila. Your mother would be proud of you.” She put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently, then stepped back. “Stay here. You can still help.” She tapped her temple. “Send me a message if you find out anything useful.”
Before striding out the door, she gave me an infuriating smile that seemed to add “if you can manage” to end of her sentence. My telepathy had improved, but it still wasn’t what it should have been, especially at long distances. I guessed no matter how nice and warm she was capable of behaving, Aunt Scarlett would never let me forget my shortcomings. That was when I realized she wasn’t cold or mean. She was just honest and didn’t sugarcoat her words. I could appreciate that. Honesty was a gift when too many secrets and doubts surrounded us.