Smoked (9 page)

Present Day—One Month Later

Scarlet slipped out of bed quietly, so as not to wake the others, then headed out of the dorm and through the terminal, making her way to Caleb's sickroom. Stepping inside, she closed the door behind her, then approached his bed. For a moment, she just stood, watching him lie there, as if he were a corpse. His pallor was still deathly pale. His eyes had rolled to the back of his head. She looked down at the small vial she clutched in her hands.

Would this really work?

She'd been biding her time for nearly a month now, waiting for one of the baby dragons to grow large enough to harvest the healing blood from their soft scale. Each day, she'd wake up petrified that someone had discovered the maintenance shack at the far end of the property where she'd stashed her brood. But no one ever had. Nor had anyone voiced concern about how much food she was “eating” each night for dinner or where she disappeared to afterward. She supposed they were all too wrapped up in their great dragon social media experiment to pay her any mind.

From what she could tell, Emmy was becoming quite a superstar online, with thousands of fans flocking to her daily broadcasts. Scarlet wondered what the dragon herself thought of the show—was she enjoying her newfound fame, or was she still depressed? She'd considered checking up on her once but then decided against it. After all, the last thing she needed was for Emmy to overhear a stray thought in her head and learn she hadn't exactly followed orders.

At times, she'd wondered if she should leave the camp, taking Zoe and Zavier with her. But where would she go? How would she find food? And most importantly, how could she walk away and leave Caleb behind?

She looked down at him now. It was funny; she'd only known him a few short days before he'd entered this Nether coma, yet she felt closer to him than anyone else here. Maybe it was from the time she'd spent as a prisoner in the government lab. She'd thought a lot about Caleb back then, while stuck in her dark cell for endless hours with nothing to do. In fact, some days, when things got really bad, the memory of his lips brushing against her own, his hands tangled in her hair, was all she had left to help her get out of bed. To keep surviving—to not let them break her. Somehow, just knowing he was out there, waiting for her to come back to him—needing her to come back—gave her the strength to keep holding on until she could.

And now, here she was—the only person on Earth with the power to wake the sleeping prince.

On impulse, she leaned over his bedside, pressing her lips softly against his mouth, a silly attempt to wake him on her own. But of course, that was just a fairy tale. And thanks to Emmy's children, she had a much more realistic remedy.

She looked down at the vial. Even after a month, Zavier's scale was still tiny, and it didn't contain much blood. Hopefully it was enough to do the job. Otherwise, she'd have to wait until the dragon grew even bigger for her to try again. And she didn't know how much time Caleb had left…if he had any left at all.

With trembling hands, she pried open his mouth, then put the vial to his lips. The blood dripped down, coating his tongue in a black oil-like substance. She waited for a moment, not exactly sure how this was all supposed to work, then pulled the vial away and closed his mouth, her pulse skittering madly as she waited for a reaction. Any reaction.

At first, there was nothing. Caleb's eyes remained closed. His skin still white as snow. His arms limp at his side. Only his chest, slowly rising and falling in silent rhythm, gave her any indication he was even alive at all.

Still, she waited, trying to ignore the ache of doubt that began to creep into her bones. Was she too late? Was there just not enough blood? Was dragon's blood unable to cure this kind of thing after all?

“Please, Bad Seed,” she begged. She laid a hand over his. “Come back to me.”

Caleb didn't move.

She slumped into the folding chair next to him, scrubbing her face with her hands, her stomach wrenching with frustration.
Come
on
, she begged him silently.
Please
wake
up. You have to wake up.

And then, suddenly, his mouth twitched.

Scarlet leapt to her feet, pulse skyrocketing. Had that really just happened? Or had her desperate mind only imagined it?

But no. He was still moving. His eyes were fluttering. His nose was wiggling. And finally, a small, wet burp escaped his mouth—the most disgustingly beautiful sound Scarlet had ever heard in her life. She dropped back down to the chair, grabbing his hand in hers and squeezing it tight, her eyes glued to his face.

“Come on!” she whispered. “Come back to me! You can do it! I know you can!”

She watched, breathless, as his eyes lifted to half-mast, the pupils rolling around underneath, still unfocused and weak. But then they somehow managed to lock onto her face. His mouth quirked to a weak, cocky smile. The very same smile whose memory had kept her alive on those darkest days was now blasting fully on her in real life. It felt like the very sun.

“Buttercup,” he gurgled, his voice hoarse. “Where have you been all my life?”

Oh
my
God.
She'd done it. She'd really done it!

She squealed, then bit her lip to quiet herself, not wanting to wake the others. They could find out soon enough that Caleb was back among the living. Right now, she wanted him all to herself. In fact, it was all she could do not to hug the life out of him and cover his face with kisses.

But he was weak. Disoriented. She didn't want to overwhelm him. So she kept herself firmly glued to her chair, though she didn't let go of his hand.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, peering down at him more critically now.

“Like I've been run over by a grumpy dragon,” he admitted, reaching up to rub his forehead with his free hand. “How long have I been out?”

“Just over nine months.”

His blue eyes clouded with horror. “Nine months?” He shook his head, and she could see his hard swallow. “Why, I've missed the whole party.”

“You do have a bit of catching up to do,” she admitted. “But it's okay. Everything's okay. We're all back together. We've rescued Emmy from the government lab. She's growing stronger every day. In fact, it's pretty much happily ever after around here these days.” She smiled down at him. “Even more so now that we have you back.”

As she spoke the words, her mind flashed to the baby dragons, and she wondered if she should tell him about them. He of all people would understand, right? He would want to protect them too, despite what the others thought. A thrill spun down her spine. Finally, she'd have a partner in crime. She'd no longer have to bear the burden on her own. And maybe, with him on her side, they could convince the others that these dragons weren't something to fear.

“Oh, Caleb,” she breathed. “I've really—”

“And Trinity?” he broke in before she could finish. “Is she here too? Did she find her father? Was he able to help?”

Scarlet frowned. “Uh, yeah. She's here. And her father's here too. I'm not sure what you mean about him helping though. I mean, he helps out in the restaurant a lot. And he's always tinkering in his lab, though I don't really know what he's up to with—”

“Has she been by to see me?” he interrupted. His hopeful look sent worry fluttering through her stomach. She watched as he glanced around the room, as if he expected Trinity to be hovering somewhere in the shadows.

What
about
me?
she wanted to ask.
Didn't you miss me like I missed you?
But the words seemed to stick in her throat.

“Sure, she's come by,” she managed to say, trying to push down the hurt welling in her throat. “She's been pretty busy though. They've got this whole social media campaign they're working on to let people know about Emmy.” She forced a laugh. “You know Trinity when it comes to that dragon. Nothing else seems to matter.”

She swallowed hard, distressed by the disappointment she saw clearly in Caleb's eyes. Suddenly, a horrible thought struck her. What if he didn't remember his time in the Nether? What if the dragon's blood had wiped out the whole trip in his mind? What if he didn't remember their kiss—her confessions—all the promises they'd made to one another? What if all of that lived in Scarlet's memory alone?

She let out a small moan. All this time, she'd been holding on. The idea of their reunion keeping her going through the darkest days. What if it was nothing more than a fantasy?

“Can I ask you a favor?” Caleb broke in, interrupting her tormented thoughts.

Hope rose inside of her again. “Of course! Anything! Anything at all!”

He gave her a weak smile. “Would you go find Trinity and ask her to come see me? I don't think I can master the whole getting out of bed thing quite yet.”

For a moment, Scarlet couldn't speak, the lump in her throat so large it threatened to choke her. Instead, she managed a small nod of her head. “Of course,” she said. “I'll…go find her now.”

Caleb smiled at her—the very same smile that had, only minutes before, warmed her like the sun. Now it made her blood run cold.

“Thanks, Buttercup,” he said, resting his head back on the pillow. “I appreciate it. It's good to see you again, by the way. I'm glad you're still Team Dragon.”

She rose to her feet so quickly she knocked over the folding chair. It crashed to the ground with a large bang, and her face burned as she reached down to right it again.

When she rose, she found Caleb peering at her intently. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine,” she spit out with more venom than she'd meant to. She was biting her lower lip so hard at this point she was certain she would draw blood. “You rest. I'll get…Trinity…for you.” The name tasted like sawdust in her mouth.

Tell
him
you
cured
him!
a voice inside of her begged.
Tell
him
it
was
all
you! That he owes you his life!

But she kept her mouth closed, her lips sealed. Because, she realized, it didn't matter in the end. After all, she wasn't in need of his gratitude; she wanted much more than that. And if he didn't feel about her how she felt about him, well, she wasn't about to guilt-trip him into doing so.

Besides, that would be compromising her dragons' safety. After all, what if she told him and he went and told Trinity? Trinity would probably go tell Connor and maybe even Emmy. And then they'd all want to make double sure that the sweet baby dragons “destined to destroy the world” had been destroyed themselves.

She couldn't let that happen. She'd made a promise to keep them safe, and nothing—not even Caleb's approval—could make her break that promise.

After all, who needed a boyfriend when you had your very own dragons?

“Whoo-hoo, Ems! Way to go!”

Trinity whooped and cheered as Emmy shot across the hangar, body outstretched and wings close to her side. The dragon tucked her head, executing a perfect barrel roll, then dropped back down to the ground, sticking the landing like a pro. Turning back to Trinity—and Luke, who was filming the whole thing—she did a showy little bow.

“That's my girl!” Trinity cried, clapping her hands together.

“That's definitely going in tomorrow's show,” Luke added, giving her a fist bump. “Now, should we do some fan mail before we go to bed?”

Emmy nodded, padding over to the small studio they'd set up at the end of the hangar, on the opposite side of her bedroom. Trinity gathered up the computer printouts off the table and walked over to sit down beside her.

The social media campaign had gotten off to a slow start. But viewership had skyrocketed about a week ago, after BuzzFeed had done a “13 Things to Love about Emberlyn” feature that had gone viral. Now the dragon was well on her way to becoming an Internet sensation, just as they'd hoped. Natasha had even set up an official Team Dragon fan club, and applications were coming in by the hundreds each day.

And Emmy did seem to enjoy the attention. She especially liked showing off when the cameras rolled. Unfortunately, when they went dark, so did her mood. She'd retreat back to her little burrow where she'd binge-watch TV for hours on end, with little interest in doing anything else—not that there was, admittedly, much else to do. Trinity would sit with the dragon during these times, trying to keep her company at least. But all the while, her father's words would ring in her head.

To
her,
it
might
be
just
another
cage.

“Just hang in there, girl,” she muttered, watching Emmy nose through the printouts as Luke set up the camera. “Once Dad gets the time machine back up, I'm going to fix this, once and for all.”

She sighed, a draft of loneliness seeming to roll over her. While Emmy no longer seemed to actively object to her presence as she had when she'd first arrived, they were still miles apart from where they used to be. Emmy could understand her, but Trinity could still not hear the dragon's thoughts. And the one-way conversations were driving them both a little insane.

Suddenly, Emmy lifted her head, a low growl rumbling from her throat as she stared straight ahead, neck tense, ears pricked. Trinity frowned, turning in the direction of the dragon's stare just in time to see a lone figure stepping through the hangar door.
Scarlet
, she realized in surprise.
What
was
she
doing
here?

Scarlet never came into the hangar anymore. In fact, the girl who had once been so dedicated to the dragon—who had shared a blood bond and acted as Fire Kissed—now seemed to go out of her way to avoid Emmy altogether. In turn, Emmy seemed to have no desire to interact with Scarlet either. But when Trinity tried to ask the girl if something had happened between them, Scarlet had turned red in the face and became extremely evasive.

To be honest, Trinity didn't push too hard; deep down, she was relieved to have the competition out of the way, giving her a better chance of someday restoring her and Emmy's bond. Still, she had to admit, it was strange to say the least.

“Um, is everything okay?” she asked now, setting down the printouts and putting a comforting hand on Emmy's arm.

Scarlet nodded, though Trinity thought she caught a dark shadow cross her face before she spoke. “Yeah,” she said. “It's just…Caleb asked me to find you.”

“What?” Trinity's eyes bulged. Her heart hammered in her chest. “He's awake? Caleb's awake? When…? How…?” The questions flew from her mouth even as she realized how little they mattered. If Caleb were truly awake…

Trinity turned to Luke. “We'll have to finish this in the morning,” she told him. “Emmy, I'll be back in a bit, okay?”

The dragon nodded, not taking her eyes off Scarlet. Trinity gave Emmy a small squeeze, then dove across the hangar, launching through the door, toward the main terminal's entrance. Toward Caleb's sickroom, heart in her throat.

Caleb was awake. He was
awake
!

“Caleb!” she cried as she burst into the room, swinging around the corner so quickly she lost her balance and almost ate it completely.

“Watch it, Princess. Wouldn't want to mess up that pretty face of yours.”

And there he was. Sitting there, propped up by two pillows, as if he'd just woken from a normal night's sleep.. He was pale, thin, and looked malnourished. His blue eyes were watery, and his hair was mussed. But he was there. Awake. Smiling.

She dove for him, throwing her arms around him, letting loose a floodgate of tears as the emotions swarmed her brain too fast and furious to catalog. For a moment, she couldn't speak. Couldn't move. Couldn't do anything but hold him in her arms, feeling his warmth.

So solid. So real. So alive.

So Caleb.

She managed to pull herself away, meeting his eyes with her own. His beautiful, storm-tossed eyes, wide-open and looking right at her. “They told me you'd never wake up,” she rasped. “That you'd be locked in the Nether forever, just like Mom.”

“Please. Underestimating me as always,” he said with a snort. “As if a little Nether coma could keep me away from all the fun.”

She swallowed hard, past the huge lump that had formed in her throat. It had been so long since she'd heard his voice, and yet at the same time, it felt like yesterday. “I never gave up on you,” she assured him. “I watched over you, day and night.” She didn't know why she was telling him this, only that she felt like she had to.

“Oh yeah? I bet my brother loved that,” he said dryly.

Her smile faded. It had been so long since the two brothers had had their fight back at the hotel room in Colorado that she'd almost forgotten how things had left off between them. But evidently Caleb hadn't. And why should he? While so much had happened to the rest of them since then—making the whole thing seem petty and stupid at this point—he'd been stuck in the Nether the whole time with nothing to do but stew over that horrible afternoon. And from the look on his face, she could tell the anger was still raw in his mind.

“Look, Caleb, about Connor,” she tried gently. “He's really sorry about what happened between the two of you. And he's been really devoted to your recovery too—he's pretty much come by every day you've been here to make sure you're okay.” Sure, that was partially due to her guilt-laden encouragement, but Caleb didn't need to know those pesky details. “Trust me, he's devastated about what happened to you.”

“Yeah, I'm sure he's been terribly broken up about it,” Caleb sneered. “Probably as broken as my nose after he sucker punched me the last time we hung out. Which reminds me,” he added, “do you have a mirror? I'm dying to see the aftereffects of such brotherly devotion.”

Trinity sighed. “You look fine.”

“
Fine?
Just
fin
e
?” His mouth quirked. “Not so irresistibly hot that you can barely restrain yourself from jumping my bones and kissing me senseless?” He gave her a mock horrified look that made her want to laugh despite herself. “Then seriously, get me a mirror, woman! My nose must be simply hideous.”

She rolled her eyes. “Your nose is perfect. Though I'm thinking your ego may still be a bit bulbous.”

“Aw, Princess. Your flattery never fails to get me. It's one of the things I've missed most about being alive.” He glanced down at his arms and legs. “Well, that and the food. Mother of mercy, look at me! I'm nothing but skin and bones.” He looked up. “Nurse, get me to an all-you-can-eat buffet, stat.”

“That I may be able to arrange,” she told him with a small smile. “My father is a terrific cook. He'll fatten you up in no time.”

Caleb's teasing grin fled from his face. He stared at her with excited eyes. “So you really did find your father,” he said. “And he's actually here? Now? Does that mean Virgil is here too? Do they have a plan to save Emmy? God, I've missed a lot while I've been out, haven't I?”

“A few minor things,” she agreed with a small snort. “And yes, my father's here. But Virgil is no longer with us. It's a long story, but let's just say their plan to save Emmy didn't exactly pan out. I mean, it would have, probably, if Emmy hadn't decided to bail at the last minute to play superdragon.”

“Oh, Hot Wings. Always making it so hard on your poor Fire Kissed,” Caleb said with an overexaggerated sigh. Then his expression turned serious. “Look, Trinity. All joking aside, I owe you a huge apology. The way I walked out on you that night at the hotel—after all you'd suffered, after all I had promised.” He cringed. “I was so messed up at the time. So confused and angry and scared. And…addicted, I guess. Not that that excuses what I did but…” He paused for a moment, then added, “Let's just say I've had a lot of time to think about things while stuck in the Nether. And about what's really important to me.” His blue eyes glowed as he spoke, broadcasting his earnestness. “And now that I've been given a second chance? Well, I'm not about to waste it. I'm here for you, Trinity. Whatever you need, I'm here for you.”

Trinity smiled back at him, feeling both ridiculously happy and incredibly sad all at the same time. She'd missed him so much. More than she'd even realized. “We've all made mistakes,” she assured him. “But the important thing is we're together now. And we can be a team again.”

“I appreciate that,” Caleb said sincerely. Then his mouth twisted. “I just hope my brother is as excited about my rising from the dead as you are. After all, I imagine the two of you have gotten pretty cozy over the last months, what with none of my irresistible charm to get in the way.”

Trinity rolled her eyes. “Yeah, don't you know? We're totally married with kids at this point. Grandkids any day now.”

In truth, her and Connor's so-called relationship had been strained at best after their argument over the Dracken's continued involvement in Emmy's life. Sure, they'd both officially apologized since then, but things had remained a bit awkward. Every time Trinity headed over to film one of Emmy's broadcasts, she could feel the disapproval in Connor's eyes. Which in turn made her defensive and quick to lash out.

Caleb sighed, shaking his head. “My brother, ladies and gentleman, the original pimp.”

“Besides,” Trinity scoffed, “from what I understand, you've been blasting that so-called irresistible charm of yours all over the Nether.” When Caleb raised an eyebrow, she gave him a pointed look. “The name Scarlet ring any bells?”

Caleb blushed, turning away, but not before she caught a sheepish grin cross his face. So there
was
something going on between him and Scarlet. She felt her teasing smile falter a little as something uncomfortable wormed through her stomach. All this time, she realized, she'd been holding out hope that this so-called romance between the two of them had all been a figment of Scarlet's overactive imagination. Evidently not so much.

And
why
shouldn't he
, she scolded herself.
You
pushed
him
away. You told him nothing could happen between you. What did you expect—that he would just sit and pine over you for all eternity?

“Sorry,” she said, feeling stupid. “I shouldn't have said that. It's none of my business who you choose to date.”

Now it was Caleb's turn to frown. “Date? Trin, you do realize I've been a flecking vegetable for the last nine months, right?”

Her face burned. God, how deep a hole was she trying to dig herself into anyway? “Right. I know. I mean… I'm just saying, like, it's cool if you like her. Uh…not that you need my permission, of course. But I'm just…”

Seriously, close your mouth and stop talking, Trin!

She felt Caleb staring at her, his eyes so piercing they could probably burn through dragon scale, but she found she couldn't look up—couldn't bear to see what she feared she'd see on his face. Finally he spoke.

“Look,” he said in a calm voice. “I'm not going to lie. Scarlet and I—well, we got close when she came to me in the Nether. I was dealing with a lot. Feeling like crap. Pretty much ready to give up on it all. And then she walked in and…”

He trailed off, and Trinity finally dared take a peek at his face. She could practically see the emotional conflict raging inside of him.
He
likes
her
, she realized, a sinking feeling settling into her gut. He didn't want to admit it to her, but he liked Scarlet a lot.

He caught her looking and masked his face. “Hell, what is it they say?” he asked brightly. Too brightly. “What happens in the Nether stays in the Nether?”

“I'm pretty sure that's Vegas,” she muttered, trying to shove down the bile rising in her throat as her mind treated her to an all-too-detailed picture of Caleb making out with Scarlet in the Nether—his hands tangling in her hair, his mouth burning against Scarlet's lips.

Just as it had once burned against hers.

I've never taken anyone to the Nether
, he'd told her.
No
one
but
you.

And now Scarlet. But hey, who's counting?

Frustration rose inside of her. At him for moving on. At herself for not wanting him to do so. The tears welled in her eyes, and she angrily swiped them away. Squaring her shoulders, she summoned up all the hardness she could muster. “Well, anyway, it's good to have you back,” she said in a clipped tone. “I may need to call on you in a few days to help me with Emmy. You're the only real dragon guardian in this place, and I'm going to need all the help I can get to continue her rehab.”