Smoked (16 page)

I
think
he's in here.

Zoe peeked her head through the window, squinting to see inside. Zavier stepped up beside her, shoving her snout away so he could get a better look for himself. From this vantage point, he could just make out Caleb-dad's brother, lying very still on the bed.

Yes
, he agreed.
That's definitely him.
He frowned, glancing at the door they'd come through from the outside.
Are
you
sure
you
want
to
do
this?

It's our fault he's in there, isn't it?
Zoe reminded him stubbornly.
I'm not going to just let him die on us. He's Caleb's brother, after all. Just like you're my brother.

Zavier opened his mouth to remind her that it had been Caleb who had done this to his brother in the first place, then gave up before speaking. He knew better than anyone that there was no way to change his sister's mind once she got something in her head. Besides, if it would make her feel better about everything that had gone down, how could he deny her that? Anything to get off the hook for his earlier actions.

Zoe had been so furious at him. And he supposed he'd deserved it in a way. But still, what choice had he had really? Just stand back and let that bitch dragon threaten his poor sister for no good reason? All poor Zoe wanted was to be acknowledged. To be loved by her mother as any dragon deserved to be loved. But instead, she'd been scorned. Dismissed. As if she were nothing more than last night's soup bones, already gnawed clean.

No one treated Zoe that way. Not with Zavier around.

Emberlyn had looked so angry—as if she were only seconds away from attacking Zoe where she stood—and the ice in her eyes had made his blood run cold. He knew he had to do something to distract her away from his sister before she made a move, and going after her food was the only thing he could come up with on short notice.

Sure, he knew it was wrong; Caleb and Scarlet had taught them both that touching food that didn't belong to you was disrespectful and rude. But how much ruder had Emberlyn been to Zoe? The dragon deserved to have her dinner devoured—and so much more.

He spit, remembering. The food hadn't even tasted good—it was raw and bloody and disgusting.

But it had gotten Emberlyn's attention, that was for sure.

He groaned. He hadn't meant for anyone to get hurt. And the last thing he wanted was for Zoe to be angry with him. So when she had brought up the idea of going and healing Caleb's brother, he'd agreed to it, despite thinking it completely insane.

And so they'd broken through their chains—which were nothing more than a joke really—and headed to the main building after everyone went to sleep. They'd snuck through the back door and were now ready to prove to the gang that they really were good dragons, despite public opinion.

You
wait
out
here
, Zoe instructed him.
Make
sure
no
one's coming.

What
am
I
supposed
to
do
if
someone
comes?

Something
nonviolent. Something a nice dragon would do.

Should
I
offer
to
make
them
tea
and
crumpets?

I'll settle for you not burning them to a crisp.

Fine
, Zavier replied, his eyes dancing.
But
hurry
up. We don't want to get caught out here.

Zoe nodded, clamping her teeth over the door handle and twisting it open. The door creaked loudly, and for a moment, both dragons froze, wondering if the sound would wake someone up. But the building remained silent and still, so Zoe carefully pulled the door open a little more, then slipped inside to do what she had come there to do.

Zavier peered through the window, watching her lean down to bite at the soft scale on her arm. The scale that, according to Scarlet-mom, could heal people who were sick or hurt. Just as his own blood had healed Caleb-dad, both back when he was a baby and earlier today. It was a pretty cool superpower, he had to admit, though the blood was in limited supply. He, himself, was currently all tapped out and would be for the next couple weeks. As Zoe would be once she was done giving her blood to Connor.

The blood transfusion only took a moment, and before he knew it, Zoe was bursting back through the door, her eyes shining with excitement.
I
did
it!
she announced proudly. Then she turned, peering through the window. She paused for a moment, then bounced up and down in glee.
He's waking up!
she cried.
He's okay!
She turned to Zavier.
I
did
it! I healed him!

Good
work, Sis
, Zavier said, softening. Zoe'd been so upset earlier; it warmed his heart to see her happy again, no matter what the reason.
Now
let's get out of here before they find out we broke through our chains.

Zoe nodded.
And
then
tomorrow, we can tell Scarlet-mom what we did! And she'll tell everyone else. They'll call us heroes. Good dragons who save people
, she added with much bravado.
And
then
they'll
have
to
let
us
stay.

They walked out the back door and into the open air. The night was cool but not cold, and a full moon shone down on them, illuminating the landscape and casting dark shadows on the field. Zavier found himself looking out into the distance, wondering what the world was like beyond this place.

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.

“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 he 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.