Smoked (25 page)

“Connor?”

Connor opened one eye then the other, trying to gain his bearings. For a moment, he had no idea where he was—white walls and ceiling and floor, stretching out as far as he could see. He rubbed his eyes, searching his brain for answers. Where was—

Then it all came rushing back to him. “Trinity!” he cried, scrambling to his feet.

And then, there she was.

He ran to her, throwing his arms around her, his heart soaring as he lifted her off her feet and twirled her around, burying his face in her curls. “Trinity,” he murmured. “Thank God.” He pulled away from the hug and peered down at her with anxious eyes. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine,” she replied. “Just waiting for this stupid Nether overdose to wear off. From what I'm told, it'll take at least another day.” She looked at him in concern. “Is my real-life body okay?”

“You're safe,” he assured her. “You and Scarlet are both back at the airfield. We took you home after we weren't able to wake you up.”

She bit her lower lip. “What about Emmy? She was here, briefly, before the Nether dust wore off on her. She told me that men had come to take her away.”

Connor sighed. “I'm sorry, Trin.” He gave her a rundown of what had happened at the mall. Trinity listened, her eyes growing wide.

“I should have known,” she whispered. “After all, Darius is too smart not to have had a backup plan.” She scrunched up her face. “But poor Emmy. Trapped all over again. And this time, it's so much worse.” She looked up. “We have to break her out.”

“No offense, Trin, but I don't see how we could,” Connor replied. He knew it would do no good to sugarcoat things here. “They've got an army of hybrid dragons guarding her. And we don't have any way to take them on.”

Trinity stared down at her feet. “There's got to be some way. There just has to be.”

“Where's Scarlet?” Connor asked, wanting to change the subject. “I told Caleb I'd check on her too. He's freaking out worried.”

“Where do you think?” Trinity snorted, pointing across the white space. Connor followed her finger, his heart lurching as his eyes fell on none other than Zoe herself, goofily dancing through the skies with Scarlet on her back. She was bigger than she'd been on Earth, and her scales were so bright and sparkly it almost hurt to look at them.

“They've been up there for hours. If it weren't for Caleb back home, I'm not sure she'd ever want to leave.”

Connor turned away, guilt stabbing him in the gut. Zoe looked so beautiful. So innocent too. Just as Caleb's dragon had been.

He felt Trinity's hand on his arm. He looked up.

“She gave me her blood, you know,” he blurted out.

“What?”

“To heal me after Caleb hit me with that rock,” he explained. “At first, I thought you did it. Or maybe Caleb or Scarlet. But then I got to thinking. And I realized if you had, you would have been there when I woke up.”

Trinity gave a low whistle. “You know, I had been wondering how you got up like you did. We'd doped you up on so many painkillers, there was no way you should have been able to stand, never mind go dragon slaying.”

“It's ironic, right?” He shook his head. “She went and saved my life—so I could, in turn, steal hers away.”

“Well, if it's any consolation,” Trin said, “I'm pretty sure she's loving being back in the Nether. I mean, she misses her brother, of course, but I actually think she prefers it here to Earth. No more being trapped in a small shed. No more hunger. No more fear.”

“It's like dragon heaven,” Connor concluded. “Literally, I guess.” He sighed. “If only we could have gotten that Nether dust, brought Zavier and the rest of them here, had them talk to Scarlet and Zoe. I'm sure they would have been able to convince them to call off their war.”

“And save Emmy,” Trinity added. “Having an army of dragons at our disposal would certainly make things easier.”

Make
what
easier?

Connor whirled around. Lost in his troubled thoughts, he hadn't noticed the giant green dragon with golden wings step up behind them. He glanced questioningly at Trinity, noting recognition in her eyes.

“Lyria!” she exclaimed before he could inquire. “Emmy's mother,” she added in explanation to him.

Yes
, the green and golden dragon agreed, sounding a little sad.
Though, in truth, you were always more mother to her than I.

“Yeah, well, Emmy hasn't exactly been a contender for mother of the year either,” Trinity remarked wryly. “Though she regrets it all now. And I'm pretty sure when she's finally reunited with Zoe and the rest of them, she'll be begging for forgiveness.”

“If things keep going the way they are, they might not have long to wait,” Connor muttered.

Suddenly he felt the dragon's eyes on him.
What
do
you
mean?
Lyria demanded.
Is
my
Emberlyn
in
trouble?

Connor gave a reluctant nod, breaking it down for the dragon. She listened, wide-eyed and worried.

You
must
help
her
, she told Connor when he'd finished.

“Believe me, I would love to,” he assured her. “But it's not that easy. The Dracken have an army of hybrid dragons at their disposal. They're not going to give her up without a fight.”

Lyria ruffled her wings, looking offended.
Well, then we should give them one. Emberlyn has thirteen remaining children on Earth, does she not?

“Who, thanks to me, are busy with their own apocalyptic crusade,” Connor reminded her bitterly. “Maybe if we had gotten the Nether dust, we could have brought them here to talk it through. Zoe could have convinced Zavier, and he could have talked to the rest of them. But now…”

Lyria seemed to consider this for a moment.
It
is
true
you
cannot
bring
Zavier
to
the
Nether
.
But
what
if
you
could
bring
Zoe
to
Zavier?

“How could we do that?” Connor wrinkled his brow. “She's dead. We can't just bring her back to life…” He paused. “Can we?”

There
may
be
a
way. But it would require some sacrifice.

Connor's heart started beating fast in his chest. “Whatever it is, I'll do it.”

Lyria gave him a solemn look.
You
have
my
granddaughter's blood swimming through your veins. You're not fully bonded to her—but you could be. And if you were, then you would share a life force.

“And if we did…” Connor bit his lower lip, realizing what the dragon was getting at. “Are you saying we could trade places? Like, I could stay here and she could return to Earth to talk to her brother?”

Yes. It would be possible. If you both agreed to complete the bond.

“Hold on!” Trinity interrupted. “Connor would have to stay here in the Nether so Zoe could be brought back to life on Earth?”

Lyria nodded.
A
life
for
a
life.

“No!” Trinity shook her head. “That's crazy. Connor, there's got to be another way. You can't just stay here forever.” Her voice broke. “That's not fair!”

Connor sighed, reaching over to take her hand in his. He stroked it with gentle fingers. “No. What I did to her was not fair,” he said slowly. “And it's the reason her brother is on his rampage now. Don't you see, Trin? Once Zavier realizes I've sacrificed my life to give him back his sister, he will have to come around. Then he and Zoe can talk the others into saving their mother too.”

“But, Connor—”

He looked up at Lyria. “It's perfect. Tell me what I need to do.”

“Are you okay?”

Trinity looked up. Connor was staring down at her with worried eyes. His face was probably as pale as hers was, though not as tear streaked. Connor was the soldier. He wouldn't cry. Even when he had every reason to.

“How could I be okay?” she blurted out. “In what world could I possibly be okay?”

She turned from him, realizing that this could very well be the last time they were alone together as they waited for Lyria to prepare for the bonding ceremony. And it wasn't even as if they were actually together, not physically anyway.

The implications hit her hard and fast. She'd never get to hold him again. Never get to kiss his lips and trace his face with her fingers. Never get to stare into his beautiful eyes and feel his whisper in her ears.

Connor sat down beside her. “Honestly, I wasn't sure if you'd even care,” he said quietly. “After all that's happened…”

His words caused a fresh burst of tears as her mind flashed to all the fights they'd had. All the time they'd spent apart, time wasted on stupid arguments and egos. Time that could have been spent in one another's arms.

“Of course I care,” she blurted. “I love you. Even when I was furious with you, I still loved you.”

Her voice broke. Connor took her hands in his, finding her eyes with his own steady blue ones. He gave her a wistful look that made her heart shatter.

“I love you too,” he said, his voice filled with earnest. Then he gave her a shy grin. “Since I first met you at your grandfather's museum and you blinded me with Mace.”

She laughed through her tears. “Yeah, well, you should have known better than to come between a girl and her dragon.”

He grabbed her, pulling her close, until her face was smashed against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat against her ear—usually so strong and steady, now beating fast, almost erratically. He was scared too, she realized. He was trying to hide it from her. But he was terrified.

“I don't want you to do this!” she found herself blubbering.

“Oh, Trin,” he murmured. “Don't you see? This is why I came here. This was my mission all along. I never expected to come back, you know. When I signed up for this gig, I knew it was a one-way trip. And it's been a far longer, crazier trip than I could have ever imagined. But even so, now it has to end.”

“Please,” she begged, knowing she sounded pathetic and weak but at the same time not caring that she did. “I can't lose you. You're all I have left.” Her mind flashed to all those in her life who had already fallen—her mother, her grandfather, her friends. But Connor—she'd assumed he'd always be there, had taken for granted the fact that he would be. “If you leave, I'll be all alone.”

“No,” he corrected gently, though his voice sounded strained. “You'll have Emmy back. And you'll have my brother. I know he's infatuated with Scarlet, but he'll take care of you too. I know he will.” He gave her a small smile. “He loves you, you know. In his own crazy, messed-up way, he'll always love you. And he'll always keep you safe.”

“But it's not the same…”

“You also have your father,” Connor continued. “And the other Potentials. And even…” He shrugged. “Those goofy Dracken kids. I have to admit, they're handy in a pinch.” He leveled his gaze on her. “Trinity, you have a huge family. A team. You'll never have to be alone again.”

Trinity closed her eyes, forcing herself to draw in a shaky breath. He was right, of course. Most of her life, she'd had to navigate on her own. Going from foster home to foster home, changing families like so much underwear. But now, things had changed. She had a big, beautiful, crazy family who had dedicated their lives to her and her crusade to save the world.

But they weren't Connor.

She burst into a fresh set of tears. “I can't take this!” she cried. “I'm sorry! I know you want me to be brave. And I usually am. But I can't… I don't want to…” She broke off, unable to continue.

“Trinity,” he groaned, his own voice hoarse. “I'm begging you, sweetheart, please try to stay strong for me. This is killing me. You know that, right? The last thing on earth I want to do is leave you.” He pulled away, searching her face with his eyes. His blue, blue eyes, shining at her with an earnestness and desperation that tore her heart in two.

“All I want to do is stay with you,” he continued. “I want to marry you. I want to give you babies and create the kind of beautiful family that neither of us had growing up. A stable, normal, boring old family that plays flecking board games on Friday nights and pops popcorn.”

He gave her a sad smile. “But I can't be selfish here. You haven't seen what I've seen. You can't even fathom how bad it will get if we don't stop it now. How many people will die. How many normal, boring families will be torn apart. That's why I came here in the first place, you know. To do whatever it took to save the world.” He gave her a rueful look. “I just hadn't planned on falling in love before I managed to do it.”

Trinity let out a choking sob. “Connor…”

They fell into each other's arms, reaching, grasping as if their very lives depended on it, their mouths finding one another, kiss after desperate kiss—each one closer to the last.

She'd pushed him away for so long. And yet now, at that moment, all Trin wanted was his mouth on hers forever and always, the world outside be damned.

But the world refused to go away, and all too soon, Lyria was stepping up behind them, telling them it was time. They reluctantly broke apart, their fingers still clinging to one another, as if powerless to let go. Connor swiped his face with his sleeve to wipe away the tears she hadn't believed he would shed, and she followed suit, remembering his words.

Stay
strong
for
me
, he'd said.

All this time, he'd done everything for her, never asking for anything in return. And now, in the end, this. This was all she could do.

What she had to do.