Smoked (24 page)

Caleb felt his pulse kick up as nausea rolled through his stomach. The man who had once been his hero, his master, his savior—now nothing more than a devil Caleb wanted to exorcise forever. He imagined, for a moment, rushing him, tackling him to the ground, beating him senseless in retribution for all Darius had let loose on the world. But he knew in his heart that would be a suicide mission. And while he didn't care so much about saving his own hide, he had Scarlet to think of now.

“What are we going to do?” he hissed. “He's blocking the way to the exit.”

His brother glanced behind him. Caleb knew what he was thinking. There might be another way out, but would they be able to reach it without running into anyone else? Even if they could, the time it would take to get there would mean leaving the girls and Emmy in more danger.

His brother reached for his gun. But Caleb stopped him. “No,” he hissed. “He's probably not alone. If the others hear a gunshot, they'll come running. We need to take care of this quietly.”

“Untie me.”

The two boys whirled around. Mara held out her hands, her expression grave.

“I'll take care of him. Just untie me and wait for your chance.”

Caleb glanced at his brother. Connor shrugged, then moved to undo the Dracken's bonds. Caleb bit his lower lip; he didn't like this—didn't trust Mara to do the right thing. She could easily sell them out to save her own hide and get back on the winning team. What did she owe them, anyway?

But they had no other real alternative, and they both knew it. So they watched and waited, holding their breath, as Mara walked out to face the Dracken Master. Connor clutched his gun with white-knuckled fingers. His eyes focused, his ears cocked and listening.

“Darius!” they heard Mara exclaim a few minutes later. “I can't believe you're actually here!”

There was a pause, then, “Mara,” Darius replied, spitting out the name as if expelling poison. “How…lovely to see you.”

“What are you doing here? I thought you were in jail.”

“I was,” Darius replied, evidently choosing not to elaborate further. Caleb wondered if he knew that his former partner had been the one to send him there.

To her credit, Mara pressed on. “I can't tell you how relieved I am to find you here. My lab was attacked, and my dragons escaped. I came here to find some Nether dust to help gather them up and bring them home. I never expected to find all of this.” She waved a hand in the air.

“Yes, well, we've been busy. It sounds as if you have been as well.”

She nodded. “It's been difficult, going at it on my own. And you should see the primitive technology I've been forced to work with. But I knew I had to press on, to keep our mission alive no matter what.” She beamed at him. “But now, I'm home. I can't tell you how happy I am to be home.”

Darius gave her a long, slow smile. “And we, of course, are happy to have you back. Especially given the fact you brought such a lovely gift.”

“Excuse me?” This time Mara's voice did falter a little. “Gift?”

Caleb shot Connor a worried glance. Connor shook his head.

“I confess,” Darius replied slyly. “I've been a very naughty boy. Peeking at my Christmas present early. So sweet of you to bring me exactly what I wanted.”

“I'm sorry, Darius. I don't know what you mean. I didn't—”

“Come, Mara, don't play coy,” he said, his voice tightening. “We found your little ride, stashed in the automotive shop, nice and tidy. All that was missing was a bright red bow.”

Oh God. Caleb exchanged a horrified look with his twin. Darius had Emmy? Did that mean he had Trinity and Scarlet too?

“Look, Darius…” Mara was trying.

“You thought you were so clever, didn't you?” Darius sneered. “Thinking I was locked up, thinking I couldn't escape some pathetic twenty-first-century prison. Please. I walked out the front door the first month, after using my psychic powers on those ridiculous, weak-minded guards.” He shook his head. “Imagine my surprise, though, when I went to find you, only to learn that you had been the one to betray me. The one to have me locked up in the first place.” Caleb thought he heard a hint of hurt in the Dracken's voice.

Mara burst out a protest, but he raised a hand to wave her off. “Don't even think of denying it,” he told her. “I know what you've been up to. And I know you bred purebloods instead of the hybrids I asked for. You've done everything in your power to tear down what we were supposed to be building. And yet”—he smiled widely—“it wasn't enough, was it? The apocalypse is still starting, despite your best efforts. Your dragons are on the rampage, and the earth will burn just as we planned.”

“Please, Darius,” Mara tried, her voice now more than slightly hysterical. “You don't understand. I only did what I had to, to survive. I never wanted any of it! I only wanted you! And…and…I'll prove it too! I'll show you where the rest of them are! Trinity and her friends. They're here, you know. They're here and I can—”

A shot rang out before she could finish, followed by a sickening thud. Then laughter—Darius's laughter.

“Stupid bitch,” Caleb heard the Dracken leader mutter. “What would I want with them? I have their dragon. That's all I need.” He paused for a moment and then, “Come up here and clean up this mess,” he barked, presumably into a phone.

Caleb waited, heart in his throat. If the cleanup crew came up the back way, he and Connor would be trapped. He glanced at his brother. But there was nothing they could do.

Then, to their relief, they heard footsteps fading in the distance—Darius heading in the opposite direction. Caleb let out a breath of relief.

“Come on,” Connor urged. “We need to get to the garage. Now!”

Caleb didn't need a second invitation. They turned the corner, passing Mara's lifeless body swimming in a pool of her own blood. Caleb shook his head. He almost felt bad for her, even if she had tried to sell them out to save her skin. She had been a victim, just as he had. But in the end, she'd made good: sacrificing her life for the cause, whether she meant to or not.

Now all they could do was make sure that sacrifice had not been in vain.

Connor followed his brother up the rope and out of the mall, blinking to adjust his eyes to the sudden, bright sunshine. He looked around, trying to pinpoint any movement. Any guards that might be hanging out nearby. Darius had said he didn't care to go after them, but that didn't mean a random guard wouldn't take potshots if he had the chance.

They skirted the mall, keeping their backs against the outer wall to hide in the shadows. When they neared the garage, Caleb grabbed his brother and yanked him down behind a pile of rusted shopping carts.

“Look,” he hissed, pointing across the parking lot.

Connor's heart sunk as he followed his brother's finger to the group of men securing an unconscious Emmy onto a flatbed truck. “Damn it,” he swore.

“What are we going to do?” Caleb asked.

“There's nothing we can do now,” Connor replied. “There's got to be at least twenty of them, and they're all armed. We'd never be able to take them on.” He frowned, his thoughts racing. “We just need to see where they're taking her. She's too big to fit through the front door of the mall, which means there's got to be a bulkhead or something nearby to get her underground with the other dragons.”

“Right,” Caleb agreed. “But what about the girls? Do you think they're still in the garage?”

Connor closed his eyes, focusing his gift to seek them out. A moment later, he opened them and nodded. “They're in there,” he assured his brother. “Though…they're really still.”

“Of course they're still. They're hiding!” Caleb retorted roughly, obviously not willing to admit any possible alternative. “Look, I'll follow the truck. You go find the girls.”

Connor nodded. “Okay,” he agreed. “Come back to the garage when you're done, though. If they're hurt, I won't be able to move them both.”

Caleb gave him a curt salute, then took off, heading in the direction of the slow-moving truck. Connor watched him go for a moment, then turned back to the garage, continuing to skirt the perimeter of the mall until he reached the open doors.

At first glance, the place seemed deserted, and Connor had a wild thought that maybe they'd been taken along with Emmy after all. But he forced the thought away and closed his eyes again, summoning up additional spark. His stomach roiled with the effort, and he was forced to grab on to a support beam to steady himself. But it was enough.

“Trash bin,” he affirmed to himself.

Diving into action, he ran to the back of the garage where the large Dumpster sat, hurtling himself over the edge and starting to dig, tossing random pieces of metal and other trash out of the bin to clear it.

“Come on,” he begged. “I know you're in here.”

Then, like a miracle, his fingers brushed against something cool, smooth. Skin.

“Trinity!” he cried, clearing the trash off of her, pulling her out of the pile. A few moments later, he was holding her in his arms. “Trinity!” he cried again.

She was so still. Cold as ice. He slapped her across the face, but she didn't respond. Adrenaline skyrocketing, he put his cheek to her lips, desperate to feel some sort of breath, while his fingers found her pulse.

He lifted his head, letting out a shaky breath. She was alive. Unconscious but alive.

Using all his strength, he managed to drag her from the Dumpster, setting her gently onto the floor. Then he went back in, digging deeper until he was able to find Scarlet too. She was in a similar state—cold, pale, but still breathing.

“Did you find them?”

He looked up. His brother had returned. He motioned to the girls. “They're unconscious,” he said. “I'm not sure why.” Then he added, “What about Emmy?”

“They brought her around back,” Caleb informed him. “Drove her down into that parking garage we escaped from last time. There must be a connecting passageway underneath. I couldn't get too close to see. But it looks like she's definitely staying on the premises, for now at least.” He dropped to his knees before Scarlet. “What's wrong with her?” he asked, looking up at his twin with horror. Connor started to shrug.

Then he saw it. So faint most people would have missed it. But it was there all the same, a slight purple ring around Trinity's nose. He grabbed his brother's arm, pointing it out. “Nether dust,” he whispered. “They've been dosed by Nether dust. The Dracken probably used it to down Emmy, not realizing—or caring—that the girls were here too.”

He grabbed Trinity by the shoulders. “Wake up!” he cried. “Trinity, baby, please wake up!” Beside him, Caleb started working on Scarlet, trying to get her awake. Connor could see his brother's face was white with fear. Not surprising; he knew the dangers of the Nether more than anyone.

“How long will it last?” Caleb asked in a trembling voice.

“I don't know. I guess it probably depends on the dosage, right? Though if they used enough to knock out a two-ton dragon…” Connor trailed off, not wanting to voice the obvious.

Come
on, Trin
, he begged silently.
You're stronger than this. You can fight it. Do not let them win.

His heart wrenched as his mind flashed back to all the fights they'd had over the last year. They seemed so stupid now. So meaningless. All the time he'd wasted being angry, because she wouldn't listen to him. But had he, at the same time, ever really listened to her? Just like with his brother and the dragon, he'd charged in, assuming he knew what was best. That his knowledge of one possible future made him an expert on them all.

But this future, as she'd told him a thousand times before, was yet unwritten. It might have similarities to his, but it wasn't the same.

Which meant they still had a chance, however small, to make things right.

To not let the Dracken win.

He squared his shoulders and turned to his brother. “Let's get them to the car,” he said “We'll drive them back to the airfield. Once they're safe, we'll figure out what to do.”

• • •

Back at the airfield, they unloaded the girls from the truck and, with heavy hearts, carried them into the sickroom, where once upon a time, both Caleb and Connor had lain. Neither of them had stirred the entire ride home, and Caleb's fear was expanding at an alarming rate. He thought back to his own time trapped in the Nether, how lonely he'd been, how long it had seemed to drag on. Now, to think Scarlet was suffering the same fate…and this time, they didn't have any easy access to dragon blood to wake her up.

“What are we going to do?” he asked, looking up at Connor, his stomach swimming with unease. “We can't just leave them like this.”

“No,” his brother agreed. “I'm going to go in after them. One way or another, I'll get them out.” He leveled his gaze on Caleb. “Both of them. I promise.”

Caleb nodded slowly, watching his brother reach into his backpack and pull out something small and shiny. He jerked involuntarily as he realized what it was.

“Sorry,” Connor said, looking a little guilty. “I didn't mean to…”

“It's okay,” Caleb said quickly. “I'm okay.” He turned from his brother and concentrated his gaze on Scarlet. Sweet, beautiful Scarlet, who was so much better than any drug. “I'm just sorry I'm such a loser that I can't help you do it.”

“You're not a loser,” Connor scolded. “You were manipulated, lied to. We all were. Your addiction to the Nether? It wasn't an accident. Nor was the murder of your dragon.”

Caleb listened, wide-eyed, as his brother recounted what he'd learned from Mara. When Connor had finished, Caleb whistled softly. “I can't believe it,” he said, shaking his head. “All this time, I thought…” He trailed off, not knowing what to say.

“Not that any of this excuses what I did,” Connor added, giving him a look of pure regret. “I acted out of fear. I didn't pause to think it through. I wanted to protect you, but I didn't give you the chance to protect yourself. I was so sure I knew, back then, the right thing to do. But I was wrong. I should have trusted you. I should have respected your decisions. I should never have killed your poor dragon.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I don't deserve for you to forgive me. But I do want you to know that I'm sorry—and that I know what I did was wrong.”

Caleb drew in a breath. He'd been waiting his whole life for his brother to say those words, but he'd never once thought they would actually come from his lips. “Thank you,” he said at last. “You don't know how much that means to me.” He paused then added, “We've had our differences. But we are brothers. We were born on the same team. Maybe it's time we start acting like it.”

“I'd like that,” Connor replied. He paused, then added, “What is it they do in this world again? Should we hug it out?”

Caleb found himself laughing. “Uh, yeah. Let's not get carried away.” He shook his head at his brother. “Look, Dragon Hunter, how about you go rescue my girlfriend, and we'll call it even?”

Connor nodded. “That I think I can do.”