too late.”
Her pulse was skyrocketing now. If Emmy didn’t move on her own, what were they going to do? She was too big to carry. She had to weigh at least a couple tons. The only way she was getting out of here was if she walked or flew herself.
And if she refused to do that…
“Emmy, listen to me!” Scarlet broke in. “This is your rescue. Do you understand that? This is the happily ever after I’ve been promising you.”
Emmy opened one eye but made no effort to move.
Suddenly Trinity could feel Connor grabbing her arm, trying to drag her backward. “It’s no use,” he told her in a tight voice. “They’ve broken her spirit. I’ve seen it before, and dragons don’t recover from it. It’s over, Trin. There’s nothing we can do.”
“No!” She jerked his hand away, running to Emmy. She dropped to her knees again before the mighty beast, throwing her arms around her neck and squeezing her as tightly as she could. Emmy was so big, so beautiful, even with all her afflictions. And Trin’s tears rained down, wetting Emmy’s dull scales.
“Emmy, I know you’re hurting. And I know you’re scared,” she whispered to the dragon, her voice so choked at this point she could barely form the words. “And I know you’re probably mad at me for taking so long to come. But I’m here now, Emmy. And I’m going to get you out of here. I made a promise to you long ago, and I’m not going to break it now.”
She looked up at Connor. “Get Scarlet out of here,” she told him. “I’m going to stay with her.”
Connor’s face paled. “No.” He shook his head. “They’ll kill you if they find you in here.”
“Then they’ll kill me,” she replied, her resolve firming. “And I’ll die with my dragon. I should have never let her go in the first place. And I will never leave her again.” She rose, giving him her most defiant look. “Now go.”
Connor hedged, looking torn. Trinity opened her mouth to tell him again but was interrupted as Emmy suddenly jerked her head—violently—in her direction. Caught off guard, she lost her balance and went sprawling to the floor, yelping in pain as her ankle jarred from the impact.
What the…? She scrambled back to her feet, turning questioningly to the dragon. Emmy glared back at her. For the first time since they’d arrived in the lab, she thought she saw something in the beast’s eyes. And crazy hope stirred within her.
“You don’t want me to stay, do you?” she challenged the dragon. “You want me to leave you here and save myself.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stared the beast down. “Well, sorry, Ems, that’s not going to happen. I’m your Fire Kissed—I don’t care if we’ve been de-bonded. You stay here, I’m staying here. End of story.”
Emmy’s eyes narrowed. Steam hissed from her nostrils.
“Come on, Trin,” Connor begged. “She clearly does not want to go.”
“Then neither do I,” Trin replied flatly. She planted her feet firmly on the floor, directly in front of the dragon. “You want to die in here, Emmy? No problem. But we’ll die together. Sound like a plan?”
Emmy tossed her head angrily, pawing the ground with her foot. Her mouth was slightly open, and Trin could see the warning sparks of fire dancing on her tongue. The dragon took a couple threatening steps toward her, but she held her ground.
That’s right, Emmy. Get mad. Get furious. Just don’t let them win.
Suddenly she felt Connor at her side. “You know what?” he asked, shooting Trinity a look. “I think I’m going to stay too.”
“Me too,” Scarlet added, also crossing her arms over her chest as she stepped into line between the two of them. She flashed the dragon a fierce look that sent a thrill up Trinity’s spine.
Yeah, baby. Team Dragon represent.
“Sorry, Ems,” Trinity said, forcing back a smug smile. “But it looks like you’re stuck with us.”
Emmy opened her mouth, probably to protest, but a sudden banging at the entryway interrupted her, followed by angry shouting just behind the door. Trinity’s heart jolted in her chest. Crap. They’d been found out. And she knew it wouldn’t take them long to break down the doors and through Connor’s hastily assembled barricade.
Team Dragon’s bluff was about to be called, big time.
She turned back to Emmy, trying not to let her fear show. “Your move,” she said to the dragon. “Are you going to let us all