Smoked - Mari Mancusi Page 0,113

Emmy glanced back to where her children were watching TV. Then she turned back to Trinity, a guilty expression on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Trinity asked, her pulse kicking up in concern. “I thought you’d be thrilled. This is what you wanted, right? What we talked about? This was what we’ve been working toward all this time.”

I know. But… Emmy gave her a tortured look.

“What, Emmy…?” Trinity started to say. Then she closed her mouth, realization washing over her. She glanced up at the dragon, then over at her children. “Oh,” she said. “Right.”

If you turn back the clocks, they will never be born, Emmy said slowly. They risked their lives to save me. How can I turn around and take theirs away?

Trinity nodded slowly, realizing what the dragon was saying. “I know, Ems,” she said. “But what other option is there? We can’t hide you all forever. The government is going to close in on us. If we stay, the apocalypse is going to begin again, no matter what we do. We can’t just sit back and let Darius win!”

Emmy considered this for a moment. What about the place with all the dragons?

Trinity stared at her. In her excitement about the opportunity of the do-over, she’d forgotten the original purpose of the time machine: her father could send all the dragons back in time a million years—and they would all be safe.

But still…

She felt tears well in the corners of her eyes. It took everything inside of her not to scream, “What about me?” She and Emmy were supposed to be destined. And now Emmy was ready to walk away forever.

She drew in a breath. She couldn’t be selfish here. Emmy had tried everything to make it work and had suffered so much by doing it. Now she just wanted to be a mother. To save her children.

She had a life now. A life beyond Trinity. And Trinity had to finally learn to let her go.

“Okay,” she said. “I think we can do that.” Her voice broke on the last bit, and Emmy peered at her, looking concerned.

Will you be okay? she asked. I won’t go if you need me to stay. I made a promise to you. I would never let you fall.

Trinity forced herself to smile, even as her heart broke in her chest. “I will be fine,” she assured the dragon. “Not that I won’t miss you like crazy. But I’ll be fine.”

And, she realized as she said the words, she would be. She had lost so much over the last year—her mother, her grandfather, Connor. Now her dragon. But through it all, she had stood strong. And she would continue to stand strong in whatever was to come. Even if that meant a very un-epic, unexciting existence from this point on.

She watched, swiping away the tears, as Emmy bounded over to her children to share the news. This wasn’t a sad thing, she reminded herself. The dragons were going home. To a place where they would be top of the food chain. She tried to imagine them skimming the surface of the world, unfettered and free. Her only regret was she couldn’t watch it for herself.

But Emmy’s world was not hers. And hers was not her dragon’s. They would part. But they would both stand strong. Alone but always, deep down, together.

They were destined after all…

Chapter Fifty-Two

Trinity kept her promise, informing the group the next morning what the dragons had decided to do. The team was sad; they loved Emmy, and in the short time they’d gotten to know the other dragons, they’d grown to love them too. But at the same time, they understood the reasons behind the decision. How could they not want them to be safe?

They spent all morning saying their good-byes. The dragons looked almost as sad as their guardians when at last they shuffled toward the time-travel gate. But Emmy gently urged them forward, nuzzling them and encouraging them as they went. And the way they looked at her—well, it made Trinity’s heart melt with pride. She didn’t have a single doubt that Emmy was going to take good care of her brood. Be the best dragon mother ever.

Once the dragons were all lined up and the time machine had powered up, Emmy turned to Trinity, giving her a sheepish look.

I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how to say good-bye.

Trinity bit back her tears. “I’ve never been good at it,” she confessed. “It’s hard to let go. But