Smoked - Mari Mancusi Page 0,15
trying to warm them, while peering down at his face, searching for some sign of life. Some hidden spark, deep down, that told her he was still in there, still holding out, waiting for her to return.
But she saw nothing. Just a deathly pallor that chilled her to the bone. She bit her lower lip, feeling the tears leak from her eyes. Could Connor be right? Was he really gone? Was this only the shell of the boy who had held her in his arms and kissed her as she’d begged him to help her save the world?
No. She frowned, brushing the tears away with an angry swipe. She refused to believe that. Let the others think what they would—she knew he was still in there somewhere, still fighting to get free.
“I’m here now, Caleb,” she whispered, still holding his hand. “I’m back and I’m not going to leave. I know you’re in there somewhere, and I’m not going to give up on you.”
On impulse, she leaned down. As her lips brushed across his cheek, she heard the clearing of a throat behind her. She jumped out of her seat, startled, dropping Caleb’s hand like a hot potato. When she turned around, she saw Trinity, silhouetted in the doorway.
“Oh. You scared me,” Scarlet said with an uneasy laugh. Her heart pattered nervously in her chest. How long had she been standing there? How much had she heard?
Trinity didn’t smile back. “What are you doing in here?” she asked instead.
“Nothing.” Scarlet felt her face heat. “I was just… Your father said he was here…and…”
“And…?” Trinity raised an eyebrow.
“And I wanted to—see him,” she stammered, now feeling completely flustered. “That’s all.”
It was then that she remembered that Trinity would have no idea what had gone down between her and Caleb in the Nether. Of course she would be questioning—for all she knew, Scarlet barely knew the guy. She wondered if she should come clean, inform Trinity that she and Caleb were basically a couple now. But something in the girl’s black eyes caused the words to stick in her throat.
“Well, here he is, the great and powerful Caleb Jacks, in the flesh,” Trinity said wryly as she walked over to the chair Scarlet had been sitting in, plopping down on it like it was an old friend, grabbing a book from underneath the bed. The Fellowship of the Ring, Scarlet noted from the spine. She watched awkwardly as Trin opened it to a dog-eared page three-quarters of the way in, then paused, looking up at Scarlet. “Did you…want to…stay?” she asked, sounding as if she really hoped Scarlet didn’t.
“No. No, I’m…I’m good,” Scarlet said, taking a step backward. “I’m actually—well, I need to figure out where I’m going to sleep and all. And maybe get some of that pizza your dad was cooking. Man, it’s been forever since I’ve had any pizza.”
The relief on Trinity’s face was palpable. “Try the feta cheese and pineapple,” she suggested. “It’s really good.”
“I will. Thank you,” Scarlet replied. “And…well, thanks for the rescue too. It’s really, really nice to be here. I owe you everything. And I’m sorry about what I said about Emmy outside. I’m sure she’ll come back when she’s ready. She loves you, you know. Back at the government lab, you were all she ever talked about. I mean, when she was still talking…”
She trailed off, realizing Trinity wasn’t really listening. Just staring down at the book as if waiting for Scarlet to leave. Scarlet sighed. Would things ever be less awkward between them? “Anyway, I’ll…catch you later.”
With that, she turned, exiting the room as quickly as she could, leaving Caleb to his story time. As she stepped through the doorway, she couldn’t help but turn around to give him one last look. To her surprise, Trinity had abandoned the book and was now leaning on Caleb’s chest, head buried in her arms.
And she was crying.
Chapter Four
Two Months Later…
“Die, dragon, die!”
As the mighty dragon reared in front of her, Trinity mashed the hot keys on her laptop computer, determined to take the Fields of Fantasy boss down. As a Fury Warrior, she needed to deliver enough damage per second to fell the mighty beast before it rained its fire down on her party and destroyed them all. Beside her, the tank warrior took the brunt of the damage while the mage and priest were casting spells behind her. It was an extremely precarious operation—and everyone had to do their jobs just right—or it