Smoked - Mari Mancusi Page 0,17

so simple and practical to do each day. Always knowing he was there, waiting for her every morning when she awoke. It gave her a sense of purpose to take care of him. To sit at his side, tell him stories, read him books.

Now she could barely get a moment alone with him, what with Scarlet constantly butting in to help. The girl had even pulled in her sleeping mat and laid it out at the edge of his bed so she could be there if he were to wake up in the dead of night. It was as if she thought they were some kind of couple, shared some kind of bond, when in reality, Scarlet barely knew Caleb. Not like Trinity knew him anyway.

She sighed. She was turning seventeen in a few days, and most times, she felt more like seventy.

“Come on, Trin, it’s not that bad,” Connor cajoled, interrupting her troubled thoughts. “I mean, think of it this way. Emmy may not be with us, but she’s not with them either. She’s not being abused or mistreated anymore. For the first time in her life, she’s totally free. And it’s all because of you.” He gave her a pointed look. “You should feel proud.”

“Proud? It’s my fault she was captured in the first place,” Trinity shot back. “If she’s just going to die now, after all she’s suffered. I should have just let you…”

She trailed off, unable to continue. It didn’t matter anyway. Connor knew all too well what she should have let him do. If she’d let him kill Emmy at the Walmart before the government took her away, then the dragon’s pain would have ended instantly. She would have never had to suffer.

If Trin had let Connor do his thing, it would have all been over forever. One precise shot to the soft scale on her arm, killing her instantly without a moment of pain. No more threat of dragon apocalypse. No more running for their lives. And Emmy could have lived out eternity in the embrace of the Nether, flying free with her fellow dragons. Wouldn’t that have been better for everyone in the end?

But Trinity had been too weak, too selfish—unable to bear the finality of death. Unable to accept the loss of the dragon she loved. So she’d stopped Connor. And she’d sent Scarlet into the hands of the enemy. At the time, she’d been so overconfident, thinking it would be no problem to get Emmy and Scarlet back. God, had she been a fool.

And Connor was so loyal. So loving. She knew he would stand by her side till the end of time—and never question her decisions out loud. But deep down, he had to be disappointed in her, right? Furious even. He was a man of action, after all. A soldier, trained to be decisive and strong. But instead, he’d listened to her. He’d followed his heart rather than his head. It was probably all he could do at this moment not to scream, “I told you so!” at the top of his lungs.

Bitterness wormed its way inside of her. She pulled away from his embrace.

“Well, hey, if she is dead, at least you’ve accomplished your mission,” she stated flatly. “I mean, no more Emmy means no more threat of apocalypse, right?”

“Trinity…” He looked at her, a pained expression on his face, but she turned stubbornly away. “That’s not—”

“You know, it’s just a shame you can’t go home now,” she added sarcastically. “Back to the future, I mean. Hell, I bet you’d return as some kind of conquering hero—the greatest Dragon Hunter to ever live.”

“I was already a hero,” he said quietly. “Trust me, the gig is vastly overrated.” He rose to his feet. “And, Trinity, if you really think I’d be celebrating Emmy’s death, well, then you don’t know me as well as I thought you did. In fact,” he added, “you don’t know me at all.”

He gave her a look filled with such disappointment it made her want to cry. Why was she being so hateful to him? Why couldn’t she just accept his comfort? Why did she feel the need to push everyone who cared about her away?

He turned to the door, headed for the exit. Her heart panged painfully in her chest.

“Connor?” she cried out, unable to just let him walk away.

He turned stiffly, meeting her eyes with his own tortured blue ones. “What, Trinity?” he asked in a strained voice.

“I—”

But she never got a chance