to make a run for it.
“Well…?” he asked.
“Please don’t tell the others,” she managed to squeak.
“That’s all you have to say?” He stared at her for a moment, then back at the dragons, who were now tussling over a small overcooked rib. “Come on, Scarlet. How about a little backstory here? Where on earth did you find them? How long have you had them? Why are you hiding them here, and why don’t you want anyone else to know?”
She bit her lower lip then sank to her knees, continuing to dole out the food. For a moment, he thought she might not answer him at all. Then she spoke. “They’re Emmy’s children,” she said quietly. “The pink one is Zoe and the black is Zavier. They were living in a cave about ten miles from here. From what I can figure, Emmy must have gone there to lay her eggs after we broke her out of the government lab. That’s why she was MIA for two months.”
Caleb drew in a breath. Unbelievable. Yet, at the same time, undeniable. “So you just decided to bring them here?” he asked. “And you’ve been hiding them here ever since?”
She shrugged, dropping her gaze to the floor. “I didn’t know what else to do.”
Suddenly Caleb could feel sharp eyes upon him, and he turned back to the dragons. Zavier had stopped eating and was now peering up at him curiously with a wise, old gaze that belied his young years. There was a heartbeat pause, then Caleb heard it—a voice, whispering across his consciousness. The type of voice he’d believed he’d never hear again.
Are you my Guardian?
His eyes widened. He stared at the dragon. Then at Scarlet. And just like that, all the puzzle pieces slid into perfect place.
“You gave me his blood,” he realized aloud. “Emmy couldn’t do it, but her babies could. The blood from his scale was what broke me out of the Nether.”
Scarlet nodded slowly, still looking a little frightened. “I’m sorry—I didn’t know what else to do,” she confessed. “They told me it’d take a miracle to wake you. And that made me think of my miracle, when Emmy healed me back at the cave. I didn’t know if it would work, if it was even the same kind of thing. But I had to try.”
Caleb looked down at her, everything inside of him softening. Pretty much the entire Team Dragon—besides Trinity maybe—had given up on the idea of him ever gaining consciousness. Except for Scarlet. And Scarlet had not only not given up, but she’d made sure it actually happened. Why hadn’t she told him what she’d done for him? God, now he really felt like an ungrateful bastard.
“Well, I’m very glad you did,” he said softly, reaching down to touch her shoulder. Scarlet winced as his hand brushed against her bare skin, and she quickly scooted forward, out of his reach, with the pretense of gathering up Zoe into her arms.
“It was no big deal,” she muttered. “I’m sure Trinity would have done the same.”
The hurt in her voice as she spoke Trinity’s name was sharp and bleak. Caleb closed his eyes for a moment, hating himself all over again.
“Well, she didn’t,” he reminded her hoarsely. “You did. And for that, I owe you a great debt of thanks.”
“I don’t need your thanks,” she replied. “I just need you to keep my secret. I can’t have anyone knowing the dragons are here.”
“What about Emmy?” he asked, glancing around the shack as if the mother dragon could be lurking in the shadows. “Are they a secret from her as well?”
“Especially her!” Scarlet cried, turning to him, her eyes wide with what could only be described as pure terror. “She can never know I brought them here. If she found out…”
“I don’t understand,” he protested. This didn’t make any sense. “If they’re her children… Scarlet, why would you want to keep her children from her?”
Scarlet drew in a breath. “Because the last time she saw her children, she asked me to kill them.” She paused, then added, “And…well, it’s possible she might be under the impression that I already did.”
“What?” Caleb swallowed hard, not sure what to say. “Why would she want you to do that? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“You’re right,” Scarlet said gloomily. “It doesn’t make any sense at all. The only thing I can figure is that Emmy’s not really right in the head these days, not after what they did to her in the government