Smoked - Mari Mancusi Page 0,52
front of the dragons protectively. “And here I thought you were on our side!”
Caleb let out a frustrated breath. “I am on your side. God, Scarlet, don’t you see? That’s the whole reason I agreed to help you in the first place—to give the dragons the benefit of the doubt. Not everyone would have done that. But I figured if there was even the slightest possibility that they were purebloods, they deserved a chance to prove it. To me, it was worth the risk.” He paused, then added, his eyes leveling on hers, “You were worth the risk.”
Scarlet’s heart fluttered involuntarily at his words. Damn it. He always did know exactly what to say to stop her in her tracks. To make her consider even his craziest ideas.
And was this even crazy? Was it a bad thing that he gave the dragons a chance to prove that they were good and peaceful? He’d done everything she’d asked over these last five months. And though he’d never said it aloud, she was pretty sure he loved Zavier and Zoe almost as much as she did. There was no way he would just willingly put them in danger now.
“Look, Buttercup,” he said, his voice softening. “Don’t be mad at me. I was trying to do the right thing. Yes, I probably should have told you the whole story, but I was afraid it would scare you—or stress you out. I didn’t want you all worried until I knew whether there was anything to be worried about. And now we know there’s not. Zoe and Zavier are clearly not hybrids. And everyone back at the base is going to love them as much as we do.” He shrugged. “Still, if you don’t think it’s the right time, we can keep going on as we have. Or try to find another way.”
She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again, unsure of what she’d been planning to say. She knew Caleb was making sense. But a strong ache still crawled through her gut all the same. It took her a moment to identify the feeling. And when she did, she realized uncomfortably that it had nothing to do with the care and feeding of dragons.
And everything to do with Caleb himself.
She sighed. Over the last five months, they’d grown so close, as if they had a secret family, just the four of them. A special bond between them. Would that still be there if they rejoined the rest of the group? Or would Trin charge in, taking over as she always tried to do?
No more hunting expeditions. No more sneaking out for nighttime flying. No more chances that somehow she and Caleb would become more than they were.
Don’t be stupid, she scolded herself. Caleb doesn’t think of you in that way. All this time spent just the two of you, and he’s never even tried to make a move.
Well, not since that one night in the Nether, anyway. But they never talked about that night. To be honest, she still wasn’t positive he remembered it had happened at all. Which made her wish it actually hadn’t happened, because there was no way she could forget that it did.
Stop thinking of yourself, she scolded. It’s Zavier and Zoe you should be thinking of now. And Caleb’s right. We can’t keep doing this on our own. We need help. They need help.
“You’re right,” she found herself saying before she could change her mind again. “You’re absolutely right. There’s no way to continue on as we have been. We need to get the others on board if we want to keep everyone happy and safe.” The words tasted like sawdust in her mouth, but she knew they had to be said.
She felt Caleb’s eyes on her, curious and searching. She turned to face him, and he gave her a sad smile. “You should be proud, you know?” he said softly. “All you’ve done for them? They couldn’t have asked for a better mother.”
She blushed, suddenly embarrassed. “Yeah, well, turns out you’re not such a bad baby daddy yourself,” she managed to quip.
He shook his head slowly, his glowing blue eyes never leaving her face. “God, Scarlet,” he whispered, “why do you have to be so sweet?”
Her breath caught in her throat. His words. The look in his eyes. Was he really going to kiss her? She found herself taking a step toward him, wanting him to know she was willing—that if he took the risk, he