She needs me.”
He gave the teal dragon a heartbreaking look, and Trin winced at the anguish she recognized on his face. She tried to imagine what it would be like if Emmy was the one who had died. Would she herself be finding reasons to come here every day?
Still…
“Look, I’m sorry. I love Fred too,” she said. “She’s a great dragon. Super smart and super sweet. But she’s also dead, Caleb. And there’s nothing you can do to change that fact.” She sighed, hating the harsh hurt she was piling on with her reality check. But it had to be done. “Emmy, on the other hand, is still alive. She’s the one who needs our attention now.”
Caleb scowled, the sand swirling around his legs as if swept up in a storm. Behind him, lightning slashed across the sky, mirroring his mood. “She doesn’t need me. She’s got you and my brother. I’m just the a-hole who put her life in danger, remember?”
Trinity shook her head. “Caleb, I already apologized for—”
“Look, you and my brother obviously have everything worked out perfectly between you. Emmy doesn’t need me screwing things up all the time. Hell, it’d probably be better for everyone if I just stayed in here with Fred forever.”
“That’s not true,” she cried, her heart breaking at the hurt she could hear hidden beneath his anger. “We do need you.”
But he had already turned from her, storming across the arid plain, leaving her and his dragon behind. She watched him go for a moment, her stomach lurching with nausea mixed with fear. He wouldn’t really stay here, would he? In this horrible, lonely place?
Her mind flashed to the last time she’d seen her mother—of her sunken cheeks, her ghostly pallor, her glazed-over eyes. The Nether had stolen away the woman’s very soul and, in the end, death had been the only possible means of escape.
Trinity hadn’t been able to save her mother. But Caleb…
Somehow, she found her feet, sprinting after him, reaching him and jerking him around by his arm. His gaze caught hers, trapping her where she stood, and for a moment they just looked at one another as her knees threatened to buckle out from under her.
“ I need you,” she corrected in a hoarse whisper. It was the only thing to say.
He stared at her for a moment, anger and hurt warring on his face, as if he wanted desperately to believe her but just couldn’t. Despair washed over her and she found herself moving toward him. Wanting to show him what she couldn’t speak.
But before her lips could brush against his, he pushed her away, with a gentleness that belied the tortured look on his face. “Don’t,” he said in a strangled voice. “Please don’t, Trin. It’ll only make it harder.” He stared down at the ground. “And it’s so damn hard already.”
Trin’s heart broke. “Caleb—”
He shook his head vehemently. “Look, I’ll be there for you, okay?” he cried. “You know I will. I dedicated my life to you long ago and nothing has changed. Whatever you want, whatever you need from me, I’ll do it. I’ll always do it.” He gave her an anguished look. “Just please don’t ask me to walk away from my dragon. That’s the one thing I can never do.” He paused, turning away. “Even for you.”
Chapter Eight
“There it is,” Scarlet whispered as she crouched down behind a rusty tractor, a few feet from the darkened farmhouse. Her gaze traveled to the adjacent barn and she closed her eyes to listen. While her ears could pick up nothing beyond the typical cicada and cricket chorus soundtracking the Texas night, her mind caught something else entirely. She opened her eyes, beckoning for Rebekah to catch up. “It’s in there,” she told her friend, pointing to the barn. “I’m sure of it.”
Rebekah joined her behind the tractor, peering around its rear wheel and leveling her eyes on the darkened farmhouse and barn. Then she turned back to Scarlet. “How do you know?” she asked, her voice filled with
He gave the teal dragon a heartbreaking look, and Trin winced at the anguish she recognized on his face. She tried to imagine what it would be like if Emmy was the one who had died. Would she herself be finding reasons to come here every day?
Still…
“Look, I’m sorry. I love Fred too,” she said. “She’s a great dragon. Super smart and super sweet. But she’s also dead, Caleb. And there’s nothing you can do to change that fact.” She sighed, hating the harsh hurt she was piling on with her reality check. But it had to be done. “Emmy, on the other hand, is still alive. She’s the one who needs our attention now.”
Caleb scowled, the sand swirling around his legs as if swept up in a storm. Behind him, lightning slashed across the sky, mirroring his mood. “She doesn’t need me. She’s got you and my brother. I’m just the a-hole who put her life in danger, remember?”
Trinity shook her head. “Caleb, I already apologized for—”
“Look, you and my brother obviously have everything worked out perfectly between you. Emmy doesn’t need me screwing things up all the time. Hell, it’d probably be better for everyone if I just stayed in here with Fred forever.”
“That’s not true,” she cried, her heart breaking at the hurt she could hear hidden beneath his anger. “We do need you.”
But he had already turned from her, storming across the arid plain, leaving her and his dragon behind. She watched him go for a moment, her stomach lurching with nausea mixed with fear. He wouldn’t really stay here, would he? In this horrible, lonely place?
Her mind flashed to the last time she’d seen her mother—of her sunken cheeks, her ghostly pallor, her glazed-over eyes. The Nether had stolen away the woman’s very soul and, in the end, death had been the only possible means of escape.
Trinity hadn’t been able to save her mother. But Caleb…
Somehow, she found her feet, sprinting after him, reaching him and jerking him around by his arm. His gaze caught hers, trapping her where she stood, and for a moment they just looked at one another as her knees threatened to buckle out from under her.
“ I need you,” she corrected in a hoarse whisper. It was the only thing to say.
He stared at her for a moment, anger and hurt warring on his face, as if he wanted desperately to believe her but just couldn’t. Despair washed over her and she found herself moving toward him. Wanting to show him what she couldn’t speak.
But before her lips could brush against his, he pushed her away, with a gentleness that belied the tortured look on his face. “Don’t,” he said in a strangled voice. “Please don’t, Trin. It’ll only make it harder.” He stared down at the ground. “And it’s so damn hard already.”
Trin’s heart broke. “Caleb—”
He shook his head vehemently. “Look, I’ll be there for you, okay?” he cried. “You know I will. I dedicated my life to you long ago and nothing has changed. Whatever you want, whatever you need from me, I’ll do it. I’ll always do it.” He gave her an anguished look. “Just please don’t ask me to walk away from my dragon. That’s the one thing I can never do.” He paused, turning away. “Even for you.”
Chapter Eight
“There it is,” Scarlet whispered as she crouched down behind a rusty tractor, a few feet from the darkened farmhouse. Her gaze traveled to the adjacent barn and she closed her eyes to listen. While her ears could pick up nothing beyond the typical cicada and cricket chorus soundtracking the Texas night, her mind caught something else entirely. She opened her eyes, beckoning for Rebekah to catch up. “It’s in there,” she told her friend, pointing to the barn. “I’m sure of it.”
Rebekah joined her behind the tractor, peering around its rear wheel and leveling her eyes on the darkened farmhouse and barn. Then she turned back to Scarlet. “How do you know?” she asked, her voice filled with
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