Free Shattered by Mari Mancusi Page A

get that video. I’m not leaving until I get it.” After all, it was just a new car for Rebekah. But Scarlet’s whole future depended on these particular fifteen seconds of fame.
    “Fine. But if you’re not back in twenty minutes, I’m going to call the cops.”
    Scarlet let out a frustrated breath. “You won’t need to. I’ll be in and out. No big deal.”
    Rebekah gave her one more disparaging look then pedaled her bike off down the road. Scarlet watched her go, sighing, then turned back to the barn. She was on her own.
    “Okay, dragon,” she muttered. “Hope you’re ready for your close-up.”
    Slowly she made her way back to the barn. The door was still cracked and she wondered, for a moment, why the creature hadn’t tried to follow them outside. With careful steps, she slipped through the doors and found the camera on the ground, still rolling and glowing green. Picking it up, she scanned the barn again, her hands shaking so hard she wasn’t sure even steady cam could compensate.
    “Hey, dragon,” she whispered hoarsely. “Are you in here? I’m not going to hurt you. I just need a little video, okay? It’s for a good cause, I swear.”
    As if in answer, the dragon stepped out from the shadows. Now that her eyes had adjusted a bit, Scarlet could make out her silhouette. It was small. Well, small for a dragon, anyway. The night before in the woods, she’d been so freaked out, she’d pictured the creature to be larger than life. But in reality, it wasn’t much bigger than her neighbor’s Golden Retriever. Was that normal for real-life dragons? Or was she just a baby?
    She trained the video camera on the creature. “That’s it,” she whispered. “Good girl. That’s a good girl.”
    Good girl? What does she think I am, some kind of dog?
    Scarlet squeaked, nearly dropping the camera. She staggered backward, her eyes bugging from her head as she stared at the dragon.
    “Oh my God, you can talk?” she cried.
    The dragon looked just as startled. It backed up slowly, looking at Scarlet with wary eyes.
    You can hear me?
    The voice whispered across her consciousness like a gentle breeze, though the creature’s mouth never moved. It was high-pitched, young, definitely female—and definitely belonging to the dragon standing in front of her. Even though that was, of course, totally, utterly impossible. But then, so was everything else about this whole scenario.
    An excitement swelled in Scarlet’s stomach. A dragon—a talking dragon. This was getting cooler and cooler by the second.
    “I can hear you just fine,” she said, feeling a little silly talking out loud to the creature. But it seemed rude not to answer her, and she had no idea how to do the whole mental telepathy thing.
    The dragon gaped at her for a moment, looking as astounded as Scarlet felt.
    How is that possible? she asked at last. Humans can never understand anything I try to tell them. Well, besides my Fire Kissed, of course, but she’s different. The dragon paused, peering at her with suspicious eyes. Are you sure you’re human?
    “Uh, yeah, last I checked,” Scarlet stammered, still overwhelmed by the fact that she was actually conversing with a creature of myth and legend in a rundown Texas barn. If only Rebekah were still here—though it sounded like it was quite possible that her friend would not be able to hear the dragon, even if she were.
    But Scarlet could hear her just fine. Much like she’d been able to sense her presence in the barn without knowing why.
    “Maybe it has something to do with your blood?” she added, a thought striking her. “That’s how I was able to track you down. I mean, that’s my theory anyway.”
    The dragon cocked her head in question. My blood?
    “Yeah, you know,” Scarlet said with growing confidence. “Remember last night in the woods? You healed my arm with your blood. And ever since then, I’ve been able to feel you somehow. Like, where you are.” She considered this for a moment.