Free Shattered by Mari Mancusi Page B

“Maybe it’s like when people give vampires their blood; they become psychically connected for all eternity.” She couldn’t help a small smile at this. Imagine being psychically connection with a dragon! How cool would that be?
    The dragon raised a scaly eyelid.
    Are you a vampire?
    “Well, no, of course not,” Scarlet admitted lamely, feeling her cheeks heat. She wasn’t sure if that had been a sincere question or if the dragon was teasing her. (A dragon…teasing her!) “Vampires don’t really exist, obviously. I mean, I don’t think they do. Of course up until yesterday I didn’t think dragons existed either, so really, what do I know?”
    She was rambling. Babbling like a fool. To a dragon!
    Dragons don’t really exist either , the creature informed her. Scarlet watched as she nudged something under a nearby bench with her nose. A moment later, a weak beam of light shone through the barn. Some kind of battery powered lantern? Well, not anymore anyway. As far as I know, I’m the last one. The rest died out millions of years ago.
    She said this matter-of-factly, but Scarlet thought she caught a flicker of sadness in her eyes and was reminded suddenly of a movie she saw as a kid. A fantasy cartoon about the world’s last unicorn. The unicorn had been lonely, desperate to find others of her kind. She wondered if this dragon was lonely too.
    “What are you doing in here anyway?” she found herself asking, looking around the barn now that she had some light. It was packed with rusty farm equipment and old saddles, and there were definitely bones of unidentified animals mixed within the hay. She wondered if she should be scared—this dragon was clearly not a salad eater—but then decided if she’d wanted a midnight snack, she would have already gotten started. “Did someone capture you last night after you healed me?” She frowned, suddenly angry at the idea of someone trapping the dragon in a place like this. A beautiful, exotic creature like her should not be locked up in a cage.
    But to her surprise, the dragon shook her head. This is where I live.
    “What?” Scarlet cried before she could stop herself. “You live here? In the Old McCormick barn? Since when?”
    A few weeks? A month? I’m not entirely sure.
    Scarlet, who couldn’t imagine spending ten more minutes in this dark and smelly place, shuddered. “Then why were you locked in?” she asked, trying to put the puzzle pieces together. “I mean, if this is your home and all.”
    The dragon’s face fell, and for a moment she didn’t answer. Then she sighed. She says it’s for my own good.
    “She?” Scarlet questioned. Another puzzle piece. “Who’s she?”
    My Fire Kissed. She’s human, like you. She lives in the main house with the boys.
    “And leaves you locked up in the barn?” Scarlet finished, feeling offended on the dragon’s behalf.
    The boy used to take me out to fly , the dragon told her, looking up at her with heartbreakingly sad blue eyes. That’s how I found you in the cave. But then she found out. And she was angry with me. She says from now on I can’t leave the barn.
    “Ever?” Scarlet asked, incredulous. “But that’s horrible!” She shot a glance at the house, her mouth twisting into a frown. She had half a mind to speed dial PETA or at least the Vista Animal Control. There had to be some kind of animal cruelty law against keeping an exotic beast captive in a barn twenty-four/seven—like when people smuggled in tigers from China and kept them in their apartments.
    “Maybe I should have a word with Miss Fire Kissed,” she determined, rising to her feet. But the dragon leapt into her path, her eyes wide with alarm.
    You can’t! she cried. She’ll be furious if she finds you here. And the boys might try to hurt you. The dragon stared dejectedly at the ground. I like you. You’re the only one I can talk to besides her. I don’t want you to get hurt.
    Scarlet clenched her fists in frustration. “I know,