Bridges Burned (Going Down in Flames #2)(35)

A hand latched onto her arm and yanked hard. She stumbled backward. Zavien pulled her against his body and wrapped his arms around her like she was something precious he needed to protect. She twisted around and buried her face in his chest. His summer rainstorm scent brought tears to her eyes. She’d missed him so much.

A ripping sound filled the air. Sets suspended in the rafters broke loose and crashed down, missing them by inches. Nola screamed. Zavien squeezed Bryn tighter. He was protecting her, choosing her. If they didn’t die, maybe life could go back to how it was before, the way it was supposed to be.

The catwalk bucked and pitched sideways, wrenching Bryn from Zavien’s arms and launching both of them into the air.

Bryn shifted. Something lashed across her right wing like a razor blade. Roaring in pain, she veered left, diving past the chaos on the stage and aiming for the seats. She landed in the second level. A quick shift and she tumbled to the floor.

Her heart thudded in her chest. Where was Zavien? Students clogged the aisles in dragon and human form. She climbed on a seat for a better view and spotted Nola and Zavien a few rows over. Crap. She needed him over here, not over there.

A metallic screech filled the air. Bryn whipped her head around to locate the noise. The catwalk crashed down, splintering the stage. Cables snapped and zinged through the air and more can lights fell.

Then, silence.

Dust and mortar drifted everywhere, creating a haze. A ringing sound filled Bryn’s ears as her heart fought to return to a normal rhythm. Was it over?

“Everyone out here,” Zavien yelled. “Check to see if your friends are present. We need to figure out who’s missing.”

Students made their way into the seats. Some limped. Most were bleeding. Now that she no longer feared for her life, a stinging pain shot up her right arm. She wiped the blood away, revealing several deep cuts. After taking a moment to center herself, she gathered her life force and healed the wounds.

Where were her friends? She spotted Clint holding Ivy on his lap. Bryn pushed through the crowd to reach them. “Is she okay?”

Clint nodded.

Jaxon appeared at Bryn’s side. “Where’s Rhianna?”

Bryn pointed at the stage where sets lay tossed about like a fallen house of cards. “We were working over there before I went up on the catwalk.”

Jaxon ran for the stage, and Bryn followed. Together they picked up the wooden sets and moved them aside. Across the stage, other students sifted through the debris searching for friends.

Under a park scene, they found Rhianna. Her body was twisted and one of her legs was bent at an unnatural angle.

Jaxon dropped to his knees. “Rhianna?”

Bile rose in Bryn’s throat. She knelt and placed a hand on the girl’s forehead and scanned Rhianna’s body.

“Her pelvis is broken,” Bryn whispered.

“Fix it.”

“I don’t know how.” Tears rolled down her face. She couldn’t tell him about Rhianna’s spine. Maybe dragons were different from humans. Maybe Quintessence could heal a severed spinal cord.





Chapter Fifteen


“Who needs medical attention?” a male voice called out. Bryn waved at the medics streaming into the room. She stepped aside and waited to hear what the man would say.

The medic squatted next to Rhianna and ran his hands over her body. When his hand passed over her waist, he growled. “Her spine is damaged.”

Jaxon seemed to shrink in on himself.

“Can you fix it?” Bryn asked.

The medic sighed. “We can heal it, but damage has already been done.”

Jaxon pushed to his feet. “I’ll make arrangements for a staff of specialists to treat her. Tell no one of her condition.”

The medic nodded and Jaxon left the auditorium.

“Why keep this a secret?” Bryn asked.

The medic ignored her while he healed Rhianna’s pelvis. Once he was done, he spoke with a voice full of pity. “If his father finds out, he’ll void their marriage petition.”

“Bastard.”

The medic didn’t respond. She took his silence as agreement.

“Bryn.” Clint waved from across the room and pointed to the doors leading outside. It must be okay to leave. Should she go with them? What about Zavien? He’d chosen her in a time of crisis, but what did that mean?

At the moment, he was in a heated debate with Nola. Neither of them looked happy. If she walked over to him while he was with Nola, nothing good would happen. Frustrated, she growled and moved to join her friends by the exit. They emerged in the cool evening air, and her breath caught in her throat.

Broken glass from the theater building’s windows glittered in the moonlight, making the sidewalks look like they were covered in diamonds. Splintered trees were ripped from the ground and tossed about like kindling. Reds dressed in military fashion roamed the campus with eyes narrowed and fists clenched, ready for a fight. The enemy seemed to have slipped away like mist.

“One of the medics said the attack was wind, like tornadoes,” Clint said.

“Green dragons attacking the campus?” Ivy said. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“Whoever it was, they meant to hurt people.” Smoke shot from Bryn’s nostrils.

They walked toward their dorm in silence. Not telling Clint and Ivy about the incident on the catwalk was making her crazy. But talking about her love life seemed shallow when Rhianna lay injured and the campus was in chaos.