Bridges Burned (Going Down in Flames #2)(5)

“Right.” Asshat. “You should go.” And don’t come back until you figure out what the hell you want. As he walked away from her, she fantasized about beaning him in the back of the head with the last can of soda.

She slammed the door as loud as possible, stalked to the phone, and dialed Ivy’s number. Her friend picked up on the first ring.

“Tell me everything,” Ivy said.

“The jerk kissed me and then left with Nola.”

“Crap. I’ll be right over.”

True to her word, Ivy showed up in five minutes. Once they were seated on the couch, Bryn relayed the story of Nola showing up out of nowhere. “She stole him right out from under my nose. One minute he was kissing me, and then he’s hugging her and kissing her forehead. What does that mean?”

“I don’t know.” Ivy hesitated. “They have been friends forever.”

Smoke shot from Bryn’s nostrils. “I hate her.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Fine.” She kicked the coffee table. “I hate that she showed up and he abandoned me. He could’ve at least kissed me good-bye.” She kicked the coffee table again. “She called me a sweet girl…made me sound like I was five.”

“I guess Zavien hasn’t told her about you,” Ivy said. “She needs to find her own guy.”

“According to the Directorate, Zavien is her guy. My life sucks.”

“She may be his intended, but he chose you,” Ivy said.

“Right.” Zavien had sworn that he and Nola were friends who wanted to put off marriage as long as possible, and he was working to change the law. Still, being abandoned hurt.

“Come on.” Ivy stood. “You need chocolate. We’re going to the dining hall to binge on dessert.”

They walked through her bedroom to the floor-to-ceiling window between the armoires, which provided access to the terrace. Once they were outside, Bryn shifted. It was second nature now. All she had to do was tap into her dragon essence. She could feel the power unfurling inside her, transforming her human body into a powerful beast with leatherlike wings and scales bigger than her palm and flames blazing in her chest. If she concentrated, she could change the flames to ice due to her Blue heritage, but fire came first. She was predominantly Red, like her father.

Stretching her wings, Bryn inhaled the crisp autumn air and launched herself into the sky. Freedom. That’s what flying felt like.

“Let’s fly for a while,” she called out to Ivy.

Ivy’s black scales flashed in the moonlight as she swooped in close and slapped Bryn’s flank with her tail. “Tag, you’re it.”

To make it more of a challenge, she gave Ivy a head start. Using her wing muscles she powered up above the cloud line and aimed for the Black dragon several hundred yards ahead of her.

Catching her was too easy. She bumped Ivy with her shoulder. “Try to keep up.”

Tucking her wings, Bryn dove through the clouds. She aimed for a grove of trees and skimmed above the branches. A glance over her shoulder showed Ivy trailing behind. Time to slow down.

Ivy panted. “You’re too fast. Let’s play follow the leader. Maybe I can outmaneuver you.” Ivy flew a lap around Bryn and then performed a midair somersault.

Cool. “Do it again,” Bryn yelled against the wind. “I need to see what you did with your wings.”

Ivy worked up some speed, tucked her wings against her body, and tumbled head over tail.

Looked simple enough. Bryn flew in a circle to build speed, pulled her wings in tight against her flank and flipped. The world spun over and over and over. Too fast. She couldn’t stop her momentum. Laughing, she managed to stop flipping after four complete revolutions.

“That was a pathetic display,” a male dragon’s voice said.

Where had the Blue come from? Sneaky jerk. The outline of Jaxon’s features flashed across the Blue dragon’s face. At least it was a sneaky jerk she knew. Just for fun, she huffed a fireball at his head, which he dodged with ease. “Show me what you can do, Jaxon.”

He accepted the challenge and demonstrated a precise diving roll.

“How feminine of you.” She attempted to copy him. Considering she’d never tried the maneuver, she didn’t do too badly.

“How inept of you,” he shot back.

Ivy imitated the move with ease. “I thought Blues were supposed to be better fliers.”

Jaxon yawned and managed to look bored. “If I had any competition I might try harder.”

He could outmaneuver her, but he couldn’t outfly her. “See the roof of the dining hall? First one to touch down wins. Ivy can start us.”

Frost shot from his nostrils. “You’re on.”

“Ready, set, go,” Ivy said.

Pumping her wings, Bryn gained speed and barreled forward. Blue scales stayed in her peripheral vision. Jaxon winning was not an option. She pushed harder, moving ahead a fraction of an inch. He gained ground. She gritted her teeth and pushed harder. The rooftop came into view below. Her claws scraped the asphalt seconds before Jaxon’s.

Momentum carried her forward. She had to fly a lap around the building to slow her speed. Jaxon managed to stick his landing.

The Blue dragon lifted his snout into the air when she landed next to him, her claws scraping the asphalt as she stumbled forward. “You have speed, but no finesse,” he informed her.