Bridges Burned (Going Down in Flames #2)(89)

Something registered in her peripheral vision. Blinking, she turned and checked for company. It must have been a bird. Being cautious, she circled, like she was enjoying her flight, without a concern in the world.

Blip. There it was again. Someone was watching her, she was sure of it. Maybe flying by herself when there were people attacking Directorate members families wasn’t the best idea, but Jaxon had been out by himself, so it must be okay. Right?

Hoping to keep the element of surprise, she drove up into the air and rolled like she was playing around. From this higher vantage point, she saw nothing.

Was she paranoid?

Blip. Damn it. Someone was playing games with her or stalking her. Either way, she didn’t plan to stick around and find out. Tucking her wings to her body, she dove down, building up speed before she curved back up again. Flying the way a dolphin would swim. Pretending to play while she flew as fast as she could.

She banked the flames in her gut, in case she needed to shoot a fireball at someone’s head. As bad as her afternoon had gone, she’d shoot a fireball at any dragon who approached and apologize later, if need be.

Pumping her wings, she drove up and dove down. Her breath came faster as she repeated this maneuver again and again. Was she being too predictable? She performed a diving roll on the next downward dive. There in the distance, she could see the lights glowing from her grandparents’ estate. In five minutes she’d be inside, drinking hot cocoa, eating cookies that didn’t suck, and laughing about all of this.

Blip. Blip. Two Black dragons appeared out of nowhere, a hundred yards out, flanking her on either side. This time, they didn’t disappear; they kept pace with her. Keeping their distance, but making sure they were seen. What did that mean?

She didn’t recognize the human features that flashed across their faces. Both were male. That was all she knew for sure. Giving up on pretending they weren’t creeping her out, she focused all her attention on outflying them. She was the fastest flyer on campus. Time to give up pretenses and outrun the creepy bastards.

Push. Push. Push. Her wing muscles ached with exertion. The tendons burned. Just a few more minutes; she could do this. She had to do this. Her life might depend on it. The Black dragons couldn’t keep up. The one on the left dropped out of sight, and then the one on the right.

The forest below her thinned out. Thank God, she was at the edge of her grandparents’ estate. Almost home. Wait. Had she just thought of this place as home?

Bam. Her wings. She couldn’t move her wings. Lashing out with teeth and claws, she tore at whatever ensnared her. Fire crawled up her throat; she inhaled and spouted flames all around her, roaring in frustration as she plummeted to the ground.

What was binding her? A spell? A net? Her wings bent at an unnatural angle. Pain, so much pain, she couldn’t breathe. Shift. Maybe she could escape in human form. Get out of whatever held her and then shift back and fly away. She shifted to human form. The net, she could see it now. With holes large enough to crawl through. Struggling, she wiggled through an opening.

Shouts came from all around her. The ground came up fast. The net still held her calves. No more time. She shifted back, praying the net would break from the strain. Pain, burning searing pain as the net sliced into her flank like a razor. With the last of her energy, she shifted back to human form, slammed into the ground, and the world went black.

…

Noise filtered through the fuzziness of her head. Was someone talking? Saying her name? Had she been captured? Doing her best to lie still, she played dead and listened.

Wait a minute, shouldn’t she be in pain? All she felt was numb. Warmth surrounded her, but she felt nothing. Opening her eyes to slits, she tried to focus. Green. Green filled her vision.

“I think she’s coming to,” a voice said.

“Bryn?” She felt pressure on her hand. Someone was holding it. “Bryn? What in the hell were you thinking?”

Wait. That voice she recognized. She opened her eyes. More green, and then the green was gone. In its place a watercolor version of her grandmother. “You’re blurry.”

“You’ve had a head injury. Your vision will improve,” a different voice said.

There was the green again. It was scrubs. Medics wore green scrubs. A Green dragon was wearing green scrubs. Laughter bubbled from her throat.

“This isn’t funny.” Her grandmother again. And she sounded furious. “Do you have any idea…? You could have died.”

Warmth flowed into Bryn’s veins; she recognized the Quintessence at work. The fog in her brain cleared a bit.

“That’s better.” She focused on her grandmother. “Who attacked me?”

“No one attacked you, you fool. You flew onto the estate, unannounced, and set off the new security system,” a male voice said.

Oh, hell. She recognized that voice. “Screw you, Ferrin.” Seemed like the least offensive answer she could come up with.

“Leave this room,” her grandmother said.

“What? I don’t think I can walk.”

“Not you, Bryn. You won’t be going anywhere for a long time. You’re grounded. Ferrin Westgate, leave this room before I have you escorted out.”

Bryn giggled. “My grandmother is a badass.”

Several people laughed. Bryn didn’t know if her grandmother was one of them. Warmth flowed through her body again, and she drifted off to sleep.