Going Down in Flames (Going Down in Flames #1)(29)

Zavien, Clint, and Ivy stared at her like she had two heads.

“What?”

Ivy gave an apologetic smile. “All dragons are born in July or August.”

“How’s that possible?”

Clint snorted, and Ivy smacked him in the back of the head. “Grow up.” She cleared her throat. “Most animals give birth in the spring. We conceive in November and December and give birth in July and August.”

“My parents didn’t tell me any of this.” Damn it. “What else do I need to know?”

Even though she planned on running back to humanity as soon as possible, she needed more information about dragon society so she wouldn’t keep putting her foot in her mouth.

Ivy tapped her fingernails on the table as she thought about the question. “Let’s start with the big stuff. Mr. Stanton told you most dragons marry after they finish their college classes. There are dragons who aren’t allowed to marry their intended partner because the bloodlines wouldn’t combine well. Sometimes the Directorate recommends an alternative; sometimes they let the dragon choose again. Most dragons agree to the Directorate’s choice. Some refuse.”

Leaning forward, Ivy spoke in a conspiratorial tone. “The librarian, Miss Enid, isn’t married. Rumors have circulated about her since my parents were in school. Some say she was heartbroken over the loss of her love. Others say she’s carried on an affair with her true love for years.”

The sweet caramel taste in her mouth turned sour. “If what Mr. Stanton said is true, the Directorate won’t let me marry.”

“You could shack up with Valmont,” Ivy said.

Zavien choked on his popcorn.

Clint whacked him on the back. “Chew and then swallow.”

Ivy continued talking. “My dad said during different times in history, the dragon population has increased and decreased. There were years when females or males outnumbered each other. The Directorate allowed dragons to marry into the population of Dragon’s Bluff, but none of those couples had children.”

Was the lack of children due to the Directorate’s interference, or genetics?

Zavien touched Bryn’s hand, making her skin tingle. “There’s one other possibility I want to warn you about, and it’s going to piss you off. Earlier today, Clint mentioned some of the upper class have affairs. The affairs aren’t random. Those men keep mistresses.”

“What could any guy offer to make a woman want the title of mistress? What does she do while he’s with his family? Play video games? Who are her friends?”

“Maybe the mistresses all hang out together during their free time,” Ivy said.

She knew one thing for sure. “The first person who suggests I become a mistress is going to lose a limb.”

“To keep Bryn’s mind off of dismembering people, I think we should take what we bought back to our rooms and then go flying,” Clint said.

Zavien pushed his chair away from the table. “Count me out. I promised Nola I’d lend a hand sorting through the props.” He stole a piece of Bryn’s popcorn. “Call if you need anything.”





Chapter Eleven

The shuttle bus ride back to campus was blissfully uneventful. Clint and Ivy agreed to meet Bryn in her room after dropping off their things. Despite everything—even certain rude people—she was doing okay. That was until she saw the note taped to her dorm room door. Note wasn’t really accurate. More like a drawing of a hybrid dragon with what looked like a huge knife, or maybe that was a lance, shoved through its chest. Either way, the pool of blood that the dragon was laying in showed the end result.

Hands shaking, she pulled the picture off the door and crumbled it into a ball. On the off chance that someone was spying and waiting for a response, she called out, “Nice drawing. You might want to sign up for some art classes, moron.”

She opened the door and entered her room. What kind of idiot tapes threatening pictures to a door? A note would have been more effective. This was stupid.

After putting away her new shower gel sets, she brushed her teeth and checked her laptop for email. Nothing from Beth yet.

Ivy knocked on the bedroom window and then pushed it open. “Ready to fly?”

Bryn was torn. “Yes and no. I want to fly, but everyone’s going to stare to see what I look like. And I’ve had enough crap today.”

“Ignore them and eventually they’ll stop,” Clint said.

“We could take the stairs down. Shifting on the ground won’t attract as much attention as shifting on the terrace,” Ivy said.

“Good idea.” Clint and Ivy climbed inside and walked into the living room. Clint grabbed the doorknob and then frowned. “That’s funny. It won’t turn.”

“What do you mean? I just came through it ten minutes ago.” Bryn grasped the doorknob and gave a vicious tug. Something rattled. “It won’t budge. What the hell?”

“How could someone lock the door from the outside?” Ivy asked.

Clint tried the doorknob again. “A better question is, why? I mean they must have seen her come in here. They’d know locking the door wouldn’t trap her in her room.”

“Maybe they wanted to see how strong she was.” Ivy shrugged.

What Zavien said on the shuttle ride came back to her. “Maybe they wanted to check out my dragon form. If they locked the door, they knew I’d have to fly off the terrace. Jerks.” Bryn stalked into the bedroom and climbed out on to the terrace.