Going Down in Flames (Going Down in Flames #1)(53)

“Who are you?” the closer dragon asked.

“Who’re you?” Bryn shot back.

“There are two of us at school,” the male dragon said. “It shouldn’t be hard to figure out.”

“There’s only one of me.”

The closer Orange dragon squinted. “I thought it was a trick of the light. The edges of your scales are blue.”

“Bryn? What are you doing here?” the male asked.

She sat on the boulder and spread her wings to soak up the sun. “I was in Dragon’s Bluff and decided to check out the forest. This isn’t private property, is it?”

“No, it’s open land,” he said. “I’ve never seen you without your tattooed friends.”

“Sometimes it’s nice to be alone.” Uh-oh. Maybe they felt the same way. “Am I interrupting? Would you like me to leave?”

“No, Vivian and I were enjoying some time away from school. You’re welcome to stay.”

“Thanks.” His name escaped her.

“Octavius,” he said.

Vivian climbed into the water. “We come here to swim. The chlorinated water in the gym pool burns my nostrils.” She moved through the water with ease, undulating her body like a dolphin.

“Is that hard?” Bryn asked.

“You’ve never swam?”

“Not as a dragon.”

“You glide through the water the same way you glide through the air.”

Bryn stepped off the boulder, attempted to glide in the water, and slid beneath the surface. Flapping her wings, she gasped for air.

Octavius laughed.

“I’m making a great impression today.” She tread water with her wings. Once she mastered that, she tried to undulate like Vivian and ended up performing an awkward dragon dog paddle.

Octavius barked at her. If Jaxon had done that, she’d have lashed out at him. There wasn’t any malice behind the Orange dragon’s teasing, though.

When the sun sank low in the sky, Vivian climbed out of the lake. “We best return to school. It’s not safe to be out at dusk.”

Bryn climbed out of the water. “Why not?”

“They say rebels inhabit the forest.” Octavius used his deep voice to great effect. When he spoke, it sounded like a movie trailer.

“What do we have here?” a new voice asked.

Good question. Bryn turned to find half a dozen Black dragons emerging from the trees.

Octavius struck a regal pose. “We were enjoying the lake. What business is it of yours?”

The lead Black dragon shifted to human form. He was tall and thin with wild black hair that reached his shoulders. Tattoos covered his bare torso and dipped into the worn jeans slung low on his hips. He moved toward them on bare feet, reminding Bryn of a panther stalking its prey.

Inclining his head to the side, he sniffed the air. “No offense, brother. It’s unusual to run across your kind.”

Octavius shifted to human form. Thick muscles rippled under his bronze skin. “I’m Octavius and this is my mate, Vivian. Bryn is a fellow student.”

“You’re students from the Institute.” The dark-haired man studied Bryn. “You’re the mixed breed.”

Now he resembled a panther that had spotted a rabbit he wanted to toy with. Feeling safer in dragon form, Bryn stayed as she was. If that was rude, too bad.

“I prefer hybrid.”

“Forgive me.” The dark-haired man laughed. “My colleagues and I were coming to cool off in the lake. Perhaps you’ll stay and join us?” He swept his hand in an arc, like he was including all three of them in the invitation.

No way. This guy scored high on the weird and creepy scale.

“Thank you for the offer,” Octavius said. “Homework beckons.”

The dark-haired man held his hands out to both sides. “You have my sympathy. Eventually, you’ll be free from the Institute. Maybe we’ll spend the day together then. I’m sure we’d have much to discuss.”

“I’m sure we would.” Octavius shifted. “For now, we abide by their rules.”

Vivian pushed into the air. Bryn followed while Octavius stayed behind. Was he guarding their retreat, or did he have something to say to the strange Black dragons?

After a heart-pounding flight, Bryn and Vivian landed inside the back gate. True to form, Bryn hit the ground hard, sending up a spray of dirt. Octavius joined them a few moments later.

“Bryn, will you tell your friends of this?” He spoke in a low voice.

“Is there any reason I shouldn’t?”

Octavius stepped closer. “Did you notice the leader’s tattoos?”

“I was too far away to tell what they were.”

“They depicted a battle where Black dragons dominated Blues.”

Not good. “Did we just have a friendly chat with the rebels who’ve been setting Directorate members’ houses on fire?”

“It’s possible.” Octavius put his arm around Vivian’s shoulders and pulled her close. “They could be members of the Revisionists. Either way, we can’t afford to be associated with them.”

“If I need to mention it, I won’t involve you.” Not that she wanted to mention it. Zavien was annoyed enough already. She doubted the Institute was unaware of who dwelled in their forest.