Going Down in Flames (Going Down in Flames #1)(57)

Taped to her dorm room door, she found an envelope with her name on it. Crap, not another one. She ripped it down, opened it, and breathed a sigh of relief. It was from Garret explaining that he wanted to reschedule their timed trials for next weekend. It was a sad reflection on her life that this was a good note. She let herself in. Feeling a little sorry for herself, she curled up on the couch with the book about a dragon and a knight and tried not to think about what Zavien might be doing. It was none of her business. He was probably off somewhere with Nola the perfect.

The thought didn’t improve her mood.





Chapter Seventeen


Sunday morning, Bryn smacked the alarm clock and went back to sleep. Thanks to a late-night run to the vending machines, she had a stockpile of food. Her stomach allowed forty more minutes of rest before it growled loud enough to startle her awake.

Maybe she should’ve eaten a snack before she went to bed.

The chocolate-frosted doughnuts on the nightstand called to her. The sound of crinkling cellophane made her smile. It was the sound of instant gratification. She may not have a lot of friends or an active social life, but snack cakes and doughnuts would tide her over until she graduated.

The chocolate icing tasted like fudge and melted on her hands. Since there was no one to witness her behavior, she licked the icing off her fingers. Once she worked her way through the package, she retrieved a can of soda from the bathroom sink.

The ice she’d exhaled into the sink to chill the sodas had melted, but the cans were still cold. Would Blues approve of her domestic use of their breath weapon? Probably not. How would Jaxon react to the idea that he was a virtual ice machine? Chuckling to herself, she climbed back into bed, intent on finishing her book.

She’d read for hours last night. The book was a blend of romance and suspense. The knight and the dragon faced terrible adversity. After the battle had ended, the dragon was searching for her knight. If the author let the knight die, Bryn planned to track the woman down and kick her in the shins.

Two packages of doughnuts later, Bryn wiped at the happy tears rolling down her cheeks. “I’m such a sap.” She tossed the book on her nightstand and headed for the shower.

Next up. Homework. Dressed in comfortable clothes, she sat cross-legged on the living room floor, plowing through assignments. She planned to finish before lunchtime and go to the gym. Noon rolled around, and any fuel from the doughnuts was long gone. Time to hit the café on the first floor.

A few other students sat in the small café area. Each marked their table with a pile of books and scattered notes. Greens weren’t the most social dragons. She picked a corner table and wolfed down two cheeseburgers and a double order of fries. The salty fries helped balance out the sweets she’d eaten earlier.

The gym wasn’t crowded. Half the students were Blue males. There was a healthy amount of male and female Reds, but none she recognized. Octavius and Vivian were in a corner ring performing some type of stick fighting. Curious, she wandered over to observe.

The moves were choreographed so the thick wooden sticks smacked against one another rather than the individuals fighting. The resonant sound reminded her of drums. She suspected the weapons were hollow. After a few moments, she detected a melody.

The two Orange dragons finished and bowed to each other.

Bryn gave a small round of applause. “That was amazing.”

“It’s a traditional exercise among our Clan,” Vivian said.

“What’s the melody?”

“Different songs are used for different occasions. This was a song for harvest. If we were home, we’d be celebrating the fall harvest with our Clan.” Octavius’s voice sounded wistful.

“I miss my family, too,” she said.

“You don’t have a Clan, do you?” Vivian spoke as if the idea just occurred to her.

Bryn shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“If you’re done with this heartwarming moment, we’d like to use the ring,” Jaxon announced from behind her.

She grimaced as Jaxon, Quentin, and a few other Blue males crowded around.

Octavius squared his broad shoulders. “If you want the ring, you’ll have to take it.”

Well, that was interesting. Did Octavius dislike Jaxon as much as she did, or was this a Blue Clan-Orange Clan type of thing?

One look at Jaxon told her this wasn’t the response he’d expected, but he couldn’t back down in front of an audience. “What did you have in mind?”

“Can you handle a sword?” Octavius asked.

No way Mrs. Anderson would supply testosterone-ridden teenagers with real swords.

“First to three strikes wins?” Jaxon walked to a cabinet and pulled out wooden weapons.

“That’s acceptable.” Octavius took the weapon Jaxon offered and weighed it in his hand. “It’s a shame they won’t let us use the real thing.”

The Orange dragon’s tone made the hair on the back of Bryn’s arms stand up. Jaxon was probably about to fight more of a battle than he’d anticipated.

The two males faced off in the ring. Jaxon moved in quickly. Octavius nearly knocked the sword from the blonde’s hand before jabbing him in the shoulder.

Quentin sucked in his breath. Bryn sidled over to him. “Is Jaxon any good?”

“He’s good when he isn’t overconfident.”