Going Down in Flames (Going Down in Flames #1)(65)

“Your body was exhausted. Seizures take a lot of energy. Purging your system takes a huge toll,” Medic Williams said. “All you missed was a couple days of school. The teachers said you can make up the homework at your own pace.”

Bryn sniffled. It was all too much. Someone had tried to kill her. They’d almost succeeded. Zavien walked into the room, and she burst into tears.





Chapter Twenty-One


“Oh hell.” Zavien walked over and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

She turned her face to his chest and let out all the frustration and rage in a flood of saltwater.

He stroked her hair. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Wednesday,” she blurted between sobs.

“Did you just figure out how long you’ve been here?”

“You should have told me.”

“I tend to avoid anything that causes this type of reaction.”

She wanted to stop crying, but her body wouldn’t stop producing tears. “It’s not fair.”

“No, it’s not.”

She breathed in his summer rainstorm scent, and her tears slowed. “I don’t know how to deal with this. I’m so angry. I want to shoot fireballs at someone.”

“Merrick is down the hall. I can send for him if you want.”

She growled into his chest.

“That’s the Bryn I know. You’re supposed to be feisty and give people hell.”

She peered up at him. “It’s hard to give people hell when you’ve slept for three days.”

“True.” He moved his hand from her hair to her face where he trailed his fingertips down her cheek. “I bet you’re on a regular schedule after today. You’re eating dinner, and you’re having a coherent conversation. These are all good signs.”

His touch soothed her. “Have you told me everything?”

“What else do you want to know?”

“I don’t know what to ask. Are you keeping anything from me?”

His lips set in a thin line. “You had some minor injuries from thrashing around, which the medics treated.”

“Define minor.”

“It’s over and done with. Why dwell on it?” Zavien asked.

She needed to know. That’s why. “Tell me.”

“Fine.” He looked into her eyes as he spoke. “You suffered a broken forearm, a broken ankle, and a fractured wrist.”

Bryn sucked in a breath. “How?”

“Dragonbane causes intense muscle spasms we refer to as seizures,” Medic Williams said. “The victim thrashes around so violently they break bones. Cranial trauma and internal bleeding result in death within hours. That’s why you were lucky to be found so quickly. That’s why you’re still alive.”

Bryn slumped back on the bed. “Someone hates me that much.”

“I’d bet this was political,” Zavien said, “not personal.”

“It feels pretty damn personal.” She examined her forearm and noticed a thin, pink line, like a new scar. She threw back the covers and noticed her right ankle showed similar signs of recent healing. On her left ankle, the charm bracelet winked in the light. Had Zavien recognized the key and insisted they leave it on? Did it matter?

Recuperating from broken bones in a human hospital took months. She sent out a silent prayer of gratitude to the skilled dragons who’d healed her body. Still, she wanted to understand what had been done to her.

“Tell me more about Quintessence.”

“Quintessence speeds the body’s natural healing process. I’m one of four Medics who worked on you for the first forty-eight hours. Once we had you restrained, where you couldn’t hurt yourself, we healed your bones. Purging the drug from your system took longer.”

She was surprised the Directorate would go to so much trouble. “The Institute provided all of this?”

“No.” Medic Williams shook her head, but gave no other explanation.

“Who paid for the extra medics?” Bryn asked.

“An anonymous donor,” Zavien said. “If you’d like to thank the individual, I’ll forward a card.”

“Why wouldn’t the person want me to know?”

“They have their reasons.” He retrieved a small, blue envelope from his back pocket. “I brought a thank you card. Write a nice note, and I’ll pass it along.”

She placed the envelope on her tray table. “A simple thank you doesn’t seem like enough.”

“It will have to do.” Zavien addressed Medic Williams. “When can she leave?”

“I plan to monitor her one more night. She can leave tomorrow.”

Merrick entered the room, and a genuine smile lit his face. “Look at you. You’re awake and eating.”

Bryn resisted the urge to snarl. For all she knew, he was the anonymous donor who’d saved her months of painful recuperation. “I’m going to be released tomorrow.”

“That’s wonderful. I brought an inventory list of the items moved to your new room. We wanted to make sure nothing was missing.”

An uneasy feeling slithered down her spine. “Why would anything be missing?”

“Someone broke into your room to leave the cake. This is a precaution to make sure they didn’t take anything when they left.” He handed her the list.