Trial By Fire (Going Down in Flames #3)(28)

Bryn realized she and Valmont had shifted positions while they slept. Her back was pressed against Valmont’s chest, and his arm was wrapped around her waist.

“Medic’s orders,” Valmont said. Bryn could hear the smirk in his voice. She pushed upright to a seated position.

“What’s going on?” Bryn asked.

Ivy pointed at her. “That’s my line. You weren’t at breakfast, and Mr. Stanton refused to tell us why you weren’t in class, so we shanghaied Jaxon and made him bring us into your room.”

How much should she tell them? What happened was too personal to share with Jaxon. “Thanks for letting them in, Jaxon. You can go back to whatever it was you were doing.”

“Right. They dragged me here. I’m not leaving without an explanation.”

“She woke up sick,” Valmont said. “Medic Williams ordered me to stay by her side and take care of her, which is what I’m doing.”

“I doubt this is what she had in mind,” Jaxon said.

“What made you sick?” Clint asked.

So much for getting out of this situation without an explanation. “Valmont and I had a misunderstanding, and the bond made me sick,” Bryn said. “But now that we understand how this works, we won’t let it happen again, so it’s not a big deal.”

Ivy moved in and hugged her. “I’m glad you’re okay. We’ll do girl talk later.”

Clint and Ivy moved toward the door.

“Wait,” Jaxon said. “We need to have our stories straight. People are going to ask questions.”

Okay. What should they say?

“Tell them I brought up going back to work at Fonzoli’s,” Valmont said, “Due to the bond, Bryn became sick because she thought I meant I didn’t want to be her knight anymore.”

“How close to the truth is that?” Clint asked.

“Close enough,” Valmont said. “There’s your story. Feel free to pass it along through the rumor mill. Now, go to class so we can sleep.”

Sometime later, Bryn felt the mattress shift, and then cold air hit her back. She opened her eyes. “Valmont?”

“I’ll be right back. Someone knocked on the door.”

It was probably Medic Williams coming back to check on her. Hoping for the best, Bryn ran her fingers over her scalp. While her hair no longer had the texture of hay, it didn’t feel normal.

Medic Williams entered the room carrying a bag of something, which smelled like French fries. Bryn smacked her hand over her nose as her stomach rolled. “That smells awful.”

“Now I’m worried,” Medic Williams said. “How can you not want French fries?”

“I don’t know.” Bryn inhaled and her insides squirmed. “Please get that out of here before I throw up.”

Valmont took the bag and exited the room.

“You have to eat,” Medic Williams said. “Does anything sound good?”

Bryn ran through all her favorite foods in her mind. Nothing sounded good, which was so not her. Then she remembered eating the deer after the fire in Dragon’s Bluff, and saliva filled her mouth. “Gross. I want a deer.”

“A deer, as in venison?” the medic asked.

“No. As in a fur-covered animal. God, that’s disgusting. Bring the French fries back in. I’ll eat those.”

“I think it’s your dragon nature that was most injured by this, so it makes some sense that you wish to eat as a dragon.”

Valmont came back into the room. “What’s up?”

“I want a deer,” Bryn said. “And it’s freaking me out.”

Valmont didn’t look concerned about her feelings, but he did look perplexed. “Who can we call to have a deer delivered? It’s not like ordering pizza.”

Pizza. She should just eat pizza. Her stomach rolled again. Deer, she thought and her stomach growled. “Crap.”

“Let me make a few calls.” Medic Williams left the room.

Valmont wore a neutral expression on his face, which wasn’t normal.

“You think I’m disgusting. Don’t you?”

“No.” He sat and put his arm around her shoulders. “It’s kind of funny.”

After several phone calls, Bryn was led to the terrace patio where the carcass of a deer had been left. This was so wrong. She drooled and shifted to dragon form. Sick and wrong. She grabbed the carcass in her teeth and bit down trying not to think about it. In two bites, it was gone. And she wanted more.

After she’d eaten the deer, Medic Williams treated her with Quintessence again. “That should do it. I’ll be by tomorrow morning to check on you. Don’t even think about leaving your room.”

“Can I take a shower?” Between the deer and her illness, she felt disgusting.

“Shower, but be careful not to run the water too hot. Your hair and skin are still recovering. You don’t want to dry them out.”

A lukewarm shower. Fabulous.

Valmont escorted the medic from the room and then came back to sit by Bryn on the bed. “You have no idea the self-control I’m exerting not to make a joke about helping you in the shower.”

“I appreciate that.” She patted him on the arm and headed for the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, she felt refreshed, but not exactly revived. All she wanted to do was crawl back in bed. And not just because Valmont lay there reading a book.