Trial By Fire (Going Down in Flames #3)(39)

Valmont stood and held out his hand. “Come here.”

She stood and took the hand he offered. He led her over to the couch, where he sat down, and pulled her onto his lap. It felt natural. She laid her head on his shoulder and let the sense of warmth and security surround her.

“This feels right.” He ran his hand through her hair.

“It does feel right.” His fingernails grazed her scalp, making her shiver. “No matter what weird stuff happens, promise you’ll always be there for me.”

“I promise.”

Medic Williams’s warning played on a loop in the back of her mind and kept her from relaxing completely. Keeping the information from Valmont felt wrong. “While you were picking up food the other day, Medic Williams lectured me about reining in my feelings for you. She said I shouldn’t have gotten so sick so quickly.”

Valmont was silent.

“I don’t know what she expects us to do.” Bryn brushed hair out of her eyes. “Any ideas on how to handle all this?”

He ran his hand up and down her arm. “I don’t have a clue.”

At least they were on the same page. “So we forge ahead like everything is normal?”

“Define normal.”

“Good point. I guess we move forward and hope for the best.”

He yawned. “Sorry. I didn’t sleep much last night.”

“We could take a nap,” she suggested.

“That sounds good, but you still need to fill me in on what happened with those wild Black dragons.”

“First off, I signed papers saying I would never speak about this, so you can’t tell anyone. Ever.” To emphasize how serious this was, she added. “Clint and Ivy don’t even know the truth of what happened with Alec.”

“You can trust me not to share,” Valmont said.

“Okay. Here’s the short version. Alec drugged and kidnapped Jaxon and his mother. He planned to kill me, too. We fought. I rescued Jaxon and Lillith. Zavien finished off Alec.”

Valmont stared at her like she’d spoken in a foreign language, and then words burst out of him like water from a ruptured pipe. “Why in the hell would the Directorate cover that up? People need to know the Black dragons in the forest are dangerous.”

Bryn sighed. “Jaxon’s Uncle Merrick, who is also a member of the Directorate, said if Alec’s friends knew he died by our hand, they’d come after us. They probably suspect that’s what happened, but they can’t prove it.”

“But—” Valmont’s mouth hung open for a moment before he snapped it shut and rubbed his chin. “How many times has the Directorate changed facts to suit their purpose?”

“I think it’s how they do business. Not that it’s right.” Bryn snuggled up against him. “I have this fantasy where I find a community of nice hybrids, and I become their voice on the Directorate.”

He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer. “That’s a nice dream. Speaking of dreaming, I think it’s nap time.” Valmont scooted lower on the couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table. “Does that work for you?”

“Yes.”

Bryn lay there listening to the comforting rhythm of Valmont’s heartbeat, but her mind wouldn’t stop spinning. She trusted Valmont not to share her secrets. What did that make him? A good friend? A confidant? They were more than that. She cared for Valmont, and she knew he cared about her, but after the relationship debacle with Zavien, she didn’t trust her own instincts. The irony of the situation hit her. She’d been sure of her love for Zavien, but due to the arranged marriage laws, they could never be together. She liked Valmont, but wouldn’t go so far as to say she loved him because it was all so new. Due to the bond, and no matter how she and Valmont truly felt, they could never be apart. Fate had one hell of a sense of irony.

…

Monday morning at breakfast, Bryn checked to see if Rhianna had the solidarity bracelet on her book bag. She did. The crystal charms twinkled and caught the light on the black leather strap of the bag. It probably showed up better there than it would have on her wrist. Maybe she’d start a trend.

“What are you looking at?” Ivy asked.

Bryn turned back around to face her tablemates. “I was checking on Rhianna. It looks like she has the bracelet situation under control.”

Clint shook his head. “Someone needs to knock some sense into Jaxon.”

“I volunteered,” Valmont said. “Bryn said no.”

Everyone at the table laughed. Bryn forced a smile even though she wanted to tell them this wasn’t something they should talk about in public. Oh, crap. When had her grandmother invaded her head?

“New topic,” Bryn said. “Was there any news in the Black dorm about when Stagecraft will start again?”

“Yes, and people aren’t happy about it. The Directorate made a statement about the Arts not being a high priority,” Clint said. “Maybe it’s not a high priority for them, but to my Clan it is.”

“Did they forbid you from fixing the theater building?” Valmont asked.

“What do you mean?” Ivy asked.

“Just because they aren’t going to fix it, doesn’t mean it can’t be fixed by someone else.” Valmont sipped his coffee. “Right?”