Trial By Fire (Going Down in Flames #3)(61)

From her perch, Bryn watched as the girl snarled up at her. For a second, it looked like her eyes flashed dark brown before returning to their normal shade of green. Bryn froze. Was this girl a Red-Black hybrid, or was it a trick of the light?

Bryn scrambled down the ladder and ran to the foam pit, but the girl was nowhere to be seen.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Valmont slung his arm around her shoulders.

Creeped out that she might have run across an unfriendly hybrid, Bryn leaned into his warmth for comfort and because it gave her a chance to whisper, “I think that girl may have been like me.”

Valmont didn’t respond right away. Maybe he didn’t get it.

“Black and Red,” Bryn whispered. “And none too friendly.”

“Then we need to find her.”

“I don’t see her.” Bryn scanned the gym, but there was no sign of the girl. “Can you spot her?

“No. Maybe we should ask Mrs. Anderson if she knows who it was.”

A quick check with Mrs. Anderson didn’t provide any answers. Bryn filled in Clint and Ivy.

“I didn’t pay much attention to your opponent.” Clint scratched his head. “In fact, I don’t pay much attention to a lot of people. I file them away by Clan unless I know them. Why does that suddenly make me feel like a jerk?”

“I think the enemy is counting on us acting like that,” Ivy said. “Since it’s the way we’ve always acted.”

“According to Akbar’s experiment with Octavius, we’re not acting the way dragons have always acted,” Bryn said.

Clint touched his forehead. “Thinking big thoughts is making my head hurt.”

Ivy bumped him with her hip. “Be serious. We need to figure this out.”

“We’re not going to figure it out here,” Bryn whispered. “Let’s meet in my room tonight to do homework and see what we can come up with.”

…

After dinner, Clint and Ivy followed Bryn and Valmont back to their room.

“We’re not really doing homework, are we?” Clint asked as Ivy pulled a notebook from her book bag.

“I am.” Ivy fished a pen from the bottom of the bag. “I’m guessing you’re going to stick with your standard wait-until-the-last-minute routine.”

“How well you know me.” Clint sat on the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table.

“Okay,” Bryn sat on the other end of the couch while Valmont stretched out on the floor, “let’s make a list of ways the students are acting differently and what that might mean.”

“Mean to whom?” Valmont asked.

“Good question.” Bryn tapped her pen on the paper. “Some of this will tick off the Directorate. Some of it will tick off whoever has been attacking campus.”

“If the Clan boundaries are softening, that isn’t a bad thing,” Valmont said. “Being friendlier toward each other doesn’t hurt anything, right?”

“I wonder if Jaxon would agree with that statement.” Clint stared up at the ceiling. “He helped Octavius, but if someone had told him his actions would undermine the Blues’ status, I’m not sure he would have.”

The instinct to defend Jaxon reared up inside Bryn. What the hell is that about? And why was Valmont studying her like he was waiting for her to do exactly that? Maybe she needed to throw him a bone. “I’m not sure, either.”

Valmont’s posture relaxed. What is up with him? Is he jealous? That was ridiculous. Then again, she was slated to marry Jaxon. If Valmont acted chummy with a girl he was supposed to end up with, she wouldn’t love it, either. She’d have to be more careful around him. Being loyal to her knight was more important than being friends with Jaxon.

They talked in circles for the next hour while they finished homework. At eight o’clock, Ivy shut her notebook and smiled triumphantly. “All done.”

Clint stood and stretched. “Good, then you can help me with mine.”

Bryn laughed.

Ivy packed her book bag. “That’s not how it works.”

“I’m pretty sure it is.” Clint grabbed her book bag and then held out his hand to help her to her feet. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”

“Right.” Ivy rolled her eyes but let him pull her up and lead her toward the terrace exit. “Goodnight, guys.”

“Goodnight.” Bryn locked the window behind her friends and returned to find Valmont had moved to the couch. She plopped down beside him. “Hey there.”

“Hey.” He sidled closer and put his arm around her shoulders.

Leaning into him was a habit now. It felt right. She closed her eyes and let the stress of the day drain away.

Valmont cleared his throat. “We need to talk.”





Chapter Eighteen


So much for relaxing. “Why do I feel like this isn’t going to be a fun conversation?”

“It looked like you were flirting with Jaxon today.”

Laughter was the only logical response, and then she noticed the tight set of his jaw. “Sorry. The idea of flirting with Jaxon is beyond absurd.” She grabbed his hand and gave what she hoped was a reassuring squeeze. “The only feelings I have for Jaxon are irritation and grudging respect.”