Trial By Fire (Going Down in Flames #3)(80)

Was he asking if he could share the truth with them? They already knew about the cases. “Sure.”

Valmont drew his favorite new toy and held it up so the light reflected off the blue and red metal intricately worked into the sword, depicting frozen flames and fire. “I retrieved this from one of the cases.”

“You could have been killed,” Clint said.

“No. It was meant for me. I mean a knight like me who was bound to a Red-Blue hybrid dragon. I could hear the magic of it calling to me.”

Ivy pointed at Valmont. “That is so cool. I know you met Adam and Eve, so you know there are hybrids on campus, but the sword is proof hybrids existed in the past, and it wasn’t a secret. Do you know how old it is?”

“If the Institute wasn’t on lockdown,” Valmont said, “I could ask one of the metalsmiths in Dragon’s Bluff to examine it.”

It had never occurred to Bryn that someone in Dragon’s Bluff was still making swords. Back in her old life she’d heard of people buying all sorts of ninja swords and throwing stars online but she’d assumed they had been made in a factory somewhere.

“Speaking of the lockdown,” Ivy said, “I wonder if they’ll lift it any time soon. There hasn’t been an attack on campus in a while, except for the guard, of course, but that’s kind of a separate thing.”

A voice in Bryn’s head urged her to speak. “If anyone is waiting to attack, the Valentine’s Dance is the perfect opportunity.”

“No. It’s not.” Ivy glared at her. “Repeat after me. The dance will be wonderful. We will all have a fabulous time.”

Bryn rolled her eyes. “Fine. The dance will be wonderful. We’ll all have a great time.”

“Not exactly what I said, but close enough.” Ivy grinned.

Later that night after her friends left, Bryn asked Valmont a question that had been bothering her. “Do you think someone will attack the dance?”

“They might,” Valmont said. “They could attack at any time. On any given day they could attack the dining hall at lunch or gym during Basic Movement. Students congregate in groups all the time, so I don’t think the dance is any more dangerous than sitting right here, right now.”

“I’m not sure that makes me feel better.” And then she remembered something she wanted to share with him. “Telling my grandfather about the symbol in that book today reminded me of something I found at Sinclair Estates.” She went to her room and retrieved the legends books her mother had secreted away in the attic. Valmont would probably tease her about the books, which told stories of dragons from different Clans who fought side by side and fell in love with one another. The star-crossed romances were a big part of the books’ appeal. And there were a few scenes she would be embarrassed to read if Valmont were in the room. A small part of her heart ached at the memory of her first kiss with Zavien. He’d teased her about reading the books, too. She’d refused to let him read them because he’d make fun of the romance. It was hard to reconcile the Zavien who’d saved her when she’d been poisoned with the one who’d lied to her about the dance and led her on, talking about a future he knew they’d never have. Anger, embarrassment, and guilt banked the fire in her gut.

Wow. She’d thought all of that was in her past, but her first kiss with Zavien was a powerful memory.

“Bryn, is everything all right?” Valmont called from the living room.

Her subconscious was playing whack-a-mole with her emotions. Other than that, everything was just peachy.

She returned to her knight, who would never leave her side, even if he wanted to. Not that he wanted to, but her brain seemed intent on pointing out how strange her life had become.

Time to ignore her past and concentrate on the future.

Funny how The Days of Knights books hadn’t featured more than a chaste kiss between a dragon and a knight. And that thought brought her to a full stop when she was within a few feet of the couch. What if they didn’t include anything else because nothing more was supposed to happen between them?

“Bryn?”

She shook her head. “Sorry, weird random thoughts are ambushing me.” She laid the books out on the table. “My mother had these stashed in a secret hiding place along with my father’s picture.” Bryn’s breath caught and her eyes grew warm. Taking a deep breath, she laughed. “Sorry, I’m not sure why this is getting to me tonight.”

“You never have to apologize to me for mourning your parents.” Valmont grabbed her hand and pulled her to sit beside him on the couch.

He didn’t need to know those weren’t the only memories bothering her. She took a deep breath and blew it out. “Anyway, these are like the legends books Miss Enid gave me from the library which contain stories about a time before the Directorate when dragons were allowed to fall in love based on instinct rather than by Directorate-sanctioned arranged marriages. I’ve read other books, but I never looked through these.” She ran her fingers over the cover of the closest book. “Not that I expect to find anything in them except dog-eared pages, but I thought you could be here with me when I look through them. It’s not something I want to do alone.”

“Of course. Do you want my help?”

It’s not like she could tell him no. “Sure.”