Trial By Fire (Going Down in Flames #3)(87)

“Yes. I’m sure. Do you remember before, when you said even if I have to release you from the bond, you’d still want to be with me?”

“I did say that. But things have changed since then…what’s going on between you and Jaxon…the way you know what the other one is thinking, like you have some sort of connection…I don’t like it.”

“Knowing what he might do and say is strange, but I think it’s more about him being a Blue male rather than him being a male I have some sort of attachment to. I can predict what you’ll say or how Clint and Ivy will react to something. Before, Blues were a mystery, but now I can predict how Rhianna, Jaxon, and even my grandparents will react. It’s not Jaxon specific. It’s more like I understand how Blues think, in general. Does that help?”

“Not really, but this might.” He leaned in and pressed his mouth against hers. He tasted like mint toothpaste, and he smelled like soap and sunshine. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her close. Heat built between them. The sensation of flying flowed through her body and suddenly the dance didn’t seem so important.





Chapter Twenty-Four


The phone rang, startling them both. Bryn answered and had to clear her throat before she could speak. “Hello?”

“Are you guys all right?” Ivy asked.

“Yes.” She grinned at Valmont. “We talked it out.”

“Good. If you’re done talking, get your butt to the dance.” Ivy hung up, making Bryn laugh.

“We’ve been summoned to the ball.”

Valmont shook his head. “What is it with Ivy and dances?”

“I have no idea, but we better go before she comes to find us.”

The teasing smile disappeared from Valmont’s face. “We need to finish this first. You have no idea how terrified I was to tell you how I felt.”

“Now that you know I feel the same way, are we good? Can we go have fun at the dance?”

“We can try.”

Not the reassuring answer she’d hoped for.

Valmont led her down the hall, down the staircase, and out the front door. Music drifted through the air. Happy couples lined the sidewalk as they headed across campus and more ascended the steps outside the dining hall. And all of them, every single couple, were perfect reflections of each other. Dark skin with dark skin, blond with blond, everyone matched up according to Clan. She knew Valmont noticed it, too. “I hate all this color coding.”

He snorted. “Me, too. Let’s go show them you don’t have to be the same to belong together.”

They cleared the doorway, and Ivy appeared at Bryn’s side. “Is everything all right?”

“Yes,” Bryn said, hoping it was true.

“Good, now look.” Ivy gestured around the room with enthusiasm. “Look at how absolutely magical everything is tonight.”

Red and white hearts decorated the walls and floors like confetti that had been tossed in the air, frozen where it landed, and shellacked into place. “Cool decorations.” Bryn inhaled a familiar Italian spice type scent. “Is that Fonzoli’s food I smell?”

“Indeed it is.” Valmont pointed toward the buffet. “We provided appetizers, lemon ice, and punch.”

“Yum,” Bryn said.

The tables had been pushed aside to make room for dancing. Music from a string quartet filled the air. Slightly out of place were the guards stationed at every entrance and exit. The fact that they wore tuxedoes in an attempt to blend in made them stand out even more.

Valmont pointed at the side doors. “If we’re separated, we’ll meet at those doors. The walkway they lead to is covered, so it will protect us from aerial attacks.”

Bryn nodded in agreement. This is what life had been reduced to—hoping there wouldn’t be an attack during a school function. “Kind of takes some of the fun out of the night, but I can’t argue with your logic.”

Valmont led her out onto the floor and oddly enough, only a few people gave them sideways glances.

“I think people are adjusting to your presence.” Bryn placed one hand on Valmont’s shoulder while he placed his hand on her waist. He clasped her left hand with his right. Soon they were swept along with the tide of the dancers.

“This is nice,” Valmont whispered in her ear. “Normally, I have to be so careful about touching you in public.” He applied pressure to her waist and pulled her closer. “Tonight I don’t have to worry about that.”

Valmont’s arms around her felt right. Bryn allowed all the stress and worry she’d been afflicted with lately to drift away with the music as they danced through several songs.

Ivy and Clint found them after a song ended.

“You’re having fun, aren’t you?” Ivy asked in a know-it-all tone.

“I am.” Bryn laughed. “And now that we’ve danced, I declare it is time to visit the buffet.”

Valmont bowed. “After you.”

In the buffet line, Bryn filled her plate with a little bit of everything, and then she followed her friends to the tables decorated with heart-shaped candles.

“It’s funny. We eat here three times a day,” Ivy said, “but it’s never felt romantic before.”

Clint put his hand over his heart like she’d wounded him. “Do I not sit next to you at every meal staring at you with adoration?”