Trial By Fire (Going Down in Flames #3)(95)

Valmont opened his mouth and pointed at Jaxon. No sound came out. He tried again. “I’ll bypass the rant about how the Directorate is insane and go with the obvious reason you’re bringing this up. You think Analise, or another dragon like her, could have faked her own death and given birth to a Blue-Black hybrid dragon.”

Jaxon nodded. “In essence, maybe the Directorate isn’t the only one responsible for car crashes and other mysterious deaths. Maybe women fake their deaths, with or without their benefactor’s knowledge, and then they become a part of a secret community of hybrids.”

“Who would have every reason to despise the Directorate,” Valmont said.

“If someone denied my marriage, tried to sterilize me, and then told me my only choice was to shack up with a guy old enough to be my father, I’d be pretty pissed off at the Directorate, too.” Bryn waited for Jaxon to respond.

Jaxon spoke in a quiet voice. “If the Directorate explained why a couple was not allowed to marry, do you think that might make a difference?”

“It might,” Bryn said. “But it would depend on their reasoning. If the DNA of the two dragons would combine to create a super-evil genius or someone driven insane by lust for gold, that would be understandable. If the Directorate denied marriage based on something ridiculous like one of the people developing a limp…” She didn’t bother finishing her sentence.

Jaxon stared into his coffee cup. “I now see some of the Directorate’s decisions are not…as logical as I would like them to be.”

Wow. For Jaxon, that was a huge confession.

“Maybe, since you’re slated to be on the Directorate,” Bryn said, “you can help change the system.”

“Maybe, I could.” Jaxon stood. “I think I’ll go tell Rhianna the truth, because not knowing won’t help the situation.”

Bryn let Jaxon out and locked the door behind him. She turned to find Valmont smiling at her. “What?”

“You are like a pebble tossed into a pond. Everything you do and say creates ripples in dragon society.” He raised his cup of coffee to her in a silent toast. “Did you ever think you’d get Jaxon to admit the Directorate is less than perfect?”

“No.” She grabbed the box of muffins and carried them to the coffee table. “If only we could convince whoever is attacking the campus that violence isn’t necessary for change, everyone’s lives would be a lot safer.”

Valmont picked up a muffin and peeled off the wrapper. “Agreed. Any ideas on how to do that?”

“It’s not like we can send an invitation to the hybrids to attend a welcome Back to School Gala like we did with the injured students.”

“No, but you could have an open forum where students could share concerns. You could even do it online and keep it anonymous. That way, if anyone, hybrids included, wanted to ask questions or voice opinions, they could do so without fear of retribution.”

“That’s a great idea.” Bryn went to sip her coffee and discovered the cup was empty. She pouted at Valmont.

He laughed. “Do you want to get dressed and go eat in the dining hall?”

A sudden idea had her smiling. “I have a better plan. We’re going to have breakfast at the swanky cafe downstairs. And I’m going to speak to every person we come across, even if they don’t talk back.”

“Just to be obnoxious?” Valmont asked.

“Partly, and partly to reinforce the idea that I’m not going away. I’m a member of the Blue Clan, whether they like it or not. And with Jaxon’s help, maybe we can convince more students it’s time to change the way things are done around here.”

As Bryn changed clothes, she thought about everything that had happened since they’d come back to school after Christmas break. The Back to School Gala had been a success in more ways than one. A good portion of injured students had returned to school and most of them had been accepted by their Clans. The Blue Clan might still be a little rigid, but the Blue females were now talking to Rhianna, and according to Akbar’s experiment, Clan boundaries were definitely softening. She wasn’t sure what her grandfather would think of that, but she enjoyed his company now. Both of her grandparents seemed like people she could depend on. And oddly enough, she now felt like she could depend on Jaxon in a crisis. They might not have the warm fuzzies for each other, but she’d grown to understand and respect him, even if he tended to act like an ass-hat on a regular basis. Then there was Valmont—her rock in these turbulent times. Even if the magic of the bond made them both a little unstable sometimes, she knew he’d always be there for her, not out of obligation, but because he truly cared.

If the Radical hybrids would stop attacking campus, maybe the peaceful hybrids could come out in the open. The Directorate might come to understand not all hybrids were bad. And the good hybrids could help broker some sort of peace between the Directorate and the Radicals. While she was dreaming, she threw in a new law, which would allow Jaxon to marry Rhianna. Who knew, maybe if they all worked together, dragons could be allowed to marry whomever they wanted….even their knights.

“Bryn, are you ready?” Valmont called from the living room.

“In a minute.” She ran a brush through her hair and smiled at her reflection. “Ready or not, here I come.”