“Are you over him?” Ivy asked.
“I don’t know.” Bryn played with her napkin while she thought about the question. Part of her life felt empty without him and she missed what they’d had together, but thinking of him no longer caused her physical pain. “I think I am.”
“If you saw him with another girl, how would you feel?” Clint asked.
“If you’d asked me that three months ago I would have wanted to roast him, but now I think it would just make me a little sad. I guess that’s an improvement.”
Clint sat up straight and muttered, “Incoming.”
Bryn turned and saw Zavien striding her way. He was no longer the spiky-haired rebel who’d impressed her so much when she’d first come to school. He wore his dark hair short, and his cheekbones were more pronounced than she remembered, as if he’d been ill and lost weight. Dark circles stood out under his eyes.
He approached their table, like he wasn’t sure if he was welcome. “Bryn, can we talk?”
It’s like someone had flipped her life into an alternate dimension. How many times had she wanted to speak to him and he’d blown her off? All of that seemed so long ago and childish now…and slightly embarrassing. He’d been her first crush, and the first guy who’d disappointed her, but all of that paled in comparison to the attack on campus.
“Have a seat,” Bryn said.
“I thought maybe we could go for a walk.” Zavien gestured toward the doors of the dining hall.
“That wouldn’t be appropriate,” Bryn said. Was it wrong that she enjoyed throwing that statement in his face? He’d said it to her often enough.
“That’s a nice bit of irony,” Zavien said.
“I think so,” Bryn said.
He sat and stared at her for a moment. “I don’t have the words to say how sorry I am about Nola. I want you to know that I had no idea she was involved with any of that madness.”
Even though he’d turned out to be a huge disappointment as a friend and more than that, she knew he’d never meant to hurt her. “I know.”
He continued talking. “She always acted like she had another agenda, but I had no idea she could be so—”
“Psychotic?” Ivy offered.
“That’s one way to put it,” Zavien acknowledged.
“I know you don’t condone violence and that you worked for peaceful change through your petitions,” Bryn said. “If you’d known anyone’s life was at stake you would have turned Nola in.”
“I would have.” He sighed and reached up to rub the back of his neck. “I don’t understand how she hid so much from me. When they questioned me after the attack they asked if I knew that Nola was behind the attack on the theater building. I had no idea. She was so distraught over all the destruction. I never would have guessed she was faking all that emotion.”
“She majored in theater,” Clint said. “Apparently, she was one hell of an actress.”
“Maybe that was it,” Zavien said. “Anyway, I just needed you to know.” He tapped his fingers on the table.
“Did they find out how deeply she was involved with the Rebels?” Bryn asked.
“She was one of their inside spies on campus. No one has confirmed this, but I think she’s the one who poisoned you.”
Anger boiled up inside of Bryn. She wanted to unleash a torrent of fire and ice against Nola, but that would do little good. Nola was dead, and the plan to kill Bryn had failed, but thinking about the crazy dark-haired Barbie made fire crawl up the back of Bryn’s throat. A wisp of smoke drifted from Bryn’s nostrils as she exhaled. She took a moment to compose herself. “I wondered about that.”
“I have something I wanted to give you…sort of as a peace offering.”
“Okay.”
He reached into his book bag and pulled out a black folder. “I made it awhile ago, but I still hope it makes you smile.”
Now she was curious. She opened the folder. There was a pamphlet inside. On the front in elegant script it said:
Bryn’s Primer
Inside the pamphlet there were sketches of dragons from each Clan and a list of their traits and their breath weapon.
Red Dragons—Breathes fire. Strongest, with slightly scary tempers
Black Dragons—Breathes lightning. Most artistic, with a penchant for tattoos
Green Dragons—Breathes wind. Smartest, lacking in sense of humor
Orange Dragons—Breathes sonic waves. Plant whisperers who can kick your ass
Blue Dragons—Breathes ice. Elite lawmakers, chronic snottiness, fastest second fastest fliers
Red/Blue Hybrid Dragon—Breathes fire & ice, kick-ass chick, fastest flyer
Bryn grinned. “I love it. When did you make this?”
“A few weeks after you came to school, which seems like a lifetime ago,” he said. “After everything that has happened, I know I don’t deserve this, but is there any way we can be friends again?” Vulnerability shone in his dark brown eyes.
There were so many answers she could give him and none of them were simple. “You were a good friend to me when I first came to school and didn’t know anyone. I appreciate that because I would have been lost without you, and you literally saved my life after I was poisoned…but then you turned into an asshat. If it was up to me, I might agree to give our friendship another chance, but as an official member of the Blue Clan and Ephram Sinclair’s granddaughter, I’m not sure I can.”
Zavien gave the lop-sided grin she used to love. “I’ll respect that answer for now, but if you ever change your mind, or you need someone to talk to, I’ll be around.” And with that, he stood and headed toward the dining hall door.
“Well, that was interesting,” Ivy said.
“That’s one word for it,” Bryn leaned closer to her friends. “I wasn’t wrong, was I…about not wanting to be friends with him?”
“No,” Clint said. “He did some shady things to you and he was involved with someone who tried to kill you and destroy life as we know it.”
“Ahh, when you put it that way, I don’t feel bad.” She closed the folder so no one else could see it because not everyone would find it as amusing as she did.
Chapter Three
“We’re about to have more company,” Ivy said.
Seriously? Who’s coming to brighten my day now?
Jaxon walked over to her and held out a set of keys. “You’re three doors down and across the hall from where you were before.”
She took the keys from his hand. “Thanks.”
With a curt nod, Jaxon left.
“Want to help me move my stuff?” Bryn asked, like she was offering them a special treat.
“That has fun written all over it,” Ivy said.
It didn’t take long for Clint and Ivy to help Bryn move her clothes and the few personal items she had from one dorm room to another. The setup was the same—two bedrooms and a large front room divided into a living room with a couch and a study area with a library table and bookshelves featuring random pieces of art.
Clint plucked a small silver treasure chest from the shelf. “Mind if I open this?”
“It’s too small to contain a dead body, so knock yourself out,” Bryn said, referring to the root cellar door Clint had opened which had led to a tunnel where a family of hybrids had been murdered and left to rot.
He turned to glare at her. “Was that really necessary?”
“Sorry.” Why had she said that? Maybe because being back on campus was bringing up all sorts of memories.
“Are you sure you don’t want the comforter your grandmother bought you?” Ivy said.
“No. Everything from that room reminds me of Valmont or Rhianna. I want to start fresh.” And there was only one place to do that. “So unless you have other plans, I think I’m ready to suck it up and deal with going to Dragon’s Bluff.”
“Here’s a test,” Clint said. “Are you ready to eat at Fonzoli’s?”
Was she ready to eat at Valmont’s family’s restaurant? Her gut said no. “Only if you have an uncontrollable craving for Italian food. Otherwise, I’d rather do without the side of possible drama and go with burgers and caramel corn from the Snack Shack instead.”