He grinned and pa.s.sed her another napkin. "That statement is true in more ways than one."

She wiped her face. "Better?"

He nodded.

"I'm exhausted." Ivy yawned.

"Stress wears you out." Clint eyed the pizza boxes. "One more piece and then we'll go."

After Clint and Ivy left, Valmont helped clean the mess from dinner. "Need anything else before I go?"

"No. Thanks for coming to check on me."

"If I could, I'd camp outside your door just to make sure you were safe." He sighed. "Knowing you could've been hurt eats away at me. And yes, I know it sounds like I'm obsessed, but since I became your knight, you're my number one focus. I tried asking around for advice, but there hasn't been a citizen of Dragon's Bluff who's stepped forth to protect a dragon in more than a century."

"Why did you intervene that day?"

He clasped her right hand between his and stared at her like she was the most beautiful creature in the world. "There's something about you, something special, something worth fighting for."

Wow. If there ever was a perfect thing for a guy to say, that was it. "Valmont, I-"

"I know you're working through some issues right now." He reached out and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I'll be here when you've figured everything out. Then we can continue this conversation." He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek before he left.

In Elemental Science on Monday morning, Bryn found a new seating chart on the board. The a.s.signments seemed random. She was in the third row between Quentin and Ivy.

"Notice who's missing?" Quentin asked.

After a quick check of the room, she realized the Orange dragons weren't present.

Mr. Stanton stood and cleared his throat. "After recent events on campus, the Directorate decided to investigate the Orange Clan. Octavius and Vivian will rejoin us once their innocence has been determined."

"They helped fix the rifts," Bryn said. "Why would the Directorate think they did it?"

"I believe they are going with the duck theory," Mr. Stanton replied.

Bryn waited for the punch line. There wasn't one. "You lost me."

"The duck theory is simple. If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, then it's probably a duck." Mr. Stanton frowned. "The Directorate is investigating the most obvious suspects first."

How would they know which Orange dragons attacked the campus? It's not like ripping open the ground left fingerprints.

"Students, I encourage you not to jump to conclusions. Just because there are a few rogue Orange dragons, that doesn't mean the entire Clan or your cla.s.smates are involved."

A low rumble broke out in the cla.s.s as students growled or whispered.

"I a.s.sure you the Directorate has everything under control. New security measures have been taken. It's my duty to inform you that you'll no longer be able to visit Dragon's Bluff during the week. On the weekends you'll be allowed to leave the inst.i.tute after signing out at the gate."

More grumbling filled the cla.s.s as students objected to the restriction.

"I've seated you in an alternating pattern. Given the current climate it seems advisable for us to practice deflecting breath weapons. Pair up and then switch partners."

By the end of cla.s.s, Bryn felt confident she could defend herself against another student. Fighting off an adult might be another story.

In Basic Movement, she spotted Jaxon and Quentin fighting with swords. "Will you guys come with me to see what they're doing?" Bryn asked Clint and Ivy.

"Sure." Ivy grabbed Clint's hand and pulled him along.

Jaxon and Quentin danced around each other searching for openings. Both moved fluidly and struck with precision. When Jaxon's sword connected with Quentin's shoulder, the two blonds stopped to catch their breath. Quentin handed his sword to Jaxon, nodded at Bryn and her friends and climbed out of the ring.

Jaxon offered the weapon to Bryn. "Want to give it try?"

She climbed into the ring and accepted the thin wooden sword. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with this. Valmont's sword is bigger."

"No man wants to hear that," Clint called out.

Bryn snorted with laughter.

"You've no cla.s.s at all," Jaxon said.

"Cla.s.s is overrated." Bryn tested the weight of the sword. "Enlighten me with your superior knowledge."

"Your knight probably has a broadsword. It's an unsophisticated weapon meant for hacking away at the enemy." Jaxon held out his sword. "This is a rapier. It's a more precise instrument used to stab the opponent."

Bryn waved the sword in a figure eight.

"No." Jaxon came to stand by her side. "Watch. You thrust and retreat. The object is to fatally wound your enemy before he stabs you."

His superior tone annoyed her. "Are you always this obnoxious when you play teacher?"

"Fine. You fight your way. I'll fight mine." He returned to his side of the ring. "First to three touches wins?"

Jaxon might beat her, but she wouldn't back down. "Agreed."

He came at her with a quick thrust. She swung her sword at his weapon to counter the attack. He closed in on her. She tried to block. He feinted left and then stabbed her right shoulder.

"d.a.m.n it."

He smiled.

She went on the attack and swung at his torso. He blocked her sword with ease and tapped her forearm.

Smoke shot from her nostrils.

Jaxon chuckled.

She narrowed her eyes and lunged at him. Her sword connected with his ribs, giving her a rush of joy.

He went on the attack. His sword was a blur as he stabbed at her. Pain in her ribs told her he'd connected again. She growled in frustration.

He laughed at her.

Aiming for his head, she swung the sword in a wide arc.

Surprised, he blocked the blow and ripped the sword from her hand. "It's over. You lost. Deal with it."

Bryn growled. She hated losing, especially to Jaxon.

By Friday night at Stagecraft, Bryn had lost patience with Zavien's duck-and-cover routine. How could she make him talk to her? Sneaking up on him, knocking him unconscious, and tying him to a chair with barbed wire might work. Maybe she'd give it a shot.

Rhianna stood in front of an expanse of canvas with a paintbrush and a can of gray paint.

"What's the a.s.signment tonight?" Bryn asked.

"We're supposed to paint smog along the top." Rhianna demonstrated by painting large gray arcs on the canvas at various angles.

Bryn grabbed a paintbrush and lost herself in the mindless activity.

"Did you love him?" Rhianna asked.

Bryn's hand froze midarc. "Is it that obvious?"

"No. It took me a while to figure out. Love isn't common among Blues. That used to make me sad. Now I don't mind because it looks too painful."

Zavien's laugh drifted across the stage. Unable to stop herself, Bryn turned to locate him. He stood near the black wrought iron staircase, which led to the catwalk. When his gaze met hers, he scowled. She refused to look away. He turned from her and climbed the spiral steps.

"Go after him." Rhianna plucked the paintbrush from Bryn's hand.

"Valmont told me I should wait and make Zavien come to me."

"Has that approach yielded any results?"

"No. The coward runs away every time I come near. I spend my days plotting different ways to murder him."

Rhianna ducked her head. "When Jaxon is obnoxious I fantasize about hitting him with my book bag."

Bryn chuckled. "I've had similar fantasies."

"No matter how irritating Jaxon is, I know he'd be there for me if I needed him. Can you say the same of Zavien?"

Yes...no...she didn't know anymore. Maybe Rhianna was right. She groaned in frustration. "Fine. I'll do it." She'd climb up on the catwalk to talk to Zavien. At least there he couldn't run from her. "Wish me luck." She crossed the stage and ascended the staircase. The wrought iron steps were a blur under her feet. This was the right thing to do.

She cleared the stairs, stepped on the catwalk, and came face-to-face with the one person she didn't want to see. Every muscle in Bryn's body tensed as Nola blocked her path.

"Bryn, we need to talk."

"Wrong. You need to get out of my way."

"You're behaving like a child," Nola said.

"No." Smoke drifted from Bryn's lips. "I'm behaving like someone who was lied to."

"Zavien never lied to you." Nola's voice grew louder. "You misunderstood his invitation. You heard what you wanted to hear."

"If you keep lecturing me, I might tell you the truth. Then we'll see how self-righteous you are."

"What's going on?" Zavien crossed the catwalk and stood behind his future wife. He glared at Bryn like she was the one causing the problem.

"Your friend decided to lecture me about my behavior," Bryn bit out.

"You're acting like a spoiled brat," Nola said. "You were delusional to think he'd be interested in anything beyond friendship."

Flames roared in Bryn's chest. If Zavien didn't come to her defense, it was over. "Zavien, it's now or never. Tell her the truth, or I will."

He ran his hand down his face. "Bryn has a right to be upset. For a brief time, I behaved inappropriately."

His words slammed into her chest, knocking her back a step. She clutched the catwalk railing for support as her world turned upside down.

Nola rounded on him. "How could you?"

"She had a crush on me." He shrugged. "I was flattered."

Rage tightened her fists on the metal railings. "Stop it. Stop making it sound one-sided. You're the one who came to find me before you went shopping with Nola." She smiled at the dark-haired woman. "He stopped by to kiss me before he spent the afternoon with you."

Nola's lips went white with rage.

Zavien said nothing, so Bryn continued. "He pressed me against the wall and kissed me like his life depended on it. Does he kiss you like that?"

Nola's open palm swung at her face.

Bryn grabbed her forearm. "Try that again and I will knock you on your pretentious a.s.s." For emphasis, she shoved Nola backward, right into Zavien's arms.

Not what she wanted to see. "d.a.m.n it, Zavien. How did you turn out to be such a disappointment?"

He stepped around Nola and spoke in a tight voice. "You don't understand-"

"You're right. I don't understand. One day you're kissing me and talking about changing the law so we can be together, and the next day you cut me out of your life. What am I supposed to-"

The catwalk lurched, throwing her off balance.

"What was that?" Bryn looked up and down, trying to a.s.sess the threat.

A rough grinding sound filled the air as the entire building shifted. Brick ground against brick. Cables snapped and zinged through the air. The can lights crashed to the stage below. Students screamed. Holy c.r.a.p. Was the building under attack?

Time to get off the catwalk. Bryn turned for the stairs. Her foot touched the top step. Screech. The stairs twisted, breaking away from the metal catwalk. There was nothing but air beneath her right foot.