Chapter Five
Bryn sat at the table in her living room and double-checked her homework assignments, which were due tomorrow, while Valmont talked to his dad on the phone. All her assignments were good to go. Not perfect, but good enough. There was only so much time she could devote to homework when someone was trying to kill her.
She zipped up her book bag. Now what? She needed to say something. There was no reason to be nervous. This was Valmont. It’s not like he was going to kiss her or anything, not that she’d have a problem with that scenario, but still, she was being stupid.
After Valmont ended the call, she said, “I guess you’ll follow me to class tomorrow?”
“According to your grandmother, I’m supposed to be your shadow. She didn’t give specific details.”
Her grandmother expected Valmont to drop everything to protect Bryn, and he’d agreed—no questions asked, and with no thoughts to his living arrangements. The suitcase he’d brought with him leaned against the far end of the couch.
“Since Rhianna moved out, why don’t you move into her room? You can unpack and make yourself comfortable.”
“Are you sure? If I’m on the couch, I’m between you and the front door.”
True. “Though someone could come in from the terrace entrance, too. If you’re in her room, with the door open, you’d be in the middle of the two entrances.”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way.” He stood and grabbed his bag. “I guess I’ll unpack.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to offer to help him unpack, but he couldn’t have much in the one bag, and he might want some time to think. A few minutes later, she heard the sound of furniture moving.
What could he be doing? She poked her head in his new room where she witnessed him moving the four-poster bed toward the door.
He must have his reasons. She waited for him to finish.
“There.” He adjusted the bed so it was two feet inside the room. Now, I can jump out of bed and be out the door as soon as possible.”
“Good idea.” She yawned. “Speaking of bed, I think I’m going to turn in.”
“Okay.” He closed the distance between them and pulled her into a hug. His arms around her made her feel safe. It would be great to fall asleep with him on the couch. A nap was one thing, sleeping in his arms all night long might not be a good idea. Actually, it sounded like a fabulous idea, but her grandmother most certainly would not approve.
…
The next morning, Bryn checked the mirror and frowned. Pale skin and tired eyes stared back at her. Using Quintessence she darkened her lip color, gave her cheeks a healthy glow, and darkened her eyelashes. That was better. She might not be a morning person but that didn’t mean she had to look like she was still asleep.
Valmont walked her to breakfast. Clint and Ivy acted like it was normal for Valmont to join them. Everyone else, not so much.
“Should I stand up and introduce myself to everyone in the dining hall?” Valmont asked.
Clint shook his head. “Believe me, everyone knows who you are.”
Valmont gave a movie-star grin, and his single dimple appeared. “Looks like I’m famous. Do you think they’ll want me to sign autographs?”
Bryn chuckled. Good thing her knight didn’t mind scrutiny.
“Hey, look at that.” Ivy pointed toward a table where Rhianna and Jaxon sat with several others of their Clan. The girls were talking among themselves, and they were including Rhianna.
“Yeah, I guess moving out of my room bumped her back up the social ladder.”
“Hello?” Ivy waved her hands in front of Bryn’s face. “Did we forget to share with the class?”
“Sorry. Everyone staring at Valmont distracted me.” She told them about Jaxon insisting Rhianna move out.
“It sucks that he might’ve been right,” Ivy said.
“It sucks that my grandmother made me move to the Blue dorm in the first place.”
“I wonder how long it would take her to hear about it if we moved you back to our dorm?” Clint said.
“Unfortunately, that would constitute an act of war, as far as my grandfather is concerned.” Bryn stirred a packet of sugar into her coffee. “Though when I lived in your dorm, I felt like I belonged. The Blue dorm is not so friendly.”
“They’re a bunch of pompous asses.” Valmont spoke in a voice quiet enough for only their table to hear. “Too bad they control all the money and have all the power.”
“They don’t,” Clint said. “I mean, they have most of the money, but they wouldn’t survive a week without the rest of us. Who creates the art they love to buy? Who heals them when they’re sick? Who runs all the businesses they love to spend their money at?”
She’d never thought about it that way. “I guess all the Clans need each other to play their roles.”
“And the Blues are like the prima donnas of the company,” Clint said. “We put up with their snotty behavior, while we secretly fantasize about knee-capping them.”
…
In Elemental Science, Mr. Stanton approached Valmont and had a quick whispered conversation before class started.
“What was that about?” Bryn asked.
“You’ll see.” Valmont grinned like a kid who’d been offered a trip to Disneyland.
Mr. Stanton stood behind his desk and waited for everyone to settle down and face him. “As you can see we have a visitor today, and he has generously agreed to help with today’s lesson.”
This could be really great or really awful.
“I’m sure you’ve all heard that Valmont is Bryn’s knight. I’ve asked him to explain how this came to be.”
Oh crap. She grabbed Valmont’s hand as he stood. “You don’t have to do this.”
“Afraid I’ll name names?” he asked.
Did she care about that? “Maybe.”
He laughed. “Fine. I’ll just use an unflattering description.”
And everyone would know who he was talking about, anyway. She wanted to crawl under her desk.
Valmont strode to the front of the room exuding confidence and way too much sex appeal. He leaned his left hip against Mr. Stanton’s desk and grinned at her.
“Once upon a time—”
Several students laughed.
“What? It really does start like that.” He cleared his throat. “Once upon a time, Bryn and several of her friends came to Fonzoli’s for lunch. We met, and I could tell there was something special about her.”
Bryn felt her face color.
“A few days later, she returned to the restaurant, asking for a gallon of lemon ice and a spoon. Given my experience with females, I knew this meant something wasn’t right in her world. We talked, and then the source of her irritation, who we shall refer to as the spiky-haired moron, showed up and tried to push past me to continue his confrontation.”
Oh, God. Zavien would hear about this. She was sure of it.
“As any good descendant of a knight would do, I blocked his path to protect Bryn from more verbal abuse.” Valmont zeroed in on Bryn. “And in that moment, she became my world, the only thing worth living for, and I knew I would lay down my life or take another’s to protect her.”
A tingling sensation started on Bryn’s scalp and traveled through her core all the way down to her toes. It was like magic pulsed in the air between them. Female students from all Clans whispered among themselves, while the male students muttered under their breath. Not that she could blame the girls for being impressed and the boys for being jealous. Her knight was awesome and hot, and why did these I-must-kiss-him feelings always seem to hit her when they were in a crowd? It was damn inconvenient.
“Thank you for that illuminating explanation, Valmont.” Mr. Stanton shuffled papers on his desk. “You may return to your seat.”
Seeming larger than life, Valmont strode back toward her. More than half the girls tracked his progress across the room, which earned more scowls from the boys. Did Valmont mind? Of course not. Maybe that was the reaction he’d been going for. He did love to stir up trouble, but in her heart she knew he meant every word he’d said.
When he reached her, he moved the chair so he sat beside her, took her hand, and laced his fingers through hers. It was only by sheer willpower that she didn’t crawl onto his lap.
He leaned in and whispered, “I know what you’re thinking.”
Her face grew hot. “No. You don’t.”
“You’re blushing.” He sat back in his seat and gave a self-satisfied grin.
She tried narrowing her eyes at him but ended up laughing instead. “Knock it off.”
“Class, as you just witnessed, the bond between a dragon and a knight is strong. There hasn’t been a knight in our society for more than a hundred years. Normally, dragons and the descendants of knights don’t interact in a way that makes stepping in to protect someone a common occurrence. However, now that there is an outside threat, you need to be aware that every grown human in Dragon’s Bluff has the ability to take on the mantle of a knight. Take care when you’re there, not to bring about the transformation by accident.”
“Could a dragon saving a human bring about the transformation?” Garret asked.
Mr. Stanton frowned. “The history texts are vague on that account. In ancient times, dragons used to adopt entire towns. The people kept their dragon’s identity a secret and the dragon protected people from any invaders. The dragons shared their magic with the humans, imbuing them with extra strength and turning them into knights.”
“This brings about so many interesting theoretical questions.” Garret tapped his desktop with his good hand. “What if a human had a transfusion from a dragon? Would that activate the spell since the magic is literally from the dragon’s blood and the latent spell is in the human’s blood?”
“That is an interesting hypothesis. One you would not be allowed to test.” Mr. Stanton spoke sternly.
“It’s not like I’d kidnap someone,” Garret said, “but maybe someone could volunteer.”
“Can the process be reversed?” Jaxon asked.
An involuntary growl poured from Bryn’s throat.
Jaxon rolled his eyes. “Calm down. I’m not talking about your knight in particular. It’s a theoretical question. If Garret found a volunteer, and he managed to bring out the latent powers of a knight, could he change the person back?”
“Once a bond is forged, it can only be broken by the dragon. Not that I am giving approval of any sort for this experiment, but if Garret was able to change someone, that person could be released. They would go back to their normal life. On the battlefield, if a dragon is mortally wounded, she can release the knight in order to give him peace. If either the dragon or knight dies while still bonded…well, you’ve seen the dragon atop the hill for which the town was named.”
Bryn swallowed hard. “That isn’t a statue?”
“No,” Mr. Stanton said. “Her knight was gravely injured in battle. She could have released him, but instead she chose to stay by his side until he died. He was buried on the bluffs. She sat by his grave every day. Eventually, the magic of the bond turned her to stone so she could watch over him forever.
Tears filled Bryn’s eyes. She’d thought that story had sucked when she believed it was only a myth. Now that she knew it was true, it was heartbreaking.
Valmont put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “I will never put you in that position. If worse came to worse, I’d ask you to break the bond.”
That didn’t make her feel any better, but she nodded like she was okay with it, because what else could she do?