Chapter Eighteen
On the walk back to her dorm, she tried to make sense of the information she’d gained. Alec had wanted to end both the Westgate and Sinclair lines by murdering Jaxon, Lillith, and her in order to steal Ferrin’s and her grandfather’s future—just like they’d stolen his future with Analise, first by denying the marriage petition, and then by arranging her death in a car accident. That was one mystery solved.
Then there was the revelation about her dad’s parents’ suspicious deaths right after he ran off with her mom. The scariest part was, she could imagine her grandfather orchestrating the whole thing as revenge. What was she supposed to do with that information? As usual, she was left with more questions than answers. Funny how Zavien was the least of her concerns right now.
Could she do anything to help Rhianna? Who would Jaxon be paired with now that Rhianna was undesirable?
The last question brought her to a screeching halt. She prayed that her grandmother and Lillith wouldn’t have any influence over who Jaxon would be paired with.
“There you are.” Ivy’s voice brought her out of her nightmare haze.
“Hi, guys.”
Clint and Ivy walked toward her hand in hand.
“Where’ve you been?” Clint asked.
She should keep them out of the loop, but she wasn’t that strong. “I asked Jaxon to help me investigate some Directorate business.”
Ivy opened her mouth to speak.
“The reason I didn’t ask you guys was because I knew it could land us in trouble. And it did. Two of the Directorate’s goons showed up to threaten us.”
Clint’s brows drew together. “Threatened how?”
“They tried to intimidate Jaxon, but he went all Westgate on them.”
Ivy snorted. “You mean he went all superior and obnoxious?”
“It was kind of funny.” Bryn shoved her hands in her pockets. “And then it wasn’t.” She told them about Zavien showing up and his stupid claim that she’d broken their deal. “He griped about how much trouble he was in with Nola.”
“He needs to grow a pair,” Clint said.
“Jaxon said the same thing. In a more upper-class way, of course.”
“And?” Ivy asked.
“Zavien said he cares about me, but things are complicated. Like I don’t know that already. Idiot. He didn’t even stay, he just ran off with Onyx.” She kicked at a rock on the sidewalk. “So here I am, pissed off at Zavien, and the Directorate, and pretty much any male who isn’t Clint or Jaxon.” She knew what she needed to do. “It’s time for me to focus on something else. If Zavien wants to talk to me, he can come find me. I’m done with all this drama.”
Clint scratched his chin. “Speaking of moving on to something new, you don’t think your grandmother will—”
“Don’t say it.” Bryn clapped her hands over her ears.
Ivy laughed. “Come on. It’s almost curfew.”
After parting ways with her friends, Bryn paced her dorm room. Before tonight, she hadn’t loved the idea that the Directorate kept watch over everyone. But now, it was super creepy.
…
News of Rhianna’s change in station spread across campus by dinner the next day. Jaxon growled, literally, at anyone who mentioned it. Outside the dining hall, she witnessed him arguing with another Blue.
“If you ever refer to Rhianna as ‘damaged’ again, I’ll make sure your marriage contract is denied.”
“You don’t have that kind of power,” the other Blue shot back.
Not smart.
Jaxon’s eyes went flat and hard. The lines of his face seemed to sharpen. He moved to stand toe to toe with the other Blue, who no longer seemed so sure of himself.
“If you cross me, I will do all within my power to make your life a living hell.” Frost shot from Jaxon’s lips with every word.
The other Blue’s gaze darted back and forth, checking to see if anyone planned on stepping in. All the other students in the vicinity seemed to find their shoes or the sky interesting. None returned the boy’s gaze. Shoulders slumped, the Blue kept his gaze down. “I apologize for my rude comment.”
“And?” Jaxon leaned in forcing the boy to retreat a step.
“And it will never happen again.” Apology complete, the young man bolted down the sidewalk, shifted, and took to the air.
Jaxon glanced around at the students who’d witnessed the incident. “Feel free to share this with your friends.”
The other students scattered like leaves in the wind. When his gaze landed on Bryn, she grinned at him. “I never thought I’d say these words, but I’m proud of you.”
He rolled his eyes. “Now my life is complete.”
…
Bryn entered the dining hall and almost tripped over her own feet because Zavien stood last in line at the buffet. It was almost like fate was mocking her. She walked up and stood in line behind him, just to see what would happen.
No response.
Un-freaking-believable.
He didn’t even know she was there. If you’d asked her a month ago, she would have said she could’ve felt his presence as soon as he walked into a room. She’d assumed he felt the same way. Apparently not.
When he shifted positions to grab a plate, he caught sight of her and froze. Tension filled the air. Her pulse spiked. If he didn’t at least say hello to her, she’d do her damnedest to slam his face into the giant serving bowl of mac and cheese.
“Hello, Bryn.” He moved forward in line.
Okay. He’d spoken to her. He’d spoken to her like he’d speak to any other student or teacher. His tone screamed, You are not special. You mean nothing to me.
She grabbed a plate and followed along. “So we’re back to casual small talk? Should I ask how you feel about the weather?”
A muscle in his jaw twitched. He scooped out a helping of mashed potatoes and put it on his plate. “I’m trying to be polite.”
She grabbed a spoonful of mac and cheese and smacked it onto her plate. “How does one go from, ‘I’ll work to change the laws so we can be together’ to ‘I’m trying to be polite’? Because I’m still stuck in the ‘What the hell happened to the guy who acted like he loved me?’ stage.”
Zavien set his plate down and met her gaze. “You want to do this here?”
“No. I don’t. Let’s go for a walk, and talk somewhere private.”
“No point. Let’s get this over with.” He sighed. “I need you to understand. I never lied to you. The idea of changing the marriage law…maybe I was lying to myself, hoping it was possible.” He gave her a sad smile. “I am sorry. I never meant to hurt you, but our relationship was a mistake. There are certain things…things I cannot change. I will always care about you, but it’s best if we go our separate ways.”
And now she had closure. She’d known it was over, but hearing him say it still made her heart hurt. She’d trusted him. Believed in him. To her horror, angry tears filled her eyes.
Zavien reached for her. “Bryn?”
“Don’t.” She shoved her plate onto the buffet and backed away from him. She would not do the whole girlie-crying-thing here, in front of everyone. As soon as she cleared the door, she shifted and took to the sky. Pumping her wings, she drove herself upward and broke through the clouds. There was no fire waiting to be released; there was only disillusionment and disappointment. All this time, she’d held out a tiny bit of hope that he’d apologize and come back to her.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. With every downward thrust of her wings, she tried to escape the chant in her head. It wouldn’t go away. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. She was a stupid girl who’d believed what she wanted to believe.
Her grandmother’s warning came screaming back to her. “Only those you love can truly hurt you.”
How right she’d been.