Chapter Twenty-One
“It’s possible,” Medic Williams said. “But I can’t be sure. You could have passed out because they drugged you or because they drained you to unconsciousness.”
“I wish there was a way to know if it was an attack on my life or merely an evil way for them to thumb their noses at the Directorate.”
“I understand your frustration,” Medic Williams said, “but I have no answers.”
Jaxon came back into the room and took one look at Bryn’s face. “What’s wrong?”
Since she didn’t have an affirmative answer, she recounted her question to the Medic.
“That is a disturbing thought,” Jaxon said. “You probably shouldn’t repeat it to your grandmother.”
Fifteen minutes later, Bryn’s grandmother stalked into the room looking like she wanted to rain hell down on someone but couldn’t find anyone to take her wrath out on.
Thankfully, Bryn was sitting up under her own power and she felt almost completely back to herself. “I’m okay,” Bryn said.
“I am not.” Her grandmother stalked over and glared at Jaxon. “You are not to let her out of your sight until these individuals are caught and incarcerated. Do you understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Jaxon backed up a step. “I’ll wait outside so you two can talk.”
That was a smooth escape on his part. Bryn opened her arms. “Hug me before you yell at me.”
Her grandmother hugged her tight and then sat in the chair Zavien had recently vacated. “I am angry at the world right now, but I have no intention of yelling at you.”
“Thank you,” Bryn said. “I swear I was minding my business walking to breakfast. I wasn’t investigating crazy Silver cult dragon-pires or doing anything remotely adventurous.”
“Tell me everything that led up to this event.” Her grandmother pulled a small tape recorder from her pocket. “Leave nothing out. I’m passing this information on to your grandfather since he couldn’t come himself, and I am fairly certain you don’t want to deal with Ferrin.”
“Thank you for that.” Bryn launched into her tale of a good deed gone wrong which left her grandmother looking angrier than before.
“Is that everything?” her grandmother asked.
Bryn nodded, and her grandmother switched off the tape recorder. “I meant what I said to Jaxon. I don’t care if this was a fluke or if you were targeted, since your marriage contract was approved you two are responsible for each other’s safety. And since you seem to be the one more at risk for running into trouble, he needs to keep an eye on you.”
“I’m sure he will,” Bryn said.
Once she was able to walk under her own power, and her grandmother was satisfied that Jaxon would take his caretaker role seriously, her grandmother left.
“Sorry about that,” Bryn said to Jaxon.
“She’s not wrong,” he said. “I guess it’s time for me to stop focusing on the past and start focusing on my future.”
Medic Williams released Bryn with the appropriate paperwork and a note excusing both her and Jaxon from classes for the rest of the day.
Jaxon escorted her back to the Blue dorm, stopping for some carryout food he’d ordered for her. When they reached her room, he followed her inside. She felt stressed and grimy from the drama of her day. All she wanted was a shower, food, and a nap.
“You don’t have to stay here,” she said.
“I do,” he said. “Until I know you’re one hundred percent.”
She could argue with him, but that would keep her from a nice, hot shower. “Okay. Make yourself comfortable. I’m going to take a shower and try to wash away some of this stress.”
He sat at her library table and opened his book bag. “You should eat first.”
If she said she didn’t feel like eating, he’d probably call out the National Guard, so she quickly scarfed down the sandwich he’d bought for her and then went into her room. She took a quick shower and changed into yoga pants and a big comfortable shirt. When she went back into the living room, Jaxon was still working on his homework. She walked over and stood where he could see her.
“I’m going to take a nap.” She didn’t need him sitting out here while she slept. “I’ll call you when I wake up.”
He set his pen down. “I guess that would be all right.” In quick efficient motions, he packed up his bookbag. He stood and looked at her like he wasn’t sure about the situation. “Perhaps we could stop these near-death experiences you seem to keep encountering.”
She laughed at his attempted humor. “Fine by me.”
“Good.” He opened the door and then paused. “Do me a favor. Wear your elemental sword bracelet at all times.” He pointed at his shirt cuffs where he wore the cuff links that channeled his power into two frozen swords. “I plan to wear mine.”
“That’s a good idea.” Even if she’d had her bracelet on when the Greens ambushed her she wasn’t sure she would have been able to activate the sword, but it did make sense to keep a weapon handy in case anyone tried again.
He let himself out, and she locked the door behind him.
Bryn went into her room and retrieved the sapphire and platinum cuff bracelet, which focused her elements. She put it on and squeezed the bracelet to release the safety. When she pantomimed holding a sword, a blade of fire and ice shot from the bracelet. Maybe she’d keep it on twenty-four hours a day, even if it did look ridiculous with her yoga pants ensemble. She turned the safety back on by pressing the top.
Armed with her badass sword, she fell asleep within minutes of Jaxon leaving. Strange dreams of Green dragons stalking her plagued her mind. She never thought Greens would be behind something so ruthless. They were logical…like Spock from the old Star Trek shows her dad used to watch. They might be curious and perform experiments, but they didn’t seem like the type to use people for their own ends.
She drifted into a strange dream where Jaxon followed her every move, like literally…he turned into some sort of shadow that mimicked everything she did, and she couldn’t shake him. Whenever she thought she was alone, he would jump out at her. She woke up and checked her room. For a moment she expected to find shadow-Jaxon standing there. That was ridiculous. Was her subconscious commenting on their impending marriage? Maybe.
She got out of bed and went to call Clint and Ivy. She needed to interact with real people to shake the strange dream. They showed up on her terrace fifteen minutes later.
Ivy climbed in the window and gave Bryn a hug. “You’ve got to stop doing things like this,” she said. “You scared the crap out of us.”
“I’d love to lead a calmer life, but the universe seems to have other ideas.” She walked into the living room and they followed her.
“How did Jaxon deal with everything?” Clint asked. “Because he was doing that I’m-a-Blue-and-I-have-no-emotions thing earlier.”
Crap. Jaxon. She was supposed to call him. “He was okay. I need to call him really quick or he’s probably going to be ticked off.”
He might be ticked off that she called Clint and Ivy before him. “Would you guys mind participating in a little white lie by saying that you called me? I don’t want him to think I forgot about him.”
“No problem,” Clint said. “It’s for the greater good.”
Bryn called and told Jaxon that she had company so he didn’t need to worry about her.
“Don’t leave the dorm by yourself again,” Jaxon said. “Have your friends come here to meet you or call me and I’ll walk you wherever you need to go.”
“I want to whine and say that I don’t need a babysitter, but I won’t because there are evil dragon-pires out there.”
“Glad to see you understand the situation,” he said and then hung up.
Bryn sat in one of the wing-backed chairs and pulled her knees up to her chest. “So…did you hear any interesting rumors about the dragon-pires?”
Ivy laughed. “Everyone is talking about them. No one can believe they shanghaied you in broad daylight.”
“That was pretty ballsy,” Clint said. “Zavien told us how they lured you in. If I come across someone who needs help I hate that my first instinct will be to make sure they aren’t trying to trick me and suck out my Quintessence.”
“I know,” Bryn said. “From now on, unless someone is in danger of bleeding out, I’m going to call for a guard.”
…
Jaxon walked Bryn to breakfast the next morning, parting company with her when they reached the dining hall. They ate breakfast separately and she walked to Elemental Science with Clint and Ivy. She had most of her classes with her friends, except for Quintessential Medicine.
“I can walk to one class by myself,” Bryn objected as Jaxon escorted her to the appropriate room.
“You could, but you don’t have to,” Jaxon said as they turned the corner into her hallway and approached her classroom. “And arguing this is pointless because it’s my job to make sure you’re safe.”
That was so weird. “What a difference a year makes,” she said.
Jaxon snorted. “If you’d told me a year ago that we’d be in this situation, I would have thought you were insane.”
“Life is stranger than fiction.” Bryn entered her classroom. It was weird how seriously Jaxon was taking his duties. In a way it was a good thing because now that he was focusing on her, he seemed determined rather than sad.
She sat next to Janelle, who looked like she was about to launch into a series of questions but wasn’t sure what to say.
“Go ahead,” Bryn said. “Fire away.”
“I didn’t want to be rude,” Janelle said. “But now that you mentioned it, what in the hell happened?”
Bryn gave a succinct version of her misadventure. Everyone in the class seemed to stop talking so they could listen in. “Any questions?” Bryn asked when she’d finished her story.
“Were the Greens students or adults?” Janelle asked.
“The one whose face I saw appeared to be a college student, but I don’t know about the other one.”
“Did they have you look at photos of students?” Janelle asked. “To see if you could identify anyone.”
“No, but that’s not a bad idea.”
Medic Williams cleared her throat. “I think the Directorate assumed that anyone who let you see his face must have altered his appearance, but it wouldn’t hurt to look at some pictures. Now, we’re all glad that Bryn is safe. And the sad truth is that everyone needs to keep their guard up. Let’s turn to chapter ten in our books and read about treating puncture wounds.”
After class, Medic Williams waited with Bryn for Jaxon to show up.
“How many days do you think I’ll have to do this?” Bryn asked.
“I think this is your new normal until we find out who is behind these attacks,” Medic Williams said.
“That’s not the answer I wanted to hear.” Something else was bothering her. “I hate feeling like something bad is out there waiting to pounce on unsuspecting students. And I hate that I fell for their act.”
“Your pride is wounded?” Medic Williams asked.
“Yes,” Bryn said. “I’ve fought in bloody battles but some guy with a rag soaked in chemicals did me in. It’s embarrassing.”
“It’s not like you engaged in some risky behavior. You were trying to help someone.”
“I know. And as someone who wants to be a Medic, now I’m going to hesitate when anyone asks for help. That feels wrong, too.”
“We’ll figure out who is behind this and then you won’t have to second-guess your instincts,” Medic Williams said.