Burning Bright (Going Down in Flames #5)

“We’re back to that catch-22 situation. If she had married Ferrin, I wouldn’t be here.”

“I know.” Her grandmother reached for Bryn’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “You are the best possible outcome from the biggest heartbreak of my life. Sometimes it’s hard to reconcile the two.”



Back at Sinclair Estate, Bryn went to her room and called Ivy.

“Hello, Bryn. What’s up?” Ivy said.

“How’d you know it was me?”

“Unlike your grandparents’ estate and the Institute, my house has this wonderful modern technology called Caller ID.”

Bryn laughed. “I miss that.” And then she told Ivy about her eventful day.

“You have a pool on your roof?” Ivy said.

“It’s pretty cool. I’ll make sure you and Clint have your own guest suite. But beyond that, what do you think Jaxon meant?”

“I think the house made him happy and he can see having a future there with you.”

“As a friend?” Bryn said.

“Or more,” Ivy said. “As long as dragon-pires don’t take over your house as their evil lair, I think you guys will be okay.”

“No dragon-pires allowed in the pool,” Clint called out in the background.

Bryn smiled. “Tell him he can paint that on a sign and I’ll hang it next to the pool.”

“All joking aside,” Ivy said. “That’s pretty ballsy that dragon-pires were roaming the estate.

“I know. And I’m sure my grandfather is working overtime trying to catch these jerks before the Christmas Ball. Last year was bad enough. If dragon-pires crash his party he’s going to be furious.”

After dinner that night, Bryn sat in the dining room with her grandparents, wondering how to bring up the topic of visiting her parents to decorate their tree.

“What’s on your mind, Bryn?” her grandfather asked.

“I guess I need to work on my poker face.” Maybe she should wait and bring this up when her grandfather wasn’t around. It’s not like he didn’t know she went to visit them. “I planned to visit my parents and help them decorate their tree. When I was in school I had friends drive out there with me so I wouldn’t be alone. Is it okay if one of your drivers takes me out there, or do I need someone else to go with me?”

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t leave the estate until we’re sure that the dragon-pires are no longer in the vicinity. The man you spotted earlier still hasn’t regained consciousness. The Medics aren’t sure if he will.”

“That’s awful.” Bryn had assumed he’d have the same experience she did. Not fun, but she’d made a full recovery. “Unlike the past victims, myself included, these dragon-pires don’t care about leaving their victims alive?”

“At the moment we don’t know the answer to that question, but I’d assume you’re right. I have a dozen men searching the building site and the grounds all around Sinclair Estate. Once we’ve determined it’s safe to travel, we’ll send an extra guard with you when you wish to visit your parents, but that may not happen for awhile.”

“I understand. What I don’t understand is why anyone wants to suck the life force from another dragon.”

“I’m sure Jaxon told you the conspirators we captured were Green-Blue hybrids. When you combine genius with an unfulfilled desire to rule, the result is an unhealthy obsession for power.”

“True. I hate that everyone thinks the dragon-pires are Green. Garret is not happy about that.”

“Once we’ve apprehended the guilty parties, the truth will come out,” her grandfather said.

“On to a happier topic, have you seen the reports on Garret’s prosthetic wings and braces? He’s done some amazing things.”

“He is a brilliant young man. I’d be willing to fund anything he wants to pursue in the future. A lot of Greens just theorize, but he creates functional prototypes. That’s impressive.”

This was a far cry from the man who used to think that injured dragons should stay out of sight because they reflected poorly on the Clan. She was proud of him. Saying that would earn her no end of grief, though, so she kept her thoughts to herself. Although she did chalk it up as a personal accomplishment. He never would have considered funding Garret’s prosthetics if she hadn’t asked.

Before she went to bed that night she called Jaxon.

“I guess you didn’t hear anything about the investigation,” she said.

“No,” Jaxon said, “but I have a question. If we hadn’t gone up on the roof and seen that man would he have died?”

“I don’t know. Why?”

“It’s one thing to steal someone’s life force, knowing they’ll recover with medical help. It’s another thing to drain someone and leave them to die. Both are crazy, but one is more disturbing than the other.”

“When I was attacked, I don’t think they meant for me to die. They could’ve dumped me somewhere no one would find me, but they didn’t. Maybe the guy today was the same way. They knew it was a construction site and that someone would find him.”

“I think you might be overly optimistic,” Jaxon said.

After hanging up with Jaxon, Bryn called her parents and explained what was going on. They agreed that she should stay put. “Don’t worry about the tree,” her mom said. “We’ll just string some popcorn to put on it this year.”

“The dragon-pires are messing up my holiday plans,” Bryn said, attempting to make a joke.

“At least we were able to bake cookies,” her mom said. “And after the holidays we’ll go shopping for ornaments on sale so we’ll be set for next year.”

“Sounds good.” She hung up after talking to her dad for a few minutes and making him promise that neither of them would go anywhere by themselves. It did strike her as ironic that her mom still planned to bargain shop for ornaments when Bryn hadn’t blinked at the price for Jaxon’s gift. Funny how quickly she’d grown used to having cash in her bank account. Not that she planned on becoming an Olympic-level shopper, but knowing there was money if she needed it gave her great peace of mind. Maybe she could siphon some of it off into an account for her parents, because she hated to think of them having to pinch every penny.



By the time the Christmas Ball rolled around Bryn was keyed up with anticipation. Sure there would still be Blues who wouldn’t like her, but she wouldn’t be by herself this year…she’d be with Jaxon. She wouldn’t have to sit on the sidelines and watch everyone else mix and mingle and dance. Last year that had totally sucked.

Neither Ferrin nor her grandfather had found out any new information about the dragon-pires, which meant she’d been housebound. For tonight she wanted to forget about Quintessence-sucking Green-Blue hybrid whack jobs and focus on having fun. Or, at least, the Blue version of fun.

She checked herself out in the mirror. The black toga-style dress flattered her curves and made her feel attractive. That was important, since she’d be surrounded by golden-skinned blonds all night. She’d fixed her hair in a half up, half down style with a French twist in the back secured by a diamond hairpin. She hadn’t known what it was when her grandmother had showed it to her. It was the size of a pencil and the diamond was where the eraser would be. There was a matching cap the same size on the bottom of the pencil which sported its own diamond.

All she’d had to do was twist her hair and thread the pin through. After capping the end, it stayed in place. With her new hairdo, dress, and subtle makeup, she felt like she could hold her own against Jaxon. She might be as pretty as he was tonight. That was a first.



She met up with her grandmother in the foyer where they’d soon be greeting guests. Her grandmother wore a dress which looked like it was made from blue ice crystals.

“Very pretty,” Bryn said.

“Thank you.” Her grandmother smiled. “You look wonderful. Jaxon isn’t going to know what hit him.”

Bryn rolled her eyes. “Right.” But secretly she hoped Jaxon would give her a genuine compliment.

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