Bloodline Diplomacy: A Young Adult Urban Fantasy Academy Novel (Bloodline Academy Book 3), Lan Chan [best way to read an ebook .TXT] 📗

done a great job yourself,” Samantha choked. “How often has she been in danger since she arrived at Bloodline Academy?”

Jacqueline’s heels clicked on the floor. It echoed in the small room. “There are things that happen in this world nobody can account for,” she said. “We have protected her to the best of our ability. But to allow your own students to kidnap her and tie her to an unsafe structure when you know she is terrified of the ocean is unforgivable.”

Wait, hold up. How many people knew I was terrified of the ocean? A calloused hand pressed around the side of my neck. I could feel and scent Kai beside me. Half his body was braced against the side of the bed. His arm lay under my head, his hand stroking my hair. That was half the reason why I hadn’t opened my eyes despite the two banshees screaming around me. Okay, it wasn’t screaming. But the sarcasm was strong, and the way they couched their words in hard politeness made them all the more cutting.

“I didn’t say I approved of the practice,” Samantha said. “The girls will be reprimanded. But even they couldn’t have foreseen this outcome.”

Jacqueline made a sound that was basically a derisive grunt. Before she could say anything more, Samantha continued. “I have to insist that you bring Alessia back. A deal was struck and the terms are very clear. I will not accept another communication via this unnatural method.”

“Surely you jest,” Jacqueline said. More clicking. They were obviously conversing via the MirrorNet. “If you think you’re coming anywhere near her, you’re deluded.”

“Then we will not be attending the treaty negotiations.” It was a simple statement loaded with ill intent. “We might not be numerous, but we have proven capable of defending ourselves.”

“You would risk a war with us just to get your own way?”

Something scraped on the other end of the mirror. “We would risk much more to ensure that our species is not threatened by monsters that should not be in this realm in the first place. Alessia returns to us. No excuses.”

I knew the mirror had cut out by the sound of it cracking. “Gran,” Kai said. “Doctor Thorne is going to kill you if you break anything else in here.”

Jacqueline huffed. “That insufferable woman is going to be the death of me.”

“What are we going to do?” Nora asked. I hadn’t realised there was anyone else in the room. I peeled my eyes open. The light above me was too bright. I turned, pressing my head into Kai’s side. “I can go back,” I croaked.

Kai tensed around me. He repositioned so that his arm supported my back. I kind of wanted everyone else to go away so I could just lie there with him around me.

“That’s not an option,” Jacqueline said.

“I don’t think we have many other options. It’s either that or they’ll pull out of the negotiations.” I had seen enough of Samantha’s fanatical beliefs to know she was as good as her word.

“From what I saw on the beach, there are only a handful of them.” Implicit in Jacqueline’s words was a threat that had the hairs on my arms standing on end. Sometimes I forgot she was as much an Amazon as she was our headmistress. I lifted my head and gave Nora a pleading look. She was already on the defensive.

“Let’s try and salvage what we can so it doesn’t come to that,” Nora said. She refocused on me. “How are you feeling?”

Like death had chewed me up and spit me out. “I’m okay.”

Kai grunted. “You and I have different ideas about what’s okay.” He slipped his fingers under the hem of my pyjama top. It was only then I noticed I was wearing a different set of clothes. He saw me tug on the sleeve of my top.

“Sophie brought you a change of clothes.”

My mind kind of blanked at the thought of him being there while Sophie changed me. Oh goodness, what underwear was I wearing? I could tell he was grinning even as he pressed his lips to my forehead.

“I can go back,” I said, to try and steer the focus away from the furious blush creeping up my neck.

“They were hazing you.” Jacqueline approached the bed. “What other things are going on over there that we don’t know about?”

It basically amounted to what Samantha had asked of me in her office. I pointed out that in my first semester, I had been stabbed by Brigid and nothing had happened to her.

“There were serious repercussions for her,” Jacqueline informed me. “Not any that you would know about, but we made sure the message was clear. Samantha—” she said the name like it was dirt on her shoe, “—seems to think this is all one big misunderstanding. She’s up in arms that we were on their beach trying to contain the situation.”

“How bad was it?”

Jacqueline brushed the back of her hand over her face. “Twenty-three humans had to have their memories tampered with. Thank goodness it happened in the middle of the night. The Fae worked around the clock to rebuild the beach.”

I glanced down at my hands. Until now I hadn’t let myself think of what I’d done. “The fish,” I choked. It was all I could get out before Kai held me close. He made a movement, and I knew he was shaking his head at his grandmother.

She remained steadfast. “What was that, Lex?”

I spoke against the crushing embrace of Kai’s arm. “I don’t know. I was so scared. I thought I was drowning, and I couldn’t control the circles.”

Nora sighed. She reached out and placed a warm hand on my ankle. “It’s alright,” she said. “Nobody blames you.”

I blamed myself. In my thoughts, that moaning, ancient voice still mourned. Fuelled by fear, I’d been like a stick of dynamite blowing up the ocean. This darker power inside of me was unpredictable. I’d been afraid to tap into it before because I hadn’t known