Bloodline Secrecy: A Young Adult Urban Fantasy Academy Novel (Bloodline Academy Book 2), Lan Chan [readict TXT] 📗

I gasped. The panic had me pressing back so hard against the blade that I knew I was going to have a bruised spine.

“What’s wrong?” Kai said. He pulled back just enough so that there was a sliver of distance between our lips.

“Nothing,” I said. “I’m just conscious of the time.”

I’m sure that’s what every guy wanted to hear while he was kissing you. Let it not be said that Alessia Hastings didn’t know how to keep a guy on his toes. Darkness bled into his bright green eyes.

“Blue.”

“Yes?”

“What aren’t you telling me?”

I drew out a sigh even as the blade continued to wrestle with my command. “A lot of things,” I said. “If you only knew what goes on in my head.”

I’d meant it as a joke but something in the way his brow furrowed made my heart clench. He started to move away but I grabbed the front of his shirt. He stilled. I swallowed hard. It was in my very nature to be evasive. That’s how you got good at lying. He cupped my cheek and tilted my head up.

“Trust me,” he said. My heart just about broke at the vulnerability in that statement. I would trust him, had trusted him with my life. This time, it was my soul he wanted. I closed my eye and took a slow breath. When I opened them, Kai was staring at me, his mouth slightly ajar.

“The demon blade wants me to hurt you,” I said.

His gaze settled on the blade at my back. “Just me?”

“No. Everybody. It wants me to cut a path back to its true master.”

Kai’s top lip curled. If he were a shifter his chest would be rumbling with pent-up aggression. I splayed my palms against the muscles in his stomach. Reaching down, he placed his hands over mine. His expression turned soft. I wasn’t finished.

“I see him still,” I said. There was no need to say who. “And I don’t think they’re dreams. He’s planning something. And I’m pretty sure I’m a part of it.”

“The Sisterhood?”

I shook my head. “They’re the other side of that same coin.”

“You think they’re back for you?”

“I think they’re back because of something I did. They must know he’s resurfaced.”

He braced his hand over my collarbone. I hadn’t even noticed that I was shaking. “Whatever happens,” Kai said. “You’re not alone. This isn’t your responsibility. The Council, such as they are, will do something.”

“I know. Except the Council don’t have a rogue demon blade wearing down their will or the possibility of coming from the Sisterhood lineage.”

He brushed my cheek with his thumb, drawing my thoughts away from all the gloom. “We’ll figure it out together,” he said. “Just don’t go silent on me.”

I gave him a half smile. He wouldn’t have accepted it if not for the final bell ringing. Brushing his lips against mine, he teleported me right to Weaponry and Combat. I steeled my spine and pushed the door open. I wouldn’t go silent. Never again.

29

It came as a surprise to nobody that I wasn’t even being considered for the Halloween Showcase in this class. We were supposed to pick our strongest assets to display to the Council and parents when they visited. It was a yearly tradition held over the Halloween week. There were competitions, festivals, and of course, the traditional dressing up.

As an Aussie, I didn’t get it. Those students who were from the United States were bouncing all over the walls.

“I heard they have even done field trips where students get to go and visit the mortal countries,” I said. Halloween was the one night in the year where a goblin could blend into a crowd.

“They do,” Sophie said. “But I’m not sure how that’s going to work this year with all the precautions happening.”

“That sucks.”

What sucked more was when I managed to get a glance at Professor Eldridge’s clipboard to find my name right at the very bottom of the page. I was definitely going to get points taken off me for sure.

In Arcane Magic, Professor Mortimer pulled me aside. “Have you had your Herbology class yet?” he asked.

“Not until tomorrow.”

He scratched at his beard. “I would like for you to consider magic circles as your showcase topic. I know there are third-years in the class, but your natural affinity for them might give you an advantage.”

Brigid chose that exact moment to sidle past. She heard the tail end of the professor’s words and bristled. Snapping her mouth shut, she stormed off. That was just a powder keg waiting to explode.

“I’ll think about it, professor.”

Kai approached me midway through class. He raised his brow when I stepped a little away from him. He was always invading my personal space. It was like he didn’t understand there were personal boundaries or something.

“Did Mortimer ask you to showcase for this class?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“Are you going to?”

I shrugged. “I’m not sure. I want to see what Peter and Thalia say tomorrow.” While I enjoyed both classes, Herbology was more my speed. I knew that despite the things I could do with plants, many of the supernaturals still considered it to be a useless magical field. They just weren’t creative enough.

“Make sure you pick something,” he said. “And it better be something good because right now your point score is at a plateau.”

“Beg your pardon?”

“You know what I mean.”

I snorted. What was I thinking when I thought maybe being romantically involved with him would cut me some slack.“Yes, sir!” I saluted him.

He showed me his canines. “Maybe you should go work on your magic circles,” I harped.

“No need. I’m already showcasing in Combat.”

“Of course you are. I’d hate for you to be a one-dimensional meathead.”

He almost choked on his laughter. “You know you’re not very nice, Blue?”

“I’ll be nice when there’s something to be nice about!”

There was a second of taut silence where the electricity seemed to buzz against my skin. Kai glanced at my mouth. I stepped back farther.