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

nod rather than my usual sarcastic comments. Nora had been very specific about that. It was like she thought I couldn’t help myself or something.

“Are you ready?” Victoria asked Nora.

“As I’ll ever be.”

Victoria nodded to the Master of Ceremonies. The man cleared his throat. The lights in the ballroom dimmed. “Ladies and gentlemen. It is with pleasure that I introduce to you the new Council representatives of the Low Magic Guild. Nora and Emmanuelle Mwansa.”

Sophie’s parents stepped forward to much applause. I clapped with them. The Master of Ceremonies continued. “And their daughter Sophie Mwansa and Miss Alessia Hastings.”

Sophie and I looked at each other. She clutched my hand. I straightened my shoulders. We glided into the room.

I was hit by a wall of applause followed by the bright lights of the chandelier overhead. A sea of smiling face, both real and fake, swept by as we walked through the room. And then a singular figure snagged my attention.

I didn’t make it to the front of the room like we were supposed to. Kai grabbed me and spun me into his arms. It was ten times worse than anything he’d done at school. I was busy trying to remember how to breathe. My memory of him in a tuxedo didn’t do him justice at all. This one was pure black with a thin tie. The lighting softened the green of his eyes until they were like the newest spring shoots.

He threaded his arms around me, drawing me into his chest. “My god, Blue,” he hissed into my ear.

“Too short?” I asked.

He wasn’t even listening. His eyes were on the area below my neckline. I pinched his arm.

“Stop it,” I said. The absolute drawback of this outfit was that I couldn’t hide the blush over my skin. “People are looking.”

“I don’t think that’s got anything to do with me,” he said. Somebody cleared their throat. Mani appeared through the crowd.

“If you don’t mind,” he said, “Alessia is needed at our table.”

Kai’s lips pressed into a thin line. He was trying to suppress a smile. I could have died right there. “I’ll come and find you later,” Kai said to me. Mani wrangled me to our table. I sat down gratefully.

Sophie was ashen-faced beside me. “What happened?” I asked.

“Max and Dad got into an argument,” she said. I craned my neck to see if I could find the shifter in the crowd. It wasn’t hard. Even in a room full of supernaturals, he and Kai stood out. They were at their table across the other side of the room. Kai was leaning into Max, saying something that seemed urgent.

“It’s been like, a minute,” I said. “How did that even happen?”

“Beats me!” Sophie said. She pouted. “All he said was ‘hi’ and Dad told him to get lost. He said if Max came near me he’d have him castrated.”

I couldn’t help laughing. Sophie scowled.

Thankfully, we were saved by the official business for the night. There were long speeches given by Victoria and Orin about the sacred duty of the Council. I had to drink a whole bunch of water to keep my mouth occupied. Never had it been this difficult to swallow what authority figures were telling me. I kept thinking about the Soul Sisterhood. About the accusation that might be fuelling this recent spate of attacks. Victoria saw me with my pinched expression and returned it. I’d bet she’d been all for exterminating the Sisterhood. Nora and Mani made their speeches.

Then there was the binding ceremony. To my surprise, it involved blood. Nora and Mani’s fingers were pricked. Their hands were then pressed into a thick, leather-bound book. A wave of something I couldn’t see swept over the room. My skin broke out in goose bumps. Sophie shivered beside me. They’d made a supernatural pact. Now they would be bound to service. The apprehension in my gut was soothed by the graceful way Nora and Mani accepted their duty. It made me glad that I hadn’t been the one to press this point alone.

I had certain issues with authority and my mouth kept running away with me. There was no way I could have gotten this far by myself.

When the festivity portion of the evening started, Mani turned his dark brown eyes to us. “I want you girls to promise me you’ll be smart tonight,” he said.

Sophie covered her face with her hands. “Please tell me this isn’t happening,” she mumbled.

“This isn’t a joke, Sophie.”

“I’m not a baby, Dad.”

Nora was busy chatting to Jacqueline. I tried to wave her over, but she was engrossed.

“Those boys are older and more experienced.”

“I really don’t think I need to be here for this,” I said. When I tried to move, he gave me the dirtiest look. I sank back into my chair, thoroughly freaked out. Basil was the closest thing I’d had to a father figure and he was at home chatting up a witch. Meanwhile, Mani was giving me the third-degree.

“What do you think is going to happen, Dad?” Sophie asked.

“Nothing,” Mani said. “And I would like it to stay that way.”

“Ah, the joys of fatherhood,” Orin Harcourt said. He appeared behind where Mani was sitting. Mani swallowed hard. “Congratulations, Emmanuelle.”

Orin sat down in Nora’s vacant chair. They shook hands. “You’ve run a very strategic campaign.” I zoned out, trying to look for the food. It wasn’t until Sophie nudged me a second later that I realised they were all looking at me.

“Sorry,” I said. “I spaced out a little. Is something wrong?”

“Not at all,” Orin said. He smiled. I went still. “I was just wondering if you would like to dance.”

Ew. Thankfully, everyone at the table knew there was an ulterior motive behind his weird request. “I was actually going to ask the same thing,” Mani said. It was such a dad thing to do. As much as I loved him for it, I wasn’t his daughter.

“I’d be happy to dance with you,” I said to Orin.

“Lex,” Sophie hissed in my ear.

“I’ll be