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

“You okay?” His words were laced with laughter. I dug my sneakers into the ground and charged. The world around me wavered. My heartbeat became thunderous in my ears. When Kai brought his blade up to defend, I slipped right past it, as in right past the physical barrier of it, and landed smack bang against his chest. It sent us sprawling. Neither of us had factored in the phasing. We both dropped our blades rather than risk somebody getting hurt. He wrapped his arms around me as we fell and rolled so that he took the brunt of the impact. As a result, I felt nothing but a cushioned bump until we came to a stop with him on top of me.

“If we were shifters,” Kai said, his green eyes pinning me far more effectively than his body, “I would have won.”

“If we were shifters, I would have every right to rip your face off for daring to think I need protection.”

He eased his arms from beneath me to brace on either side of my head. I found myself bunching the front of his T-shirt in my hands. With a brow raised, his dipped his head and traced a line down my right jaw with the tip of his nose. When he inhaled, my back arched into him.

“Yield,” he said.

“You’re dreaming.”

He chuckled. “If I were dreaming, you wouldn’t have so many clo –” He paused mid-sentence, his eyes having gone the green of pine needles. My whole body curled when he kissed me. The slow intensity of the open-mouthed kiss had me straining to get impossibly closer. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I made a soft whimpering sound that caused him to shiver.

Something small and solid hit me on the cheek. I whined against Kai’s mouth. He pulled back as the nymphs lined up for more blows. I thought they were being jerks until I heard the distinct sound of boots on gravel. Kai moved so quickly I lost equilibrium as he hauled me upright. By the time the two Fae girls reached the clearing, we were just two innocent bystanders. Were it not for the murderous scowl on Kai’s face, we could have been mistaken for fellow plant enthusiasts.

One of the girls smiled at him. “This space is off limits right now,” he said. The tone was razorblade sharp. I was almost taken aback by it. They disappeared in the time it took me to blink.

“That was really mean,” I said. “They were junior school kids.”

Thinking about the kids sapped all of my energy. I was so busy trying to keep up with both Academies that I’d been able to pretend I didn’t miss Cassie and Charles. But sometimes I would find myself heading toward the junior campus out of sheer habit. The slug in the gut when I remembered it was off limits floored me every time.

“Hey,” Kai said. I sat down on the lawn. He joined me. “What’s wrong?”

“How much longer am I going to be banned from places?”

The Kai I knew, my Kai, disappeared as a shadow crossed his face. In his place was Malachi Pendragon, last of Raphael’s line, youngest member of the Supernatural Council. “You’re not –”

“Save it. The least you can do is not treat me like I’m an idiot.”

“Blue.”

I tried to get up. He latched on to my wrist. “Your low-magic. What happened to it?”

It had been a while since I heard the term low-magic. It rankled. At the same time I knew he didn’t mean anything by it. I glanced down at where his fingers shackled me. All he would have to do was squeeze and he’d shatter my bones. Now, more than ever, I understood why the humans were so terrified of the supernaturals. I had just been spoiled by being scooped up and protected.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “You’ve got more important things to do.”

He wouldn’t budge. His focus tunnelled. “There is nothing more important than your safety.”

A million girls would’ve died on the spot. But I kept thinking safety or containment? Damn these Terrans for getting into my head! It was that obstinate thought that had me spilling everything to him.

“Should they be trying to find this nutcase deity if she’s going to destroy everything when she’s released?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Maybe we’re nuts too.”

“You’d have to be. But for her to try and take away your power…” His hold on my hand grew tighter. Like he was afraid Gaia would show up and snatch me away. Behind his seemingly relaxed façade, something predatory suddenly lurked. A wave of sadness engulfed me. “That headmistress said your powers will likely come back, didn’t she?”

“Grand mistress,” I corrected. His face twisted. “I have a feeling they don’t really understand much about what’s happening. Nobody has ever bound a deity before.”

“Except the seraphim.”

“That’s different. Ariel and Uriel are guarding Lucifer. They’re not dead. Hedge magic isn’t supposed to last this long.”

“You’re not just a hedge witch, though, are you? By the looks of it, neither was your great-grandmother.”

I stared at him as something unlocked in my mine. I was a bone witch. Hilary must have also been one. What if her spirit was still holding on to the bindings around Gaia? What if…what if she’d been the one to bind Nanna?

Kai sensed the turn of my thoughts. He leaned forward and brushed his lips over mine. I clung to him. “Thanks,” I said when he pulled away.

“I know I haven’t been around,” he said. “But I’ll always be there for you, Blue. Now let’s talk about this birthday thing.”

I groaned. “Don’t start. I’ve told you I’m not interested.”

“I don’t like that you’ll be at Terran for it. Makes no sense. Especially since it’s the same night as the treaty negotiations.”

“They won’t agree to a swap.”

“I don’t care. I’m done being told what to do.”

“Kai!” I’d thought he was joking but the look in his eye said the opposite. The