Bloodline Diplomacy: A Young Adult Urban Fantasy Academy Novel (Bloodline Academy Book 3) by Lan Chan (best short novels .txt) 📕

formed a brace behind my back, trapping me in place. He fisted the back of my top, his knuckles grazing my oversensitive skin.

Something chimed by the wall. It was loud enough that I had the feeling it had been going off for a while. Kai’s mouth moved to the column of my neck. I gasped when his tongue lapped at the pulse point below my ear. I shuddered against him at the same time the piercing wail of a bulletin almost busted my eardrums. It was my pained whimper that pushed him to stop.

He grunted and threw a pillow at the mirror. Phoenix barked at the sound. I took a long, shuddering breath and scampered to take the call.

“It’s about time!” Basil’s voice shouted when I made the connection. His eyes flicked behind me and then creased in annoyance.

“No boys in the room.” Basil said. Then he caught sight of Phoenix. “That animal shouldn’t be there either.”

I blew out a breath through my nose. “Hi, Basil.”

Kai brushed his palm over my shoulder and teleported out. I shivered at the phantom touch. Okay, I would let him off the hook for the name thing.

“How are you?” Basil asked.

I sat cross-legged on my bed with the mirror in my lap. Phoenix hunkered down on all fours. His eyes closed. “I’m okay. A lot has been happening.”

“I’ll say. Did that boy really figure out how to counteract the Soul Sisterhood phasing?”

“He has a name.” Basil made a disgusted sound. “And yes, he did.”

“How?”

“Beats me. He claims I helped him, but I swear I did no such thing. He better not be going around telling people that’s what happened, because if the Sisterhood think I’m a spy...” I trailed off as the thought sank in. If I had inadvertently helped Kai against them, would they not want me at Terran anymore?

Basil saw my reticence. “That boy is a lot of things, but he’d not stupid enough to do anything that would hurt you.”

“Then how did he figure it out?”

“I’m not sure. How do the Sisterhood do it in the first place?”

We stared at each other. He knew well enough that I couldn’t say anything to him about their methods. “Lex. This is a dangerous game.”

“It’s not a game. Both sides want me to be their spy. You know I’m not good at this type of thing.”

He looked behind him surreptitiously. Like he was making sure there was nobody else around. “Things appear to be escalating very quickly,” he said. “I’ve heard rumours that the Council are making preparations for an assault.”

I wasn’t surprised. “I don’t understand why they can’t just talk things out. They get into a room together and it’s like they’re not able to think straight. On their own they’re perfectly reasonable.”

“Everyone thinks they’re right,” Basil said. “I’ve been around for a long time. But not as long as some others. This isn’t the first time someone has had the bright idea of revealing our existence to the humans. No matter how it happens, there will always be an initial period of mass hysteria.”

I braced my chin on my balled fists. “The humans are dead set that it’s happening. They...I think they’re afraid.”

Basil nodded. “Of course they are. Their deity has disappeared and they’re contending with rumours that Lucifer is mounting a return.”

Hearing his name from somebody else was like a switch. I opened my mouth automatically as though I was going to spew everything I knew but my voice died. I scented smoke in the air. My mouth felt like it was coated in ash.

“Lex?”

I choked on a cough. Phoenix opened one eye and regarded me quizzically. “I’m okay.” My eyes stung with tears. I wasn’t sure whether it was from the frustration or the physical barrier. “How do I choose? I feel like I should warn someone. I just can’t figure out who.”

Basil frowned. “Both sides are putting you in an unfair situation.” He huffed. “Perhaps it’s best if you focus on your original mission.”

I was glad he brought that up. “I’ve asked the mermaids for help finding Gaia. If they come through, I’m going to need a mage…”

“We shouldn’t be speaking so freely about this over the MirrorNet.”

“Agreed.” Especially since I was being monitored while I was here. “But what choice do we have?”

“Good point.” I could tell by the way his gaze turned introspective that he was considering my request. I also knew the consequences for him if something went wrong. He’d only just been given his freedom. To go against the Council would mean being stripped of that. Right now he had a lot to lose.

“You don’t have to decide right now,” I suggested.

“Nonsense. I said I was your guardian. That doesn’t end just because you’re eighteen.”

I smiled and pressed my forehead to the glass. “Thanks.”

“Now let’s talk about why that boy was in your room.”

“Err, I have a lot of homework to catch up on.” My hand moved to swipe the mirror.

“Lex! Don’t you dare hang up on me. Lex!”

The glass turned opaque. I drew a silencing circle around it and stuffed it under a blanket. If I managed to save the world, maybe then we could have that conversation. Maybe.

34

I woke up earlier than usual with theft on my mind. A snore from the bed opposite mine made me grin. When I glanced down at the circle I had drawn on the floor, my smile faded. The outline of the circle was barely visible because it was black and not blue. My hedge magic didn’t appear to be returning.

I pressed my finger to my lips when I stepped outside and Phoenix met me by the door. He’d spent the night in the billabong area. How he always knew when I’d be around was beyond me. The audible flap of wings overhead didn’t discourage me. It wasn’t the Nephilim guards I was trying to avoid. When we hit the Grove, I steeled myself for the pain. I only whimpered a little when I dragged myself