Page 39 of A Shadow of Betrayal

I glare up at Jordan and shove him back a few steps. “My life has gone down the shitter, and you want me to give up ice cream? Are you crazy?” I quickly swap the glare for my best puppy-dog eyes.

“Uh, what are you doing with your face?” he deadpans, then starts chuckling when I punch him in the arm. “Anyways, that's not actually a debate. There is no ice cream up here to eat, so not an issue I need to worry about. I do, however, want you to lose the soft belly that unnecessary sweets give you.”

I glare up at Jordan and shake my head. “Wow, you sure know how to make a girl feel good about herself,” I say, ramping up my sympathy-seeking by sticking my lip out in a fake pout, making my lips quiver a bit. “Are you calling me fat?” I tease, wanting to make him squirm a little. But instead of looking horrified by the idea, Jordan laughs.

“Uh, no. You're not fat. Not in the least,” he says with a shake of his head. “But you are soft. It's cute, but it will also get you killed up here. And I'm not trying to make you feel good about yourself, Meyer. I'm trying to help you as much as I can and keep you alive. Theo and I have decided you’re cool enough that we want to keep you, despite the fact that you're… you know… old and shit. So we have to get you into fighting shape so you stick around,” he says, waving his hand up and down, gesturing at me, and I let my mouth open in horror.

Okay, I was totally going to let him off the hook for making the belly jokes, but calling me old? Hell no!

“I am not old! I'm just not a baby like you two are,” I whisper-yell at him, poking him in the chest with a finger. “And I may not be in fighting shape, but I have kept myself alive this long, despite the fact that I had no idea Demons and Umbra Hunters existed. I think that deserves some recognition.”

“You said that was luck,” Jordan points out, his light green eyes sparking with amusement as he grins down at me while grabbing the finger I keep jabbing into his chest.

“Well, yeah! But still,” I grumble, yanking my finger out of his hand and glaring at him before taking a cheap shot and kicking him in the shin.

“Ow, dammit! Meyer! What the hell was that for?” he shouts, jumping back and clutching at his leg.

“See? I can do stuff,” I say with a smirk.

“Yeah. That was terrifying. I think my life flashed before my eyes. I’ll be sure to tell Theo to protect his shins when you're around,” Jordan drawls, rubbing his leg a little more before standing up to his full height as Billy walks into the room. I flip Jordan off and turn, watching the big guy stalk to where Sabrina is stretching, and I grin when he leans up against the bunk beside her, watching her every move. The way she stretches up on her toes before bending back down, placing her palms on the ground by her feet.

“Dude’s got it bad for her,” Jordan says, following my gaze, and I dip my head in agreement.

“But… aren't we all related or something? Regalis bloodline shit and all that?” I ask, frowning at the thought. Shit, why hadn't I thought about that before now?

I think back on how it felt when Lennox had held me against him during the bloodline ceremony and how his dark green eyes make me melt a little, despite the fact that I want to throat punch him whenever I see his face. Have I been checking out someone I’m related to this whole time?

“No. I mean… maybe a few centuries ago, we would be. But there is no real family connection between bloodlines now. We have the Umbra gene in our DNA that places us in our bloodline. However, even families that have grown up and live in the Umbra community can have children born without the sight. Theo’s sister is a prime example. Elaine and Laurant are both strong-blooded Umbra Hunters. Theo’s blood is extremely strong, but Cali has nothing. She’s Fracti. No sight, no strength. It's like the Umbra gene completely skipped over her.”

“Oh... that kind of sucks. I bet the dickwad loved having a daughter like that. Poor thing,” I whisper, instantly feeling sorry for the girl.

“Yeah, and Connor's parents are both from the DeLuca bloodline, but he is a Regalis,” Theo says, nodding up at the quiet boy who is lying on the bunk above my own. “There are no other Regalis relatives in his immediate family line. Yet here he is. It's like the sight picks who it wants and what strengths and weaknesses it feels like we can handle.”

“So… it's like Harry Potter and the sorting hat? How do you know what bloodline you are a part of?”

“Umm, I guess, if you changed the sorting hat to a knife and a bowl… then yeah. The bloodline ceremony is performed on our first day at the academy, and we are trained accordingly. More often than not, you will end up in the same bloodline as one of your parents, but not always.”

I shake my head and sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger. “This is all incredibly confusing,” I whisper, and Jordan nods in agreement.

“Yeah. Sorry about that. Hey… what time are you supposed to meet up with Umbra Regalis?”

“Seven? Why?” I ask, turning on my heel to look for the clock that rests above the mantel at the far end of the room, my eyes widening at the time. I'm five minutes late already. “Oh, crap! Shit. Why didn't you tell me?” I shout, pushing Jordan out of my way as I run for the door.

TWENTY

Meyer

“No.”

Lennox growls for the fourth time, and I wince, looking down at the old, musty-smelling book he tossed in front of me when I ran into his office. I lower my hand, letting it fall back on the worn wood surface of the table in front of me, and purse my lips to the side, glaring at my still unhealed palm.

Shit, I thought I totally got it that time, but since the damn cut is still on my hand, raised and red, looking possibly infected, I know I haven't done shit. To be fair, though, it's been incredibly hard to concentrate.

I sprinted into Lennox’s office, apologizing for being late while knowing I was about to get roasted by an angry Viking, not paying much attention to the man himself until I shut the heavy wooden door behind me and shot him an apologetic look that quickly morphed into one of shock, then arousal. Standing behind the imposing desk residing in the center of the large office, Lennox was wrapping a small bandage around his shoulder that was bleeding profusely… shirtless.

After I freaked out a little and asked him if he was okay, my eyes immediately landed on the large number of black rune-like tattoos that covered his arms and chest, and my heart flipped as my eyes scanned the well-defined muscles on his lower abdomen.

Holy shit, this man is in good shape. And not the kind of good shape you see from a man who religiously goes to the gym… no. This is CGI level of drool-worthy lines, sinfully delicious V, and I’m pretty sure his golden skin is glistening with sweat. I would usually find it gross and think the man was lazy for not showering before our meeting, but in all honesty, it just adds to the sexiness of the whole scene playing out like my own personal dirty movie.

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