Page 129 of Blood & Betrayals

“Summer. Everything in me is telling me to stay by your side right now.” He looks into my eyes, the sky blue shining with sincerity, with concern. My poor, haunted big guy.

I sigh. “Okay. Let’s go to your class.”

Connor relaxes immediately and closes his eyes, kissing my forehead. “Thank you.”

52

Summer

Connor slides his hand into mine and gently tugs me against his side as we walk to his next class. I look over my shoulder as we go, my eyes searching for the mysterious being I had the strange encounter with. It should have been terrifying, especially because an unknown entity is hunting me. Well, an unknown entity and a psychotic fae male. I was scared in the beginning, but then… I wasn’t. While dangerous and filled with power, the energy coming off him didn’t feel directed at me but in defense of me. No part of me wants to run and hide. Instead, I am intrigued.

As we round the corner, the corridor out of view, Connor brings my hand to his lips and presses a soft kiss to my knuckles. I look at him, letting the kindness and love in his eyes wash over me. The sky blue encapsulates me in a sea of calm. Connor smiles at me before he opens the door to his classroom. Everyone is already seated, and Headmaster Emrys’s words trail off when he sees us.

“Miss Tuatha De Daanan. I don’t recall inviting you to join my senior capstone class.”

I blush, about to reply, when Connor answers for me. “Apologies, headmaster. This will be a one-time thing if you allow it, of course.” He gives the headmaster a pointed look, and I get the sense he’s not going to let him not allow it. My sexy big guy.

Headmaster Emrys lifts an eyebrow, regarding us both with those steely gray eyes. After a long, tense moment, he nods once and walks around his desk, perching on the edge of it. Connor squeezes my hand, and we sit down near the back of the classroom.

“Combat runes,” the headmaster continues. He unbuttons his left cuff and rolls the sleeves up his arm, unveiling some of the most intricate runes I’ve ever seen. Unlike fae, with our iridescent runes, sorcerers’ runes are black, the kind of black that swallows light. The headmaster’s runes are drawn expertly, and while they’re usually concealed by a shirt, it’s fascinating to see how they connect to the always visible ones on his hand. And also incredibly sexy.

The headmaster does the same with his other sleeve, and I take time to study the runes on that arm as best I can. There are some that adorn both, but there are a couple that differ between arms. Some battle runes can be drawn onto the skin in one place, affecting the whole body, while others must be applied to each arm or leg. Placement is very rune dependent..

“At the end of our previous lesson, we had just started to delve into the different advanced combat runes, and I had asked for you all to research a subset of the combat runes from your species.” The headmaster turns back around and begins to draw various runes on the whiteboard. His work is effortless, and I briefly wonder how much knowledge he contains in his brain. He labels them one to eight and then turns back to the class.

“Mister Morningstar, which is the angel advanced combat rune?” His steely gaze locks on Connor, pinning him there. I feeluneasy on his behalf, but Connor’s effortless confidence remains a welcome presence beside me.

“Number three, headmaster,” Connor answers easily.

Headmaster Emrys nods once and then draws the symbol of the angels beneath the third rune. “Specific archetypes?” he asks, still looking up at the rune.

“Along with the base advancements in combat, the angelic advanced combat rune also affects our wings. The feathers toughen, becoming shield-like while also turning even lighter, allowing for a faster and more silent glide,” Connor recites as if he’s memorized a passage on this very subject. I look at him, smiling proudly at my angel and feeling a little turned on by him. Overall, this is just a very erotically charged class.

The headmaster nods and casts his gaze over the classroom, landing on another student. “Miss Denya.”

The girl pales, disappointed that her plan to avoid eye contact with the headmaster has failed.

“The vampire combat rune?” the headmaster probes, and Miss Denya turns a sickly shade of green as her eyes nervously dart between the different runes and the headmaster.

“Number four?” she squeaks out.

The headmaster’s cool gaze is locked on her, waiting. “Is that your answer or a question, Miss Denya?”

She swallows loudly. “The answer?”

The headmaster continues to stare her down, and she squirms under the attention. Connor slings his arm along the back of my chair, enjoying this takedown. There is obviously some ill will between him and the quivering vampire.

“Wrong.” The headmaster’s steely voice cuts through the tension in the room like the sharpest of blades, and he looks over the room, taking in every single student.

“Can one of those who have actually done the reading tell me which species the fourth one is for?” Everyone in the room stares blankly at the whiteboard.

From the moment he started drawing the rune, I knew it was a fae rune. There is something about the way it curves and bends. As much as I hate to admit it, there is a finesse to it that was first perfected by the fae folk. Their rune work is some of the most intricate. Even if I hadn’t recognized it by the design, I would have known for sure once he completed it. It looks as if It is hovering above the whiteboard, calling to me.

“No one?” the headmaster asks, a slight growl to his voice.

“It’s fae.” I tense and press my lips tightly together, the words having slipped out. The sound is so soft that it’s not reaching to hope that he didn’t hear it, but the second my answer hits the air, his eyes snap to me.

“That is correct, Miss Tuatha De Daanan.” He looks at his students. “Disappointing.” Done with trying to get answers from his class, he points to the first rune. “Shifter, non-winged.” He points to the second one. “Shifter, winged.” He points to the third one. “Angel.” He points to the fourth. “Fae. Berserker. Valkyrie. Vampire and siren.” He points to them one after the other. “This demonstration is anything but exhaustive. These are just the ones relevant to the class.” He leans against the wall. “Now we know the runes, and we have the ability. What stands in our way of simply drawing them and utilizing their abilities?”

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