Page 21 of Blood & Betrayals

I blink, trying to keep the disgust from my face. “Huh.”A moat?That can’t be where they drank from, can it? That can’t be sanitary.

Alice rolls her eyes. “Yeah, the flies that gather are the worst.”

A bell jingles as we walk into Kingston Pie, and I’m immediately hit by the comforting smell of rich dough and herbs. The walls are covered in checkered white, green, and red wallpaper, hung with various prints and decorations. It reminds me of a place I once saw in Gaia. I’d pressed my face to the glass from the outside, imagining the taste and how it would feel to have a full stomach.

Alice inhales deeply, scenting those in the establishment as we wait in line to order at the tall counter.

“Heads up, your favorite angel is here.” She nudges me, pulling my attention from the menu.

“Rafe is here?” I ask, the broody angel taking the top spot thanks to his unpleasant demeanor and general assholeness.

I look up and lock gazes with Connor. He’s sitting in a booth with his brothers, his lips curled into a mocking smile. His head tilts, and he lifts his beer in silent cheers. Like a pack of vultures, the blue eyes of his companions lock on me.

I smile sweetly and wave at him coquettishly for a moment before turning my hand and lowering all but my middle finger, flipping him off. His surprised smile turns to a frown, and the two that have to be twins openly howl with laughter. I turn away to hide the way my lips tug into a genuinely charmed smile.

Alice snickers. I pull my phone out and start to scroll through the notifications fromNexus. A heavy arm drapes over my shoulder, and from the way Alice hisses, I imagine she has also been trapped by one.

“Hello, you two. No hard feelings about tossing you out of the party. Technically, it was my twin, my severely less good-looking twin.”

I don’t look up, continuing to scroll. “Fuck off.”

Alice snarls, but then, like a switch, her voice turns seductive and mesmerizing. My eyes dart up in alarm. “No hard feelings at all. So long as you don’t haveany hard feelingsabout this…” A flash of silver slips from her sleeve into her hand. The only warning is the hardening of her smile before she slams a dagger into the angel’s gut.

He lets out a strangled groan, and I nearly stumble as he leans heavily against me. I look around at the other patrons, knowing we’ll be in massive trouble if we are caught causing violence in Camelot. The schools all have an agreement regarding students fighting in the small town we all share.

Connor is suddenly at our side. He shifts his big body to hide us with his bulk and shuffles his brother and me into a nearby booth, leaving Alice to order for us. “Luke, come here for a sec?” he calls, his voice still jovial.

Luke.He is the Morningstar from Realms class earlier. I watch as Luke hurries toward us. He has to be the youngest. His face is more innocent, but he has the same golden hair and kind eyes as Connor. As he crashes to a stop beside his brothers, the size difference between them is apparent. He’s lankier, not as filled out, and barely six feet tall. He is a cherub surrounded by warriors.

“What’s happened?” Luke asks, his eyes dark with concern.

“Mind healing the moron?” Connor asks Luke, his voice filled with affection. “Zach, I’m not going to say you deserved that, but you totally did.” Against my will, warmth fills me at the obvious care and love he has for his brothers.

I glance up at Connor and find his eyes laser-focused on me. Still looking at me, he pulls the dagger from his brother’s abdomen and hands it to me. There’s something about the way his muscles flexed when he grabbed the blade and pulled it out that makes my body respond. Stupid, hot angel.

Luke nods and slides in next to Zach. He glances around and then at me, the tawny skin of his cheeks flushing pink. “Um… can you move closer to Con? My hand will glow a little, and it’ll attract attention.”

I step closer to Connor but leave as much space between us as I can. “You’re a healer? That’s very rare.” No wonder his energy was so different from his brothers’.

Connor wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me tighter to his side, his scent surrounding me. How can a person smell so much like clouds? I take it back. Any softness I felt toward him at his brotherly affection is gone.

“He’s the pride of the family.” Connor beams at Luke.

I look at his hand on my shoulder and then up at him, fluttering my lashes while my voice turns venomous. “The last Morningstar that wrapped his arm around someone got stabbed in the stomach.”

Luke chuckles but masks it with a cough. His hand glows white as he lays his palm over Zach’s wound. Connor smiles down at me, not moving his arm. “If you want to stab me, feel free. I’m just trying not to piss off the headmaster.”

Zach winces as his wound starts to mend. “The stab was a bit much.”

Alice scoffs and looks at her nails. They have darkened and lengthened into deadly claws. “I don’t like to be touched.”

The glow from Luke’s hand dulls as the healing finishes, and I move away from Connor when the server calls out our order number. “Well, this has been fun.”

Connor glares at his brother. “Zach, apologize to them.”

Zach pushes Luke out of the way and slides out of the booth, looking disgruntled. “Sorry,” he says and storms back to his table, dropping down beside a brooding Rafe and his smirking twin.

“Enjoy your dinner, ladies.” Connor winks at me before heading back to his table.

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