Page 47 of Daughter Of The Ninth Line
Lucio sniffed the drink he was handed by someone in the Fourth Line before handing it to me. I sniffed it too, our heightened senses able to pick up any note that wasn’t meant to be in the burning liquor.
“I’m going to see if I can convince Shay to dance with me.” Lucio wandered toward the enigmatic second-in-command for the First Line. He liked trying his luck with her, because for each other, they were both safe.
The Third Line had enough spies to know that Shay had absolutely no interest in Lucio romantically. He did not possess the right parts. But no one said it out loud, and Lucio didn’t want to get caught in the sticky tendrils of some scheming Upper Line female who wanted to marry their way into clout. So he made it known that he was only interested in Shay, and she played along, for whatever her reasons were.
I sipped my drink, enjoying the burn, with Braxus sitting in front of my legs giving enough of afuck-offvibe that I didn’t have to worry about dealing with pandering or political manuevering.
At least, I didn’t, until Vylan appeared in my personal bubble. “Taeme.”
“Vylan.”
“I would like to talk.” He always sounded like he had a stick up his ass. Like he hadn’t felt a single moment of passion in his short, obnoxious life.
“Perhaps you should try one of the healers. They’ll give a shit about your problems.”
Rolling his eyes at me, he didn’t leave, nor rise to the bait. He must be serious. “It’s about the girl.”
I stiffened. There was only one girl who’d piqued our collective interest, and I had no urge to share what I knew with this pompous douchebag. “Which girl?” I said lazily, sipping my drink like we weren’t seconds from throwing down.
He gave me his normal bored, impassive expression, but I saw the subtle tightening of his jaw. “Avalon Halhed, the one from the Ninth Line.”
I shrugged. “What about her?”
Vox stepped into my space, making Braxus bare his teeth. I sent him a reassurance through our bond that I had this, and to stand down, but he didn’t like it.
“Stay away from her. If you have an interest in her, I suggest you forget it. She’s mine.”
Well, fuck me.I hadn’t seen that coming. Was Avalon thawing the ice prince? I’d believe it when I saw it. It was more likely that he just didn’t want me playing with his toys.
“Says who? I think that’s for Avalon to decide, don’t you?” I buried my fingers in Braxus’s fur. “A little healthy competition might be just what the healer ordered. May the best man win, Vylan.” I laughed at the sour expression on his face. “And no one would ever consider you the best man.”
He straightened, his eyes turning frigid. “At least I’m a man and not a beast. Stay away from her, Taeme. I won’t warn you again.”
He may as well have put a giant X on her head, because now she was a treasure at the end of a hunt, and I was going to have her for myself.
chapter thirty
Avalon
Something had changed,and it felt big. I didn’t notice for a week or two, just going about my days in blissful ignorance until Shay from the First Line appeared in front of me on a random Wednesday. I was finally out of my sling and back on the training field, swinging a slightly lighter sword.
“I’m Shay.” That was all she said, like it should explain everything. And in her defense, it kind of did. She was the second-in-command of the First Line here at Boellium War College. Everyone knew that.
“Uh, I’m Avalon.” I wasn’t sure why we were doing introductions, but I was polite, if nothing else.
She looked at me as if I were a bug under a looking glass. She eyed me a little longer, then turned on her heel and left. That was it.
I looked over at Viana and Acacia. “What the fuck wasthat?”
Viana snorted a laugh. “That was Vox Vylan’s cousin trying to work out why her Heir is panting after some nobody from the Ninth Line. No offense.”
I rolled my eyes. “None taken.” I truly meant it, because it had been really weird. An anomaly. “And Vox isnotpanting after me.”
Acacia and Viana did that annoying silent conversation thing that came from knowing someone inside and out for a long period of time. Finally, Acacia shook her head. “She must know.”
Viana raised an eyebrow. “How could she? You know what she’s like.” They both turned toward me, so there was no doubt I was the “she” to which they were referring.
“Youknow,right?” Acacia asked.
