Page 84 of Daughter Of The Ninth Line
Honestly, it was unlikely I would have died on the stairs, but it still felt nice to suddenly have this community around me, even if it was under a moral obligation.
Acacia leaned close, bumping my shoulder with hers. “All I’m saying is that if I had the two most powerful men vying for my attention, I’d use it as an opportunity to help the greater good. Most of Ebrus is suffering through drought, and the Eleventh and Twelfth Lines are starving to death in the streets.”
Viana slapped her arm. “We aren’t pimping out our new friend for social change, Acacia. Let the poor thing get some dick, without the fate of the country resting on her clit.”
That sounded painful. “I don’t think I hold that kind of sway, but if I do, I’ll, uh, drop it into conversation.”
Acacia raised a haughty eyebrow at Viana and nodded. “That’s all we can ask. Especially if your mouth is full.”
“Full of what?”
They both laughed, changing the conversation to one of the Twelfth Line guys trying to take a Tenth Line girl on a date. I ate my breakfast slowly and hoped to the Goddess that neither of the men in question had just heard our conversation.
chapter fifty-two
Hayle
After listeningto Avalon’s conversation with her friends that morning, I was ready to burst out of my skin and tear out Vylan’s throat. It was a delicate balance, though, this ecosystem we’d created inside the walls of Boellium War College. If Vylan died, the power vacuum it’d create would be messy. Plus, his father would probably punish my Line in the most brutal way possible.
No, Vylan and I needed to talk. We tended to avoid it as much as possible, both for optics and because it was hard to be civil with the self-obsessed asshole, without wanting to punch him in the face.
Any issues that needed to be resolved between our Lines were usually discussed between our seconds. They got along far better than we did, but even then, I was pretty sure Shay had to stop herself from tearing out Lucio’s tongue at times. I didn’t even blame her really; Lucio had that effect on people. Not everyone found him as endearing as I did.
However, this conversation couldn’t be done through messengers. I needed to talk to him face to face, preferably somewhere without prying ears. That really narrowed it down,but the roof could be the only place in all of Boellium that the other Lines couldn’t access.
I grabbed him as he came out of the Advanced Ethics and Battle Strategies lecture. Looking down at my hand on his arm, he raised a single eyebrow. “Get your hand off me, Taeme, before I remove it permanently.”
Fuck, he’s a dick.I held my hand there for a beat longer, just so he knew he wasn’t my boss, then dropped it to my side. “We need to talk.”
He didn’t react at all. Not one muscle on his face even twitched. I realized he was waiting for me to continue.
I rolled my eyes. “Obviously, somewhere more private. Preferably with no ears.”
We all had our spies. Mine were creatures who’d agreed to share their intel with me, but I had a feeling that the First Line could use their elemental control to pick up sounds far away on the wind. Plus, Shay was resourceful in a way that was terrifying.
No Line fully admitted the extent of their powers, so I was always cautious.
Sighing heavily, Vox turned on his heel, striding down the hall toward the back stairs that would lead directly to the roof. Clearly, he expected me to trot after him like a faithful puppy, and I ground my teeth that I would be forced to do so.
Then I remembered that this was for Avalon, my Soul Tie. I would crawl across broken glass for her.
He was up on the roof by the time I climbed the ladder, and I knew he was flexing his powers. Everything was a show of strength. “Well, Taeme. I’m here, and this is as private as it’ll get with all those talismans around your neck.”
Thetalsmy family had gifted me before I came to Boellium had a range of uses, depending on each charm. The best one, though, was protection against the First Line’s magic. It had costmy Line a lot, but had been forged and imbued with some of the strongest magic ever created.
I shrugged at Vylan’s annoyed expression. Annoying Vylan was one of the many joys of my life. “This will be fine.” Stepping closer, I lowered my voice anyway. We were similar heights, and this close, those ice chips he called eyes were even more cutting. As I watched, his pupils blew wide, and he sucked in a breath.
Interesting.
Keeping my voice low, I tried not to growl as I told him, “Stay away from Avalon Halhed.”
His shock was almost comical, but it quickly folded into his normal scowl. “Fuck off, Taeme.”
Gritting my teeth, I resisted the urge to headbutt him. “I mean it, Vylan. She’s mine, so keep your fucking hands off her.”
“No.” He raised an eyebrow. “Why should I? She isn’tyours.She’s not of your Line, she’s not in a relationship with you, and even if she was, you don’t own her. If she decided to stop rolling around with animals and find her way into my bed, you’d have no recourse for it. She’s her own person.”
I curled my fingers into fists, resisting the urge to throw a punch at his smug face. I couldn’t tell him that she was my Soul Tie. The existence of Soul Ties was a Third Line secret. “It’s not like that with Avalon.”
