Page 19 of The Crownless King
Maybe she could’ve gotten out of the thrall he’d put over her body, but fighting him and herself was a battle she wouldn’t win.
He chuckled and did as she’d asked, stepping back. It gave her room to breathe, to think…to plan. Perhaps her escape didn’t work today, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t find another way.
Chapter seven
How many days had she been under his roof?
Two?
Three?
The way the Akachi had his mind, it was hard for Levi to keep track of the days, but he knew the moment he opened his eyes and his mind was semi-clear, it was because she was here one floor beneath him. It still amazed him how much peace the spiteful, stubborn witch brought him. Sebastian hypothesized that it had to do with the fact that she could control chaos magic. Having no other theory to combat it, Levi had taken his friend’s theory as law. Though, in the end, the why didn’t matter to him.
All that mattered was that being within a few feet of shawty allowed him to think, and that was priceless in his current state.
The shutters in his room rose, the clicking sound shaking him from his lucid thoughts. Just that quickly, his mind clouded and the irritation that had been his new companion filled him. During the cold shower and his wake-up routine, all through him getting dressed, there wasn’t a single thought Levi could chase down to conclusion. As a result, impotent anger filled him.
Growling, Levi stepped onto the balcony that flanked his bedroom, flopping down into the chair he kept outside. He quickly lit the pre-roll he kept on the table and inhaled deeply, the weed clearing some of his thoughts. An artificial calm filled him and the fact that it wouldn’t last tightened his shoulders. The drug would only do so much. He turned his head at theknock on his door, probing the thoughts of the person on the other end. He bade Lucas to enter.
His friend joined him on the balcony, leaning against the wooden railing.
“She’s demanding to leave again. This time she says she has to work,” Lucas announced.
Levi growled. Through his blood bond with her, he could feel her frustration, though her thoughts were hidden from him. It was puzzling how she was able to keep the shield over her mind. It shouldn’t have been possible.
“What you wanna do?” Lucas interrupted his train of thought.
He gave Lucas a droll look before changing the subject. He wasn’t ready to allow her to leave. “The men at her house report back?”
“The Buru came, just like you predicted.” Lucas crossed his arms over his chest.
“Did they get rid of them?”
Lucas returned the look Levi had given him earlier. The question was rhetorical. Of course, his men got rid of them. Any Buru that stepped into Black Hollow met with the same fate.
“You want them to hang around?”
He shook his head. The Buru could well send reinforcements, despite the fact that they shouldn’t even be getting past the border into the South.
“How would her uncle have even been in contact with the Buru?”
Levi waved away that question. He frankly didn’t care about any of the stupid moves the mage had been making. “I want to know how they keep getting through our borders.”
Lucas shrugged. “We can meet with the border mages, but likely it’ll piss off the Collective.”
Levi used the tips of his fingers to put out his blunt. “You know I don’t give a fuck about that.”
Lucas snorted. “And the girl?”
“Is mine.” The answer came of pure instinct. He wasn’t giving her up. “Her staying here will keep her safe in case the Buru come back.”
Surely that sounded sane?
“That safety excuse will only go so far. If she works for the Archive like she says, Ms. Fine-ass Sophia gon’ come looking for her,” Lucas warned him.
Levi grunted, already knowing that Sebastian wouldn’t buy his excuse either. Keeping her had been impulsive but damn if he could feel any regret for it. It wasn’t a great idea, but the way he felt around Amaya made him less inclined to give her up.
He walked back into his room, then started pacing, then sighed as he felt Sebastian’s energy coming closer. His best friend was always able to read Levi’s moods so he should’ve known he would come to his room sooner or later. It was a downside of their tight bond.
