Darkblood Prison - G.K. DeRosa Page 0,33

smile flashed across his face, and he leaned in closer. “I may not be able to read you yet, but my dragon buddy is another story. Whatever is going on between the two of you has him giddy as a faerie around the maypole.”

Heat sprang up my neck and settled along my cheeks. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Then why are you redder than Dallas’s jumpsuit?”

I fanned my face, hoping the crimson diffusing across my face would lighten. “I’m just hot.”

He chuckled. “Well, I can’t argue with that.”

I cuffed him on the back of the head and continued scouring the pages of the book, but at this point, I couldn’t focus. Talon and I wanted to keep whatever this was on the downlow for now. The blood bond could wear off at any moment, and where would that leave us? The idea made my chest tighten and lungs constrict.

You are not falling for him, Azara. You are not falling for him. I repeated the mantra over and over, hoping my stupid heart would get it. I was playing a dangerous game of Russian roulette, and my heart was on the line.

“What’s a demon doing dabbling in magic?” Flix appeared and quirked a light brow, tearing me from my dark thoughts.

I slammed the ginormous text closed and leaned my arm across the cover. Stupid since he’d already seen it, but it made me feel slightly better. “Just something I picked up at the library to keep me entertained.”

He glanced between my sprawled fingers at the title. “Doesn’t look like light reading to me.”

“We thought learning a new craft could keep her out of trouble,” Hayden cut in.

Flix shrugged and folded into the chair across for me. “So that’s where you’ve been? You haven’t been around at all lately.”

Better that he thought I was learning magic than training to become an SIA agent. “Yup.” I had less than a week before I had to return to headquarters and prove to Maxim I was up for the task.

He pulled the thick tome out from under my arm and scanned a few pages. “Any luck so far?”

I hated lying to my friend, but it was better if no one knew about my magical propensity. Not all supernaturals could pick up magic and especially not after only a few days of training. Lesser Fae, like my pixie friend, didn’t have elemental magic like the noble Fae. But they did have wings, which I thought was pretty cool.

Ooh maybe I could learn to fly… “Um, nope, not yet.” I pushed out my lower lip and gave him my best pout.

“I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it eventually, sweetie.”

From over Flix’s shoulder, I caught sight of Valeria sauntering over. She waggled her fingers as she approached, a shy smile on her face. She was still in awe and possibly slightly afraid of the Triad brothers.

I gave her a welcoming wave, and she proceeded more confidently. Before she reached us, I grabbed the book from Flix and shoved it under the table. If my pixie friend thought I was acting weird, he didn’t mention it.

Valeria folded into the seat beside Flix, her mossy green eyes intent on the oblivious angel beside me. She finally tore her lusty gaze away from my handsome cellie to face me. “Where have you been, girl?”

“Hiding out as usual.” I shot her a wink. If things panned out with the SIA, I hoped to be spending even less time around here in the future.

“Because of Delacroix?” Her dainty hand clapped over her mouth as soon as she said the words.

Hayden’s eyes leapt up from his magazine to drill into hers. “Why? Did you hear something?” he growled. The angel was always so chill I forgot how intimidating he could be.

Valeria sat back, her frail wings flapping overtime. “No, I mean, well—”

“Spit it out, girl.” Hayden leaned across the table, his large palms digging into the faux wood.

“I just heard some chatter among the Fae that Delacroix’s losing his touch. Everyone’s been talking about how obsessed he is with Azara.”

My eyes darted to Hayden’s, but his remained glued on the trembling pixie. “So nothing about retribution?”

Her head whipped back and forth. “Not that I heard.”

Hayden rose as a voice intruded into my thoughts. You okay?

Dammit, a twinge of fear must have spilled through the blood bond. It was too bad it wasn’t a two-way connection. Being able to answer Talon would avoid a pissed off dragon from bursting into the rec room