Blood Pledged (Arcane Arts Academy #3) - Elena Lawson Page 0,1

unscathed save for the wounds your own kind inflicted upon you.”

Couldn’t argue with that.

“You’re right. But the others are wary,” I acquiesced, turning to Elias while stepping out of my protective stance at his front. “Elias,” I said, gesturing to the sly older shifter. “This is Stella. She’s Adrian’s mother.”

He lifted a hand as though he expected her to shake it. A mistake I also made once upon a time. “A pleasure—”

“You won’t be permitted to attend the ceremony.” Stella put her hands on her wide hips instead and somehow managed to look up at him and down on him at the same time. “Atlas doesn’t know you from Adam, and neither do I or the rest of the pack.”

My stomach fell.

“In the state he’s in, you’d be lucky if Atlas didn’t throw you out on your ass, young man, and only after kicking up a downright awful stink about the whole thing.”

Stella then turned her attention to me. “He might throw you out, too, just for spite.”

“But—”

“No buts. He stays behind, or neither of you comes. I’m too old to play referee.”

Elias set a gentle hand on my shoulder, drawing my attention back to him. He didn’t say anything at all for an immeasurable second, but the strain in his eyes was enough to speak of his discomfort. Please.

You have to let me go.

He nodded as though hearing my thoughts. “I’ll wait just beyond the tree line for you. You’ll be safe?”

Relief flooded my veins, chasing the magic I didn’t notice had risen back down into the earth. I gave him the most reassuring smile I could with the pain pounding away at my head. “I will. Promise.”

“Fine,” he said sharply, stepping away.

Elias ran a hand through his hair and sighed, giving Stella one last appraisal. “I’m trusting you to return her to me safely,” he said to her, and didn’t wait for a response before adding, “If Granger asks, I went with you. I was there the entire time. She can’t know I left your side.”

“Then she won’t.”

After unburdening myself of so many other secrets that had been weighing me down, I didn’t exactly want to add anything new to the pile, but judging by the icy look in Elias’ eyes, I knew things would not bode well for him at the academy if I didn’t do as he asked.

Tearing his gaze from me, he spun on his heel and stalked back into the darkness beyond the canopy of leaves.

“My boys were right,” Stella mused, turning to head in the opposite direction. “You don’t like to follow rules, do you?”

I flinched, wondering if she realized what was between Elias and I, or if she was simply referring to lying to my headmistress. After a second, I rushed to follow her down the dirt trail, deciding I really didn’t want to know.

“Wait,” I called after her, and she paused. I noticed then that her feet were bare. And when she turned back to face me, I saw in the blue-tinted light that her eyes were alight and the shadows beneath her eyes had deepened. I gulped. “Will they—” I started, but couldn’t finish, afraid to hear the answer.

My blood chilled as her deadpan stare penetrated through me. She sighed heavily. “They’ll be alright. They’re in no mortal danger, but the severing of the bond can be quite painful.”

My eyes stung with the sudden urge to cry. I didn’t want to see them in pain—not ever again. They’d been through enough. Endured enough.

“How do you not hate me?” I blurted before I could stop myself. “This is all my fault.”

“It is,” she said simply, and my heart cracked. A tear fell. “And it isn’t. My boys are just as rebellious as you. Adrian has always been difficult to control. And Cal has the blood of an alpha in his veins. I’ve known it since he was a boy. He was born to lead. This,” she hissed. “Was an eventuality. You merely spurred it into fruition.”

Some of the awfulness dissipated, and I was able to breathe again. She didn’t like me all that much—I’d known that from the start—but it was clear in that moment that she didn’t hate me either, and that was a comforting thought.

“Neither you nor they asked for this,” Stella continued. She moved in to put a hesitant arm around my shoulders, tucking me into her side. “And how could I ever hate the girl who brought my boys home safe, hmmm? How could I hate the