Bloodline Secrecy: A Young Adult Urban Fantasy Academy Novel (Bloodline Academy Book 2) Lan Chan (pdf e book reader .TXT) 📖

“It seems wrong.”

“So much of this world is wrong. We just try and muddle through as best as we can.” I ran a finger over the rough leather of his skin. It made me think of the crocodile skin handbags I’d seen once behind the glass of a store. Humans exploited things as well. We weren’t blameless.

Now my head really hurt. “I might try to sleep.”

“Of course. I’ll wake you up if anything happens.”

Nothing did happen besides Sophie coming to check on me. I was a chicken for not wanting to go to school, but I just couldn’t face yet more people looking at me like I was going to grow another head. Not after what Bradley had said to me. I’d seen the truth in his eyes. When it all went down, he would have no problems killing me.

10

I was so glad the next day was Saturday that I got out of bed before the sun was even up. The showers near our room were very busy all of a sudden. I had a feeling people were trying to use it as an excuse to get near the room to see if anyone else had painted something scathing on our door.

Sophie was dragging her feet today. “No,” she said. “Why does this have to happen?”

“I’m looking forward to it,” I said.

“That’s because you don’t know what you’re in for.”

The mirror flashed orange. “Don’t pick it up!”

Basil was already going for it. “Don’t be ridiculous.” He was like a teenage girl. Completely unable to ignore a ringing mirror. “Hello, Nora!”

Nora’s beaming face appeared in the glass. “Good morning. Are the girls ready?”

“I am!” I said.

Sophie made a rude gesture behind the back of the mirror. “Get a move on, girls. We’ve gotten approval from the Council to start campaigning. I expect you both to be here within the next half an hour.”

Sophie managed to stretch it to an hour but that was really pushing it. By the time we landed through the portal to Rivia, Nora was standing in the apartment they’d rented tapping her foot. You did not want to piss off a witch who lived with shifters, I can tell you that much.

I glanced around the room. It was an exact replica of their place in Zambia. From the lush house plants hanging in macramé baskets in the corners to the set of photos of Sophie on top of the fridge.

“This isn’t freaky at all,” I said.

“Great, isn’t it?” Nora gushed. “It’s like we never left home.”

“Except you did,” Sophie muttered.

“Oh hush. This is only while we campaign. Speaking of which, I want to show you girls some of the pamphlets we’ve had printed.”

Mani sauntered in from outside at that point with a brown bag full of breakfast goodies. He set down muffins, fruit, pastries, and toast as Nora showed us the paraphernalia we were going to be using to help sell our case.

“You don’t seriously think any of the people in Rivia are going to want to sign this, do you?” Sophie asked. We sat around their square dining table. I had a muffin in one hand and a banana in the other. If I closed my eyes and ignored the hubbub coming from outside, we could be back in Zambia again.

“Why not?” Nora asked.

“For one, there are rumours sweeping through the Academy that the Soul Sisterhood are on the rise again. People do not like us right now.”

Nora’s brow creased. “I had heard about that.” She glanced from one of us to the other. “Why didn’t either of you mention this to me when we spoke last week? Are the other kids giving you grief?”

I tried to do that thing where if I sat really still, I could possibly turn invisible. Sophie was much more practiced than I in the art of downplaying the annoying way our peers behaved.

“Not any more than usual.”

“Be serious, Sophie,” Mani said. “It’s one thing for kids to be kids, but it’s another for them to insinuate that we’ve got something to do with the Sisterhood. Everyone knows that faction hates us just as much as they hate the supernaturals.”

“Why is that?” I asked. “Why did we align ourselves to the seraphim even though they essentially tore a hole in our reality and allowed monsters into our dimension?”

Nora placed a hand on my arm. “Maybe don’t start with that as your opening pitch when approaching people for signatures,” she said. “And don’t get yourself all worked up over what could and couldn’t have been or how things worked out. We weren’t exactly a responsible and coordinated population before the seraphim arrived. This was a long time ago and we were at war with each other long before we warred with them.”

“This whole thing is crazy if you ask me,” I said. “And why is it that we keep getting the short straw?”

“Because, to be honest,” Mani said, “our abilities are less flashy than theirs.” He looked at me. “At least for some of us anyway.”

Sophie elbowed him.

“It feels like the shifters have a lot easier a time accepting the fact that we exist,” I said.

Nora smiled. “Of course they do. Because we have an easier time accepting them. They shift into creatures we are at least familiar with. Often they only show their animal sides when there is danger present. And their protective instincts tell them we’re weaker and therefore we are to be protected. Whereas the vampires see weakness as a go-ahead to snack on us.”

“Tell me about it!” I said. “Nobody seems to want to tell me where the blood for vampire juice boxes comes from!”

“Nobody but Victoria really knows,” Mani said. “Except perhaps the seraphim.”

Victoria was the shrivelled old vamp who headed the Council. “That’s not fair. They’re preying on humans.”

“It’s an accepted practice. Their bite contains endorphins in it that some humans become addicted to. The accepted theory is that most of their sources provide the blood willingly. The rest of what they need is obtained