“When two Nephilim of different bloodlines have children, one of the lines is always more dominant. Chanelle’s bloodline is diluted, but she still retains a small percentage of Raphael’s gift. It’s not enough to make her viable on her own, though.”
“So if you bond with her...”
“There’s a high chance our children will carry on Raphael’s line.”
I smiled bitterly. “By that logic, her mother would make a better incubator.”
“It’s in her father’s line. He died in the same battle as mine.”
Of course he did. I swallowed past the thing that he left unsaid. That I was at least half Lucifer. The strength of my blood was unchallenged. So if we ever made that commitment, our children would bear the devil’s blood. Just perfect.
6
“Well,” I said, dusting my damp hands onto my jeans. “That basically settles it. Thanks for the explanation.”
His jaw clenched. “Can you just try and be a little less...prickly?”
“No.”
“Blue!”
“No! You dragged me into this emotional shitstorm and now you want me to play nice? I was completely blindsided.”
He wrapped his hand around my ankle and dragged me towards him. “Is this it then?”
I looked up at him. At those captivating green eyes that were suddenly as hard as emeralds. I needed to say yes. I could tell he was waiting for me to do it because he’d stopped blinking. I had to do it. But my throat refused to comply. The pulse pounding in my ears was so loud I swear there was an amplifier against my chest.
As I watched, the light in his eyes dimmed. His hold on my ankle slackened. Nanna’s practical voice filled my ears. He’s spent so much of his life fighting for others. Maybe it’s time someone fought for him. Ah hell.
“Your Council will never approve of me.”
He finally blinked. It was strange how one small movement could completely change the quality of someone’s expression.
“I don’t give a damn what they think.” His eyes locked with mine. “All I care about is what you want. Being with me isn’t going to be a picnic. There are rules I have to live by simply by virtue of being who I am.” He rubbed at the side of his neck. “I’m never going to be the kind of man who can give you a quiet life of safety and comfort. Sometimes, I need to be ruthless and you’re not going to like it but I need you to do it anyway. After I graduate, I could be gone for long stretches. It’ll put a lot of strain on any relationship I have.”
I could feel my hackles rising. “Is this the ‘I’m Malachi Pendragon and I am too important for your mere mortal mind to comprehend’ speech?”
“I’m not joking, Blue.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Assuming I even want to be with you,” I said, “what makes you think I’d be sitting at home moping? In case you hadn’t noticed, the seraphim bringing the war to your door is my arch-nemesis. A lot can happen in a few years. Who’s to say we don’t just kill each other by the time you graduate? And if by some miracle that doesn’t happen, don’t think I’ll be taking your surname eith – what? Why are you grinning? It’s not friggin funny!”
I had been Alessia Hastings all my life. What I’d learned from Hilary’s shade had taught me there was power in the Hastings line. Even if it wasn’t the kind of power that manifested in physical strength.
Kai’s smile broadened. “You’ve thought about what might happen if we get married?”
Heat crept up my neck. “No! It was hypothetical.”
“Uh huh.” Smug bastard!
I ripped out a chunk of grass. There was a screech behind me. Oops! I crossed my legs over the bald spot on the lawn. The purple nymph was not fooled. She might have laid into me under different consequences. Instead she dropped a piece of parchment between where Kai and I were grouped.
“Anything?” he asked. She landed beside it, giving the edge of the parchment a kick for good measure.
“What’s that?” I asked. Though I had a sneaking suspicion I already knew.
“A copy of the blood contract,” he told me absently. “There has to be something!” The last part he directed at the nymph. According to my Demonology 101 class, the lesser Fae, including nymphs, faeries, and sprites, were the best in the business when it came to contracts. Of all the supernaturals, they took the greatest delight in binding unsuspecting victims to contracts for their own gains. As yours truly had proven time and again.
Purple nymph opened her mouth and let out a series of shrieks that sent a shiver running through my molars. Like when someone ran their nails down a chalkboard. I wasn’t going to be able to understand like this.
Dropping into the Ley line dimension took less than a second. Shock had me almost ejecting myself. Every other time I’d done this, I hadn’t been able to see my own spark unless I specifically turned my gaze inward. This time, there was an edge of midnight blue around me.
“Blue?” I heard Kai say. I glanced up to see his aura blanketed in his usual green interspersed with tendrils of my hedge magic. The purple nymph was her usual radiant lavender. All around me, everything glowed in stunningly bright shades. At least everything outside of an arm span from me. As the colours came closer, they began to fade a little. It was as though I was stealing some of their life force. I let out a shaky breath and opened my eyes.
“I’m fine,” I said. I sat on my hands for good measure. “Keep going.”
Now that I’d slowed the input, I could understand the purple nymph. “The contract is simple enough for it to be completely binding,” she said. Her delicate features screwed up. I knew how much they hated being robbed of their prize.
“Then we’ll have to challenge the validity of the vow,” Kai suggested.
She shook
