Descendants Academy: Young Adult Urban Fantasy by Belle Malory (most important books of all time txt) 📗

“I told you about the oath, Ione.”

“That doesn’t explain why you were out all night,” she whispered heatedly. “This isn’t just about protecting her. Something is going on—”

“Leave it alone.”

“I will when you tell me the truth, Xan.”

Dishes rattled, sounding like someone hit the countertop. “Dammit, this doesn’t involve you!” I flinched at the harshness in Xander’s tone.

The two of them stayed silent for several moments. The next time Ione spoke, her voice softened. “Oh my god. You like her.”

I blinked. What did she mean by that?

“For Apollo’s sake, stop this—”

“Don’t bother denying it. I was born with Aphrodite’s blood in my veins, and I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner. You have genuine feelings for the fire-blood.”

“It’s not like that,” Xander quickly said, but even I noticed the tremble in his voice.

“I should have known. The way you look at her, the way you freaked out when you found out she went to the Curse Breaker, it all makes sense now. Wait, does she not like you back?—Never mind. Of course, she likes you. She looks at you like a smitten little puppy. This is a problem, Xander, for all of us.”

He let out a breath. “Ione—”

“It’s not like you’re going to ask her out. You haven’t bothered dating anyone since Chloe.”

I raised my brow at that. He never dated?

“Unless, am I wrong? Do you plan to do something about your feelings?”

If I didn’t already know the answer to that question, his silence spelled it out.

“I didn’t think so,” Ione continued. “In that case, you need to stay away from her.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Yes, you can. You’d be keeping your oath. Staying away offers her more protection than involving us and our family.”

“It also leaves her vulnerable.” I heard the sound of the chair slide back. “You know what—mind your own business, Ione. I’m done with this conversation.”

The back door opened and slammed close.

Oh man. I wasn’t sure what to do. Climb out the window? It might be a better option than facing either of the Arius siblings. I could literally feel their anger radiating throughout the house.

I waited a couple of minutes until I heard the sound of a sizzling frying pan, then left my hidden spot in the hallway.

“Good morning,” I said, trying to sound cheerful.

Ione’s cheeks were flushed. She didn’t look up from the eggs she was scrambling. “How much did you hear?”

I winced. “I don’t know. All of it—I think.”

She nodded. “Better that you did. The girl I mentioned, Chloe, dated Xander shortly after he returned from the Underworld. I was so happy to see him find some happiness, some normalcy again, but it was ruined. The Hollows made one threat against her life, and he broke up with her on the spot.”

“Neither of you should let fear control you,” I said, point-blank. “But that’s just my opinion.”

“I wholeheartedly agree,” Ione said, divvying up the eggs between three plates. “But he doesn’t feel that way, and if you’re going to involve yourself with him, you deserve to know.”

I poured a mugful of coffee, shrugging. “Like you said, it’s not a good idea. We’re both trying to gain the respect of our chosen houses.”

She looked up at me, brows raised. “That’s the first logical thing I’ve heard you say in a while, fire-blood. Surprising too, considering it’s about my brother. Most girls fall at his feet, acting like brainless little twits.” She crinkled her nose.

Sometimes I felt like a brainless little twit around Xander too, but I didn’t tell her that.

“If I did want to date him, I wouldn’t let Hollowed threats stop me,” I said, sitting down at the table.

“Then, it’s a good thing you don’t,” she said, but it sounded more like a warning.

She set a plateful of eggs and bacon in front of me. “Eat. We head back to Arcadia in an hour.”

31

Once back at Arcadia, I went straight to my grandfather. I didn’t tell him what happened with the Curse Breaker, and Xander didn’t mention it either, thank God. But I told him about the poisonous bracelet. He went pale in the face, agreeing that it changed everything. Dad needed to be told. With Riley there, knowing more than she let on, she could be up to any number of schemes. Grandpa promised to send a message to him, and he would let me know as soon as he heard back.

From there, the days passed slowly. I began to find my new normal, if that was even possible in this world. Just as I had back in Davidson, I put all my focus and energy into studying, and it started to pay off. In Basic Magic Principles, I learned to conjure fire on my own. In Seduction Principles, I aced every test. Professor Lilyworth still looked at me like I was the scum beneath her high heels, but I tried my best to change her opinion by taking every lesson seriously.

Being a bibliomagus made things a thousand times easier. When it came to information, I was ahead of most students. When it came to magical practice though, I felt like a toddler learning to walk.

Love Potions class was one of those trickier subjects. I knew the recipes by heart, but the act of creating them took a refined skill I didn’t have. After my Meddling Tea exploded, my whole workspace turned to shambles. Thankfully, Peter Hallas was the student assistant, and he came over to help me. “Don’t cry. It’s just tea.”

“I’m not crying.” I blinked rapidly. “The steam got in my eyes, and they won’t stop watering.”

“Oh,” he said with a laugh. “That should go away in a second.”

I wiped my face with my apron and looked down at my table miserably. Crying might be my next action if I couldn’t get this tea in order.

“Here,” Peter said, picking up the dried rose petals. “You don’t want to crunch them. You want to roll it with your pestle like this.” He demonstrated it for me, making the process