Betrayed Read Online Free Page A

Bran’s eyes grew stormier. He reached down with his free hand and plucked my backpack from the ground, where he’d dropped it then glanced at his watch. “I’l walk you to your class.” I didn’t feel like going to school. Buses were at the curb, dropping off more students, which meant I had less than five minutes to get to my class.
    Maybe I should ditch school.
    “You must tel your grandfather about this,” Bran said.
    “No.” I shook my head. “Grampa can never know about the cal .”
    “Why not?” A frown settled on Bran’s handsome face.
    “Because he’l tighten security around me, put me under surveil ance or something.”
    “And what’s wrong with that?” he snapped.
    Frustration gripped my throat in a chokehold, cutting off my breath. I hated it when we argued. Not wanting to break down in front of him and the entire school, I let go of his hand, crossed my arms, and glared.
    “Lil,” Bran sighed.
    “It’s not fair that I’m closely guarded and not al owed to hunt with the others. I might have been reluctant to be a Guardian in the beginning, but it’s al I think about now. I need to be out there. And you….” I narrowed my eyes and poked his chest.
    “You should know just how much I miss hunting without me trying to knock it into your head. You’re supposed to be in tune with my emotions,” I finished, speaking through clenched teeth.
    “I am,” he protested, reaching for me.
    “Don’t.” My voice was sharp, but I didn’t care.
    I took a step away from him. “You don’t understand.
    The last three months have been a nightmare. I never go anywhere or do anything. Learning about Valafar’s cal wil only give them an excuse to keep me under lock and key.”
    “But it’s for your own good, and you stil need to train more.” He glanced at the students hurrying past us and lowered his voice. “I would rather you hunt after you master your powers so that you’re prepared and won’t be vulnerable to the overzealous demons seeking to claim the Kris Dagger and its wielder.”
    Why did he have to sound like Haziel? It made me want to scream.
    “I’l never be done with training,” I ground out.
    “No matter how hard I work or how many chal enges I pass, nothing I do is ever good enough for Haziel.” Bran didn’t speak. He just stared at me with a thoughtful expression as though trying to understand.
    “Don’t you dare take his side,” I added, kicking at the snow and spraying his polished boots.
    “You’re supposed to be on mine.”
    Bran swept strands of hair from my face then tipped my chin so I could look into his eyes. His gaze didn’t waver. “I’l always be on your side, Lil. Just like I’l always love you and do everything in my power to protect you.”
    My resentment melted. I was stil amazed at how he made me angry one second then turned around and took my breath away the next. Instead of going to school, I wanted to grab him and teleport home so we could make out. I hadn’t seen him in three days. Three, long, agonizing days. Maybe I could fake a headache.
    “Lil?”
    The warning in Bran’s voice pul ed me out of my daydream. I couldn’t remember moving, yet my hand now rested on his chest, just above his heart.
    Moving closer, I grinned.
    “I don’t like that look in your eyes,” he said, leaning back.
    “I’m not feeling wel , that’s al . The headaches are coming back.” I got them before my powers first appeared and right afterwards, but not anymore.
    Bran frowned, studying me with narrowed eyes.
    Got him. “I haven’t had them in while, but whenever I’m stressed out, I get them. Valafar’s medium must be close by.”
    Bran chuckled, dimples flashing. My insides Bran chuckled, dimples flashing. My insides went mushy. Sunbeams after a stormy afternoon couldn’t rival that smile of his, or what it did to me.
    “I know what you’re doing, and it’s not going to work. You’re not ditching school.” He swung my backpack over his