Gabriella Poole - Blood Ties (Darke Academy)

They stood for a long moment, shaking, both of them gasping for breath. When Ranjit spoke again, his voice was barely above a

whisper, almost as though he was talking to himself.

‘This was such a goddamn mistake. Such a stupid, stupid thing to do. I should have known better.’

‘Better than what?’ She was dazed, off balance.

Ranjit looked up at her. ‘I shouldn’t have done it. I should never have got involved with you, Jess!’

She reeled back as if he’d struck her.

Oh.

God.

His face was immediately stricken, realising his mistake. Almost as stricken as hers must be. When he reached out a hand, she slapped it

away.

‘Cassie—’

‘You won’t help me,’ she said in a voice that didn’t belong to her. ‘You don’t even know who I am.’

‘Cassie. I’m so sorry, I—’

‘I’ll handle this myself. I always have. Goodbye, Ranjit.’

She turned and stormed from the room, but he caught the door before it could slam. She heard his voice ringing after her as she ran

down the corridor, but it might as well have been the sound of a barking dog.

‘Please! I’m sorry! Don’t get involved, Cassie! Leave it! PLEASE!’

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

She could barely see straight. Must be something blurring her eyes, and she couldn’t stop to rub it away. She had to keep running or

she’d disintegrate.

‘Cassie, whoah!’

She cannoned into an obstruction. Large, solid, warm. A human being. Books clattered to the floor and arms went round her, just to stop

her crashing to the ground too.

‘Bloody hell, Cassie Bell.’

‘Richard! Let me go!’

‘Like hell I will. I might be killed in the stampede.’

She tugged her arms out of his grip. ‘Get lost.’

‘Cassie, what’s wrong?’

‘Like you care. Get out of the way, or so help me I’ll—’

‘Look, Cassie, about the other night, when you saw me outside—’

‘I said get off !’ She flung his hands away, and rubbed her face fiercely, trying to fight back the tears. Great. The one time she could do

with being angry, not upset . . .

‘Cassie, come on, tell me what happened. I … I know you had the Council meeting.’

Cassie gave an incredulous laugh. ‘What, tell Katerina’s puppy dog my problems? So you can run off and tell her ladyship?’

‘Cassie, my angel,’ he said smoothly, looking not the least bit shamefaced, ‘I’m friends with everyone and I talk to everyone. You’ve seen

how weak I am in comparison to the others. It’s a survival strategy. I’m not going to apologise for it.’

‘How bloody diplomatic of you.’ She sniffed furiously, trying to move around him. He wouldn’t budge.

‘Have my handkerchief.’ He produced it with a flourish: Hermes, of course. She’d have been reluctant to use it, but then he added with a

wink, ‘Don’t for God’s sake wipe your nose on your sleeve, scholarship girl.’

She blew her nose pointedly into the silk.

‘What’s going on, Cassie?’

‘Look, I need to go, OK? I’m not here to fuel your gossip machine. Thanks.’ She shoved the ruined hankie back into his hands.

‘Hey.’ There was something very different in his voice. ‘Is it Jake?’

He sounded uncharacteristically … serious. Hesitating, she turned on her heel, frowning slightly. ‘Yes.’ Slowly she walked back to him,

suspicious. ‘Yeah. It’s Jake. What do you know about that?’

‘I know he was arrested. Everybody does.’ He hesitated, and lowered his voice. ‘Katerina set him up, you know. She and her mother. She

told me. They fed him a trail of crumbs until he’d incriminated himself so far that they could get him arrested. He’ll go to the Confine, of

course, but Sir Alric won’t be fooled for long. He’ll get Jake out, you see if he doesn’t.’

Cassie sneered. ‘For someone who talks to everybody, you have a piss-poor idea of what’s really happening.’

‘What do you mean?’ For the first time Richard looked uncomfortable. ‘You don’t think he’s going to the Confine?’

‘I know he isn’t.’

‘What did you hear?’

‘I’m not having this conversation any more.’

‘Cassie!’ Richard’s voice was deadly earnest. ‘What was it?’

She wheeled on him, exasperated. ‘The Living Soil. OK? Katerina’s mother is taking him to some cottage where she can feed him to the

Living Soil.’