Dark Heart of Magic Read Online Free PDF Page A

glanced over at her. He froze, then shot the Salazar guard a quick smile and scurried over to us. Devon and I both got to our feet so that we were standing in front of Blake and Deah. Felix took up a position by my side. He shrugged his shoulders to Deah in a silent apology, but he didn’t dare say anything to her. Not with Blake around.
    â€œOh, look,” Blake sneered again. “There’s another Tweedle to add to this collection of stupid.”
    Felix’s hands clenched into fists, and a muscle ticked in his jaw. I sidled forward so that I was closer to Blake than he was. Felix could throw a few punches, but Blake had a strength Talent and would hurt Felix just because it amused him. Devon stepped up beside me.
    Blake looked back and forth between the three of us. He scoffed and opened his mouth—
    â€œHey! Felix! Devon! Blake! Deah!” a cheerful voice called out.
    Startled, all five of us turned to look at the girl who came bouncing up to our hostile group, wondering who would dare to include Devon and Blake in the same sentence.
    The girl was gorgeous. Seriously, model gorgeous, with dark red hair and the biggest, brightest hazel eyes I’d ever seen. She was one of those petite people you’d describe as a whirlwind of energy—a real dynamo, despite her small size. She smiled at Devon, revealing a perfect set of dimples that made her even prettier.
    I didn’t know who she was, but the others did because they all nodded at her, even Blake and Deah.
    The girl wore a green peasant blouse and black shorts with cute, strappy black sandals. An emerald solitaire pendant glinted in the hollow of her throat, the stone sparkling in a way that told me how real and expensive it was. Oversize sunglasses perched on top of her head, while a green handbag dangled off her right arm.
    I focused on the sword belted to her waist, admiring the wolf scrollwork that covered the hilt. A black blade like that was worth even more than her necklace. And the girl carried herself in a confident manner that said she knew exactly how to use the weapon.
    Devon smiled back at the girl, and the two of them exchanged a quick hug. “Katia. It’s nice to see you again.”
    Deah noticed me frowning at them. She raised her eyebrow and smirked, clearly realizing that I was jealous. I ignored her.
    Katia turned to Felix and gave him a slow, lingering smile that deepened her dimples. “Hey, Felix.”
    â€œI . . . uh. . . .” Felix’s mouth kept opening and closing, and opening and closing, as though the sight of her stunned him so much that he couldn’t form a single coherent thought.
    Something that made Deah frown and me smirk at her.
    â€œHey, Katia,” Felix finally mumbled.
    Despite the fact that his clothes were still slathered with persimmon pulp from our encounter with the tree troll, Katia went over, opened her arms, and enfolded Felix in a tight hug that went on . . . and on . . . and on . . . before she pulled back and kissed his cheek.
    Deah’s expression cranked up from frown to all-out glower. I smirked at her again, and she focused her glare on me for a moment before turning it back to Katia.
    But Katia didn’t seem to notice the other girl’s hostile expression, and she nodded at Deah and Blake. A wink of light caught my eye, and I realized that Katia was wearing a silver cuff stamped with a wolf’s head. So she belonged to the Volkov Family. Weird. I’d never seen her around before, and I’d made it a point to know all the guards and important members of the Families, so I wouldn’t be tempted to steal from the wrong person when I was picking pockets on the Midway.
    Devon realized that I didn’t know who the girl was, and he held out his hand, pointing to her, then me. “Katia Volkov, this is Lila Merriweather. Lila, Katia.”
    â€œNice to meet you,” Katia said, smiling.
    I nodded. “You too.”
    â€œKatia lives up