“You’re with me today,” I say. Olivia jumps a mile as she whirls to face me, and I can’t help but snicker. She didn’t realize I was behind her. Good. I’m glad to have the upper hand. Maybe she’ll keep being jumpy, and I can use that against her.
“Did you have a good weekend, half-human?” I drip acid into my tone, but she doesn’t react.
“I did, thank you for asking. How was your weekend?” Her polite voice is the opposite of mine and makes me feel like a big jerk. I don’t really enjoy bullying her, but I can’t let up, though. Jonah would kill us if he knew we still hadn’t found a way to get her to leave. He’d been adamant that she had to go for her own safety. And since I can’t do a damn thing to bring him back, I have to do this thing for him.
I gesture for her to follow me onto one of the mats. “Today I’m going to attempt to teach you to deflect an attack from behind.”
I go through the motions, and she stands there with her hands behind her back, making her breasts push out and look even more noticeable. If I didn’t know she hated me, I’d think she’s trying to be seductive. Like she needs to try. Even in the shapeless gym clothes, her figure screams at me. I itch to put my hands around her waist. Her curves are what humans sing about. Perfectly proportioned, and a body that would fit mine like a glove.
Frustrated at the direction my mind is going, I attack without warning. Of course, she doesn’t have time to dodge me. I’ve got her pinned to the mat before either of us takes in another breath.
She blinks up at me with big eyes, and I launch off of her. Damn it. Working with her isn’t a good idea after all. “Didn’t the humans teach you anything?” I growl. “Why don’t you go back to them?”
She huffs as she stands up. “I wasn’t ready, but I will be this time. Can we try again?”
I grunt, and remind myself I’m supposed to be teaching her. This time I attack slower, giving her the chance to use the move I showed her earlier, and she deflects it easily. We do the move multiple times, until she gets it down. By the time the class is over, I’ve worked her hard and we’re both sweating, but I’m nowhere closer to getting rid of her.
As she walks out of the gym and heads to the lake for Flight class, I rub my palms on my eyes. I keep failing to keep my promise to Jonah, and I can practically hear my dad yelling at me for not living up to my potential. He’d beat the shit out of me if he knew I wasn’t keeping my word to someone. As the son of two Archangels, failure is not an option for me.
It’s time for some drastic measures. I take no joy in what I need to do, but it’s the only way to fulfill my promise to Jonah. I stalk out to the parking lot, where Liv’s beat-up old Honda is parked next to my convertible Audi again. I check the area, but no one is around, and even if someone was, what would they do? No one would dare stop me.
I gather light in my palms, and then blast the windshield to pieces with a direct shot. Tiny fragments of glass fly everywhere, covering the car seats and making it impossible for her to drive it until she cleans it out. Try going on one of your midnight excursions now.
It’s not enough though. She could mistake this for a random act of nature or something. I use my burning light like a laser and write in large letters along the pavement behind her car, “YOU DON’T BELONG HERE.” Below it, I add, “LEAVE NOW OR PAY.”
I step back and survey the wreckage of her car. There. That should convince her to leave the school. And then my promise to Jonah will be complete.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Olivia
Flight class is over the lake today. If we fall, we get soaked at best, drown at worst. Enough time has gone by that I don’t have to pretend to be a terrible flier anymore. I’m an honest but mediocre flier now and using the class to improve. I’m still not the best, but I don’t fall in the lake, so I call it a success.
In Demon Studies, we’re learning about Lilim now, which amuses me but also makes me a little nervous that someone in class might figure out there’s a succubus sitting only a few feet from them. No one does, of course.
“Imagine needing sex to survive,” Marcus says with a grin when we walk out of class together. “Doesn’t seem so bad to me.”
I roll my eyes. “Of course you’d think that. But it also means the Lilim can never settle down with anyone.”
“Not unless they had a harem or something, I guess.” Marcus wiggles his eyebrows. “Don’t tell me that doesn’t appeal to you.”
I shake my head, but can’t help but smile. “But then the trick is finding people who are okay with sharing you with others.”
Marcus grins and starts to reply, but then Grace runs over to me. “Liv! Your car!”
My good mood instantly vanishes. “What? What about it?”
“It’s been attacked. You need to go look. I’ll go report it to the Headmaster.”
“I’ll come with you,” Marcus says, as we rush down the steps and onto the lawn.
I rush to the parking lot with a hollowness in my chest, and when I get there, I freeze. My windshield’s been completely destroyed, and tiny bits of glass cover everything. But that’s not the worst of it. No, the worst is the message in the pavement.
My eyes water, and it’s hard to hold back the tears. For months now I’ve stayed strong even when people were mean to me, when they left me threatening notes and tagged my dorm room door, but this is too much. I bought that car myself, scraping together enough money to afford it, and even though it’s a piece of shit it’s mine. Now every time I see it, I’ll remember this moment.
YOU DON’T BELONG HERE, the message taunts me. And maybe it’s right. I don’t belong at Seraphim Academy. I’m not an angel, not like these people are. But I don’t belong at Hellspawn Academy either. I belong nowhere.
For a second I’m tempted to say fuck it and leave. Give the haters what they want. It would be so much easier to return to my old life and forget about all of this. But I can’t. I won’t.
Not until I find Jonah, anyway.
Marcus wraps an arm around my shoulders. “I’m so sorry, Liv.”
I nod absently. “Who could do this?”
“That’s the work of an Erelim. They’re the only ones who can burn with light like that.”
My hands clench at my sides. Tanwen. It has to be. That bitch is going to pay.
Marcus takes my face in his hands and stares into my eyes. “Don’t listen to them,” he says. “You do belong here, as much as any of us do.”
His kind words are my undoing, and before I know what I’m doing, I press my lips to his. It was either that, or burst into tears, I guess. He kisses me back like he’s been dying for this moment as much as I have, wrapping his arms around me and holding me tight. I slide my hands along his strong back, and for a second I feel safe and loved with him, a feeling so rare and nice I never want it to end. But it has to. It’s an illusion, because everything between us is a lie, and nothing like this can last.
I pull away from him and run off, leaving him behind, along with my broken car. As I do, I feel the after-effects from the kiss, sending power through my veins. Marcus is the son of an Archangel, and thus stronger than most other angels, and even a kiss is enough to give me a boost and hold off the hunger for a while. Except now that I’ve had a taste of him, I only want more.
I ditch Angelic History, because I can’t face Kassiel with lust running through my veins, but I calm down enough to meet Bastien for our special classes. I’m distracted, totally focused on my car being vandalized and the kiss with Marcus, and he can probably tell.
He meets me outside the library today. “Since nothing has worked so far in finding your Choir, we’re going to do something different now. Today we’ll go to the Ishim class and watch them practice to see if you feel anything. Then next time we’ll go observe a different Choir and on until we find the one you belong to.”
I nod, but my stomach twists. Why did we have to start with the Choir I should belong to?
The Choir classes are held in a large bui
lding on the other side of campus, set back against the forest. I’ve never been to this building before, but it’s divided into four sections. We head down a hallway that leads to both the Ishim classes, and the Malakim training area and school infirmary. On the rare occasions an angel is sick or injured, they come here and the Malakim fix them up.
Bastien takes me inside a room that appears to be empty except for one man, with pale skin, pale eyes, and pale hair. He looks like an angel that’s been bleached by the sun.
“This is Professor Nariel, and he teaches the Ishim classes,” Bastien says, introducing us. “Olivia here hasn’t found her Choir yet, and we wanted to observe some Ishim at work to see if she feels anything.”
“Nice to meet you,” Nariel says, shaking my hand. “We were just practicing hiding groups of people and objects.”
He makes a gesture, and suddenly half a dozen students appear around us, making me jump. They were invisible the entire time, and I had no idea. Bastien doesn’t appear surprised, but I bet he saw through their invisibility with his Ofanim sight. Only my necklace prevents him from seeing me when I sneak around.
Grace is one of the students in the class, and she gives me a little wave, her eyes sympathetic. I don’t know the other students, but they stare at me with openly curious expressions.
“As Ishim, we bend light around ourselves to turn invisible,” Nariel says, telling me nothing I don’t already know. “We can also extend this power to other objects and people, with training. The strongest of us can hide entire buildings from view.”
“I bet that makes you good spies,” I say, sounding impressed. And assassins, I silently add.
“Spies and scouts, yes, but we do a lot more than that. We move through the human world more than other angels do, and often act as messengers. Some of us also work as guardian angels, watching over important humans to influence and protect them as needed.”
“Oh wow. I had no idea angels were so involved with the humans. How do you pick who to guard?”
“The Archangel Council assigns us the humans,” Nariel says.
“Can we show Olivia some Ishim powers in action?” Bastien asks.
“Of course.” He gestures at Grace and the other students. “Continue, Grace.”
Grace vanishes into thin air, and then the other students do the same. Seconds later, the desks on one side of the room disappear one by one, along with the bags and jackets hanging on them. Soon the classroom appears completely empty, except for the three of us standing there.
“Impressive,” I say, my chest tightening. I can make myself invisible, along with anything I’m holding, but that’s it so far. I could learn so much more if I was in this class with the others of my kind. But if I reveal my Choir, that would link me to Father and Jonah, and I can’t expose my connection to them. For now, I must remain the powerless half-human girl with no Choir.
Grace suddenly appears at my side, though I didn’t even hear her move. “Did you feel anything?”
“Nothing.” Looking at Bastien, I shrug. “Sorry.”
My necklace keeps him from detecting the lie in my words. “Thank you for your help,” he tells Nariel. As we walk out of the building, Bastien arches an eyebrow at me. “You truly felt nothing?”
“Nope. Were you expecting me to?”
His cold eyes narrow at me. “I was testing a theory. Don’t worry, I have plenty more. Tomorrow we’ll watch the Malakim heal people. Don’t be late.”
As I walk across campus to my dorm, a memory of Jonah comes back to me. It was his second visit after starting Seraphim Academy, and I remember how he flopped on my bed with a big, dreamy sigh.
“What’s that about?” I asked.
He came out of his fog with a silly grin on his face. “Hmm?”
“Your goofy smile.” I pushed him over, so I could sit beside him. “Let me guess. You met a girl.”
“How’d you know?”
“A succubus can tell these things,” I said with a wink. “Tell me about her.”
“Her name is Grace. We met in Ishim training, and she’s just…the best. So smart and kind, and she has the prettiest big brown eyes. Here, let me show you.” He scrolled through photos on his phone, and then showed me one. He wore a baseball uniform, except this one had the Seraphim Academy logo on it, and he stood in front of a lake with his arm around a strawberry blond woman with a pretty face. They were both grinning like idiots, and Jonah beamed just looking at the photo.
“We started dating a few weeks ago and everything’s been great. I seriously think I might marry this girl one day.”
I rolled my eyes and threw a pillow at him. “Let’s not get carried away, lover boy. You haven’t known her that long.”
“Yeah, but sometimes you just know. You just do.”
My brother, the romantic. He really loved Grace, and after spending time with her these last few months, I can see why.
I vow again to find him. Not just for me, but for the sadness I still see occasionally in Grace’s eyes.
But first…I need to get back at Tanwen for destroying my car. Tonight I’ll sneak into her room while she has dinner with the Valkyries at their normal table. Tomorrow, when she goes to get dressed for Combat Training, she’ll find every single one of her gym clothes has been cut to shreds. It’s the least she deserves. Sure, she can go get more at the student store, but it’ll be a hassle for her, and she’ll know I’m not going to sit back and take the abuse anymore. I’m done being bullied.
Chapter Thirty
Olivia
It’s been two weeks since my car was vandalized, and tonight’s the football game against Hellspawn Academy. Tanwen is one of the cheerleaders, because of course she is. She must suspect that I’m the one who pranked her, but she hasn’t said anything to me about it. I keep waiting for some kind of retaliation, but all I get is mocking insults and the regular beatdowns in Combat Training, although I’ve gotten better at fighting back. On rare occasions I even manage to knock her on her back.
We head out to the field behind the gym, and on the way there we run into Darel, who’s wearing his football uniform. Lately he’s been spending more time in our dorm than his own. When he’s in Araceli’s bedroom, the lust coming out of there is more than I can refuse. All I do is sit on the couch and absorb it, even though I feel like a fucking creeper. Like having a light salad, it’s great nourishment, but it doesn’t fill you up for very long. I need another real meal soon.
I smile at their joined hands. I’m so glad Araceli has found someone that accepts her for who she is.
As soon as we walk behind the gym, we see the huge field there has been transformed. Bleachers line either side and at first glance, it’s obvious the visitors are not mingling with the home team. There are easily seven or eight hundred angels crammed into the bleachers. Maybe a thousand. On the demon side, probably half that.
I turn in a circle with my jaw slack. I’ve never seen so many angels and demons in one spot. “Wow.”
“Yeah, I guess it’s a lot if you’ve never been here,” Darel says. “My dad took me to a bunch when I was a kid. He’s thrilled I made it onto the team this year, even though he had to miss this game. He’ll be at the next one though, and then you can meet him.”
“That would be great,” Araceli says.
“I need to get going. The game’s starting soon.” Darel gives Araceli a long kiss, and I pointedly look away.
“Good luck!” we call out, as he jogs away to join the rest of the team. Professor Hilda barks some orders at him, and he disappears into the gym.
“Let’s find a seat,” Araceli says.
We get some beers and find some seats just as the football team comes out onto the field to the major cheers from the crowd. They don’t have their helmets on yet, and I catch sight of Callan. I can’t help but stare at his ass in those tight little pants as he runs down the field. Even though I can’t stand the guy, I have to admit he fills those out nicely. Yum.
I gaze across the
crowd and spot Bastien and Marcus in the audience, and a little way behind them sits Kassiel with Nariel and Raziel. I make a mental note to avoid looking that way again, or risk my lust flaring up again. Grace and Cyrus wave at us as they walk by, and grab seats a few rows ahead of us. Ever since finding out Cyrus was a member of the Order, I’ve been super careful with what I say around him, and Grace too in case she’s a member also.
The crowd quiets down as the demons come out. Their bleachers erupt in cheers, but it’s nowhere near as loud as the angel side. I guess if we were at a game at Hellspawn Academy, we’d be the lesser represented, too.
“Do they have games at Hellspawn Academy too?” I ask. I can’t wait to visit there. In theory, I could’ve gone to that academy if I could’ve hidden my angelic side from them. It would’ve been nice to have been able to learn from both sides of my heritage.
“They do, and normally this game would be held there, but their field was flooded this spring. It should be back in shape for their game against the fae though.”
“Why not hold it at the fae school? Ethereal Academy, right?”
“They don’t allow us to go to Faerie. I’ve never even been myself.”
“Oh, too bad.”
The game starts, and we cheer when Darel makes a touchdown. “He’s the best one on the team,” Araceli says dreamily. “Even better than Callan.”
“It’s nice to see Callan isn’t the best at something. The Princes think they’re so damn good at everything.”
“They are. Most things. But football takes more than natural-born skill. It takes practice and learning.”
The football game is close, but Callan, big and fast, heads up the angel’s defense and blocks many of the demon’s attempts to score. Darel is the hero of the night, scoring thirteen touchdowns. When the angels win, I cheer as loud as everyone else.
Seraphim Academy 1: Wicked Wings Page 14
