by C. L. Coffey
It was my turn to be surprised when he laughed. Not only was it the first time I had ever heard him laugh, but I realized why I’d heard that angels had voices like music.
It wasn’t their voices at all—it was their laughter. Or at least, that was the case with Gabriel.
I liked it.
“Maybe so,” he said. “Nevertheless, I think on this occasion, your punishment doesn’t warrant expulsion.”
“But it does warrant a punishment?” Realization hit me. “Oh, please don’t stop me from going to the dance,” I begged him. While I was warming up to the idea of going, I really didn’t want to disappoint Leigh-Ann.
“You will spend your evening free time in detention with me. I also want you to apologize to Harrison for hitting him.”
I gave Gabriel a relieved grin then wrapped my arms around him. “Thank you for not expelling me.”
“You may regret saying that. You’ve just proven that you have a lot to learn when it comes to fighting.”
“Does that mean detention will be spent fighting?” For some reason, that excited me. It was about time I was trained like Pinnosa said I’d be.
“I can only attest to the detention you will be spending with me, but yes.”
“I have another detention?”
“You were spotted out of your room last night,” Gabriel informed me.
“Oh, come on.” I let out a long sigh. “At least I won’t be spending this alone.” I jumped to my feet and looked at Gabriel as he watched me. “But seriously, don’t you think it’s just a little bit ridiculous that a bunch of adults have a curfew and still get detention?”
“I find it curious that you need to be out of your room at that time.” Gabriel shrugged. “Were you visiting a boyfriend?”
There was a very good chance that I was hallucinating it, but for a moment, I could have sworn Gabriel looked jealous.
Now that there was some distance between us and I wasn’t unleashing all my anger on him, I was sure I had been imagining that ‘spark’ between us. It was probably nothing more than the desire to fight him. And jealousy couldn’t be a thing because he was an archangel and he had made it clear that relationships were revolting.
But then something else occurred to me. If he was asking who I was going to see, whoever had ‘seen’ me would only have been able to do so in the female dorms. Leigh-Ann had screamed, so it was plausible she had woken others up.
Lottie.
The room she shared with Simone was across the way from ours. I’d put money on her reporting me.
“How many languages do you speak?” I asked instead of answering his question. Leigh-Ann had said something, and I didn’t know what it meant. Maybe Gabriel…
“All of them.”
I arched an eyebrow. “All of them?”
“An angel’s job is to protect and communicate with humans, either directly, or to pass on a message. We cannot do that unless we speak the language of humans.”
It made sense, but every language… “Do you know what ‘grande periculum dæmonium’ means?”
Gabriel’s eyes narrowed as he walked in front of me. “Where did you hear that?”
“What does it mean?”
“Kennedy.” He snapped at me, making me jump.
“A … a dream,” I stammered, surprised by the intensity in his eyes.
He grabbed my arm. “A dream?”
“Gabriel, what does it mean?”
Gabriel let go of my arm, shaking his head. “It’s probably nothing.”
“No,” I said, firmly. “You don’t get to say things like that. It’s either something or it’s not.”
“What do you mean by dreams?”
“Gabriel. You can’t answer a question with a question.”
The archangel ran a hand through his hair. “I’m asking because my answer is impossible. I need you to tell me everything.”
My stomach was churning uneasily. I’d promised Leigh-Ann I wouldn’t say anything, and I’d only brought it up because I wanted to know what she had said so I could help her, but the thing that had been telling me her nightmares—her visions—weren’t something to ignore, was the same voice telling me Gabriel might have an answer. Even if I wasn’t going to like it.
“It came in a dream,” I told him. “Someone kept saying ‘grande periculum dæmonium’ over and over. They were scared.”
“Is this the first dream you’ve had?”
I slowly shook my head. “There have been dreams about getting hurt in class, and then days later, getting hurt in class like in the dream. Dreaming of locations before ever going to them.”
“And how long has this been going on?”
I frowned, trying to remember what Leigh-Ann had said. “A couple of years maybe? Why? What does it mean?”
“People have what they think are prophetic dreams all the time. Mostly, they are coincidence, but sometimes, it is an angel visiting them to pass on a message.” Gabriel’s eyes were watching me carefully. I wasn’t sure what reaction he was expecting, but apparently, it wasn’t this.
“And what if it’s neither?”
“The only other option is something which hasn’t existed in millennia.” Gabriel shook his head.
“What hasn’t?”
“A prophet.” Gabriel turned around, making a beeline for his office.
Considering he hadn’t done that disappearing act he was capable of, I figured he wanted me to follow him. Inside his office, he went to his fridge and pulled out two bottles of water, passing one over to me.
I watched him as he moved over to his desk and sat down behind it, opening up his laptop. Eventually, he looked up at me. “We have about ten minutes left of this class. I suggest you use it to get changed into your uniform.”
“That’s it?” I asked, surprised.
“What more were you hoping for?” he asked. “Of all those options, the likely one is that your dreams were nothing more than coincidence. There are no prophets, and if there are, the chances of you being a nephilim, a potential and a prophet …?”
I bit my lip before I blurted out that it was Leigh-Ann who was having the dreams. I couldn’t press this without giving up her secret. “At least tell me what grande periculum dæmonium means.”
“It’s Latin,” he said after a moment’s pause. “But it’s also nonsense.”
“How can it be nonsense?” Had Leigh-Ann just plucked random Latin words together in a sentence?
“It’s a warning about a demon, but demons don’t exist.”
“Could it be the translation?” I asked, not sure whether I was hoping that it really was nonsense or not. “I mean, I’m a nephilim.”
“Nephilim is nephilim. Dæmonium is demon. There is no such thing as a demon.”
“What’s the difference?” I asked with a shrug. “Lucifer got called the devil, unless you’re now going to tell me that Lucifer, Satan, and the Devil are three people.”
“The devil is not another fallen angel,” Gabriel responded. “And a demon is a theoretical impossibility.” He looked up at me and shook his head. “Maybe you are correct, and it’s a generalization. However, it’s nothing to be concerned about. You just had a bad dream.”
That ‘dream’ had a five-foot four woman pick me up one-handed, screaming at me, while the whites of her eyes stared through me. “Do you really think it’s just a dream?”
Gabriel laced his fingers together, resting his hands on his desk. “What I really think is that I shouldn’t have answered your question with as much detail as you thought you needed. Now, if you do not go and change into your uniform, you’ll be late to your next class.”
I left, returning to my dorm room to do as he said. I wasn’t going to get any more out of him, not when I could only give him half of the truth.
Demons might not exist, but I was certain the first prophet in a millennium was my roommate.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Another detention for breaking curfew and being out of my room. I w
as in the basement of the library, going through the boxes of books when Ty turned up, accompanied by Stephanie, the librarian.
“Why are you here?” he asked as soon as the librarian left us. “I thought you did assignments.”
“You’re not here for breaking curfew?”
Ty glanced over and broke out laughing. “You got caught out last night? And you thought Leigh-Ann coming back to my room was the problem.”
“And somehow Leigh-Ann thinks you’re datable,” I muttered to myself. “I’m going to get her to a hospital for a CAT scan.” I picked up a pile of books and disappeared into the depths of the basement.
When I returned, Ty was in his usual position, stretched out on top of a table while playing games on the iPad. When I let out an irritated snort, he looked at me and rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Professor Puritan. You’re the bigger fool for doing the work.”
“Don’t call me that.”
Ty ran his tongue over his lower lip. “I suppose I owe you one considering you bitch-slapped Harrison today.”
“You should have been there to do that. What’s your aversion to gym class anyway?”
“When I exercise, I do it because I want to, and not through controlled sports, which are a waste of time and designed to trick everyone into believing this is a school where they have no control.”
Even though I kind of felt the same way, I shrugged. “Sounds like someone is scared of exercise.”
Ty jumped off the table he was sprawled out on and lifted his shirt, showing off a set of abs I hadn’t realized he’d been hiding. “Does this look like I’m scared of exercise?”
“I’m not going to deny that abs like those take dedication but working out is a lot different than playing a game of dodgeball with your class.” We’d never played dodgeball to date.
Ty dropped his shirt and held up the arm missing a hand. “I don’t have this, remember.”
I bit my lip before giving him a sarcastic response about there being plenty of people who have disabilities that were still able to take part in gym class. “Is it difficult?” I asked instead. “I mean, it looks like it’s not something you were born with, so I guess I hadn’t thought about how much you’ve had to adapt.”
“I wasn’t expecting that,” he said, sitting down on the table instead of in one of the chairs. He used that as a footrest. “Aside from Leigh-Ann, you’re the only person who’s ever asked me that. Not scared of the stub, then?”
“I’m not scared of it, or you.”
Ty gave me a positively wicked grin. “You should be.”
I shook my head. “I saw the way you looked after Leigh-Ann. No matter what you say, there’s at least some good in you.”
“My father is one of the Princes of Darkness: Beelzebub. Thanks to him, Lucifer was released from Hell, several archangels died, and he annihilated all but one of the cherubim in the US,” he declared, carefully watching my reaction.
“Is this our bonding moment?” I cocked an eyebrow. “Because I’ve got a parent who is a fallen angel too, only I’m not a dick like you are. I didn’t like you before you told me that, and I still don’t like you now.” Gabriel had mentioned the Princes of Darkness. They were the worst of the worst. But it was no excuse. “Besides, if anyone should be scared, it’s you. Because if you hurt Leigh-Ann, you’re going to wish the only thing you lose is your hand.”
Ty grinned.
I picked up another stack of books, but before I walked too far away, I stopped and turned back to him.
“Are you about to tell me to do something other than play games?” He rolled his eyes. “Because you’re wasting your breath.”
“If you knew your father was Beelzebub, do you know a lot about angels and fallen angels?”
“That’s not what I was expecting, but I’ll bite. Yes, why?”
“What’s a demon?”
“There’s no such thing.”
Maybe Gabriel had been right. But it didn’t take the edge away when I remembered the white eyes on Leigh-Ann. I nodded then turned to continue with my task, but Ty’s words stopped me.
“Well, no. There is such a thing, but they’re impossible.”
Slowly, I turned back. “What does that mean?”
“They’re like the unicorns of the angelic world. Only, without the rainbow farts.”
I couldn’t crack a smile at that. “Unicorns? They don’t exist?”
“Demons are the monsters the fallen angels are warned about. They’re the stories that would have made even Lucifer go to bed and eat his vegetables.” Ty frowned. “Maybe unicorn wasn’t the right word. Unless you imagine unicorns to be black and go on murderous rampages.”
I set the pile of books down on the side. “That makes no sense.”
“Well, I don’t know what they look like. They don’t exist.”
Irritated, I picked up the books and started to walk away again. “And that is why I don’t like you.”
“They’re the offspring of two fallen angels. Only, as the bedtime stories go, it’s the fallen part of both the angels that mix together. You get a demon.”
“Two angels can have a baby together?”
Ty shook his head. “No. If they did, angels could do like the Fallen and breed their own army. Hence the fact they don’t exist.”
I walked into the depths of the basement, placing the books onto the correct shelves. Ty’s answer sent a shiver down my spine. Something that even the Fallen were scared of?
“Please don’t let Leigh-Ann be a prophet,” I muttered as I carried out my punishment. I had no idea who I was asking, nor who would answer.
But if Leigh-Ann was warning us about a demon, we were in trouble.
The week dragged on. Despite my conversation with Ty, I still wasn’t upset when he didn’t join Leigh-Ann and I to eat. Not that he needed to be there. The amount Leigh-Ann harped on about him was almost enough to put me off my food.
“He said he can’t wait to see me in my dress,” Leigh-Ann told me for the umpteenth time that week.
“That’s nice.” I wasn’t really paying attention. “I have to go to detention now.” I gathered up my dirty plates with hers.
Leigh-Ann gave me a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry you’re getting punished because of me. Are you sure you don’t want me to say anything to Gabriel?”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll just do my time and get it over with. I’ll probably be back late.”
I hurried over to the gym. The light was lasting a little later into the evening than it had when I first arrived, and the snow had finally gone. Mornings were still frosty. Leigh-Ann said I shouldn’t get used to the warmth and that the snow would likely be back.
Gabriel was already waiting for me in the gym. As I let the door close behind me, he pulled on a pair of boxing mitts. He’d kept his promise to train me, and he was starting off with hand to hand combat.
Even though I healed almost as quickly as Gabriel did, he always insisted on me wearing gloves. It seemed odd to me because if the fallen angels ever returned, I doubted they would wait for me to put the gloves on.
Then again, I also doubted they’d opt for a fist fight when they had swords.
I bounced from side to side before stepping forward to hit the mitts. We worked in silence, the only sound coming from my hands pounding leather.
Eventually, Gabriel was shaking his head. “Where is your strength?”
“First you tell me to hide my strength, now you want me to use it. And I’m still not learning how to fight properly.” I grunted between punches. “And I’m hitting as hard as I can.”
“No, you’re not.” Gabriel moved his hand. “You were hitting much harder last week.”
“That’s because I currently don’t want to murder my own charge.”
“While I am thankful for the lack of murderous intent, I’m going to ask how you’re progressing with Harrison.”
He’d asked me the same question on a daily basis, so I wasn’t surprised. I still owed Harrison
that apology. I still needed to tell him who I was.
I didn’t want to do either because I was still pissed at how he treated Leigh-Ann.
“It’s like he’s avoiding me,” I told the archangel as he started moving his arms to make me hit the mitts from different angles. “I’ve barely seen him since I hit him.”
“Unlike you, I have kept my promise. I have people in Boise looking for your mother. We had a potential lead, but it turned out not to be her.”
I stilled, mouth falling open. Mom?
Out of nowhere, Gabriel spun around, the top of his foot kicking me in the side and sending me flying. I slammed my hands on the floor before sitting up and scowling at the archangel. “Did you just say that to throw me off guard?”
Gabriel shook his head. “No, we have been looking in Boise, as promised. And the first lead we had fell through.” He walked over, offered me his hand and helped me up. “But you should always keep your guard up when fighting. If you can use a distraction, so can they.”
Gabriel wasn’t wearing the boots he usually did, but his kick still packed a punch.
“Noted. But you’ve also not hit at me all week.” I rubbed at my side.
“The Spring Dance is tomorrow night,” Gabriel told out.
With the back of my glove, I rubbed at my forehead. “Spar with me.”
“You don’t know how to spar.”
I rolled my eyes. “I know you think I have no experience with fighting, but I have broken up a few fights in my day and even joined in on occasion. If you think I can’t spar, then teach me.”
“These are the basics.” Gabriel held up his gloved hands. “I am teaching you.”
I cocked my hip. “Are you scared I’m going to kick your ass?”
Gabriel let out a long, exasperated sigh before pulling the gloves off and tossing them to the side. Instead, he picked up a pair of gloves similar to mine and pulled them on. “Just remember that you wanted this.”
I grinned and then swung. He stepped to the side before I could hit him. I frowned, and turned, starting with a series of jabs. If Gabriel didn’t dodge, he knocked them away.
