by C. L. Coffey
The fallen angel dropped like a stone.
I couldn’t tell if she was alive or dead, but Lottie snatched up her sword, and with another terrifying war cry, brought the blade down on her neck.
Moments later, her head wasn’t attached to her body either.
“Holy crap.”
That didn’t look as easy as the movies made it out to be. Lottie was terrifying.
“Kennedy.”
I glanced down at Leigh-Ann’s hand tugging at my dress, and then turned. Two more fallen angels stood in front of us.
“Surrender.”
Leigh-Ann’s grip on my dress tightened.
“Not likely,” I responded, tightening my own grip around my dagger.
From nowhere, Lottie went running past me. Whatever training she’d had, I wanted. She was a fearless warrior, attacking the two angels with more skill than I expected her to have.
“Move,” I told Leigh-Ann and Harrison. “Get to the church.”
“What about Lottie?” Harrison looked over at her like he wanted to help.
“When we get you to the church, I will help.” No sooner had I got us moving, something exploded behind us.
I didn’t let us stop to see what it was, but instead, forced everyone to keep moving. Just when we reached the path to the church door, two more fallen angels appeared. I recognized one of them instantly. It was the one who attacked me in Vegas.
Olivier.
He and his companion, like all the others, were armed with swords.
I glanced down at my own dagger, wishing Gabriel had given me a sword. No sooner had I thought it, the weapon started growing in my hand. I was so shocked, I nearly dropped it.
“They gave you an angelic blade?” The corner of Olivier’s mouth turned up. “Did they teach you how to use it?”
“Come with us and your school survives,” the other fallen angel said. He didn’t look much older than me.
“We’re not going anywhere.” I lunged forward, putting myself between the Fallen and my friends.
Olivier rolled his eyes before he attacked.
Instinct took over. I didn’t have the skills they did, but for some reason, they looked progressively more worried with each swing and jab that I hurled. I tuned it out, focusing only on what their swords were doing, dodging their attacks and trying to get some of my own in.
I wasn’t sure what outcome I expected, but all I needed was enough time for Leigh-Ann to get Harrison into the church.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Leigh-Ann yank the door open.
One of the fallen angels stopped and turned. Taking a cue from Gabriel’s lesson, I took his moment of distraction to jab the sword as hard as I could, sliding the blade through his ribcage.
I stared at him as he fell to the ground.
I’d never killed anyone.
Before I could even start to process how I felt, a sword swung in front of my face, blocking Olivier’s weapon before it struck me.
“Don’t let your guard down!”
I leapt out of the way and watched, transfixed, as Gabriel took over the fight.
Like everyone else, there was blood on his suit, but it was minimal. Aside from that, his clothing barely looked ruffled. The only thing out of place was his hair.
Watching him attack Olivier was like watching a ballet; elegant, graceful, and calculated.
“Why are you protecting them?” Olivier asked between blows. “Archangels kill the Fallen and their offspring.”
Olivier swung his sword, but Gabriel deflected the blow and then countered it before his Olivier could recover his footing.
Gabriel’s sword sliced through Olivier’s stomach.
“He won’t give up.” Olivier dropped to his knees, staring at Gabriel. “He will get his way.”
I looked over at the church. Thankfully, Leigh-Ann and Harrison were safely inside and unable to hear the fallen angel’s threats.
Gabriel took my hand and suddenly, we were both inside the church. He let go of me and pushed his weight against the door.
Before I could ask what he was doing, there were two simultaneous explosions outside.
“What was that?” Leigh-Ann asked.
“The souls of the Fallen exploding,” Gabriel explained. From outside, a loud siren blared. Gabriel turned and opened the door, peering out. “You three stay here.”
He was gone before I could stop him.
I hurried over to Harrison and checked his makeshift bandage. The black of the fabric made it difficult to see the blood, but it was wet to the touch. “How are you feeling?”
Harrison gave me a strained smile. “I’ve been better.”
“I think he needs to get to a hospital,” Leigh-Ann told me.
“Gabriel said to wait here.” I stood and started pacing back and forth. I had no training, but I wanted to be outside. There were fallen angels everywhere, and I wanted to make sure Gabriel was okay.
I fought against the urge to check on him. If I went out, there would be no one to protect Leigh-Ann and Harrison.
“You’re an angel?” Harrison asked.
I stopped pacing and shook my head. “I’m half fallen angel and half human; a nephilim.”
Harrison shifted his weight, wincing as he moved his leg. “Is that why you have that weird shadow?”
“Shadow?” I lifted my arm, looking at the shadow on the ground before looking back to Harrison. “What’s wrong with my shadow?”
“Not that shadow.”
“Harry, she only has one shadow,” Leigh-Ann said, wrinkling up her nose.
Harrison squinted at me. “You both don’t see it? It’s like a black glow.”
“I don’t think black glows,” Leigh-Ann told him, shooting me a worried look. “I think we need to get him to a doctor.”
“Glow isn’t the right word. It’s like a faded outline. And you’re not the only one with it.” Harrison tried again as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the two of us.
The door to the church opened behind me. My weird glow was forgotten about as Gabriel walked in. “We believe the Fallen have left the campus. There are a lot of injured and several dead.”
My mind flashed back to Simone falling to the ground, forcing a lump in the back of my throat. I didn’t like her, but I’d never wished her dead.
“Is it safe to come out? Harrison needs to see a doctor,” Leigh-Ann said before chewing at her lip.
“The authorities are on the way,” Gabriel said, nodding. “There will be an ambulance to take Harrison to a hospital.”
“Can you just …?” I clicked my finger.
Gabriel shook his head. “Students will need to be accounted for, and I will not be able to explain how I got him to a hospital so quickly.”
“How long do we have?” Harrison clutched the side of a pew, his knuckles whitening at the effort. Before any of us could stop him, he pulled himself to his feet.
His answer came from the distant sound of sirens.
Gabriel helped him to the door, and the four of us made our way across the grounds to the main entrance. The attack on the college had scarred the snow. Footprints of terrified students running away had trampled it down, and blood had stained much of it.
Worse still, were the scattered bodies of the students who hadn’t survived. Several students were trying their best to work around, covering them with cloths. A few students were huddled together, comforting each other. The rest had vanished. I assumed they were the ones who made it to safety.
My heart felt heavy.
We’d suffered so many losses because they wanted Harrison? I still had no idea why he was special, but in that moment, I wished I had taken it more seriously.
The driveway was soon full of ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars. “I should go with Harrison,” I told Gabriel.
He had helped Harrison into the back of an ambulance for assessment then stepped out to let the paramedics do their job.
“I’m supposed to protect him
.”
“Harrison will spend the night in the infirmary. His injury isn’t serious enough for hospital,” Gabriel told me.
“But there was so much blood.”
“It’s not more than the infirmary can handle. The local hospital will be busy enough, and we can keep an eye on him here.” Gabriel looked me over and gave me a sympathetic smile. “You look exhausted, Kennedy.”
“I guess.”
He led me to the side, just out of earshot of the closest person. Gently, his hand traced down my arm as he stared at it with curiosity.
It took me a moment to realize he was tracing the Lichtenberg scars on my skin. I jerked my arm back, trying to hide it with my other arm. “Please don’t touch that.”
“Kennedy.” My name sounded like a sigh on his lips, but I refused to look at him. His fingers went to my chin, urging my head up, giving me no other option. “I think we have a lot to talk about. They’re sending the students without injuries back to their rooms for tonight. You and Leigh-Ann should return there. We can talk later.”
“Tonight,” I said.
It was an instruction, not a request. We did have a lot to talk about, and I was scared that if too much time passed, Gabriel would change his mind.
Gabriel nodded.
“What about Harrison?”
“Harrison is safe. I will make sure he gets to the infirmary, and I will bring him to you when I can.” He pointed over to Leigh-Ann.
She was sitting on the step of the ambulance, looking inside at the doctor treating her brother. Her face was stained from the tears, and she was struggling to keep her eyes open. Someone had wrapped a blanket around her, but she was still shivering.
She needed a shower and rest. We both did.
Wearily, I nodded.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Leigh-Ann had fallen asleep almost instantly, but I was still awake beside her when a soft knock at the door echoed through our dorm room. Doing my best not to disturb my roommate, I climbed down from the bunk and went to open the door.
It was Ty.
My jaw tightened. Instead of telling him where to go, I stepped outside and shut the door behind me. “Where the hell have you been?”
“I want to see Leigh-Ann. To make sure she’s okay.”
I snorted. “Fat chance of that happening. If you wanted to know how she was, you should have stayed by her side. Of course, that’s probably why you disappeared.”
“You want to be careful with what you’re implying.” Ty’s eyes narrowed as he stepped closer.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” I put my hand over my heart and tilted my head. “Was that too subtle?” I straightened and shoved him. “You abandoned her. What’s more, you brought her a drink with something other than juice in it. Was that because you thought she would be easier to take if she was drugged?”
Ty’s eyes darkened as his gaze turned murderous. He grabbed my arm and pulled me down the corridor. “We’re not having this conversation here.”
His grip was firm, and as hard as I tried, I couldn’t break free. “Let go of me, asshole.”
Instead of complying with my demand, he dragged me to the common room. Once the door was open, he pushed me inside. With his arms folded, he stood in front of the door, glaring at me.
“I did not drug Leigh-Ann.”
“No, you drugged me.” My hands curled into fists at my side. “I think the only reason I was able to fight the effects off so quickly was because I am a nephilim. But Leigh-Ann wouldn’t have.”
“I didn’t drug Leigh-Ann,” he said through gritted teeth. “You can ask Pinnosa—she’s the one who gave it to me.”
“That doesn’t stop you from putting something in it between getting it from Pinnosa and me drinking it.” My hands settled on my hips. “And if you didn’t, why did you run away as soon as Gabriel turned up?”
Ty looked away, lowering his head. “Why do you think?”
I started to raise my hands, but stopped, dropping them back to my side. “Are you scared of Gabriel?”
“Of course I’m scared of Gabriel.” Ty looked at me, blinking rapidly. His posture was tense, and his hand was … shaking? “They all blame me for what happened in New Orleans.”
“New Orleans?” I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to remember what Gabriel had said happened there. “I thought that was because of Lucifer and Beelzebub?”
Ty rolled his eyes before fixing me with a pointed look. “Beelzebub … my father? And I was there, so I know they blame me. That’s why I’m here. Angel sent me here to hide because the angels have a target on my back.”
I frowned as something occurred to me. “Is that why you skip gym class?”
Ty refused to look at me.
My mouth dropped open. “Seriously?”
“Fuck off, Kennedy.”
“Okay, fine. Let’s say I believe you.” My hands returned to my hips. “That doesn’t begin to explain why you bailed on Leigh-Ann. I get hiding from an archangel, but surely the Fallen are going to want to bow down and worship you?”
Ty let out a dry laugh. “I’m the reason my father’s dead. I am the reason Lucifer is dead. Their target is bigger than the angels.”
“Is there anyone out there who does like you?”
“Yes. Leigh-Ann.” For the first time there was a sincerity and softness in Ty’s eyes. “I saw shit going down, and I figured they were after me. If I was hidden—if I was away from Leigh-Ann—if things did go wrong, at least she wasn’t going to get caught up in it. I thought she was safer away from me.”
I walked over and peered at him, trying to see the lies in his eyes. “You really do like her.”
“Is she okay?”
“Mostly. She’s sleeping, though. If you want to see her, at least do it tomorrow when she’s had some rest.”
Ty stared at me, considering my request before nodding. He stepped to one side, finally allowing me to open the door.
I left him in the common room and walked back to the bedroom. I’d not noticed when I’d been dragged along the hallway earlier, but there was a hint of smoke in the air. The ballroom and library were far enough away from the dorms that they had remained undamaged, but there was a reminder in the air of what had happened.
A shiver ran down my spine, and I picked up my pace. When I slipped into my room, trying to be quiet, Leigh-Ann flicked the light on. “Where have you been?”
“Talking.” I hurried over but before I could climb onto the bed, there was another knock at the door.
My jaw jutted out, but I didn’t say anything as I walked over, ready to tell Ty to get lost. I pulled the door open, only it was Gabriel standing there.
“Is now a good time?”
I bit my lip and nodded.
Gabriel disappeared.
“What the hell?” I asked the empty doorway.
“Was that Gabriel?” Leigh-Ann was hanging over the side of the bed, trying to see what was happening.
“It was,” I told her as I closed the door.
I turned around as Gabriel appeared in front of me, supporting Harrison.
“Harry!” Leigh-Ann exclaimed, clapping her hands together like a small child. She scrambled down off the bunk, only to stop short of launching herself at her twin. “Why are you out of bed?”
“We needed to talk,” Gabriel answered for him as he helped Harrison over to the couch below Leigh-Ann’s bed.
Before Harrison was seated properly, Leigh-Ann was there, examining him. “Should you be out of the infirmary?”
“I’m fine.” Harrison got comfortable on the couch and made room for Leigh-Ann to sit beside him.
I moved to the side and leaned back against the wall, waiting. “I’m surprised you came.”
Gabriel moved to my side and tilted his head as he looked at me. “I said I would.”
“I figured it would be tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow will be too late.” Gabriel sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I have spoken with Ursula.”
“Dean Pinnosa. She’s going to announce an early end to the spring semester. The attack has already made the news, and most parents are aware from that, if not from their children calling them.”
Leigh-Ann, Harrison, and I looked at each other. My mom was still missing, and I had no way of getting in contact with her anyway. Leigh-Ann had tried to call her parents, but only gotten through to their voicemails.
“Dad called,” Harrison said. “He said he was sending someone to get us first thing in the morning.”
I didn’t miss the hurt flash through Leigh-Ann’s eyes. “I’m glad they called you,” she muttered.
“Most parents will be collecting their children tomorrow,” Gabriel started, oblivious to Leigh-Ann’s sadness. “I’m not sure what time they will arrive, and as I promised we could talk, here we are.”
“Good,” Harrison said. “It’s time to get some answers, starting with what the hell is going on here, Are you the Gabriel?”
Gabriel moved back slightly, positioning himself so he had the three of us in front of him. “Yes, I am that Gabriel,” he told him. “Your college was attacked by the Fallen—fallen angels.”
“Does this have something to do with who our parents are? These two,” he pointed to me and Leigh-Ann, “seem to think they were after me? I assume it’s because our father is a senator, but they could take Leigh-Ann too and didn’t.” He looked over at his sister. “I’m sure one of them was pointing at you.”
“Kennedy said I’m a prophet,” Leigh-Ann told them both.
That earned me an arched eyebrow from Gabriel.
Leigh-Ann hesitantly reached out and touched Gabriel’s arm. “Don’t be mad at Kennedy. I asked her not to say anything.”
Gabriel let out a patient sigh. “I had dismissed it because Kennedy had said it was her. The chance of her being a nephilim, a potential, and a prophet was impossible.”
“So you’re saying Leigh-Ann is a prophet?” I asked.
Gabriel fixed his gaze on me. “No,” he said, firmly. He looked over to Leigh-Ann. “I’m sorry, but a few nightmares don’t make you a prophet.”
“I know you said the Latin wasn’t important, but she dreamed the school would be attacked by fallen angels. And the warning said to beware of the demons coming, and okay, demon and nephilim and fallen angels are all different words in Latin, but the fallen angels did come. And so did the snow—there was no snow earlier, and we checked the weather forecast.”
