A grin split his face. “Puppies? When we first met, it was tacos and unicorns, and now it’s puppies?” He reached out, lightly skimming my face with a finger, before he pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. “Let me grab Hannah, and we will go to the library for this class.”
I felt like banging my head into the wall as he walked away. I would learn how to build walls tonight. That was a high priority.
After Dr. Howler excused a very curious Hannah, we all headed to the library, where I explained to her that this would be our new magic class. She was trying to pretend like the commander training her was no big deal, but the uncontrollable, nervous laugh that she was releasing at the end of all her sentences gave her away. The commander simply smiled at her patiently.
I couldn’t blame her. He just had this way about him that commanded everyone to stop what they were doing and take notice of him. It wasn’t just because he was handsome. Part of it was the masculinity rolling off him in waves.
He locked the three of us in the library with a closed sign for privacy. Then we sat at one of the round tables with Finn between Hannah and me. He reminded us that neither one of us was eighteen yet, so until our gifts came out to play, we wouldn’t be at our full potential, so he would not judge us on how badly we did during the hour.
He handed Hannah a book and told her to close her eyes and concentrate. He wanted to see if she could understand what the subject matter would be without opening the book. When she hesitated, Finn reassured her that he didn’t expect much. All he was asking was for a feeling about what the book could possibly be about.
Trying hard to impress him, she sat as still as a statue, eyes closed, sporting a funny, strained expression.
He turned to me and whispered, “You’re a different story. You have already been demonstrating some significant powers. I’ve seen Azrael’s power in you when you communicate with Remy. With your dreams, you’re using Jeremiel’s gift. The plants and trees are Ariel’s hand. Your great intuition is Chamuel’s calling card.” He handed me a book. “But what about Haniel’s gift of psychic abilities? Can you do the same thing as your friend Hannah?”
I grabbed the book and tried not to wiggle in my seat. I had never asked to see Remy or communicate with animals; it just came naturally. This was a whole new world to me.
I sat there for what felt like an eternity. I stopped thinking about what I was supposed to do and just freed my mind. The book trembled slightly in my hands.
“The book is about the plague that wiped out most of the humans back in 520 AD. Supposedly, 10,000 people died a day.”
I opened my eyes to the sound of clapping. Finn was smiling from ear to ear. “Fantastic.”
Hannah narrowed her eyes. “I thought you were touched by Gabriel and Azrael. No one said anything about Haniel.”
Feeling horrible for lying to my best friend, I gave Finn a pleading look.
He turned to Hannah. “This goes against my better judgment, but in the future, Gabriella might need you, so you should know the truth. Gabriella was touched by a few of the archangels.”
Hannah crossed her lanky arms over her chest and looked from the commander to me. “How many exactly is a few?”
“I just used Haniel’s gifts, so I guess the count is officially eight,” I said.
“Eight?” she shouted. “Are you freaking kidding me right now? Why wouldn’t you tell me?”
I pointed at Finn. “Because he basically said it was life or death.”
Finn clenched his jaw. “Just so that we are all clear, it still is. I assume you ladies will catch Remy up on everything, but not another soul is to know this information. Understood?” He barked the last part, making Hannah sit up taller.
We both said, “Yes,” at the same time.
“So, were you lying when you said you weren’t touched by a darken?”
I shook my head, causing her eyes to widen.
“So the strongest person here at the academy is truly a demi?”
“Technically, she’s not a demi.” Finn said. “But, for her safety, that’s what we’re going with.”
I had already decided to wait until we were alone to tell her who my mother was. I had a feeling she was going to freak when she found out I was Nephilim.
Hannah snorted before she scooted back from the table with a huff. “Okay, big guy, switch seats with me.”
A very confused Finn stood, so Hannah could sit next to me. She held her book with one hand, and with the other, she grabbed my wrist. “Okay, girlfriend, share some of that juice with me.”
After a couple of minutes, Hannah smirked as she threw her book on the table. “My book is about all the fallen angels and the reason they fell. Boom! That just happened.”
“Amazing,” Finn said. “You can assist in her gift.”
I nodded. “We came across that when I was touching Remy, and she was able to see her.”
“But that’s not the best part,” Hannah said. “I can see her now without Gabriella touching her, too.”
Finn leaned back in his chair, placing both hands behind his neck. His T-shirt was stretched taut over his torso, and I was pretty sure Hannah had stopped breathing. “No one has known exactly how powerful you would be, Gabriella, but power-sharing? That’s almost unfathomable. I’d like for you to call upon Azrael’s power, and then summon Remy.”
“Summon? Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to work.”
“Of course it will. It’s like placing a call without a phone,” he said.
He didn’t understand. Even if I could summon Remy, it wasn’t a great idea. You didn’t summon a queen. She was going to kill me.
I closed my eyes and tried to mentally call her. I felt so silly sitting there with my brow furrowed as I telepathically called Remy’s name over and over.
Right when I was about to give up, I saw a pissed off Remy gliding toward me at a fast pace.
“No, you did not just drag me here.” Her blue eyes flashed to me. “I’m not a dog, you know.”
I threw my hands up in the air. “So not my fault. I knew you’d be pissed off.” I pointed at Finn. “He made me.”
“Um, why?”
“As you probably noticed, Hannah could see you this morning in Mrs. Fields’ class. We told the commander about it, and now he’s curious.”
Remy made a chair scoot back before she plopped into it. “Can you see me, Hannah?”
“Yes, and hear you, too!” she squealed. “Isn’t this so exciting?”
I smiled at her happiness. “Apparently, it’s called power-sharing. No one else at school saw you, or they would have been talking about it. I think, with this gift, it’s like I’m giving permission for certain people to see you. Can the commander see you?”
She swept her bangs to the side as she rolled her eyes. “I don’t know. I mean, I like playing pranks, and if he can see me—”
“Say no more.” I leveled a look at Finn. “If I let you see her, and she does anything remotely inappropriate, which she will because that’s how she rolls, you have to ignore it. She’s a ghost and has very little enjoyment left.”
Remy said, “Geez, woman. It’s not that depressing,” as Finn said, “Understood.”
Remy placed her hand in mine, and we watched as Finn smiled slowly. Remy returned the smile. I should have realized how lonely Remy had been.
“Hey, Remy, nice to see you again,” Finn said.
“Commander, it is always a pleasure to see you.”
The way she said it was sensual, causing the commander to squirm in his seat and me and Hannah to laugh.
“This is very hopeful, Gabriella,” Finn said.
Remy looked at her nails. “Nancy Drew here is kinda in the middle of some things. I gotta go. We will catch up later?”
I gave her a nod.
“And don’t be yanking my string again unless someone is about to murder you.”
After she left, we went back to practicing Haniel’s gift. I was only half paying attention, too
busy thinking of what Remy was in the middle of.
Eventually, Hannah said she could do no more. Her head was pounding from the effort of using her gift.
The commander dismissed us, and I headed off to cardio training. Maybe I would never be able to fight off a couple of demons, but if I was lucky enough, I could outrun them.
My private lessons with the commander were a success. I was getting better and better at hand-to-hand. He refused to pull his punches, but thanks to my angel-blessed healing abilities, I usually only sported bruises for half a day or so.
We were both quiet as we left his cabin. When he stopped walking, I gave a little wave goodbye to him, and then Finn watched me pass through the courtyard as I headed back to my dorm. He had wanted to walk me all the way to my room, but I’d begged him not to. The kids were already snickering about me. It was enough that I could still feel his eyes on me as I walked.
I sighed as I neared my building. The thought of climbing those steps to my room made me want to cry. The workout he had put me through had been vigorous, and I was sore. Plus, I was mentally exhausted from all the reading I’d been doing. Finn had tons of interesting books that I was hoping would somehow help me in the future. So far, I hadn’t learned anything awe-inspiring when it came to battling demons.
I heard footsteps pounding on the sidewalk. Someone was trying to catch up to me. My heart rate picked up, and I began to panic.
I looked over my shoulder to see a smiling Trev.
“Hey, I was hoping I would see you. Can we talk?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“Why are you mad at me?”
“Why would you think I’m mad?”
A group of students went around us as they headed inside the dormitory. One of them was Marlie-Beth.
I jerked my head in her direction. “So, you and her are a thing now, huh?”
“What?” He gave a sexy smile. “No, we’re not, and we will never be. This wouldn’t have anything to do with why you’ve been standoffish to me recently, would it?”
“What?”
“The other day, I saw you pass us in the hall when she was trying to talk with me. I tried to catch up with you, but you were already in the girls’ locker room, and then, right after that, you practically ignored me during hand-to-hand training.”
“Um …” I couldn’t say no, I was talking to my dead bestie. “I’ve just been drained and consumed here lately. I’m not upset with you, I promise.”
His eyebrows rose while he nodded. He obviously didn’t believe a word I had just said. If I kept insisting I wasn’t angry, it would only get awkward, but considering his spirits seemed to have lifted dramatically, I let it go.
I casually looked behind me to see the commander. From this distance, I couldn’t see his face, but his body language was an entirely different manner. He really hated Trev.
Hannah was crossing the courtyard from a different direction. Some of the boys had played a game of cricket behind the school, and while I was training with Finn, she had gone to watch them. She wanted to see if she could put her psychic abilities to the test now that I’d given her a boost. I waved her over. Maybe she could ease some of this weirdness going on between Trev and me.
I looked one more time to where Finn was, and Trev caught my glance.
“I heard that you had another private lesson with the commander today during magic class.”
I shook my head. “It wasn’t private. There was another student with me.” I didn’t mention that it was Hannah, and only because I requested her to be in there.
Hannah came to stand beside me as Trev asked, “Why is he giving you special treatment in magic, though?”
I felt forced to lie, and it didn’t sit well with me. “Because I’m a demi who’s uncertain of my lineage, which is unheard of, so he is monitoring my power.”
Hannah nodded. “I hear that he quietly helps other students, as well.” Man, she could lie so much better than me. “He’s actually helping me, too, because I am the lowest leveled fully blessed at the academy. I mean, Gabriella is a demi, and she is probably more powerful than me.”
Trev seemed to like our answers.
“Hey, so this weekend, they are showing a movie outdoors. Tomorrow night, actually, in the quad; you want to go?” He looked at Hannah. “You, too, Hannah. It’ll be fun.”
I looked at my friend, who gave me a shrug. “All right. What time is it showing?”
“Nine.”
“Okay,” I said. “See you then.”
“It’s a date,” he said.
He looked happy as he jogged off in the opposite direction than me and Hannah were heading.
“He’s got it bad for you,” she said. “I almost feel bad for him.”
“Should I take offense?”
“No, I meant that the commander also likes you. And in the real world, Trev would be the top of the food chain, but this isn’t the real world. This is the world where angels have been blessing people, and they blessed the commander as the top of the food chain. The man is smoking hot. Either way, you’ll have to turn one of them down at some point, and that is going to be crushing for their ego. Neither one of them have probably ever heard the word no before.”
“Wait—back it up. Why would you say that about the commander?”
“Don’t look now, but he’s been boring a hole into your head.”
“He hates Trev.”
“Maybe. But he also hates that you talk to Trev.” She threw a long arm over my shoulders, ushering me into the building.
It took all my will power not to look back at Finn.
“So, I went to watch the boys play a game of croquet, and I picked up on their thoughts. I mean, it was staticky, but I heard some.”
“Well, that’s going to be a neat trick to have.”
“Yeah, it won’t help when we are in a fight to the death with some demon, but it’ll be a good party trick.”
I laughed. She did have a point.
As we walked toward my room, she said, “I don’t know about you, but I have this sense of dread. Like, soon, everything is going to change, but for the worst.”
I knew exactly what she was saying. I felt like there was a big, black cloud hanging over my head.
My dreams blissfully came to me quickly that night. I dreamed of an angel who had eyes so vibrant that surely poems had been written about them. He was so beautiful that I wanted—no, I needed—to get closer. I watched him as he went down a narrow hall and down a spiraling staircase. He moved with such confidence and grace that it almost looked like he floated above the ground.
At the bottom of the stairs, he walked past several doors. There were screams and moans coming from behind them. His beautiful smile intensified upon hearing their cries. Finally, he went to the door that held what he was looking for. He waved a hand in front of the knob, and the door lock was magically released.
Camaella sat on the floor, weeping. Her head was on the floor, her back exposed. It was raw and bleeding from where her wings had been torn from her.
As soon as she saw the beautiful angel, she whimpered and tried to crawl into a corner. She had loved him, lost her wings for him, and he had betrayed her. He didn’t have feelings for her. He had just been using her the entire time.
The angel tsked. “Now, vixen, why would you run from me? After all, I thought we were friends.” He squatted down to be on her level. His stunning eyes flickered with amusement. “I’ve come to make you a deal, one that you might actually enjoy this time.” When Camaella didn’t utter a word, he continued, “I’ve decided to release you from hell. You are free to roam the earth as a civilian, or you can work as my commander. The choice is yours.”
“Why …? Why would you do that?”
“What? Release you, or offer you a job as my commander?”
Her forehead scrunched, looking like she was trying to figure out what trap Lucifer had laid for her. “Either.”
He gave a casual shrug. “Hell is my do
main. It is where I must stay, but I need eyes and ears above. Besides, I thought you might enjoy having the power that only I can give you. Plus, you can watch the archangels perish under your hand.”
Camaella sniffled. “How?”
He snapped his fingers. “Oh, that’s right. You’ve been locked down here. It’s a shame that things ran its course with us, but you know what they say: all mediocre things must come to an end. Would you like me to share with you what I was doing when I visited earth?”
She gave a stiff nod.
“Then, after that, you can tell me what your decision is. You can take on earth as a human or become my commander.” He rubbed his hands together, as if he was gearing up to tell a good story. Then he stood up and dusted his palms.
“I have found the Flaming Sword.”
“What?” Camaella exclaimed.
His smile widened. “I know. So fascinating. It has been right under our noses this whole entire time. Azrael has had it in plain sight.” He chuckled. “Cheeky bugger. He always was ballsy.
“I need that sword, Camaella.” Frustration coated his tone. “For years, my intel has told me that the archangels are flocking to one place. At first, I thought it was because they were super needy, but now I think it might be because of something more.
“There is a wedding that will take place tomorrow. I want you there. As my commander, it would be your job to wield the blade against the archangels. Kill as many as possible.”
“Kill them?” Her voice was hoarse from all the screaming she had been doing.
“Yes, poppet.” He gave her a disdainful look. “What else would we do with them?” He sighed deeply as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “You know what? Maybe you aren’t the right choice for the job.”
He started to leave, but she called out to him, “Wait! Of course I can kill the archangels. I can do this.”
Lucifer hid his grin as he turned around. “So, you agree to be bound to me, to carry my mark, and be my loyal servant?”
Blessed: Academy of the Seraph Page 14
