“Yes,” she said.
“Good. There is only one being there you cannot kill. All else is fair game.”
“Who am I to not touch?”
“My son, of course.” He gave her a wink. “Trust me; you’ll recognize him when you see him. A chip off the old block, that one is.”
She was hesitant before she asked the question that was burning in the back of her mind. “Will Sandalphon be there?”
Lucifer rolled his eyes and gave an exaggerated sigh. “Oh, poppet, please tell me you are not still carrying a torch for that pompous archangel.”
“No, of course not. It’s just that he is mighty.”
“Worry not, love. I’m sending in an army of demons to distract everyone. Besides, you’d need to worry more over my son’s strength than Sandalphon. I fear the archangels have brainwashed him. That was a plan that backfired on me. Nonetheless, hopefully, we will be able to call to his darker side tomorrow. We could really use him in the future.” He rubbed a hand across his square jaw. “The archangels are making demis, and if we can bless the demis, as well, then, when the war comes, they will hear my call and hopefully join forces with us. All I’m doing is evening out the battlefield, love.”
She nodded. “And once we have the blessed on our side?”
“We will rule earth, and I will be freed from hell.” He walked over to her and lightly stroked her face. “You’d be my queen,” the Prince of Lies said seductively.
Determination shone in her eyes. Whether it was due to the power he dangled over her head or if it was because she craved to be back in his arms, he wasn’t sure, but his job was done. He had broken Camaella, and the broken ones were always the ones who had more to prove when they finally made their way back to their feet. He had no doubt that Camaella would be the perfect commander for his growing army.
Camaella slowly stood, her body so broken that it hurt to breathe. “If I agree to become your commander, am I free to go?”
“Yes, but before you do, have one of the servants clean you up. You look like you’ve been in hell. And don’t forget to report back to me every so often.”
I woke up drenched in sweat. The devil was in the details, and I was missing some pretty important ones. Like, was that my damn wedding they had crashed? How did he know that there had been a wedding taking place? I might not remember my past life, but I was pretty damn sure that I didn’t send out an invite to the Prince of Darkness.
Weekends at the academy were like everything else at the school—they sucked. Saturdays, we still had to do our magic class and hand-to-hand combat training. Then, after those two classes, all the first year demis and the fully blessed were encouraged to go to the training field to watch the demis fight against each other. Some of the sophomores were clumsy, but for the most part, all of them flowed like skilled warriors.
Trev was sitting with a group of kids, and when he saw me, he gave me a wave with one of his charming smiles.
Hannah nudged my leg. “Hey, look, the demis are done warming up. Now they are going to have some fun.” She wiggled her orange eyebrows. “I hope the boys take off their shirts. I need some excitement in my life.”
I laughed at my crazy friend as the demis broke off into four teams, leaving them with under fifty demis in each group. Then the first two groups fought each other with a weapon that looked like a wooden staff, with a tip coated in red paint. Once the red paint got anywhere on your person, you were out.
Hannah was cheering for the second-year students who were battling the seniors. They didn’t look like they stood a chance. Not just because of their size, but they had less training, and it showed in the way they moved.
The commander stood on the sidelines. It was hard keeping my attention on the game when his presence was so domineering. His muscular thighs were parted, and his arms were braced across his chest. His expression gave away nothing. Fierce and hot. I felt safe with my assessment of him because I thought I had finally figured out how to build my walls. The more I practiced, the easier the mental wall formed.
Every once and a while, he would congratulate someone on the field or bark a constructive comment to a demi who had gotten outplayed.
In the end, the second-year students got brutally slaughtered.
Before the start of the next game, Remy joined us on the bleachers. Hannah was having a hard time talking to Remy without it looking like she was talking to thin air, so I had to keep elbowing her.
Exasperated, she said, “Sorry. So, Remy, what did you find out from Dr. Howler’s private chambers?”
“Some interesting shit, that’s what,” she said.
“Are you going to tell us, or do you need a drumroll, princess?” I asked.
“Bitch mode initiated.” She looked at her nails. “You so don’t deserve to hear this juicy intel, but I’m going to share with you both from the goodness of my heart.” She paused before announcing, “Our commander knows where the object is that could help us win the war.”
Hannah asked, “Come again?”
“You heard me, bitches. Apparently, the one thing that could save us all from the darken and their nasty little demons is this blade called the Flaming Sword. The commander supposedly knows where it is, but he won’t tell. Dr. Howler’s journal said that the commander was hired by the Empowered Academy as a ruse, and when he wouldn’t tell his colleagues where it was, they brought in a whole squad to torture him for the info. He escaped and built this place as another option for the demis and blessed.”
“Not going to lie,” Remy said, “but the Empowered Academy sounds like a bag of dicks.”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
I wanted to tell my best friends that I also knew where the Flaming Sword was, but I had a feeling that Finn would flip the hell out, so I kept my mouth shut.
If I made it out of here alive, there would be a lot of people after me. Demons, darken, and most likely the Empowered Academy. It was just a matter of time before everyone knew that I was more than I was pretending to be.
I watched the commander across the field. I needed to do the binding ritual with him. The only thing holding me back was him knowing all my emotions, and I wasn’t sure if I could build a wall high enough to keep him out of my thoughts. Regardless, there was no one better to protect me. I needed to go through with it. The sooner, the better.
The three of us watched the next game in silence. By the next match, Remy and Hannah had quit frowning, and by the third and final game, I was cheering just as loudly as Hannah. Remy thought we were nerds, but my heart felt lighter when we left the stadium. After the dream I’d had last night, I needed something less stressful in my life. A little normalcy went a long way.
Remy said her goodbyes as soon as she saw the crew. She wanted to go terrorize them while she still had the energy. Bless her sweet ghostly heart.
Hannah wanted to go get some food, and I had my own agenda.
The commander was walking across the field with several students when I caught his eye as I made my way down the bleachers and jerked my head toward the locker rooms. He gave me a brief nod before patting a student on the back.
I waited patiently for him to finish talking with a few of the demis and greeted some students as they made their way to the locker room.
That familiar tug had me turning around to see the commander quickly approaching.
With those green eyes, he scanned me quickly. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to talk to you about a couple of things.”
He crossed his muscular arms over his chest. “I’m listening.”
“First, I want to do the binding. I’ve thought about it, and if it will keep me safe, I’m all for it. Second, I don’t like lying to my friends. I want to tell them about me being the Flaming Sword.”
He shook his head. “Absolutely not.”
I took a step closer to him. “I’m not asking for permission.”
He started to say something when a student walked by. Grabbing my
elbow, he tugged me to the end of the hall. “The more people who know, the more danger you will be in.”
“That’s why I’ve agreed to do the binding spell.”
He ran a hand through his midnight hair and bit his lip, making me clench my legs together. Thank the heavens I had my walls in place. This crush wasn’t good for either of us.
“I’m not happy with this,” he said. “Just to be clear, we are talking about Hannah and Remy, correct?”
I nodded. “And no one else.”
“Richard is at the end of the field. Grab him and meet me at my cabin. I have a few things I have to tidy up here, and then we can do the binding spell.”
“I really don’t need an escort.”
“Yes, you do. I found out who was behind the attempt to harm you. Devon.”
My eyes widened. “Marlie-Beth and Angelina’s friend, Devon?”
He clenched his jaw. “Oh, I’m sure he wasn’t acting alone. I just need to prove it. When I went to his dorm this morning, he was missing, so until I find him, I don’t want you by yourself.”
I gave him a nod.
Nervous energy ran through me as I watched him turn on his heel, heading back toward the field.
I looked the whole field over for Richard or even Dan and came up empty. Then I glanced over at Trev. I could ask him, but then again, I didn’t really want to see the judgment in his eyes. I also didn’t want to wait around. Decision made I cut around the back of the athletic field and took the quiet path at a brisk pace. I almost didn’t notice Devon until I was upon him.
My heart began to race. Shit.
Trying to act like I wasn’t scared, I said, “Why weren’t you out on the field today?”
“I had other things to do.” A sleazy grin came upon his face. “So, you noticed that I wasn’t playing?”
“No, I didn’t notice. However, seeing as you are in regular clothes, unlike the players who were not and were still on the field when I left, I assumed you didn’t play, and it looks as if I was correct.”
He took a couple of strides toward me, and my heart started racing even faster. I was mentally screaming until he grabbed me roughly by the arm and tried to drag me off the path, and then there was nothing mental about the blood-curling scream I let out.
The trees began to billow back and forth as he tightened his hand around me, pushing me back up against one of the trees, the bark biting into my sensitive skin.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said, bringing his hand up and around my throat, beginning to squeeze.
My vision blurred. All the combat training that I’d had went out the window as I stood there frozen.
I heard the growl before I saw the wolf. Devon slightly turned his head, giving the wolf the opening he needed as the wolf leapt at Devon’s throat. The boy was quickly taken down to the ground where he thrashed in pain as he tried to get out of the wolf’s strong hold, but what he didn’t know was the wolf had heard my pleas and had come to save me.
Behind me, feet pounded on the ground. Finn and the Rocks, who I’d come to like, even if they did push us too hard in cardio class, were barreling toward us. I stood in shock off to the side, just watching the wolf maul Devon.
Finn shouted a command at the wolf, “Come.”
The wolf hesitated for a second longer before releasing Devon with a whine. He scrambled off the boy and went to sit next to the commander.
Finn’s eyes were narrow slits. “What happened?”
“It looks like I found Devon for you.” I pulled my eyes away from Devon, who was holding his bloody face and crying. “I was on my way to your cabin, and he was blocking my path.” My voice was scratchy from being strangled. “He mentioned that I shouldn’t be here, and then he forced me off the path where he began to choke me. Then the wolf showed up.” I had thought I had somehow called the wolf, but with the way the wolf was rubbing his face on the commander’s pant leg, I no longer knew. Maybe I’d been mistaken.
The commander’s face was nothing but masked rage as he leaned down and whispered something into Devon’s ear, which momentarily made the boy stop his crying. Then the commander roughly jerked Devon up by his shirt, reared his arm back, and punched Devon so hard in the face that I heard the bone crack. The boy immediately slumped, and Finn let him fall on the hard ground in a heap.
* * *
He turned toward the Rocks. “He is to leave the academy within the hour. He is not to talk to a soul before his departure. His memory needs to be wiped of the potential location of the academy. When you drop him off at his parents’ house, make sure he has left the academy in disgrace and shame. He will not graduate, and their house will not bear the mark of the demi symbol. If they give you any grief, you let me know, and I will personally pay them a visit.”
Dan and Richard roughly grabbed the limp Devon from off the ground, and then I watched, still in shock, as they dragged him down the trail.
I glanced over at Finn, who was barely containing his rage. His fists were balled, and his chest was rising and falling quickly. The wolf whimpered and pawed at Finn’s leg.
“What part of you need an escort did you not understand?”
I winced. “I’m sorry.”
He began to pace up and down the narrow trail. Finally, he came to a stop right in front of me. “I need you to be safe.”
I gave him a nod. I really was sorry. It was stupid of me. I should have just waited for him to finish up.
He didn’t say anything more as he bent down to ruffle the wolf’s fur.
“I thought I had called him with Ariel’s gift, but I guess I was wrong. I didn’t know he was a pet. He must’ve just heard my screams and decided to help me.”
“No, you did call him, and he did used to be wild, but I rescued him and his siblings. They roam the grounds, keeping an eye out for me.”
“Can …? Can you communicate with them?”
“Well, that would mean that I come from Ariel’s line, and you already know which line I come from.”
“Yeah, that wouldn’t make sense, would it?” But as I continued to watch the wolf with Finn, I couldn’t shake the feeling that they were communicating. In fact, I was almost certain Finn was talking to the wolf now.
He scanned my body for any signs of damage. “You’ve stopped shaking. Are you okay now?”
“Okay-ish,” I rasped, tears clouding my vision. “I panicked. I didn’t even try to get out of his hold. I just stood there like I was ready to die.”
He wrapped his warm arms around me, cradling my head to his chest. “Yeah, you panicked. We will train more, and you’ll learn not to panic.” I felt his lips touch the top of my head ever so lightly.
I clung to his shirt, breathing in his scent. Even his woodsy, cedar scent reeked of masculinity. My head spun as I pulled back from him.
He wiped my tears with the pads of his thumbs then tilted my head up so I would meet his eyes and said, “I need you to tell me that you’re okay.”
I nodded. “I’m okay.”
His emotions were making the wolf whine. He took a deep breath, his muscular chest rising with the action. “Do you still want to do the binding today?”
“Now more than ever.”
Without another word, he clasped my small hand in his, and then we started walking toward his cabin with the wolf trailing beside us.
The wolf was on my heels as I entered Finn’s house.
He patted the wolf on the head. “From now on, he will follow you everywhere you go.”
“Everywhere? Like he will escort me home or—”
“Not just escort you, but he will be staying with you and Remy in your dorm. He will sleep there, eat with you, and I might even make him shower with you.”
I put my hands on my hips and gave him my best are you serious? look.
“Okay, maybe not that last one, but I can promise you that, from here on out, he will be your shadow when I’m not around.”
I thought about the wolf saving me from Devon and ag
reed wholeheartedly. I didn’t mind a shadow if it kept me safe from people like Devon.
“What happens when a demi is touched by a powerful darken?”
He stopped at my words.
“Makes them corrupt? Makes them tempted to join Lucifer’s cause? How could Devon be so vile and evil, yet Hannah be so pure of heart?” I stared hard at the male in front of me. “Does it have to do with how strong the darken was that touched them?”
Knowing what I was getting at, a smile appeared on his full lips. “That’s a lot of questions. And I don’t think it is necessarily the strength of the angel who touches the human, but the strength of the human who has been blessed. I’m sure some would disagree, but I think that everyone has the choice to be good or bad. Maybe the odds are against you if you’ve been touched by a powerful darken, but at the end of the day, we all still have a choice to be who we want to be.
“Understand that Lucifer wants the fully blessed to be on his side. He wants them to fight against the remaining archangels, and he will do whatever he can to sway them. Some of the fully blessed who have been touched by the darken won’t be strong enough to resist his dark calling. They will join him and his army.” He ran a hand over his stubble. “Gabriella, just remember that anyone has the potential to be good or bad. No matter who they are born from or who has touched them.”
“Do you like being immortal?”
He pulled me over to the couch. “It’s not all that it’s cracked up to be.”
I rolled my eyes. “Only you would think being immortal is a bad thing.”
“It is if you have ever lost someone important.”
I searched his eyes. Who had this man lost?
“In order to do the binding”—his words brought me out of my thoughts—“I’ll need you close to me, and I’ll need you to concentrate in order for this work. Do you understand?”
“Yes. Have you done this before?”
“No.” He grabbed my hips and lifted me, setting me down on his lap. My eyes widened in surprise, and he gave me a sexy smirk. “Concentrate.”
Blessed: Academy of the Seraph Page 15
