Seraphim Academy 2: Sinful Things

by Elizabeth Briggs

  As I shut the door, I hear Araceli’s dad apologizing. Even with it closed, I can hear them talking through the walls, although it’s muffled.

  “I’m so sorry I haven’t been around as much,” he says. “I’ve been traveling a lot, working for the angels, but that’s no excuse. I guess the real answer is that every time I saw you, it made me feel guilty.”

  “Guilty…why?” Araceli asks.

  “Your mother never told you why we split up?”

  I don’t hear Araceli’s answer, but I’m guessing the answer is no, because then her father continues talking.

  “Muriel wanted to have another child, and I said no. After what my people did to me, and how hard it’s been for you, I didn’t think it was fair to put another child through that. I left your mom in the hopes she would find another man who could give her a pure angel child. One who wouldn’t suffer for having fae blood, like you have.”

  “That’s why you two split up?” Araceli asks loudly.

  “Yes, and I’ve been wracked with guilt ever since. I love your mother, and I wanted her to be happy, even if it meant being with someone other than me. I hoped you might get a sibling out of it too.”

  “That’s not going to happen. She doesn’t want anyone else. And you don’t need to worry about me. Sure, the other angels treated me like an outcast when I was a kid, but it just made me stronger.” She pauses for a second. “A sibling would be cool though. Would you ever reconsider?”

  “I don’t know. It depends if Muriel would ever take me back.”

  “She would. You should talk to her.”

  “Maybe.”

  I feel like a jerk for invading their privacy, so I walk out onto the balcony to watch as the field is set up for the soccer game. A short while later, Araceli enters my room. “Liv? Can you come chat?”

  “Sure.”

  As we head into the living room, she says, “Dad's given me some information that will help us get to Faerie."

  “I’m Fintan,” he says politely, offering his hand.

  My heart races as I shake his hand. This is it. He’s going to tell me how to find Jonah. “Do you have a key to Faerie, by any chance?”

  “I do not, I’m sorry to say. I used to, but it was taken from me when I was excommunicated from Faerie. Most keys have been lost or destroyed, and the others are well-protected or hidden. But there are other ways to get there.” He studies me with kind, intelligent eyes. “Araceli tells me you have a fae relic.”

  I lightly touch my gold necklace. “I do.”

  “May I see it?”

  I hesitate, but then lean forward so he can look at it closer. I refuse to take it off, even for my friend’s dad.

  “Yes, this will work. It’s very old and very powerful. Since it’s not made for opening portals, it will require some blood from a fae to activate.”

  I stare at him open-mouthed. “That’s all we need—Araceli’s blood and my necklace?”

  “Yes. Araceli will have to activate it with her fae magic, while picturing where she wants to visit. Since she’s never been to Faerie before, it’s best if I take her now for a few minutes. Then she’ll have somewhere to envision.”

  “We’re going to Faerie?” Araceli asks, her eyes dancing with excitement.

  “If you’d like,” he says with a smile. “Is there anywhere in particular you want to visit? The Summer Court, perhaps, to see your own kind?”

  “Do you know where the Staff of Eternity is being kept?” I ask.

  Fintan shakes his head. “No, I don’t know anything about that.”

  I sigh. “Then I guess it doesn’t matter. We won’t know where to find the Staff or Jonah until we get that feather from the Order.”

  “Just take us somewhere safe,” Araceli says.

  “I shall.” He clears his throat. "Trust me, I don’t want to get caught. If they find out I took you to Faerie, they will kill me.”

  We clear some space in the middle of our living room and then Araceli grabs a knife and hands it to her dad. He cuts his hand, and then presses his bloody palm against my necklace. As he does, he mutters a few words in a language I’ve never heard before and holds out his other hand. After a few seconds, a portal opens up, a lot like the one we saw the fae make, but smaller.

  Fintan drops his hand and wipes it off with a dishtowel. The wound is already closing up by the time he’s done. “Let’s go.”

  Fintan walks through the portal first, and Araceli gives me an excited, goofy thumbs up before following him. I take a deep breath and move through the portal, which makes my skin tingle, sort of like when your foot falls asleep. The world goes hazy, and then I’m standing in the middle of an overgrown forest. Everything is verdant green, and we’re surrounded by the sounds of birds calling out and the wind rustling through the trees.

  “Where are we?” Araceli asks.

  “A forest in the Summer Court near my family’s holdings. I figured if they caught us, they would probably be more merciful than other fae, though I could be wrong about that.” He takes a few steps and touches the side of a thick, gnarled tree. “I carved my initials here when I was seven. It’s an easy place for me to envision when I need to travel here, and few people venture into this forest anymore.”

  Araceli stares at the initials on the tree and nods. “I think I can envision it.”

  “Good. Now open a portal back to your dorm.”

  He instructs her in the phrase she should say, and then she cuts her hand, gives me an apologetic look, and touches my necklace. A portal opens up, and we return through it back into the dorm.

  “I did it!" she says with a laugh.

  “You’ve done well, little plum.” Pride shines in his eyes. “Your fae magic is stronger than you know.”

  She shakes her head. “I don’t have any fae magic.”

  “Of course you do.” He smiles at her, but then it turns to a frown. “Speaking of magic, be careful using any angel magic in Faerie. Someone nearby might feel it.” He turns to me. “Your necklace should protect you from being detected though, as long as you’re wearing it.”

  I nod. “Thank you for helping us.”

  “It’s the least I can do. Now, shall we head to the championship game? I haven’t been to one of those in years, and I’d love to watch it with my daughter at my side.”

  I glance at Araceli. “Actually, it’s not safe here for you. It’s probably best if you leave.”

  “Leave?” he asks, blinking at us both.

  Araceli nods sadly. “I’m sorry, dad. I would love to watch the game with you too. Maybe when school ends we can have a longer visit?”

  “I’d like that.” He kisses her on the cheek. “Be careful if you go to Faerie. I’d go with you, but I fear I’d only put you in more danger. Remember, the fae are powerful allies, but terrible enemies. Most importantly, don’t get caught. I worry about what they would do to you.”

  “We’ll be careful,” she says.

  She walks him out and I clutch my necklace tightly. We’re so close. All we need to do now is get the feather. Oh, and stop the Order’s nefarious plan along the way. Piece of cake.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Olivia

  The crowd cheers as the Seraphim Academy soccer team runs onto the field, and I take a second to give Marcus an appreciative glance, before going back to scanning the crowd. Araceli and I are sitting with Grace and Cyrus in the bleachers, keeping an eye on them in case they run off. So far, they mostly seem excited to cheer for Isaiah, who stands next to Marcus on the field. Jeremy is on the team too, although I don’t see him run out with the other players. Hmm.

  “I’m going to get a soda, anyone need anything?” I ask, while giving Araceli a pointed look. She nods at me in response.

  “No thanks,” Grace says.

  I head off to the closest food stand, and spot Callan leaning against a nearby wall. He meets up with me as I buy a soda.

  “Jeremy’s missing,” I tell him quietly.

  He gives
a short nod as his eyes scan the field. “I’ll have Bastien look into it. Have you seen anything else?”

  “No, not yet.”

  “What about Nariel?” he asks.

  I gesture to one side of the bleachers. “Kassiel is sitting with him and some of the other professors.”

  “I hope we can trust him.”

  “We can.” We all met up briefly before the game started and went over the plan, then shared our new information on how we can get to Faerie. We’re all ready for multiple scenarios. Now we just have to wait.

  I grab my soda and head back toward my friends. The fae team is on the field now, and the game’s about to start. We believe nothing will happen until half-time, but we want to be prepared when it does. Our plan is to try and prevent the kidnapping from happening at all, but if we fail, then we’ll head to the forest with Tanwen and stop the Order there.

  We watch the game, cheering for the angel team, who manage to hold their own against the fae. Still no sign of Jeremy though. Cyrus spends the entire time either cheering for Isaiah, talking about how hot he is, or sharing the latest rumors and gossip about the Duskhunter attack. Grace cheers along with him and nods at his newest story. They give no indication they’re up to something.

  As halftime approaches, Cyrus stands up. “I’m hitting the bathroom. Be right back.”

  Araceli gives me a quick look and then jumps up. “I need to pee too. I’ll walk with you.”

  They head over to the bathrooms together, while I wait with Grace and watch the game. But Araceli and Cyrus take longer than I expect, and I can’t help but glance back to look for them.

  “Are you okay?” Grace asks.

  “Yeah, fine.” I shrug casually. “That bathroom line must be long, eh?”

  Just as I’m about to go look for them, there’s a huge boom behind us and a drone flies overhead. People scream and duck and someone yells, “The drones are back!”

  Professors and other angels assigned to security launch into the air immediately, while others run to take cover. Everyone in the bleachers stands up and tries to shuffle away, while the players on the field are whisked into safety, including the fae. It’s total chaos.

  Shit, a Duskhunter attack is the absolute last thing we need right now. Although it might stop the Order from kidnapping any of the fae, so there’s that at least. I extend my wings and fly up into the air to do whatever I can to help. As I do, I see Hilda blast the drone with burning light, and it explodes in a flash. Other angels continue to fly around, searching for more, but after the initial panic, it seems there was only one drone.

  As Kassiel flies past me, I grab his arm, my eyes wide. “It was a diversion!”

  “I think you’re right.” He glances around. “I don’t see Nariel anymore. I was following him, but he must have slipped off and gone invisible.”

  “Grace too. I lost her in the chaos as everyone panicked. Dammit!”

  I scan the crowd, which is dispersing quickly, but still don’t see Araceli or Cyrus. This has all gone to shit.

  “Time for plan B,” I tell Kassiel, who nods. We know where the Order is meeting thanks to Tanwen. We’ll have to try to stop them there. I just hope everyone else realizes it, since I have no way of finding them in this chaos.

  I go invisible, and when I look back for Kassiel, he’s gone too. He probably slipped into a shadow or something. I head toward the forest, and land near the boulder to throw on my golden robes and mask.

  When I get to the cavern, there’s a group already gathered there, some in gold, and some in white. Someone is already screaming from behind a closed door. It’s just like when they wanted us to torture a demon last year. I messed that up for them, and now it’s time to do the same this year.

  As I walk in, the prison door opens and someone drags a shaking initiate out of the room. Behind them, three people are tied to chairs. Araceli. Her dad. And the female fae guard from the Spring Court that I met at the previous game.

  My blood boils as I see my best friend’s forehead covered in blood. Those fuckers are going to pay for this.

  “Stop,” I yell, but it sounds odd since the mask distorts my voice. I remove my dark-infused dagger, leaving the light one at my hip. It won’t help here. “Let the prisoners go!”

  “We can’t do that,” the leader says, standing near the prison door. He waves a hand, and some of the other golden masked people rush toward me to grab my arms. I slash at them and they dart back, but another one manages to knock off my mask—revealing my face.

  Everyone stares at me, but I’m officially done with this cat and mouse game. I stand up to my full height and adjust the grip on my dagger. “Don’t make me use my succubus powers.”

  A few people gasp, mostly the initiates. I figured focusing on my demon side would get a response.

  “Put down your weapon,” the leader says, as other members draw their weapons and surround me. “You’re going to get hurt. You must realize this is the only way to get to Faerie…and to find your brother.”

  How dare that asshole use my brother to justify torture. I’m done playing nice. I haven’t used my succubus powers like this in a long time, since I stopped seducing strangers, but now I reach out and incite lust in the leader. I used to need to touch someone to do it, but not anymore. I'm so angry that my power radiates out of me like a bomb, slamming into some of the other members too.

  The ones holding weapons immediately drop them and step toward me. I can feel their desire, and how much they want me. How much they’ll do anything to have me.

  “You want me, don’t you?” I ask in my most seductive voice. “I’ll be yours…you just need to let the prisoners go.”

  “Do it,” the leader stammers. “Anything.”

  That was too easy. He must already have wanted me a little.

  “Don’t listen to her!” someone calls out from the back. My power must not have extended that far. “She’s using her dirty demon magic on you!”

  I have a pretty good idea who that is. I slam some of my dirty demon magic into Jeremy in response, and he falls to his knees while reaching for me at the same time. “Be quiet, asshole.”

  The leader shakes his head and tries to resist my power, and others break free and rush toward me with their weapons. But then three people move in front of me, protecting me with their own swords. With everyone in masks, it’s hard to tell who is who, but I’m guessing these are my friends. One of them is definitely Callan, judging by the size. Two others rush into the prison room and begin working to free the fae, starting with Araceli. The person who freed her hands her a sword, and she guards them as they free her dad and the fae woman.

  “Remove your masks,” I tell everyone under my power.

  The kneeling scumbag removes his mask, and to no one’s surprise, it’s Jeremy. Cyrus removes his too, he’s one of the ones who dropped his weapons. Which meant he was going to stab me, if he had to. That hurts. I knew he wasn’t trustworthy, but I thought we were friends. A few others remove their masks too, but I don’t see Grace among them, thankfully.

  The leader rips his off last, and his crown hits the floor. Nariel stares up at me with a mixture of lust and hatred. "I should've killed you."

  "I'd like to see you try," I snarl. "Give me the feather.”

  He snorts, and I raise my chin, then release more lust into him. He tries so hard to fight it, but in the end he crawls to me on his hands and knees, then removes a clear plastic container from his robe, which holds the feather. He offers it up to me with love-struck eyes, and I kick him in the chest to push him back.

  Araceli and her dad stumble out of the other room, with the fae woman held between them. She’s in the worst shape, and I cringe at the realization one of her ears was torn off. “We need to get this woman back to her people,” Araceli says.

  “Let’s go.” I hold my dagger out to the members and initiates who are either under my spell, or held back by my friends. “Don’t even think of following us.”

  I le
ad the way out of the cavern, and draw in a deep breath of fresh air when we get outside. Araceli and the other fae are right behind me, followed by my golden-robed allies. They all rip off their masks, and my chest swells with pride to see Callan, Bastien, Marcus, Kassiel, and even Tanwen all on my side. Unlikely allies? Definitely. But it worked.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Olivia

  We move some distance away and hide in the forest, so Marcus can heal the fae woman with Araceli’s help. Our group spreads out around them, keeping an eye out for anyone following.

  “Have they taught you how to create a bubble of invisibility yet?” Fintan asks me.

  “No, not yet.”

  “Let me show you.”

  He bends light around our group, bouncing it off the trees and the ground, creating a little dome around us. No one from the outside can see us, but we can see everything inside our little shell. It’s definitely an advanced Ishim move, and one only someone very powerful could accomplish. No wonder Fintan was such a good messenger.

  “I think I got it,” I tell him. “Thanks, that will come in handy in Faerie.”

  “Will she be all right?” Callan asks, kneeling beside the fae woman.

  “Yes, she’s already recovering,” Marcus says. “Araceli managed to grab the ear on the way out, so we re-attached it. She should heal completely within a few hours.”

  Araceli stands up and wipes blood on her pants, like it’s no biggie. “We need to take her back to the fae before they realize she’s missing and attack the school.”

  “I can take her,” Fintan says.

  “Are you sure?” I ask. The fae don’t seem to like him much, from what I’ve heard.

  “Yes. It has to be either me or Araceli, and you need her to get to Faerie.” He gives Araceli a warm smile. “Don’t worry about me.”

  “I’m sorry your visit turned into this,” Araceli says, as she hugs her dad.