After scrubbing my teeth with a vengeance, I splashed my face to cool my temper. As I did with most of my emotions, I buried it deep inside and left it there to rot. It wasn’t healthy, but I had learned long ago not to allow my true feelings to show. Foster parents never wanted a troublesome kid, and teachers didn’t appreciate honesty. Giving in to emotion only led to trouble in the end. It was better this way.
Brian snored too forcefully to be genuine as I changed into my pajamas in the dark. After tucking my things under my bed, I crawled between the sheets and snuggled into my pillow. Brian snored even louder, and I buried my huff of annoyance in my comforter.
As tired as I was, my brain refused to shut down. Anxiety swirled like a maelstrom in my chest as I worried over Jai and Noel and the angel errands they’d been so close-lipped about. I fretted over Gideon as well, wondering if he was in on the secret. I agonized over Ms. Janet and the punishments lying in store should she ever discover the happenings of this past weekend.
Curled into a ball, I ignored the rapid rush of my heartbeat and squeezed my eyes shut. What could have been hours later, the edge of my mattress dipped under an unknown weight. I wasn’t entirely awake, and the instinctual fear spawned from too many foster homes with less than kind inhabitants surfaced immediately. Sweet floral drifted over me, squashing the terror before it truly formed, and I relaxed.
“It’s okay, sweetie. It’s just me.” Noel’s fingers sifted through my curls, and his tinkling laughter was soft in the night as a garbled reply slurred past my unconscious lips. “Shh, go back to sleep.”
I accepted his suggestion without a fight. I fell into an inky ocean filled with luminescent jellyfish as soft, warm lips glided over my temple, sparking fireworks beneath my skin. The crackling fire didn’t hurt, and I sighed, relishing the burn.
Chapter Thirteen
As early morning sunlight peeked through the tree branches outside the window, I woke alone in my bed. Brian sawed away, grunting every so often, and I slipped out of bed on quiet feet so as not to wake him. I’d been having the most enjoyable dream, but I couldn’t quite grasp it. Shaking off the fog of sleep, I dressed.
After a pitstop in the bathroom to pee and brush my teeth, I surrendered the futile battle with my curls and retrieved my backpack from my room. I hesitated at the door of my dorm building, my hand faltering on the handle.
Jai and Noel said only my building was protected by wards, which I assumed meant angelic spells. I had promised to stay inside last night, but they couldn’t possibly mean I wasn’t allowed to leave at all. I had classes today.
Apparently, I should have asked for more information regarding their Guardianship of me and what it entailed.
The chill of early morning hung in the air as I left my dorm and headed toward the student center. My sweatshirt was barely thick enough to ward off the cold, and I shivered as I hiked my backpack higher on my shoulders.
Trudging along the barren sidewalk, I exhaled heavily and laughed at the mist clouding in front of my mouth. Few students were awake at this hour unless they had to be, and any who were unfortunate enough to have an early class like I did weren’t awake enough to make small talk. We passed each other in silence, minding our own business.
As I came upon a small stretch of trees, my feet paused. Memories of fiery, red eyes and growls flickered through my mind, and my breath swirled before my face in shuddered puffs. Stray animals were not commonly spotted on campus, so the chances the dog would still be there were slim. Yet it took all my self-control to force myself forward.
I rubbed my blurry eyes as the trees swallowed me. The sun streamed through the leaves, and I could easily see the campus street through the thin wooded area. My fear was irrational, but my palms broke into a sweat as I passed through the densest section.
For a moment, I swore I heard a deep rumble within the darkest cluster of trees as a twig snapped, but a familiar voice cut through my mounting terror as boots clomped against pavement behind me.
“Riles, wait up.” Jai appeared around a bend in the path, and I swallowed a most unmanly shriek as I spun to face him.
“Hi,” I squeaked.
He slowed to a stop in front of me dressed in jeans, a dark gray shirt, and his black leather jacket. “Hey, you okay?” One hand closed around my elbow as the other tilted my chin up. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I’m fine,” I croaked as I glanced toward the empty trees. There was nothing there. No growling animal, no scary red eyes. Nothing. We were alone. “It’s nothing. I’m okay.”
“Did you sleep okay?” His thumb dragged under the corner of my eye where bags darkened the skin.
Electricity sparked within my veins at the casual touch. “Y-yes.”
His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t question me further. “You need to eat before class. We should go or else you’ll be late.”
My grumbling stomach agreed with his assessment, and he smirked. Snatching my hand, he set a steady pace toward the mess hall, and I blushed to the tips of my ears at the looks we garnered as we crossed the student center courtyard. His palm was hot compared to my cold fingers, and that darn buzzing sensation vibrated to life in my hand. It crawled up my arm and burrowed into my bones until I shivered.
As much as my brain instructed I pull away from the inappropriate touch, my body refused. His large hand enveloped mine, and shockingly, I quite liked the feel of his skin pressed to mine. Touch was difficult for me to accept or enjoy, but for some reason, Jai and Noel were different. Maybe it was their status as my Guardians that calmed my psyche, or perhaps all angels had such an effect on humans. Either way, I swallowed my mental protests as we climbed the entry steps, hand in hand.
Noel waited for us in the cafeteria with a table full of food. Scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast filled one plate as another held a stack of pancakes. Four sausage links bobbed along the surface of Lake Syrup as the hotcakes drowned. Oatmeal topped with brown sugar and fruit nearly overflowed from the last dish. My jaw dropped.
“This can’t all be for me.” I lowered myself into a chair as Jai chortled and Noel smiled sleepily.
“You can pick,” Noel said. “Just don’t pick what I want.”
“Selfish much?” Jai sniggered.
Noel scowled and waved his middle finger at his Other. “Shh, not so loud. It’s too early.”
“Noel’s not a morning person.” Jai poked Noel’s arm, resulting in a growl from the fair male. “Ignore him, and pick what you want,” he told me.
On instinct, I chose the oatmeal, and Noel’s dour attitude brightened marginally as he scooted the plate of pancakes closer. Jai claimed the eggs and bacon.
“I need coffee.” Noel rose and zombie-walked to the coffee dispenser.
“Angels need caffeine?” I hid my smirk behind my hand as Jai rolled his eyes.
“Yes, smartass. We like caffeine same as anyone.” He pointed to my oatmeal. “Eat.”
I ate. The addition of fruit and brown sugar improved the oatmeal exponentially, and for the first time since I was young, I actually enjoyed it.
Noel returned with two mugs of coffee, one black, the other a milky brown. Jai accepted the mug of lighter liquid as Noel sipped at the dark roast. He sighed.
“Ugh, I hate your early Monday classes.”
“Sorry,” I said around a mouthful of oatmeal, and Noel winked before digging into his pancakes.
Once my bowl was over halfway empty, I pushed it aside and wiped my mouth with a napkin. Jai had retrieved a glass of apple juice from the drink station for me, and I nursed the sweet juice as Jai and Noel finished their plates.
“You sticking around or did you want to go with Gid today?” Jai asked as he swallowed his last bite of eggs.
Noel licked the syrup off his fork, his pink tongue sliding over the metal in a most distracting way as he shrugged. “It’s my rotation with Riley, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, but I don’t mind staying if you—”
“I’l
l take Riley,” Noel cut him off.
They communicated silently for an extra moment before Jai shrugged. “Okay.”
I felt like a child stuck between two divorced parents, and I scowled. “I don’t need a babysitter. I’m not a kid.”
“It isn’t babysitting. It’s guarding.” Jai poked my side, and I yelped. “It’s kind of our job, so don’t complain.”
“I’m going to class in broad daylight. What could possibly happen?”
Noel’s nose scrunched in a grimace. “You’d be surprised at what demons are willing to do in broad daylight, sweetie.”
With a huff, I sunk lower in my seat. “I doubt I’ll run into any more demons. I’m pretty sure the first one was a fluke.”
Jai chuckled, and I startled when his fingers wrapped around the back of my neck and squeezed gently. “Fluke or not, you’re our responsibility, and we take our task seriously. We won’t crowd you, but we’re gonna stick close and do our jobs. And you’re gonna be happy about it. Say, ‘yes, Jai.’ ”
“Yes, Jai.” It was more of a begrudging mumble than anything else, and Noel and Jai laughed. “What are you doing with Gideon today?”
Jai blew a raspberry through pursed lips. “Angel stuff.”
“Am I ever gonna find out what that means?”
Mirroring each other, Jai and Noel smirked, cocking their heads to the right simultaneously. “Nope,” they said in unison.
I snorted a laugh despite my annoyance. They really were twins. The most opposite twins I had ever encountered, but twins nonetheless.
“All right, stop being cute and move your ass.” Jai nudged my shoulder until I stood from the table, and I blushed.
“I’m not a baby,” I grumbled under my breath as I hiked my backpack over my shoulder.
Jai gathered the used dishes as Noel drained his mug of coffee. He rounded the table and added his cup to the pile Jai stacked. They exchanged a weighty look before Noel placed his palm on Jai’s chest over his heart.
“Be careful. Both of you.”
As Jai’s features softened, he copied Noel’s touch, his hand resting over Noel’s heart. “We always are. Keep Riles out of trouble.”
“I always do.”
The exchange was platonic, yet I felt as if I’d witnessed something I shouldn’t have. Their bickering notwithstanding, the intimacy between them was impossible to ignore. It was as confusing as it was sweet.
In the blink of an eye, the moment passed, and Noel left Jai to tend to the dishes as he threw an arm around my shoulders. “Let’s get you to class before you’re late.”
Jai waved, and I waved back, worrying over the “angel stuff” he needed to accomplish with Gideon. Noel told him to be careful, which meant they were doing something possibly dangerous. I didn’t like that one bit.
“Are you coming into class with me?” I asked as we approached the science building, and Noel nodded. “Won’t you get in trouble for sitting in a class you’re not registered to attend?”
“The professor won’t notice.” He smiled like he had a secret, and I paused at the base of the steps.
“How? You’re kind of hard to miss.” The moment the words left my mouth, I scrambled to shove them back down my throat.
Noel’s eyebrows flew up, his jaw dropping. “Wow. I’m not sure if that was a compliment or a grievous insult.”
“That came out wrong. I only meant, like, with you looking like that, and, erm…” I nearly facepalmed as I deepened the metaphorical hole my words dug.
“Looking like what?” The starbursts around his pupils glimmering with humor. When I didn’t reply, he cupped my chin, holding me hostage with his sparkling gaze. “Tell me, Riley.”
His melodic voice took on a silky croon, and my brain glitched. In the back of my mind, I was aware of what he was doing. I could sense the suggestion lacing his tone, but I couldn’t fight the pull. My tongue loosened.
“Pretty,” I whispered, and his lips split into a fiendish grin.
“You think I’m pretty?”
My embarrassment brought a wave of clarity, and I shook my head to clear the cobwebs cast by his suggestions. “No. I mean, yes. I mean, not like a girl. I just… um…”
With a tinkling snicker, Noel interrupted my humiliating babble with his index finger pressed to my lips. “It’s okay. I like that you think I’m pretty.” His free hand sifted through my hair. “But pretty or not, I’ll be shielding so no one will know I’m there but you.”
Stepping back, he released me from his angelic spell, and I inhaled sharply as the world refocused. Students brushed past us on their way into the science building, and my mortification skyrocketed. I ducked my head and climbed the steps, lowering my voice so I wouldn’t be overheard.
“What’s shielding?” I asked to steer the conversation away from my stupid declaration regarding Noel’s looks.
“It’s a way we can be present in this realm while remaining unseen to human eyes. Like being invisible, I guess.” He tucked his hands into his light jeans and nodded at the boy currently holding the door open for his fellow classmates. “Thank you.”
The stranger gave Noel an appreciative onceover, his friendly smile sharpening with interest. “No problem, beautiful.”
At the compliment, Noel’s pink cheeks flushed red, and he sent the guy a wink. My stomach soured as I followed Noel through the thickening crowd.
“You can be invisible?” My tone was harsher than I intended, but it shifted his attention from the strange boy back to me. I ignored the guilt instructing me to apologize. “I mean, you’re not doing it now, right?”
“No, I don’t need to. Right now, I’m just a face in the crowd. But if it’s necessary, I can shield and humans will look right past me.”
The door to my lecture hall appeared through the mass of students, but I wasn’t ready to end this conversation. It was fascinating as it was terrifying. I tugged on Noel’s sleeve.
“Did you shield yourself from me?” I asked, and he nodded reluctantly. “Then how did I see you in the courtyard?”
That deer-in-headlights look was back on his face, and he fiddled with a chunk of light hair falling from his sloppy bun. “Um, I’m not sure, actually. You weren’t supposed to. But my shields weren’t very high at the time.” He refused to meet my gaze. “It happens, sometimes. Even angels make mistakes.”
A mistake? The word hit me like a punch in the gut. I had lost count of how many times I’d been explained away as a mistake. Leaving me at the firehouse when I was a baby—a mistake. Taking me in as a foster child—a mistake. Forgetting my meds, disobeying Ms. Janet, being born—mistake, mistake, mistake.
And now, being friends with my guardian angels. Another mistake.
“Oh.” I pulled away, blinking away the sudden onslaught of sorrow. “Right.”
“Riley?” Noel reached for me, but I dodged.
“My class is starting.” I darted into the room, leaving Noel gaping in confusion behind me.
I took my new-ish seat beside Danny, smiling through my despair best I could. He returned the grin, but it faded quickly, his hazel eyes dulling behind his black-rimmed glasses.
“Hey, you okay?”
We weren’t exactly friends, but I liked to think we were on the path toward friendship. Even so, I had no words to explain the sadness strangling my heart. Instead, I nodded, a wan smile on my face.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
I didn’t see Noel the entire class period. Maybe he was there, shielding strong enough to disappear from my sight. Or perhaps he had remained outside. I hated how much his absence hurt, but it was better this way. I didn’t want to be a burden. Just because they had been assigned to me as my Guardians didn’t automatically make them my friends. It was their job to protect me—they had said as much numerous times. A job. Nothing more, nothing less.
“Did you do anything fun for Halloween?” Danny asked as we gathered our belongings at the end of class.
Grimacing, I shook my head. �
�No, not really. You?”
Danny shrugged. “I went to a party, but it wasn’t great.”
You and me both.
We walked out of the lecture hall, and I spotted Noel leaning against the wall. Danny followed my line of sight, and he must have seen Noel, too, because his smile dampened as his attention ping-ponged between us.
“I, uh, I’ll see you later, Riley.” With a parting wave, he trudged away, leaving me to face Noel alone.
The moment Danny disappeared into the crowd, Noel shrugged off the wall and approached me warily. Each step was carefully measured, like he was encroaching on a wounded animal, and his caution freaked me out. My heart leapt into my throat when he stopped with a mere inch separating the toes of our sneakers.
“I don’t know what I said to upset you, but I’m sorry.” His gaze darted around the corridor as he shifted his weight from side to side.
“S’okay.” My backpack jostled from the force of my shrug.
His focus zeroed in on me like a laser, and his brow wrinkled, his head quirking to the side. Like he was trying to solve a difficult math equation in his head, he scrutinized me, and his frown deepened in displeasure. I disconnected eye contact, lowering my gaze in submission and metaphorically showing my belly. It was my survival instinct.
“Riley.” My name punched from his lips, and I raised widened eyes as he stepped away from me like he was in pain. “C’mon. I don’t want you late to your next class.”
Tucking my hands into my hoodie pocket, I hunched my shoulders and trailed after the angel. I’d always been stupid and inept at social interaction, but it felt like something had been broken between us. Though for the life of me, I couldn’t understand what.
The sea of students bottlenecked at the doors, and we came to an abrupt halt as the crowd surged forward then back again. I shied away from the push and pull of unfamiliar bodies, stepping into Noel’s space for refuge. As the crowd funneled through the doors, I peeked at Noel from the corner of my eye as my mind raced for a solution to the predicament I’d somehow caused.
Revelations: Fire & Brimstone Scroll 1 Page 15
