The Angel Trials- The Complete Series

by Michelle Madow

“I’m Darra,” said the one with gold strands who had ridden the unicorn. “We’re the leaders of the academy, and will be overseeing your training.”

  “Now,” Tari said, her sharp gaze focused on me. “What’s the human whose form the Earth Angel used while she was masquerading as Princess Ana of the Seventh Kingdom doing at our door?”

  Of course. They’d known “Princess Ana” from Jacen’s selection process. And given what Tari had just said, Annika had come clean to them about what she’d done to masquerade as a vampire princess in the Vale.

  “My name’s Raven.” I lifted my chin and held Tari’s gaze. I’d been referred to as the human the entire time I was with Noah on his quest, and I hated it. “I’m here because I’ll be training at the academy so I can enter the Angel Trials.”

  She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “You were told what happens to the humans who go through the Angel Trials,” she said, glancing at Violet as if this was a misunderstanding and it was the mage’s fault. “Right?”

  “I was.” I didn’t want to go through this conversation again. But I didn’t have much of a choice. “Rosella, the vampire seer of the Haven, sent me here to enter the Trials. Because I’m a gifted human. My ability is my determination and stubbornness. If anyone can survive the Angel Trials, it’s me.”

  “You’re a dead girl walking.” Tari raised her chin, not looking apologetic in the slightest. “You should turn around while you still can.”

  “Tari,” Darra chided her sister. “You should be nicer. If Rosella sent Raven… maybe Raven can become a Nephilim.”

  “I doubt it,” Tari said, still looking at me. “And even if there’s a chance, why would you risk your life for us? The Earth Angel gave you memory potion and sent you back home to be with your family. Shouldn’t you be back home with them instead of here, entering a trial that will kill you?”

  The students standing behind them broke into murmurs of conversation amongst themselves. I couldn’t catch much, but it sounded like they agreed with her.

  “Two reasons.” I spoke loudly, which got everyone to be quiet again. “Firstly, because of my gift, I sensed there was something wrong with my memories. And secondly, because the greater demon Azazel took my mom. He’s taking gifted humans all across the country. He even took me for a few days, although I managed to escape.”

  “He took me too,” Jessica chimed in, stepping forward so she was right beside me. “He had me turned into a vampire.”

  “Why would he do that?” Darra asked.

  “I don’t know,” Jessica said. “I was rescued before he could finish with me.”

  “Rescued from where?”

  “We’ll fill you in on the details later,” I said, since it didn’t feel right to go into it with everyone listening. “The important part is that Azazel has blood bound himself with the Montgomery shifter pack. And the only way to sever the blood bond is to kill him.”

  “That’s impossible.” Horror dawned in Darra’s eyes, her face turning ashen. “The only witch circle capable of such dark, ancient magic is the Foster circle. And the Foster witches all died during the Great War.”

  “Apparently not,” I said. “Because they’re still alive. And they’re helping Azazel. I saw one of them myself.”

  “No,” Tari said darkly. “We made sure they were dead. They can’t be alive. It’s not possible.”

  “It is,” Jessica said. “My gift is that I can tell when someone’s lying or telling the truth. And I promise you that right now, Raven’s telling the truth.”

  Darra shook her head in shock, refocusing a moment later. “I believe you,” she said. “Avalon wouldn’t have accepted you onto the island if you came here to deceive us. You passed the simulation just as the rest of us did. You’re one of us now. And here on Avalon, we trust each other.”

  “Good,” I said. “Because Azazel needs to be stopped. I came here thinking I’d pass along the message and you’d send one of the Nephilim to take care of him. But clearly that’s not happening. So now I’m going to enter the Angel Trials, become a Nephilim, and kill him myself.”

  19

  Raven

  “If you’d seen the way the humans before you died, you’d realize how foolish you’re being by staying,” Tari said. “But it’s not my call to make.”

  “It’s definitely not your call,” Darra agreed with her sister, turning back to me. “I happen to think you’re very brave. None of us would be on Avalon if it were truly impossible for humans to become Nephilim. If a seer sent you here, there’s a possibility that you might be the first. We’ve been waiting for a sign, and I believe this is it. So I’ll oversee your training myself.”

  “Wonderful.” Violet brought her hands together and smiled down at everyone, as if she’d helped calm the waters between all of us instead of just standing there watching. “Now, to remind everyone, the welcome banquet for the new arrivals starts at nightfall. Don’t be late.” She gave another serene smile, and disappeared into thin air.

  I’d never get used to the strangeness of seeing someone teleport.

  “You heard her,” Tari said to the crowd. Everyone in it was mostly looking at me like I was a cobra about to attack. Which was amusing, since I was the human and they were the powerful supernaturals. “It’s time to clean up and get ready for dinner.”

  Once inside, Tari and Darra excused themselves to their top floor suite, although Darra assured me she’d see me at sunrise tomorrow to start training. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to wake up given that there were no clocks or watches on the island, but she was gone before I could ask. Hopefully one of the other students would clue me in. But when I looked around, they were already hurrying up the steps to their quarters.

  I felt like a lost new girl as I stood there with Jessica, both of us unsure how to go about integrating ourselves with the others. This was a far cry from the bunker, where everyone had gone out of the way to make me feel welcome on my first day. I guessed there was a time crunch, since we had a limited amount of time to get ready. But I thought they would have made a bit more of an effort.

  Luckily, three girls approached us. They all wore their hair in ponytails so high that it looked like they’d just come back from cheer practice. And were they wearing push up bras under their training uniforms?

  They formed a circle around Jessica, leaving me standing on the outside.

  “Hi!” The girl in the center—the blonde one—beamed. “I’m Samantha. This is Adriana and Ellen.” She motioned first to the brunette on her left, and then the black haired girl on her right.

  “Jessica,” Jessica introduced herself, shaking Samantha’s hand.

  “And I’m Raven,” I said, edging myself back into the circle. The dark haired girl—Ellen—gave me a nasty side eye and angled herself away from me.

  Samantha glanced at me before focusing back on Jessica. “Wanna come get ready with us in our quarters?” she asked. “Since it’s your first banquet, we can help you figure out what to wear.”

  “Thanks.” Jessica managed a small smile, although she shifted in place, looking uncomfortable. “But I was going to get ready with Raven in the human quarters.”

  “Before Avalon, I was the fashion advisor to the princesses in the Tower,” Adriana said in what sounded like a Spanish accent, sticking her nose up in the air. She eyed up Jessica’s simple jeans and t-shirt, clearly assuming Jessica was clueless with fashion. “I know my stuff. You want to get ready with us—trust me.”

  “And there’s no point getting close to the humans.” Ellen flipped her long ponytail over her shoulder, purposefully swinging it into my face. “They all die after drinking from the Grail, anyway.”

  “Hey.” I swatted Ellen’s hair away and pushed past her, forcing my way into the circle. She must not have expected it, because even though vampires were way stronger than humans, I was able to get through. “I’m not going to die.” I stared at each one of them, forcing them to finally look at me. “In case you missed what I said ou
t there, I’m not just any human. I’m gifted. My gift is determination. And I’m determined to live.”

  For a moment, I thought I’d gotten through to them.

  Then Samantha laughed.

  “The others humans who trained here thought they were special, too.” She rolled her eyes, like the thought of a unique human was ridiculous. “But once you enter the Angel Trials you’re a dead girl walking, just like the rest of them.”

  Jessica curled her hands into fists, looking like she wanted to rip the perky blonde ponytail right off the Samantha’s head. “Tell her how you really feel,” she said, sarcasm dripping from her tone.

  Samantha straightened and zoned in on me, her eyes suddenly serious. “I think you’re an egotistical human brat who’s used to getting your way, and it’s going to get you killed,” she said, so intensely that she sounded like a robot. “Plus, you’re the only girl at the academy who’s prettier than I am. I don’t want you taking any of my guys.”

  Her sidekicks looked at her like she’d lost her mind.

  Then her eyes widened in shock, and she covered her mouth with her hands. “Omigosh,” she said, dropping her hands back down and staring at me in horror. “I didn’t mean to say that.” She glanced at her friends, as if begging them to believe her. “It just came out. That was so unlike me. I don’t know why I said that.”

  “She’s telling the truth.” Jessica tilted her head, confused.

  I looked back and forth between Samantha and Jessica, putting the pieces together. “I think you just figured out how becoming a vampire heightened your gift,” I said to Jessica. “You can force people to tell the truth.”

  A mischievous smile crossed my friend’s face. “That’ll come in handy,” she said, and I nodded, agreeing with her.

  “By the way,” I said, turning back to Samantha. “I’m imprinted on a wolf shifter. Noah, from the Vale. I came here with him, and he’s getting settled into his place here now. So there’s no need to worry about me ‘taking any of your guys.’” I couldn’t help but chuckle as I said the final part. Because how many guys did Samantha think she “had?”

  “Whatever.” She flipped her blonde ponytail over her shoulder and scurried out of there. Her friends gave us one final glance—looking at Jessica like she was the Devil reincarnated—and followed behind.

  Jessica and I were the only ones left in the grand foyer now that everyone else had gone to their quarters to get ready.

  “Well,” I said, glancing up at where the three vampire mean girls had disappeared. “That was interesting.”

  “It was,” she agreed, still looking stunned from the discovery. I understood why—there was power in the truth. If Jessica could force the truth from people, it could seriously come in handy.

  “Let’s get ready in my quarters,” I said, leading the way up the grand staircase. “And while we’re getting ready, we can test out this heightened ability of yours to see how it works.”

  20

  Raven

  Our magical wardrobes supplied us with complete outfits for the banquet. Cocktail dresses, shoes, jewelry—the works. The heels were surprisingly comfortable. I guessed it was magic.

  It had been a bit awkward accompanying Jessica into the female vampire quarters so she could grab her outfit to get ready in my room, but we managed. From the scared way everyone stared at Jessica, I had no doubt that Samantha had already filled them in on her ability. But we had each other, and that was all that mattered.

  Darra had come to get us to make sure we wouldn’t be late, which was nice of her. I was glad she was going to be my trainer.

  Now I was standing in a sitting room outside of the banquet hall with Noah, Jessica, and Thomas. It was the first time I’d seen Noah dressed up. He wasn’t in a full-blown suit like Thomas, but he was in nice pants and a button down top. He pulled it off well, except I could tell from the way he kept fidgeting with the sleeves that he felt far more comfortable in his typical jeans and t-shirt.

  Iris—the third mage sister we hadn’t met earlier—was there with us too. She had strawberry blonde hair, and was wearing a green medieval gown similar in style to what her sisters wore. The gown matched her emerald eyes. She was the event coordinator of Avalon, and had put together the banquet. She had a much warmer disposition than her two sisters.

  As we waited for Bella, the four of us caught each other up on what had happened to us while we’d been apart. Noah’s story made me tear up a bit. I was proud of him for accepting the position of alpha of the Southern Vale pack here on Avalon. He’d make a great leader. And I told him just that.

  He was still wary about my decision to enter the Angel Trials, but he knew me well enough not to try to force me to change my mind. Because really, the more someone told me not to do something, the more determined I got to do it.

  Finally, Bella rushed into the sitting room. She was wearing a skintight, short leather dress, and stiletto boots that went all the way up to her thighs.

  If her goal was to get the attention of every single male on Avalon—and even the taken ones—she was definitely going to succeed.

  “Glad to see the party didn’t start without me,” she said, strutting across the room to take a seat in one of the armchairs. “I don’t know how you all manage to get places on time without watches.”

  “I’m on it,” Thomas said. “Camelia has a shipment of watches arriving tomorrow. Enough for everyone on Avalon. I’ll have them working and ready by tomorrow night.”

  “Impressive,” Iris said. “We’re glad to have you here.” She walked to the front of the room, facing us. “Now that you’re all here, it’s time to formally introduce you to the citizens of Avalon,” she said. “I’ll introduce you one by one, saying your name, species, and where you’re from. Then you’ll take a seat at the head table with the Earth Angel, Jacen, and my sisters. But first, I need everyone wearing a cloaking ring to hand it over.”

  “Why?” Bella held her ring closer, looking instantly suspicious.

  “On Avalon, you’re safe from any danger,” she said with a smile. “Etiquette here is the same as it is on Earth. It’s impolite to wear cloaking rings when you’re not out on a mission. We’re here tonight to break bread—well, mana—and introduce you to everyone. How are they supposed to trust and accept you when you’re cloaking your scents from them?”

  “A valid point.” Thomas—the first to understand everything regarding etiquette—removed his ring and handed it to Iris.

  Noah followed suit, and finally Bella. Jessica didn’t have a cloaking ring, since she’d been turned so recently. So I was the only one left.

  “I know Avalon’s safe,” I started. “But won’t it be dangerous to let out my human scent around vampires and shifters?” As much as I trusted Noah, Jessica, and Thomas, I had no reason to think the other vampires and shifters in the banquet hall wouldn’t get a whiff of my human scent and decide they preferred to have me for dinner instead of the mana and Holy Water.

  “The mana and Holy Water dull the natural cravings of vampires and shifters,” Iris said. “They won’t attack. And even if one of them did, they wouldn’t get far before one of the other powerful supernaturals in the room—like my sisters or myself—intervened. They wouldn’t be able to touch you.”

  “I’d rip them to shreds before they got close to you,” Noah added casually.

  “It’s true,” Jessica said. “You have nothing to worry about.”

  It made sense, and I did trust them—even before Jessica used her gift to confirm it. So I removed my cloaking ring and added it to the pile on Iris’s palm.

  A moment later, all four of the rings exploded into a ball of green flames. It was so hot that I could feel the warmth against my face. The flames died down until they were gone—as were our rings.

  Bella crossed her arms and glared at Iris. “Why did you incinerate our rings?” she snarled, looking like she was ready to pounce.

  I didn’t blame her. Sage had paid a lot for my ring. It
wasn’t exactly a disposable piece of jewelry.

  “Relax.” Iris laughed and brushed her hands off, even though there was no trace of ash on her palms. “I didn’t incinerate anything. I used the same magic we use to send fire messages to deliver your rings back to your wardrobes. They’ll be there when you return to your quarters tonight. It’s the safest place for them, since the wardrobes are spelled so only their owners can open them.”

  “Oh.” Bella instantly relaxed. “That makes sense. Thanks.”

  “No problem,” she said. “Now, do you have any more questions?”

  “When we enter the banquet hall, do we have to say anything?” Noah asked.

  “No,” Iris said. “Everyone will clap, and you’ll sit down. Once all of you are seated, the meal will be served. It’ll be easy.”

  None of us had any more questions, which she seemed pleased about. I was also pleased, because I hadn’t eaten much during my orientation. I’d been too shocked about the revelation that no one had yet to pass the Angel Trials. Now the hunger had caught up with me, and I was starving.

  “You all look wonderful.” Iris lifted her skirts, shot us an excited smile, and headed to the door. “Now please follow me to the banquet hall, and I’ll get you introduced to the citizens of Avalon.”

  21

  Raven

  Thomas, Jessica, Bella, and Noah went first, in that order.

  I hadn’t been able to peek into the room yet, but it sounded like it was going well. Just as Iris had said it would. But I’d never been the type of person that enjoyed being in front of crowds, so butterflies were flapping in my stomach like crazy at the anticipation of going next.

  The clapping died down, which I assumed meant Noah had been seated.

  “You’re up,” Iris’s assistant—a young witch named Natalie said.

  “All right.” I adjusted the straps of my dress, took a deep breath, and walked into the huge, high-ceilinged room.