by Riley London
She then moved her hands away from me completely, as she turned back towards the academy’s main hall. “We’ll talk later, you and I, won’t we?”
“We will.” I answered.
“Lovely. Just lovely.” Mrs. Deveraux let out a contented sigh, as she took the steps back into the nearest building.
“I can’t believe that worked.” Zachary now stood in front of me, as he glanced down at my sword. “I seriously thought we were all going to have to make a run for it.”
“Why wouldn’t it work? Celeste is an angel.” Benjamin stared down at my weapon, too. “And angels will always call to angels, despite what their parentage may be.”
“Yeah, I guess you can’t choose your parents.” Zachary shrugged.
“Hey, guys!” Charlie jogged up towards me, and soon wrapped his arm around my side. “What did I miss?”
I swung my sword around, getting used to the weight of its blade in my hands, as I beamed from ear to ear.
A new blade.
I couldn’t explain it without sounding like a crazy person, but there was something special about my newfound weapon.
It felt like it was connected to me, the same energy I felt all around the academy now simmering through the hilt of my sword, too.
It wasn’t anything like when Charlie touched me, though, and I was starting to learn the difference between Heaven and Heaven.
Heaven was a feeling that I could manage, something that warmed my soul and made me feel like I was one with the angels who walked these halls.
Heaven was something different entirely, something primal that was unsatisfied with just a simple touch, always craving more and more.
One reminded me of rapturous fireworks going off on the 4th of July.
But the other was like a marching band, stomping right over my chest and heart.
“It’s not customary to swing one’s weapon around during lunch.” Benjamin smiled over at me. “You should save your excitement for the training room.”
“Yeah, you need to chill out before you take out an eye.” Zachary scoffed. “New blades are always the worst kind of people.”
“Why didn’t you guys tell me about the sword ceremony?” I continued to swing the weapon in my hands.
“We didn’t want to scare you.” Benjamin answered. “Since you were already a flight risk, telling you that you would have to receive your weapon in front of others may have upset you.”
“Ehh. Benjamin didn’t tell you because he didn’t want to scare you. I didn’t tell you because I honestly forgot.” Zachary admitted. “I don’t usually go to those ceremonies. Barely made it on time for my own.”
“Sounds about right.” I joked. “No offense, but you don’t seem like the type of guy who’s super interested in other people’s lives.”
“You got me there.” Zachary smirked in my direction.
“Look! Celeste!” Charlie sat down in the seat closest to me. “They have ice cream on the lunch menu today!”
He then excitedly pointed to a mound of vanilla ice cream that currently sat on his plate.
“Huh. That’s the first source of sugar I’ve ever seen on campus.” I held out my hand, waiting for Charlie to give me his spoon. When he’d passed it over, I dipped it into the dessert, and happily brought it towards my mouth.
Whoa.
It was freakin’ delicious.
“Why does that taste so good?” I handed Charlie back his spoon, as I placed my sword at my side. “Is it like an angelic recipe or something?”
“Nah. It’s just regular ice cream.” Zachary explained. “They bust it out the closer we get to the end of a semester. It’s like a pre-reward for almost hitting the finish line.”
“Wait. The end of a semester? But I just got here.” Panic flowed through my voice. “What happens to my grades? I haven’t even taken any tests—”
“Relax. It all averages out.” Zachary replied, as he slid Charlie’s tray of food over to his side of the table. He then grabbed his own spoon, before taking a bite out of Charlie’s ice cream.
“Yes, Celeste. There’s no need to worry. There will always be next year.” Benjamin smiled, as Zachary slid Charlie’s food tray over to him, too.
But Benjamin slid the tray right back to Charlie, who accepted it with a thankful grin.
“Is there summer school?” I asked, as I quietly took my seat beside Charlie.
“Summer classes are optional.” Benjamin replied. “Although, in your case, Celeste, I’d recommend you proceed with them. It’ll give you the opportunity to learn more about the academy, as well as discover more of your abilities.”
“Abilities. Right.” I nodded. “Unfortunately, I think I’ve pretty much got all of those figured out. I can maybe raise the dead. I can make my hands into demon-killers. And I cannot, for the absolute life of me, see anyone’s wings, including my own.”
“That is strange, yes.” Benjamin hummed. “The ability to see angel’s wings comes from being surrounded by angelic energy, which you have been for quite some time now.”
“Well, I don’t know if I would say I’ve been here for ‘quite some time’.” I replied. “But yeah, I should probably be able to see them by now, right? I mean, even Charlie can see them.”
“Charlie can see wings?” Benjamin turned his focus to Charlie.
Charlie simply nodded, as he took in another bite of his ice cream. “I’m looking at a pair right now. That guy’s, right behind you. The ones that look like he dipped them in glitter.”
Benjamin and Zachary both turned around, and Zachary soon gave an approving thumbs up to the angel seated behind us.
“Wing deco. That’s a nice touch.” Zachary turned back around in his seat. “Micah must be trying to win ‘Best Dressed’ this year at the dance.”
“Oh, he’s definitely going to win. Do you know how difficult it is to remove glitter from wings? He has to be an extremely dedicated man.” Benjamin replied.
“Yeah, I would never put glitter on my wings.”
“This? Coming from the same person who suggested we get matching wing tattoos together?”
“Hey! I suggested that back in high school.”
“And have you changed your mind since?”
“Yes. I’d like to get even bigger tattoos.”
Benjamin laughed at Zachary’s response. “I think that may be one mission I won’t be joining you on.”
I looked around the cafeteria table, watching Benjamin and Zachary go back and forth about the pros and cons of getting their wings tattooed, watching Charlie enjoy the rest of his ice cream...
And then I looked out onto the lunchroom as a whole, at Micah whose wings I couldn’t see, although I could tell that he was wearing makeup today, at other students huddled around a phone as they watched something with excitement in their eyes, at a few angels who kept to themselves, silently reading their textbooks or writing in leather-bound journals.
This could work.I thought to myself, as a smile came over my face.
Maybe I really could belong at the Angel Academy.
But nearly as soon as I had such an uplifting thought, another one entered the back of my mind.
My blood.
My parents.
The angel and the demon that created me.
Were they the reason that I couldn’t see anyone’s wings? And could I ever truly fit in if I couldn’t even tell an angel from a human, at first glance?
“Do you think it could be my parents?” I asked, out loud.
“What?”
“The reason I can’t see anyone’s wings.” I whispered. “Do you think it’s because of...you know who?”
“Demons can see wings.” Benjamin replied. “I don’t think she would’ve affected you—”
“Yeah, but Lucifer can’t.” Zachary shook his head. “At least, I don’t think he can. Not after being kicked out of God’s court.”
“But is he not still an angel? Even when being thrown down from Heaven—”
&nbs
p; “He’s an angel by blood, right? The same way Celeste is, too.” Zachary answered. “But maybe God cursed his bloodline, the same way he did with Cain.”
“A curse...” Benjamin hummed. “Or maybe even a way to protect future angels from Lucifer’s wrath. If he couldn’t immediately tell who was an angel and who wasn’t, he’d have a harder time exacting his revenge on innocent people.”
“That sounds about right.” Zachary replied.
“Great.” I sighed. “So, I’ll never be able to see angel wings. How cool.”
“Never say never.” Benjamin offered me a hopeful smile.
And I returned the expression, even though hopelessness was trickling down into my bones.
“I think I had a weird dream.”
Charlie and I were hanging out in my dorm room, both of us lying with our backs against the ground.
“You wanna’ tell me about it?” I looked over at Charlie, whose focus seemed to be on the ceiling above.
“Sure.” Charlie grinned. “I think you owe me, actually, after all the times I’ve deciphered a dream or two for you.”
“Oh, well if you make it a whole obligation thing, then I’m no longer interested.” I grinned, too.
“Yeah, you’ve had enough of obligations, I guess.” Charlie turned his head, until we were eye-to-eye. “It was so strange though, Celeste. It was like...we were back at the apartment, just you and me. And I was able to...touch you. Without any of those sparks. Like we were human or something.”
“Uh, yeah. That wasn’t technically a dream, but it still kinda’ was? I don’t know. It’s hard to explain, but this demon basically was planting scenarios into our brains—”
“I really don’t care what it was.” Charlie cut me off. “It just made me happy.”
“It made me happy, too.”
“Do you think that could ever be possible?” Charlie asked.
“What? Us living together in an apartment again?” I smiled. “I’d move in with you in a heartbeat, Charlie.”
“No. I meant do you think that things could ever go back to normal? Could we ever just be...human again?”
I somberly shook my head. “No. Things can’t ever go back to the way they were.”
“Why not?” Charlie’s words came out low. “I understand that you can’t leave now, that you want to help the other angels win whatever war might be coming up, but what about after that? What about when you’re just Celeste again, the bartender with a bad-ass attitude? What happens to you?”
“Charlie.” I continued. “I think what you’re really asking is what’s going to happen to us.”
“Yeah. I guess I am.”
“We’re going to be fine.” I shifted, until I was close enough to Charlie’s frame to drape my arm across his chest. “We’re not going anywhere, okay?”
Charlie gave me a barely-there smile, before he changed the subject. “What was with that demon, anyway? Why would he plant something like that in my brain?”
“He was the Prince of Lust. It’s just what he does.” I shrugged. “He said he had fun, after everything was over, so I guess playing mind games is his idea of a good time.”
“Benjamin and Zachary were with you, too, weren’t they?”
“Yep.”
“Did they have stuff like that planted into their memories, too? Sexual type of stuff?” Charlie asked.
And I grimaced at the question.
Benjamin’s mouth.
Zachary’s cock.
I’d tried to push those memories out of my mind, but so far, I’d been unsuccessful in my attempts.
“Yes.” I answered honestly.
“That must’ve been awkward, then. Everyone moaning or whatever in front of a demon.” Charlie laughed. “Did they tell you what they saw?”
“Me.”
“What?”
“Me. They saw me.” I couldn’t lie to Charlie, even if a part of me worried about his reaction.
But it wasn’t like Charlie and I had ever defined our relationship, and it wasn’t like those memories were real, either. I hadn’t been with anyone besides Charlie, not really.
Even if I could still feel Benjamin’s tongue pressed against my skin.
“They saw you...the same way that I saw you?” Charlie asked.
“Yes.” I answered honestly, yet again.
“And...you were there, too? You saw the same thing?”
“Yes.”
Charlie then tilted his head to the side. “What did you see, Celeste? When you were with them?”
I immediately blushed at Charlie’s question. “Why do you want to know?”
“Tell me everything.” Charlie’s tone wasn’t accusatory, seeming more like he was just curious about what happened with Ashmedai.
“I was with Benjamin, after you.” I explained. “We were in the training room, and he—Charlie!”
I yelped in surprise, as Charlie’s hand slid between my thighs and underneath my panties. His fingers quickly found my clit, and he began to idly stroke it as he spoke. “Keep going. Tell me all about it.”
“He ate me out.” I tried to focus on my words, but Charlie’s fingers were applying more pressure as time went on. “And that was it. Then I moved onto Zachary—Ah!”
One of Charlie’s fingers dipped down towards my pussy, as he swirled a digit around my entrance. “You’re wet. Thinking about those guys must really turn you on, huh?”
“Yes.” My cheeks were burning red. “Are you mad?”
“No.” Charlie shook his head. “I’m a modern man, Celeste. I don’t believe in owning a woman. It’s your body, you can do whatever you want with it. The only thing I’m concerned with is your heart.”
Charlie then moved his hand away from me, as he pressed a kiss into my cheek. “In that dream, demon-vision, whatever, you said that you loved me for the first time. Is that how you really feel? Do you love me, Celeste?”
“Charlie—”
“It’s a yes or no question.” Charlie’s tone was firm. “I just need to know the truth.”
“Charlie...” I hesitated. “I feel like if I say it, then it’s over.”
“You think I’m going to leave you after you say you love me?”
“No, I mean. It makes it real. It changes everything between us.” I sighed. “And it puts a target on your back that I’m not sure is there right now. Me saying those words to you would feel like I’m dooming you or something, especially with all this demon shit going down—”
“Just. Say it.” Charlie pressed. “If you mean it, Celeste. Please, just tell me.”
“Fine.” I looked into Charlie’s eyes, as I finally found the words. “Charlie Collins, I love you. More than anything.”
“I love you, too, Celeste Venoix.” Charlie beamed, before he kissed me, soft and slow.
And the rest of the world seemed to fade away.
Chapter 9
“We’re not going to the usual training room?” I asked Benjamin, as we walked down the academy’s halls.
“Not today.” Benjamin replied, as he turned down a corner. “I wanted to try something else with you, if you don’t mind.”
I wondered if Benjamin was purposely avoiding the training room, not wanting to bring up those memories from Ashmedai.
I wasn’t sure how I would’ve fared in the training room, either. It wasn’t like I’d been able to get those memories out of my mind and having Benjamin so close to me while we sparred couldn’t have made things any better.
Hopefully, over time, the memories would fade, and we could get to our usual training schedule.
The rest of our walk through the academy was mostly quiet, as we passed various buildings and sections of the school that I still hadn’t seen.
Did Angel Academy go on forever?
It sure seemed like it.
Once we finally reached wherever we were going, Benjamin stopped in front of a giant, stone door.
“Is it locked?” I asked, as I glanced at where the doorknob was suppos
ed to be. Instead, it looked like there was a miniature sundial set in its place.
Benjamin smiled, as his fingers moved the dial, not stopping until it was almost in a straight line. He then pushed it a little further to the left, before he took a step away from it.
“No man shall know the day or the hour...” Benjamin continued. “Matthew 24:36.”
I looked back down at the sundial, taking a closer look at the position of its hands.
Matthew 24:36.
12:36am.
Benjamin had positioned the dial to resemble a specific time of day.
“It’s a really old joke.” Benjamin grinned. “Get it?”
“Yep. Sounds like some real angel-specific humor.” I grinned right back at him.
He then pushed open the door, revealing a dark, brown room with a sunken ceiling. The only lights on in the place were near the very back wall, and it looked like they were just tiny candles, barely a flame burning between them.
“Why is this room so dark?” I asked, as Benjamin closed the heavy door behind us.
“It’s an artifacts room. Too much light could be bad for the antiques and weaponry.” He continued. “For that same reason, there’s very little air circulation in this room. Be mindful of your breathing.”
“I’ll, uh, try my best.” I replied, as I stepped further into the room. The floor of the room had the same stone material as the door, except it was carved into a walkway that seemed to circle around the entire space.
“Over here.” Benjamin waved a hand, and I followed right behind him. He then stopped in front of a glass display case, filled with different kinds of oddities.
There was a set of arrows, some broken.
There were a few loose bullets, but no gun.
And there were hand-written letters, too, but I didn’t recognize the language.
“What is all this?” I asked, as I peered down at the glass.
“Unclaimed or lost items, all possessed by angels.” Benjamin answered. “From a very long time ago.”
“Is this what you wanted me to see? A bunch of broken arrows?”
“No. I wanted to see if anything called to you.” Benjamin kept his focus on the glass case in front of us. “If anything made you feel complete.”
