Seraphim Academy 3: Fallen Kings

by Briggs, Elizabeth;

  Seraphim Academy 3: Fallen Kings

  Elizabeth Briggs

  Contents

  1. Olivia

  2. Olivia

  3. Callan

  4. Olivia

  5. Olivia

  6. Olivia

  7. Bastien

  8. Olivia

  9. Olivia

  10. Olivia

  11. Marcus

  12. Olivia

  13. Olivia

  14. Olivia

  15. Kassiel

  16. Olivia

  17. Olivia

  18. Olivia

  19. Callan

  20. Olivia

  21. Olivia

  22. Olivia

  23. Kassiel

  24. Olivia

  25. Olivia

  26. Olivia

  27. Marcus

  28. Olivia

  29. Olivia

  30. Olivia

  31. Bastien

  32. Olivia

  33. Olivia

  34. Olivia

  35. Marcus

  36. Olivia

  37. Olivia

  38. Olivia

  39. Callan

  40. Olivia

  41. Olivia

  42. Olivia

  43. Bastien

  44. Olivia

  45. Olivia

  46. Olivia

  47. Kassiel

  48. Olivia

  49. Olivia

  50. Olivia

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  Stroke The Flame - Excerpt

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Olivia

  Cool night air sifts through my black feathers as I fly over the dark forest. No angel likes being caged, not even a half-angel like myself, and I’ve been cooped up all winter. It’s about time I got to stretch my wings.

  Callan flies in front of me, the bright moonlight making the gold trim on his white wings gleam like metal. There’s a huge sword strapped to his back as he leads the way to our destination—a house where we might find the Staff of Eternity.

  We’ve been looking for it ever since my second year at Seraphim Academy ended. Grace and Cyrus, our former friends, betrayed us and stole the Staff from Faerie for the Order of the Golden Throne, a secret society of angels. They plan to use it to send all demons back to Hell, permanently. Including me. Or maybe it will kill me. It’s not clear. All we know is that we have to stop them before they start another war between angels and demons.

  The one good thing is that they need an Archdemon and an Archangel—or someone with their blood—to activate the Staff. The Order might be able to pull off the Archangel side, but no Archdemon would ever help them.

  That’s why I’m in danger, at least according to my annoyingly overprotective brother, Jonah. With the blood of both an Archangel and an Archdemon, I’m the only one who can use the Staff alone. The Order would love to have me under their control—which is no doubt why they let me join their ranks during my first year at Seraphim Academy, and why they kept me around during my second year. That all ended when we opposed them and killed their leader, Nariel.

  Jonah flies beside me now, and the two of us use our Ishim powers to keep the rest of the group invisible. He’s carrying Eveanna, a green-haired fae warrior from the Autumn Court who acted as the guardian of the Staff in Faerie. She and Jonah became friends during his two years there, and when we lost the Staff she was banished to Earth by the High King of the fae. Only once she rescues or destroys the Staff can she return home. The two of them share such a close bond I thought perhaps Jonah and Eveanna had a thing, but Eveanna is only interested in women. Jonah was loyal to his girlfriend Grace during his entire time in Faerie, until she betrayed us, that is. Now he glowers anytime her name is even mentioned.

  Marcus and Bastien fly behind us, guarding me from behind like my own sexy angel entourage. And damn are they sexy. Marcus is pure temptation with olive skin, a sensual mouth, and beautiful brown hair that curls a little at the ends, not to mention his muscular body and bronze-and-white wings. Bastien is just as mouth-wateringly delicious, but in a different way. While Marcus looks like an underwear model, Bastien looks more like a sexy movie villain, with shiny black hair, intelligent eyes, and strong cheekbones, plus dark gray wings streaked with silver. I feel like a lucky girl to call them both my lovers.

  Along with Callan, Marcus and Bastien graduated from Seraphim Academy last year, and have spent the last few months searching for the Staff. Jonah and Eveanna often go with them to track down leads. But me? They always make me stay behind.

  Until tonight.

  I begged and cajoled and threatened until they finally agreed to let me go on a mission with them. My father, Gabriel, would never have let me go—he wants me to stay away from anything involving the Order and the Staff. If it were up to him, I’d never leave the house at all. Luckily tonight he’s busy at a meeting in Angel Peak. After getting kicked off the Archangel Council, he took over the little town’s defenses after the Duskhunter attacks last year, and he’s really settled into the new role. Which makes tonight the perfect opportunity to go on a mission without him trying to stop me.

  Callan leads us toward the ground, and I know we’re close. For two hours we’ve been heading north from Seraphim Academy and Angel Peak, which are both located at the top of a mountain in northern California, and we just crossed over the border into Oregon. A thick, dense forest of dark trees stretches below us, and we glide down to a small clearing.

  Callan lands first, and he looks like a damn superhero as he sets down on the ground with his broad, muscular body, shining gold hair, and strong jaw. Add in his arrogant blue eyes and commanding attitude, and everything about him screams alpha male. He scans the area and then gestures for the rest of us to land.

  With silent steps, the rest of us set down in front of a derelict old house in the middle of nowhere. It looks like it’s been abandoned for a very long time, but it also looks like the perfect place to hide.

  I retract my shiny black wings and rest my hands on my twin daggers, one infused with light and one with darkness, both presents from my mother, Lilith. The others ready their weapons too. If the Order is inside, we’ll be ready for them.

  While Jonah and I keep our team invisible, we circle the house as one group. Several windows are broken, and the paint, once white, is gray and peeling. I’m not sure we can even get to the front door because vines have grown up so thickly on the porch. We move as quietly as we can, but it’s difficult with everything so overgrown. As we continue around the house, it’s clear the sides and back are in as bad shape as the front, and there’s no sign anyone is inside.

  Once in the backyard, Bastien points upward at an open window on the second story. It’s a stark difference to the rest of the closed windows, though most have broken and cracked panes. Someone could have used that window to go in and out of the house. Someone that could fly up there. Like an angel.

  My heart beats faster at the thought we might finally catch Grace and get the Staff. I step forward and unfurl my wings, but a hand on my right wing pulls me back. I whirl in shock, and Callan yanks his hand back as if scalded. Narrowing my eyes, I give him a look cold enough to make sure he knows I don’t appreciate him touching my wings. It’s an intimate act reserved for lovers and family, and we are neither of those right now. Not after what he did.

  He scowls at me and points to the window, then whispers, “I’m going in first.”

  Using all my energy not to snarl at him, I step aside and sweep out my arm. After you, asshole. Of course he wants to be the first inside. One of these days he’s going to realize I don’t need his brute strength to save me all the damn time. I can take care of myself.
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br />   He flies to the window and slips inside, tucking his wings at the last second to go through the narrow opening. Jonah pushes in front of me with Eveanna in his arms, then hovers in front of the window while she enters first. With a sigh, I grit my teeth and enter the same way, slamming my wings together to slide in the window. I land on my tiptoes to stay quiet and straighten up. Bastien and Marcus arrive only seconds behind me.

  We stop and listen, but all I hear is the soft creaking of the trees outside in the breeze. The house is pitch black, with a damp, moldy smell that makes me wrinkle my nose. The air carries the chill of an Oregon that hasn’t yet felt the touch of spring, but luckily cold doesn’t bother me the way it does angels. Thanks to my demon blood, I can also see better in the dark than they can.

  Dust covers every inch of the bedroom we’ve landed inside, including on the rusted metal frame of a twin bed and on a wooden rocking chair in the corner. The rest of the room is empty, with a small bathroom that Eveanna scopes out, and a closet door standing open. I stick my head in the closet and nearly jump out of my damn skin when I see what’s inside—a creepy doll with glass eyes. I shudder and close the door quickly before the doll steals my soul or some shit. I’ve seen plenty of horror movies, thank you very much.

  Callan makes his way into the hall, followed by the rest of the crew. I’m mildly miffed at being last, but at least I’m here and not waiting at home for them to get back, worried sick yet full of hope they’ll find the Staff. The only other times I’ve been off my father’s property in Angel Peak all winter was to go visit Bastien at Seraphim Academy, to see Marcus at the house he shares with Callan, or when I sneaked out to meet Kassiel.

  The thought of Kassiel sends a quick pang through my chest. After quitting his job as professor at Seraphim Academy—partly because Callan told everyone he’s the son of Lucifer—Kassiel has been following his own leads on the Staff. I only see him once a month when he makes time to visit me. I hate the idea of him searching alone, but he refuses to work with the Princes, and I know Callan would never agree to it either. Stubborn, prideful, idiotic men. Don’t they know we’re all on the same side here?

  The hallway is empty except for a ratty dust-covered rug that I think used to be blue. There are two other doors, and Callan gestures for Bastien and Marcus to take one, while Jonah and Eveanna take the other. That means Callan and I are going downstairs.

  This time I go first, and I make it to the bottom step before Callan catches up. He grabs my wrist to make me stop and gives me a hard look. I roll my eyes at him. He can try to intimidate me all he wants, but that’s never worked on me before, and it’s definitely not going to start now.

  He releases my wrist and turns away, shaking his head. We quickly do a sweep of the first floor, my hands hovering over my sheathed daggers the entire time, ready in case someone jumps out at us with a weapon. But all we find are empty rooms.

  In the kitchen, Callan pulls out a trash can and opens it up, finding frozen food containers and empty water bottles inside. He holds up a Valentine’s Day themed candy wrapper and raises his eyebrows. Valentine’s Day was a few weeks ago. The stores have all moved on to Easter candy now. Dammit. Another dead end.

  “House is clear,” Jonah says, and I nearly jump out of my skin. “Find anything?”

  “Some food and candy wrappers,” Callan says, as he continues to riffle through the trash. “It looks like they stayed here for a few days last month.”

  Bastien enters the room with Marcus. “We found some blankets and pillows in the cleanest bedroom upstairs, but I sensed they hadn’t been used in some time.”

  “How can you tell?” Eveanna asks.

  Bastien tilts his head. “Sometimes I simply know.”

  “Ofanim are like that,” Jonah explains to Eveanna. “They detect truth and stuff. Some of them even have visions.”

  Callan rises and brushes a cobweb out of his golden hair but doesn’t get it all. Before I realize what I’m doing, I reach up and pluck the rest of it out. He stares at me as I jerk my hand back, before turning to the others. “Another false lead, as expected.”

  “As expected?” I bristle and glance at the others. “What are you talking about?”

  “I knew this house was empty as soon as my feet touched the ground,” Eveanna says, as though it’s obvious. As an Autumn fae she has earth magic, but I didn’t know she could do things like that.

  Jonah rubs the back of his neck and won’t meet my eyes. “Uh, yeah, we were pretty sure this was a cold lead. The tip we got said no one had been seen here in a while.”

  My jaw falls open and anger surges through me. “On the way here, I got my hopes up thinking we might actually find the Staff. Then I was crushed when I realized it was a dead end and we’d have to keep looking. But you knew all along we weren’t going to find it here? Why even come?”

  “You’ve been begging us to take you on a mission for weeks, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity,” Marcus says with a shrug.

  Bastien nods. “A low risk mission with very little danger.”

  I’m so pissed my hands are clenched at my side, my nails biting into my skin. “So you brought me along tonight just to placate me? Like I’m some little kid who needs to be coddled and lied to for her own protection?”

  Callan crosses his arms. “You can’t actually think we’d bring you if there was any real danger.”

  “I thought you would treat me like an adult who can protect herself!” I want to punch him in his perfect face. I want to punch all of them, in fact. Instead I turn on my heel and walk out of the house before I do something stupid like unleash my succubus powers on them. Especially Callan. I’d love to see him grovel before me.

  I have to really struggle to get the back door open, which ruins my dramatic exit somewhat, but then it slams loudly behind me and that makes me feel a little better. Once I’ve stomped away from the house, I hear the door open and shut again, and whirl around to see Marcus trailing after me.

  “What?” I snap.

  He rests his hands on my upper arms and his touch immediately calms me a little. “I’m sorry, Liv. We know how upset you’ve been, and we wanted to get you out of the house for a bit. This seemed like a good opportunity, and we really did need to investigate this lead. We just have to make sure you’re safe too. None of us could bear it if anything happened to you.”

  “Fine, I get it.” I sigh and my shoulders slump. “I’m just so tired of this. I really hoped we would find the Staff tonight.”

  “I know,” he says, as he draws me in to his warm, muscular arms.

  I relax against him for a second, but then push back. “Wait, are you using your Malakim calming on me?”

  He holds up his hands. “Nope. I promise.”

  “Good.” I can’t handle any more of their coddling tonight.

  His lips brush mine, and the angers slowly leaves me as I kiss him back. Most of it. I’m still pissed at Callan, but that’s normal for me.

  It’s hard to stay too mad at the others. I did enjoy getting out tonight, and I can’t blame them for wanting to protect me. Even if it’s annoying, I know they do it because they care about me, and I try to appreciate that—especially since I lived most of my life without having anyone to care for me like that.

  “Are we done here?” Callan snaps, breaking me from Marcus’s amazing kiss.

  I linger in Marcus’s arms, hoping it annoys Callan to see something he can’t have. “I guess so.”

  It takes us another two hours to fly back to Angel Peak, and once we’re there everyone splits up. Marcus and Callan head back to the house they’re sharing just outside town, while Bastien takes Eveanna to Seraphim Academy, where they’re both living. Jonah flies home with me, and it’s late enough I hope Dad will be asleep and will have somehow missed our absence.

  My heart sinks as the house’s back porch comes into view. Dad’s sitting on it and boy, does he look pissed.

  Chapter Two

  Olivia

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nbsp; “In the house.” Gabriel stands as Jonah and I land on the porch. “Now.”

  He sounds like he’s about to ground me, and the ancient power that emanates from him is enough to make anyone cower, even me. I follow his orders, but I scowl the entire time. I’ve just about had enough of people treating me like an errant child tonight. I’m a grown woman and a powerful angel-demon hybrid in my own right, not some rebellious human teenager.

  Gabriel slams the door behind us. “What were you thinking?”

  I give him a defiant glare. “I’ve been trapped in this house all winter. I needed to get out and do something useful for once.”

  “You’re not trapped. You’ve been training on campus with that Valkyrie girl. You head into town with Jonah sometimes. I even allow you to visit your men to feed on them.”

  Jonah makes a slight gagging sound in his throat. He still hasn’t come to terms with the fact that I’m sleeping with his three best friends. If he knew what kind of torture they put me through while he was in Faerie he’d be doubly pissed, but I kept it from him on purpose. I didn’t want Jonah to know, especially since Callan did all that bullying because of the promise he’d made to my brother. That would only make Jonah feel guilty and strain his relationship with the guys. I don’t want that, especially since I already forgave them for what they did. Besides, I don’t need my brother to handle my problems. I dealt with the Princes myself, just like I can deal with the Order too.