22. Arabella

Chapter 22

Arabella

" I 'm here, I'm here," Harper states out of breath as she pushes the door to the study room open. "I'm so sorry I was late. I didn't see the text right away, and I had to rush back to the dorms to grab a few things first."

"All good," Isis smiles, "Take a seat so you don't fall over. We can discuss why you were late right after Arabella starts filling us in on everything."

"Do I have to?" I groan, dropping my head into my hands. I know I need to tell them. Out of everyone here at the academy, they are the two people who can give me the advice I need and not some bullshit answer as a way to make me feel better.

"Yes!" they both shout in unison.

"Okay, okay," I hold up my hands in surrender. "How much do you already know?" I'd rather find out what they know before jumping in somewhere and not giving the full story.

"We know you stayed with Phoenix and Rhys after our dorm was broken into. Both of them were there to speak with the guard and helped us go through items in the dorm to see what was salvageable. Other than that, nothing."

Okay, so they really don't know much, at all. Great. "So, on Monday I was called out of class and summoned to Councilwoman Talia's office. My father was there waiting for me." Both girls gasp at the mention of my father but neither says anything. They both remember what he was like when he dropped me off at this school. "Yeah, he wasn't happy. Said that I was underperforming and making a mess of everything. His usual bullshit, like always," I sigh. I really don't want to tell them the rest of that but I also don't want to keep secrets even if it means outing my past. "When I tried to explain myself to him, he didn't like it and he struck me across the cheek. Councilwoman Talia stood up for me and kicked him out, banning him from school grounds. She gave me the rest of the day and told me to go back to my room to just relax and try to settle in as best as I could. I didn't want to but she insisted. When I got back to the dorms finally I saw that our place had been broken into. The whole thing was trashed. I didn't even step foot inside before I was dropping to my knees. Phoenix was behind me and caught me. He took me to his dorm and insisted I was staying there and he would handle everything. Even Rhys was being deceptively nice about it in his normal dickish way. Phoenix gave me his room and I fell asleep waiting for them to return."

"That explains why both of them were there when we got to the dorm. I couldn't figure out what their involvement was. Phoenix, I can understand slightly, I know he's taken a liking to you, but Rhys is a complete asshole so his position didn't make sense," Isis adds when I pause in the story. "We were so worried about you but they insisted you were okay and that everything was being taken care of."

"How was staying with them for the night? It seemed like neither of them was going to budge about you coming to our room," Harper questions from beside me.

"Considering I was knocked out cold basically the whole time that night it was fine. Phoenix gave me his room and didn't bother me at all. The next morning though... Well, that's when things sort of started taking a turn," I sigh, shaking my head. Yesterday was a rough morning.

"What happened?" Both girls ask in unison moving to the edge of their seats. I'm pretty sure they are way too invested in the craziness that's been happening to me at this point.

"Phoenix was gone when I woke up. Rhys was waiting in the kitchen... wait for it... cooking me breakfast." I pause waiting for their reactions, which are what I expected.

"He cooked you breakfast?!"

"I hope you tossed it in the trash, or better yet tossed it at him!"

"Yup, he cooked me an omelet that was actually pretty good. Trust me," I give a pointed look to Isis, "I tried to get away with not eating it but he wasn't letting me leave until I did, and considering the note he handed me, well I didn't really have a choice. Councilwoman Talia delivered a note to the dorms advising me I was to have private lessons that day with... drum roll please?" I pause letting them tap their hands on the table in dramatics. "Rhys. He was to be my teacher for the day. Yes, it was complete and utter hell. He kicked my ass for hours in the morning with combat training, but I did learn some new moves after he had enough of handing me my ass and actually took the time to teach me something. Talia also had lunch delivered to us before he began helping me with my prophecy magic. It's still not much but I could call upon small prophecies to come to me without being asleep which I'm taking as a win."

"Is that all? Please tell me that's all?" Harper pleads shaking her head at me.

"I can't believe she trusted Rhys to train you?" Isis gasps. "Do you think that she knows how he's been treating you? And why would she have a Fallen train you when there are plenty of Angels who can like I don't know, Warrick."

"I thought the same thing. The last thing I wanted was to be paired with Rhys and I won't ever repeat this again but after the bullshit in the morning, I actually learned something that not even Warrick has been able to teach me. Don't get me wrong, Rhys is still an asshole that I want to punch in the face but he also is a very powerful angel and has a lot he can teach others." I really will never admit that to anyone outside of them. Not even to Rhys himself. If word got back to my father that a Fallen Angel was teaching me magic, oh I'm sure he would try to bring the whole strength of the Seraphim Council down upon the academy. When I first got here, I probably would have let him. Now, I don't want that in the slightest. Talia stood up for me to him when no one ever has. She earned my respect. That's why I did what she instructed me to do when the last thing I wanted yesterday was to be spending time with Rhys. She knew I could learn something from him and I did. That's all that matters.

"I can't believe you just said that," Isis laughs. "Are you feeling okay?" She gets up and comes to stand next to me and places her hand on my forehead. "You don't have a temperature. Did you hit your head too hard?"

"Get off me," I laugh pushing her away. "If you're concerned about me after that then you're about to be even more concerned when I tell you more."

"Divine, there's more?" Harper squeaks loudly her eyes widening as she looks at me. "I don't think I can handle more."

"Yup, there's more." I really wish there wasn't more, but for some reason, life seems to have it out for me and everything is following me around, the good, the bad, the ugly, all of it. I just don't know which to tell them next, Phoenix being my mate or about the journal and my possible connection to Lucifer. Maybe I should just let them choose one or two and go from there.

"Dear Divine, what more can there be?" Isis sighs dramatically rolling her eyes. "Let's just rip the bandaid off. Hit us with it."

Shrugging, I decide to give her what she wants. "If you insist. Phoenix is my mate, Rhys did the Fallen ceremony to confirm while we were sleeping last night. Oh, and I found a journal mixed into my belongings when I got here. A journal about Lucifer, and in it are details about some of his powers. One of which matches something that I can do, and it's a power passed down through bloodlines."

"WHAT?" they both shriek together and begin talking over themselves asking a million questions a minute. I can't even get a word in edgewise around them. Between them freaking out over me having a third mate, let alone one who is a Fallen, and the fact I also have a power that's passed down through Lucifer's bloodline. Yeah, I can understand why they are freaking out. It's the same thing I have been doing since I discovered it.

"Wait, wait, wait," Harper holds up her hand cutting Isis off and turning to stare at me. "There's no way that you can have any blood relation to Lucifer, or well at least not a descendant from him. I remember when they told us about his downfall and the creation of Fallen in school. After I did more research because I found it interesting. When he was on trial and sentenced, the Seraphim Council tore off his wings, made him celibate, and I hate saying this, killed his daughter. So there is no way it's possible."

"I remember that," Isis adds. "Admittedly I was fucking around in classes that day but didn't they also say something about destroying his mate bond and forcing his mate to bond with someone else?"

"Yes, but her name was stricken from the records. Not one mention of who she was. It was weird," Harper continues to explain. She's right, that's all the same information I found as well.

"What's even weirder? The journal was given to me by my great-grandmother Aurora. She had Warrick give me it and told me it was important that I got it. How the hell did my great-grandmother get her hands on the journal and why was it so important I got it?" All this has done has led to more and more confusion. Every time I get an answer, it leads to more questions.

"Wait you said your great-grandmother gave you the journal? How old is she?"

"Uhh, a couple of centuries old at least," I answer confused about where she is going with this. My parents have always tried to get me to steer clear of her so I didn't get to visit as often as I would like to with her. They also made sure only certain topics were talked about. Maybe they were trying to hide something from me.

"Could she have been alive during Lucifer's time and knows something about him?" Harper inquires. She doesn't seem judgmental in the least. If anything she looks like she really wants to help me.

"It's possible. The only way to know would be to ask her but she doesn't exactly do technology and we don't get passes to visit home. " I shrug wishing what she was asking was possible. If we could just call her it would make everything easier. "Maybe Warrick could go if we have a list of questions?" It might be a reach but right now it's the only solution I have. He knows I was given the journal not what was in it, but eventually, I'm going to have to tell him everything. Maybe this is the time to do it.

"Does he know about the journal? Like it's content?" Isis asks. I can see in her eyes she is trying to come up with some sort of plan. Anything that can help us figure out all of this and why I have a power that I really shouldn't have at all.

"He has no idea what's in it. We haven't exactly had time to sit down and talk about things. Plus, honestly, I've been scared ever since I learned of having the same power. It's not one that I use, if ever. The times I do use it, it's by accident because I have no idea how to control it. Warrick doesn't even know about the power." Dropping my head into my hands I sigh realizing just how fucked of a situation I'm in. Not even my best friend knows everything about me. How is he supposed to take me seriously as a mate if I don't tell him everything? Shit. How did my life get this messy?

"Don't get mad at me for asking this," Isis prefaces before continuing. "Do you trust him to tell him about this power and what's in the journal?"

"Since he's my mate I feel like I don't have a choice, but yeah I trust him to know. Especially now that we are away from my father. Warrick won't tell anyone." At least I hope not , I add mentally. I've trusted him with everything for the most part. Why I held back on my manipulation power I have no idea, except for fear. I guess it's time to rip the bandaid off and tell him everything. Maybe I'll get lucky and he will know something to help me put more of the pieces together.

"I have a mentoring session this morning with him, I can talk to him then." My decision has been made. He needs to know and I need his help. The girls can't help me with this except to be supportive. I told him eventually I would tell him everything. Looks like today is going to be that day. Though, maybe I won't bring up Phoenix just yet. One problem at a time, mainly because Phoenix is currently on my shit list after everything this morning. He should have talked to me, not put distance between us and been cold. That was unacceptable. That hurt me.

"Okay, talk to him and tell us how it goes," Harper nods in agreement before looking up at the clock on the wall. "Shit, guys, class start over ten minutes ago. We need to go now."

"Ah, hell, I'm going to get so much shit for being late," Isis groans. "Talk to Warrick, and we will discuss the whole Phoenix thing later today. Dinner?"

"Sounds perfect. I'll come to your room. Phoenix and Rhys have decided that I'm staying with them for however long, so it will be nice to get away from them for a bit," I agree desperate for some girl time. "Then we can also discuss more about the break-in too."

"Deal!" Harper smiles, standing at the same time Isis and I do to grab our bags. "I may have detention after this so let's plan for around six with pizza rolls."

"Sounds heavenly," I hum already excited for what's to come. Girls night is starting to become a thing and I'm not mad about it. Divine, am I thankful that both of them are still standing by me even knowing I possibly am somehow connected to Lucifer. I really thought they would leave me when they found out. My friends back home definitely would have left me out to dry the second I told them what I'd discovered. I guess coming to this school has brought one good thing in my life.