Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

AZIEL

"No way!"

"I'm not arguing with you about this, Dante. You're going to school."

"So send me to a paranormal school! I'm not going to a school with stupid humans!"

That had been my plan at first. It surprised me when my uncle told me Dante would be going to a human school. There was a human school close to my apartment, and it would make it easier on me if Dante went there since he could walk home. He was too young to teleport. But I never brought it up because I thought for sure they'd never go for it. Apparently Kaiser, my uncle's second son, pointed out that Dante could rule the school because he was superior and the humans would do his bidding. Fucking stupid if you asked me. But they didn't ask, and I didn't say anything because it was what I wanted. My uncle agreed on the caveat that Dante be trained to gather information for him. The school had some prestigious parents there, and my uncle liked the idea of blackmailing them.

Things with Dante thus far had been… difficult. He was a pain in the ass, demanding and argumentative at every turn. Instead of being grateful fo r buying him everything he needed, he decided my act of kindness meant I was a pushover and I'd get him whatever he wanted. He was angry when that turned out not to be the case and he had been fighting me ever since.

"I'm not going. You can't make me. I'll call my dad and–"

A snarl ripped through me, and Dante flinched automatically. I'd never hit him before, but I knew other members of the family had. That was what happened when you didn't fall in line in our family. You got hurt, no matter your age. Dante didn't know I wouldn't do that to him. The snarl was enough to get him to shut up.

"Your dad made the decision. You're going. Get your bag. I'm going to walk you there so you know where to go. If you leave or cause any trouble, I'll hand you over to your dad without remorse. I wonder what he'll do if he finds out you disobeyed his order."

That got him moving. You didn't disobey my uncle. Not even his youngest son would do that. He grumbled about it, but he followed me out of my basement apartment and onto the street. We didn't talk much, but that had been true since the beginning. I didn't want to argue with him, so I didn't engage. It irritated him, but I didn't really care.

The school was about half a mile away. Far enough that I could probably get Dante on the school bus, but I didn't think that'd go over well. And it was good for him to walk and work off some of that irritating energy. He trailed behind me, kicking rocks, until the school came into view. A simple brick building, three stories high, with a line of teachers waiting out front. He wasn't the only paranormal starting this year, but he was the only demon. I stopped just before we crossed the street in front of the school, kneeling in front of him to look him in the eye.

"Your dad wants you to listen and gather information. That means talking to students. If you chase them away, you won't be able to report to him like you should. Don't cause trouble." I pulled a cell phone out of my pocket, handing it to him. "If you need me, call. I've got errands I need to run. Your dad wants to see you when you're through. I'll pick you up when school is over."

He scowled at me, but I saw the fear underneath. He'd been with me all summer and he was still struggling to cope. My hope when sending him here was that he'd integrate better. Maybe even make some friends. Or at least have something to talk about other than how much he hated me. That conversation was getting old.

I followed him across the street and towards the school. One of the teachers broke off from the pack, coming to greet us with a smile on her face. She offered me her hand, and I appreciated the firm grip. She didn't look afraid of me, which was a step up from normal conversations I had with humans.

"Mr. Nox. Nice to meet you. My name is Margaret Castillo, the principal here at Leighton Prep."

Nox was the name I used when interacting with humans. Shadowwalker wasn't well received and my uncle agreed he didn't want Dante tied with the name while surrounded by so many ‘enemies'. He thought I used the name to go undercover, not just because I didn't like being tied to a notoriously shitty family.

"Nice to meet you."

Her attention dropped to Dante, and she offered him her hand as well. "You must be Dante. I heard you've got a knack for mathematics and an interest in astronomy. Is that right?"

Instead of shaking her hand, Dante whipped around to glare at me. "What the hell?"

I lifted a shoulder. They asked when I signed him up about what his interests were. He spent a lot of time outside on the fire escape, staring up at the stars, and I saw him searching for information on my computer about what the lights in the sky were a few weeks in.

Mrs. Castillo didn't look bothered by the fact that Dante didn't shake her hand. She smiled politely, gesturing to the building. "I'm going to give you a tour and walk you to your classroom this morning. Your guardian can come with you, if you want."

He looked conflicted for a second, and if he were in any other family, I was sure he'd ask for me to go with. But he was a Shadowwalker, and we didn't show weakness. He shook off the discomfort, scowling with his arms crossed.

"I don't need him."

Mrs. Castillo raised an eyebrow at me. I shook my head in response. Dante hadn't really warmed up to me and I didn't expect him to any time soon. He'd probably use the meeting with his dad to complain about me. Maybe they'd finally realize I wasn't guardian material.

My family didn't trust me to do important jobs for them. The last time he tried to get me to do something important, I let the human go with a warning to hide or they'd kill him. He disappeared, and I lied and said I never managed to find him. I took a beating for that one and had to be brought to a healer to survive the night. From then on, I was a watcher, gathering the information my uncle wanted and playing security at one of the many clubs he owned. And now a glorified babysitter. I told Dante I had errands, but truthfully, I sat at a park nearby for most of the day, waiting for him to be through. At least for the first few days, until they knew it was safe, my cousins demanded I stick close. And since I wasn't being asked to hurt anybody, I didn't complain.

I'd been avoiding my friends lately, hoping if I steered clear, Dante wouldn't see them and report to my uncle about their mates. I argued against Mal's mate, knowing another human in the group meant I'd be forced to steer clear, but that wasn't an argument I could ever win. I got a text from Felix, demanding I show up to the next poker night, but I ignored it like I did every week. It was for his own good that I stayed away.

Still, I missed them. My friends were more family to me than my blood family ever was. I kept them out of the gritty details of what my family did, but they were aware of my connections. They didn't treat me like a criminal. They cared about me and it killed me to not be able to spend time with them as much. Being around them was the only time I ever felt normal.

My phone rang around lunch. I was considering teleporting home for a while to grab some food when it interrupted my train of thought. I answered it on the first ring and still my uncle sounded pissed on the other end.

"Took you long enough."

I rolled my eyes. "I apologize, Uncle. What can I do for you?"

"Where is the boy?"

"Still in school. "

He made an irritated noise, and I heard paperwork shuffling in the background. "Do you have information for me?"

"Yes. The Woods guy you were looking for popped up again. I found him sneaking around his old apartment. I sent Kaiser the information for pick up. And Maganti has been following your orders without issue. I don't think he's the rat you're looking for."

"No one asked your opinion," he snapped. "Just hurry up and bring the boy."

"School ends at 2:30. I'll bring him directly to you when it's through."

He hung up without response and I sighed, tucking the phone away. This was my life, and I hated every minute of it. But there was no escape in sight. I must've done something really messed up in my previous life to end up in this one.