23. Hayliel

23

M onday started off with a bang in Uriel’s class. Despite how fast I could fly on that island with the guys, I was back to being a slowpoke on the obstacle course, and the asshole professor refused to let up on my torture. To make matters worse, a few of the Fallen students went out of their way to shove me against the wall around almost every turn, or corner me into hitting an obstacle.

Fuckers. All of them.

The rest of my day didn’t get much better. Harold the Herold put out another article, and if I was under any indication that the tides were turning in my favor, he went ahead and shat all over that idea. It shouldn’t have surprised me that the entire article was filled with names I’d recognize as Uriel’s little minions, all of whom were vying for my immediate expulsion.

Principal Cael hasn’t called me into his office yet, but I won’t be shocked when he does. Enough students have mentioned making complaints to their parents, who I’m sure will bring those forth to the principal. It’s only a matter of time.

Part of me wishes I could tell them the truth about what I really am, but at this point I’m not even sure it would change anything. Nothing says they’d believe me or even care to alter their opinion of me. Sometimes hating someone gets so ingrained in who you are, it’s harder to shake than just continue on as before.

Now that classes are done, Dina and I have tucked ourselves away in the cave to complete our homework while we wait for the others to join us. Her dad’s been harping on her to keep her grades up, and I hate knowing that it’s my fault they slipped in the first place. As soon as we’re done talking about the absolute necessities, I promised her we’d go right back to school work.

Just as I finish writing the conclusion for my Chronicles of Silver City assignment, Mira walks through the cave entrance.

“You know,” she says, taking a seat on the rug at our feet. “Sometimes I miss going to school here, but then I see things like this that make me reconsider.”

“Girl, don’t even,” Dina says with a laugh. “I’d kill to be graduated and on my own.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not exactly living the dream.”

I don’t miss the odd tone of defeat in her voice. She always seems so confident and sure. Whatever’s bothering her must be big. I want to ask her about it and see if I can help, but before I can pry, Castiel arrives, followed by Raphael, Theo, and Zeke. Shit. I drop my gaze to the table, unsure of how to proceed. Theo was due to talk to Raphael and explain what happened with Zeke and what I agreed to consider. Honestly, I’m a little scared. What if Raphael is upset with me? What if he hates me?

I never even told Theo I love him in return, though I think it would have made things more complicated between all of us if I had.

I’m mentally spiraling when Zeke passes something to Castiel, who takes the item but sends him a questioning look. It’s one of the amulets he’d given us.

“Do I even want to know where you got this from?”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Zeke says, “Probably best if you don’t ask. Just like it’s a good idea not to ask where I got this.” He holds up the dark pouch he stole from the guild. “Is there anything you can tell me about this?”

“Right. Well, thank you for this,” Castiel says, tucking the amulet into his breast pocket. “May I?”

Zeke hands him the pouch, and I watch in fascination as Castiel opens it and dips his forefinger and thumb inside. When they come back out, he has some sort of grainy substance pinched between them, which he rubs together before letting the particles fall back into the pouch. He smells his finger and gives the tip a small lick, which has Dina gagging.

“If I’m not mistaken, this is the ash from the demon blood tree, found only on the grounds of the Archangels’ Sanctuary.”

“Do you know what the guild uses it for? I’ve never seen it in action before.”

“Only rumors. If what I’ve heard is correct, this can’t kill a demon, but it can definitely slow one down. I don’t know the exact effect it has, though, so I wouldn’t rely too heavily on this stuff.”

The demon blood tree? How come I’ve never heard of this before? I wonder why it’s only found on the grounds of the Sanctuary if all it does is slow demons down. Perhaps there are side effects that make it harmful to us?

“I agree with Castiel,” I say, looking around the room. “There must be a reason this tree resides only with the Archangels. Without knowing its exact use or any side effects, we should only use it if absolutely necessary.”

“It’s settled, then.” Zeke tucks the pouch back into his bag, surprising me by agreeing. “Now what the hell are we going to do about that bastard Uriel?”

Raphael comes to my side, pressing a kiss to the top of my head that has my chest aching. Oh, thank fuck. He’s not mad. “Theo and I were thinking we could poke around his space. Maybe he has items hidden in a drawer like where you stored that silencing candle.”

Castiel frowns. “While I agree that idea has some merit, I don’t think two students sneaking around would go well. It’s better if I go with one of you. That way if we’re caught, I can help create a more solid alibi. No one will question me, a long-standing professor, but two first-year students would be quite suspicious.”

“That’s a good point,” Theo says, looking pensive.

“I may have had a similar idea and stumbled upon Uriel’s appointment book.” Castiel’s grin turns mischievous, which is an odd look for him, but I can’t say that I hate it. “As you all know, there’s no class for students on Friday thanks to some professional development Principal Cael booked for staff, and it just so happens that Uriel will be away in the afternoon.”

“You won’t need to be there?” I ask, wondering for the briefest moment if Principal Cael is helping us. Having the principal on our side definitely wouldn’t hurt.

“I’m attending the morning session, along with half the faculty. Which means Friday afternoon seems like the perfect time to wander through his space.”

“If that’s the case, it’ll have to be Theo that goes with you. My brother is finally back from wherever the fuck he went for work, and my darling mother is using it to get me home. I need to ask him about that special tailor, so if I want answers anytime soon, I have to go.” Raphael turns his gaze to me, looking hopeful and a little nervous. “I was actually thinking that maybe you could come with me?”

Emotions zip through me. Joy that he wants to bring me home, and fear that I won’t be able to keep my mouth shut against the awful things his family says. But maybe hearing what kind of shit angels they are will jolt them back to reality, because truthfully, I don’t care about my relationship with his asshole parents. If they want to treat Raphael like shit, then I don’t much care for their opinion.

Glancing at Zeke, images of what happened when we visited his home flash through my mind and heat rushes to my cheeks. I would die if Raphael’s parents caught us doing something like that.

“Are you sure your parents will be alright with me coming?” I ask as a distraction. I wouldn’t really mind if they weren’t alright with it. Raphael needs to understand that he has me in his corner, and if putting up with his pissed off parents is what it takes to prove that, I will.

Besides, something tells me he could use a moderator of sorts when it comes to his brother.

“They will be if they want me to attend dinner. Plus, Raduriel is bringing his buddy from the guild so I don’t see why I couldn’t bring my girlfriend.”

His girlfriend . The word sends a bolt of lust through me, along with a flash of my conversation with Theo last night. Could I really be a girlfriend to all three of them? Could I even handle having three boyfriends to myself?

Ah, hell. Who am I kidding? I’d be in heaven.

“If Briathos will be there, just be careful. We don’t know who we can trust at the guild yet, though I don’t think he’s the mole.” Shifting his gaze to mine, Zeke says, “For what it’s worth, I think you should go with Raphael.”

My eyes widen in shock despite my best efforts to remain unaffected. Since when does he think I should spend more time with my “Pure boyfriends”?

“Pick your jaw up off the floor. It’s not that shocking,” Zeke teases, seeming even more out of character. “If Theo and Castiel are busy, and I’m stuck at the guild, I’d rather know you’re someplace safer than on campus.”

“Dina would be more than happy to keep me company,” I argue, though I don’t know why. I want to go with Raphael, so why the hell am I doing this? Ugh. Zeke’s attitude change has thrown everything out of whack.

She grimaces. “I would, but Dad wants me home. I leave Thursday after classes finish.”

“Then I’ll go with Raph, but not because I’m a weakling who needs protection. Because I want to.” I squeeze Raph’s hand. “And I want updates the moment you have them,” I tell Theo and Castiel in my most no-nonsense voice.

“We all know you aren’t a weakling, sunshine. But we’d feel better knowing you’re with one of us and appreciate that you’re willing to follow along. I’m really glad you’ll be coming home with me.” Raph touches my cheek, thumb brushing over my skin, and all I can do is nod.

Regardless of how awkward or troublesome this meeting might be for me, knowing it’s going to help him is all I need to feel good about it.