27. Hayliel

27

I haven’t seen the masked man again since that night in the library. At least, not in real life.

Sometimes I catch a glimpse of something black from the corner of my eye, but when I turn to look, there’s nothing there. It’s probably just my imagination playing tricks on me, but I can’t shake the fear that he’s out there somewhere. Watching. Waiting to pounce.

I spent the night wrapped in Theo’s arms, and the nightmares that usually plague me never surfaced. It was my first full night’s sleep in so long that today it feels like I can conquer anything. It’s wild to me how much getting the right amount of sleep can change things for the better.

While it’s nice having someone with me at all times, I feel bad. My friends are showing up late to their own classes and leaving early to ensure that I’m never alone. They’re harming themselves to protect me, and I hate it.

I don’t want to be that friend anymore.

Professor Sofiel talks about our final exam, and I try to listen, I really do, but with only fifteen minutes left of class, I can’t force myself to pay attention.

Someone knocks on the door, interrupting her. She opens it just enough to have a hushed conversation with whoever it is before turning back to the class. “Miss Hayliel. There’s someone here to see you. Please gather your things and head to the hallway. I’ll send the rest of the examination details to your slate.”

My heart skips a beat. If it were another student, I doubt she’d let me leave early. It could be Castiel, but that would mean something happened, and it’s big enough for him to pull me from class. Shit. I hope it’s not that. I can’t handle more bad news.

Under the watchful eye of my classmates, including a death-filled glare from Temperance, I walk toward the front of the class, and as I pass through the doorway, my stomach plummets from what I see there.

Professor Uriel waits for me in the hall, a manic glint in his eyes.

“What do you want?” I ask, folding my arms across my chest as the door closes behind me. I probably shouldn’t be so brazen with this lunatic, but I’m just so fucking angry. First, he instructs fellow students to bully me, and now he shows up to pull me out of class early for Archangels know what.

Whatever it is, it’s nothing good. I know that for a fact.

“You’ve got detention with me today. I didn’t want you bailing or using your friends to get out of it, so I made sure neither option would be a problem.”

His words cause panic, but I keep my expression neutral. He’s clearly been watching us if he knows someone always escorts me to and from class. In my mind, I press into my mental bonds and send out one message to everyone. Uriel pulled me from class early. He’s personally ensuring I don’t miss my detention.

He smiles, but it’s far from comforting. “Come with me. And don’t bother fighting, it’ll only make things worse.”

Raphael’s cheerful voice, now full of anger, pops into my head. That fucking piece of shit. He’s followed by Theo’s smooth, reassuring one, We’re coming for you, firefly.

My legs feel stiff, but I force them to move. It helps to know that my friends are aware, and I trust they’ll come quickly to my aid. Besides, his classroom is in the main hall, so we’ll have to leave the tower. Someone will see us.

The farther I follow him, though, the more I realize he’s not taking me out of the tower. I halt mid-step. “Where are you taking me?”

He turns, one side of his mouth tilted upward. “To detention, as I said. The room we’re going to is just around the corner. Will you continue willingly, or do I have to use force?”

A shudder runs through me, one I know he sees because it only adds to the glee on his stupid asshole face. Something terrible crosses my mind that has panic lodging itself in my throat. Could Uriel be the masked man who tried to take me from the library? Logically, I know it can’t be. His voice is no match for the deep, ominous timber of the cloaked being. But it doesn’t stop the trickle of unease coursing down my spine.

“No,” I say belatedly, not wanting to find out what his idea of force is. Moving my limbs is a struggle, but I manage. When we round the corner, Uriel opens a door and beckons me inside. Through the bond, I say, Get Castiel. Uriel isn’t taking me to his office. I’m in the—

But as I pass through the doorway, a heavy weight presses against my conscience, cutting off all access to my mental connections. I whirl around, hoping to flee, but the bastard stands in front of the closed doorway.

“Sit down. Detention starts now.”

The room is empty except for two desks. His and mine. It would appear no one else is joining us.

I can’t decide if that makes me calmer or more nervous. Uriel alone is something I’d rather not deal with, but the mental and physical gymnastics I would have to endure in order to survive Fallen students, along with Uriel’s bullshit, is too much to think about.

Maybe this is a good thing.

A self-deprecating laugh threatens to bubble up from my throat, but I swallow it down. Whatever the fuck this is, it’s definitely not a good thing.

Grabbing the slate from my bag, I unlock the screen, hoping that whatever it is that’s blocking my telepathic ability isn’t also affecting electronics. If I can just get a message out to my friends, they’ll know where to find me.

I fucking hate needing them to rescue me, and it seems like it happens every other god’s damn day, but I’d rather deal with that than this man.

Before I can click any more buttons, though, Uriel stands over my desk with a scowl. “Put your things away. You can do your homework on your own time. We need to talk.”

I sigh, feigning a strength I don’t feel, and tuck my slate back into the top of my bag, hitting a button before I pull my hand back. “If you wanted to talk, Professor Uriel, all you had to do was say so.”

“Oh really? Is that all I had to do? You insolent child. Don’t speak to me as if you understand the world.” He moves back to the large desk at the front of the class, but doesn’t go behind it. Instead, he rests his ass against the front and stares at me. “Since you’ve been avoiding your mandatory counseling sessions, why don’t we use this time to catch up, hmm? Unless you have something better to do for the next three hours?”

He laughs at his own joke, but I don’t make a sound. Three hours? How the hell am I to survive so long with this crazy man?

My silence only seems to piss him off, but as scared as I might be, I remind myself of what Castiel said. Normal angelic or demonic weapons can’t kill me. And while we may not know exactly what can yet, other than the fabled God who’s no longer around, I’m confident that anything this asshole has won’t do permanent damage.

Hopefully, it won’t come to that.

“The last time we spoke, you didn’t notice any changes within your body resulting from your golden wing emergence, but that’s not the case anymore, is it?”

Outside, I’m unaffected by his words, but inside I’m screaming. What does he know and how does he know it? “I’m not sure what you mean,” I say, acting confused and not giving anything away.

He slams his fist on the desk, causing me to jump in my chair.

So much for unaffected, Hayles.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Miss Hayliel. It will not end well for you.”

I sit up straighter in my chair, not liking his tone. “I’m not playing at anything. You watch me struggle on the obstacle course every week, Professor. I’m slow and disoriented. Nothing has changed.”

He clucks his tongue and strolls around the room. My gaze follows him, not wanting to let him out of my sight.

“Your inability to improve there is quite worrisome, and as your counselor, I must caution you that failing to pass the test will result in you not moving forward with your friends.”

“I’m trying,” I grit out, but I know we aren’t just talking about the stupid obstacles anymore. If I fail, it’ll only make his plan of getting rid of me that much easier. I wonder what Castiel will think of his threats, or even Principal Cael. Would he really not allow me to progress if I don’t do better ?

I’m so lost in thought, I don’t realize that Uriel has moved until I feel his presence behind me, along with the cool touch of a blade against the base of my throat.

“My gut is warning me there’s something you’re still not telling me.” He presses the tip of the blade down until I feel a pinprick of pain and the amulet beneath my shirt warms against my bare flesh. “Let me ask again. What other changes have you noticed besides the golden wings?”

I freeze, unsure how to answer him. From where he holds the weapon, I can’t tell if it’s a regular blade or an angel blade. We already knew he was working with the mole at the guild, so it’s not a stretch to assume he’s also working with the angel supplying those awful blades. Neither will kill me, of course, but if it’s anything like last time, it would still incapacitate me for a while.

A shudder runs through me. I don’t even want to think about what he’d do with my unconscious body. Focus, Hayles. What is he searching for? And what can you give him that will make him believe you’re playing along?

“I’m always hot,” I tell him, playing up the tremble in my voice in the hopes he’ll back off.

“What do you mean?” he asks, not relieving the pressure on the blade.

“I don’t know. I can’t find anything about it, but I’m always so fucking warm. That didn’t happen before.”

He takes a step back and begins pacing again. This time he doesn’t speak to me, but he isn’t exactly silent. Is he arguing with himself? I strain to hear the muttered words.

“Is it possible she really doesn’t know anything? No, I know what my task is, but if she hasn’t discovered—of course I haven’t forgotten what’s at stake, but how do I steal her knowledge if she has none?” On and on he murmurs. It’s enough that I’m beginning to wonder if he even knows I’m still here.

When the room grows silent, all the hairs on my arm stand on end.

“You think you can fool me, missy? Trick me into believing that you don’t know precisely what you are? That you don’t know the exact reason you survived that deadly blade?” Even though he’s behind me, I keep my face as calm as possible and wait to see what happens next.

I feel his movement first, the air whipping toward me from behind in a flurry, but he never reaches me. Someone pounds on the door, two hard knocks that have Uriel halting, weapon raised and glinting in the low light of the room.

The handle has runes etched onto it, but from my vantage point, I can’t see if the end holds a glittering soul stone. If he’s carrying an angel blade now, things are bleak indeed.

The knock sounds again, harder this time.

Who could it be? Clearly not someone Uriel is expecting, but that doesn’t rule out the Fallen he’s working with.

Have my guys found me? Do I want them to, if this lunatic might have an angel blade?

“I’m in the middle of something right now. Please come back later,” Uriel calls through the door, sounding less crazed than before.

“Open the door, Uriel,” Castiel replies. I keep the relief at his voice tucked inside. The feeling doesn’t last long though. Uriel shoots me a death glare over his shoulder.

Does he know Castiel is working with us? Would he harm a fellow teacher? Shit, shit, shit.

Castiel doesn’t wait a moment longer, somehow managing to unlock the door without breaking it, and even Uriel looks shocked. Cool as ever, like he didn’t just barge into my makeshift mental torture chamber, Castiel says, “Ah, there you are, Miss Hayliel. When you didn’t show up for our meeting, I began to get worried. Thankfully, someone saw you headed here with Professor Uriel. Come on now, we have much to discuss.”

I get up to leave, but the asshole stands in my way.

“Can’t you see we’re in the middle of something, Castiel? As her school counselor, I really must insist—”

“No need. I spoke with Principal Cael and he’s agreed to transfer counselor-ship of Miss Hayliel to me.”

Uriel sputters, but Castiel only feigns confusion. “I thought you’d be happy to have a little time free on your calendar. It’s no bother to me, and with her thinking of changing her focus of study away from Wingology, this makes the most sense.”

Wait. What? I am? Sure, I’ve thought about it, but it’s not like I mentioned it to anyone.

Either way, I’m grateful to Castiel for this ingenious idea and rush to his side with a nod. I don’t bother looking over my shoulder, not needing to see Uriel’s face to know he’s pissed as hell.

As I follow Castiel down the hallway, I can’t help but worry, though.

Have we just made everything worse?