30. Hayliel

30

T he closer we get to Friday, the more worried I become.

For Theo and Castiel. For Raphael and meeting his family. It feels like we’re making big moves. I just hope they’re going in the right direction.

Despite my woe-is-me attitude, the sun beams down on us with not a cloud to be found like it’s mocking my inner thoughts. My usual bodyguards are withheld elsewhere, so I’m having an early dinner with Gagiel, Yofie, Tabbris, and Sidriel. We sit on the benches around an unlit fire pit. Sidriel talks between bites of food, telling us the grand love story of her mom and dad. Gagiel is enraptured. He’s barely chewing what little food he’s managed to put in his mouth.

I take another bite of pasta to hide my smile. Someone has a crush. But are his affections returned? I’ll have to find out, then maybe do a little matchmaking to see if I can help speed their growth along.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here? The mutant away from her guardians?”

The same group of Fallen dickwads we know are working with Uriel close in on us. There are six of them surrounding the benches and smiling like they’ve finally succeeded in getting me alone. If it were anyone else here with me, I might say the odds were fairly even. There are five of us and six of them. But these angels with me today aren’t guild-trained. They’re victims of previous bouts of bullying and are now about to experience it again. Shit.

Since this whole ‘get shit on for sport’ thing isn’t exactly new for me, I’ve gotten damn good at multitasking. Fallen bullshit happening at the firepit. Any chance one of you could come back me up? I don’t want the others to get hurt. I push the message through the mental pathways with my friends, hoping at least someone is now free. At the same time, I lock eyes with the big foreheaded guy who must be the leader of this little band of misfits. “Your obsession with me is growing tiresome, dude. I get it. You don’t like me. I’m different. Don’t you have better things to do than ruin our meal?”

“Don’t you have better things to do than dirty this school with your filth?” Thin eyebrows glares at me.

“Good one,” I say, deadpan. I’m so fucking sick of these assholes. Sick of their taunts. Their games. And I won’t stand by for a second if they try to harm my friends. “Look. You wanted to get me alone, right? Well, let my friends go and you’ve got me. Deal?”

“What?” Gagiel and Sidriel say at the same time.

“Hayliel, no,” Yofie and Tabbris echo.

I stand and set my food down on the empty bench behind me. “I’ll be fine. I’m enjoying having you on campus too much to risk you going back to virtual studies, so really you’d be doing me a favor. Please.”

“Alright, the nerds can leave,” big forehead says. “Then we’ll make you regret ever thinking you could come here and pretend to be one of us.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I mutter. To my four friends, I say, “Go. I’ll message you later, okay?”

The Fallen group disperses enough to let my friends out, but quickly closes around me once they’re gone. I watch them walk away slowly before finally turning back to the fuckers ruining my day. “Well? Let’s get this over with, then.”

They all move as one, stumbling over each other in a bid to grab me. It’s almost laughable. I avoid getting caught by everyone except for thin eyebrows. She looks more than pleased to have caught me, but if she thinks I’m giving up easily, she has another thing coming. Catching sight of my half-eaten bowl of pasta, I lift it with my mind and dump it on her head.

She shrieks as creamy white noodles slide off her head, half of it getting caught in her hair. “You bitch!”

“Oops.” I giggle and dart away from them, my back toward Power house. I don’t want to fight these assholes, not on school property and certainly not after I’ve been warned oh so many times of my imminent expulsion should I get caught ‘at the center’. Running away feels like the coward’s move, but it’s better than falling into a trap and getting kicked out.

“Come on, demon spawn. Why don’t you show us your little tricks, hmm?” big forehead taunts.

Seriously. Who taught these assholes to trash talk?

I take another step back, noticing at least two of them holding what looks like a needle in their grip. They want to drug me? But why?

“You want to see some tricks?” Gagiel says, coming up to stand at my side.

“What are you doing?” I whisper. Sidriel, Tabbris, and Yofie stand with us now, too.

“You’re our friend, Hayliel. We would never leave you,” Gagiel replies, making my heart squeeze.

The usually quiet Sidriel raises her voice until it booms loud and strong around us. “Hayliel is a guardian of angels. A protector for all. Drop your hunt for her removal from this school or you’ll find out just what nerds can do when given the chance.”

Then, as if her words were a signal, Yofie and Tabbris lock their hands together and create a powerful storm between us and the six Fallen. Rain and lightning crash down on the ground separating our two groups, while a powerful wind blows against them, not allowing them passage forward.

My mouth falls open. Holy fucking shit.

I don’t realize I’ve said the words out loud until Gagiel says, “Aren’t they amazing?”

Our little moment is ruined when an angel drops from the sky just outside the storm. Principal Cael. Oooh shit. Behind him I find Raphael, Theo, and Zeke. All four of them look pissed as hell.

Tabbris and Yofie let out a yelp and allow their storm to dissipate. No, no, no. I can’t let them get in trouble for me.

“Principal Cael, it’s not their fault,” I begin immediately.

“Silence. You six,” he says, pointing to the disheveled looking Fallen students. “In my office. Now!”

“But Principal, she—” thin eyebrows is cut off.

“I don’t want to hear another peep from the lot of you. Go, before I do something you’ll regret.”

They rush off, and Principal Cael turns to us, his face stern and unreadable.

“Please let me explain,” I try again, stepping to stand in front of my friends.

“There’s no need, Miss Hayliel. These three gentlemen already alerted me to the issue, and I watched it all unfold. I appreciate that you all stayed on the defensive. It will make my job much easier. Perhaps it’s best if you all go back to your dorms for the night. Take this weekend to let the dust settle and by next week, this should all be blown over. Understood?”

We all nod our agreement. When he leaves, I turn back to my friends. “Thank you for sticking up for me, even though I told you not to. And that show of power with weather manipulation? Holy hell!”

“She’s right,” Zeke says. “Makes me think maybe the guild should start utilizing it more.”

“Is everyone alright?” Theo asks, his eyes straying to the group before coming back to land on me.

“Yup! Though that’s about enough excitement for me, I think,” Gagiel says with a laugh. “Maybe we’ll do what the principal suggests and retire for the night. Dinner next week?”

“I’d love that.”

To my complete and utter shock, all three guys follow me back to my dorm room. Theo and Zeke take off before coming inside. Both of them promising to be back soon.

“I’ll be right back, sunshine,” Raphael says, placing a quick kiss to my lips.

“Aww, you too? What is going on?”

“You won’t get a single thing out of me.” He mimes zipping his lip. “Shower. Get into some comfortable clothes. I’ll be back before you know it.”

I do as he says, grumbling to myself as he leaves, which only causes him to laugh. Rude.

While I shower, I can’t stop thinking about what it means to have all three of them here with me. I’m honestly not sure what to make of it. It feels like a big step, but maybe with everything that’s happened, we’re all ready to get along. I fucking hope so. After today, I don’t think I can handle any more confrontation.

In record time, I’m clean and freshly dressed in a pair of sleep shorts and tank top when there’s a knock on my door.

“Open up, firefly,” Theo calls, and I rush to answer it.

Raphael hands me a bag of snacks, then opens the door as far as possible for Theo and Zeke to carry in a mattress. A fucking mattress. What the hell?

I laugh. “What is even happening right now?”

The three of them share a look, but it’s Zeke who responds. “We thought it was a good idea if all of us hung out. Are you down for a group movie night? We’ll even let you pick the film.”

“To be totally honest, sunshine, the options are limited, but you still get the final say.”

This feels like an alternate reality. The last time I watched a movie was at the park when Raphael did delicious things to my body. Alone in my room with the three of them, I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep my cool.

“What’s that for?” I ask, my voice coming out squeaky. Fuck. I bet they know what I’m thinking already. But it’s too soon. We don’t even know if everyone can get along, let alone if they’d all want to be naked at the same time. Get a grip, Hayles.

“I figured we’d crash here tonight, if that’s alright with you. Your bed is way too small for all of us to sleep on,” Theo says.

“Why?” Raphael teases. “What were you thinking it’s for?”

“Uh …” Heat rises to my cheeks.

“We’re all here because we want to be near you, firefly. Don’t get me wrong, we want the other stuff too, but it’s just to make sure this can work first before removing any clothes.”

“Right,” I say breathlessly, already picturing them naked. Shit.

“See?” Theo elbows Zeke playfully. “Told you.”

“Movies!” I blurt like an idiot. “For the love of the Archangels, someone show me the damn options so we can move on from this awkward conversation.”

“You mean the one where the three of us fuck you?” Raphael says with all the nonchalance of a news reporter. “Because we will, sunshine. But tonight is just about bonding and relaxing. The ravishing will come later.”

“I’d like that,” I whisper, locking eyes with Zeke. Theo hands me a list of movies, and I skim over the titles. They all sound romantic except for one called John Wick . Probably best not to add any more fuel to the raging fire that is my desire for these guys.

While they’re setting it up, I mention how I’m surprised Seraphina and Cadriel have been acting mostly civilized lately. Weird that it’s the Fallen giving me more trouble than those two. Oh, how things have changed.

“I heard their parents threatened to cut them off if they made another scene,” Raphael says, snorting a laugh at my bewildered expression.

“No fucking way!”

“I’d have loved to witness those conversations,” Theo says, and I nod in agreement.

The movie begins, and we all keep our distance. Slowly, we gravitate toward one another until Raphael rests his head in my lap, while Theo and Zeke sit on either side of me. We all share occasional soft touches that have my heart singing with joy.

This is what I was missing. All of us in the same room getting along. Laughing and talking like nothing in the world could harm us as long as we stay together.