Page 13 of Rejected Darkness

"Ready?" I ask Harper, turning to look at her.

"As I can be. Want to do something simple and just work with elements? You have great control over all of them, and I wouldn't mind some help with water. I know it's great to assist with healing, but honestly, it's my weakest element," Harper explains as she turns her desk toward me.

"Sure, water is one of the easier ones for me," I smile and give her all my attention. The rest of the class passes quickly with the last forty-five minutes rotating between working with water and air. Thankfully, Harper was excellent over her control of air and helped coach me through it. I was still struggling by the end, but I wasn't afraid of it like I tended to be after a lesson at our old school.

"And that's the end of class," Dominion Lailah calls out right after three chimes ring through the room.

Harper and I turn our desks back the correct way and gather our bags before heading out of the room. "Well, I worked up an appetite after using that much magic. Think we have time to grab a snack before heading to combat?"

"Divine, yes!" she groans beside me as we head down the hall. "I don't know how you used that much magic on an empty stomach. I had a healthy breakfast and I still could devour a ton of food, but I won't be heading to combat with you. It's not on my schedule for today, so you are on your own, but I will grab a quick snack with you."

"Ugh, fine, I'll take it. Combat is going to suck without having you with Isis and me." We basically run down the stairs, but when we find the cafeteria, the doors are locked. "Are you kidding me?" I groan banging my head against the wooden doors. "I really wanted food before having to get my ass kicked."

"Sorry, Arabella," Harper sighs, placing her hand on my shoulder. "Just get through class, and then you can devour a huge meal. We will need to remember to bring snacks with us from now on."

"You're telling me," I chuckle. "Alright, I'll catch you at lunch?"

"Yup, I'll be here. Go kick ass and take some names, as Isis would say," Harper smiles before turning and leaving me standing in front of the doors alone.

Combat. Yay. Not.

"How many times do I have to tell you all, stop landing on your asses! You have wings for a reason. Use them!" Archangel Cael shouts for about the hundredth time since combat classes started an hour ago. We still have thirty minutes and I'm not entirely sure how much more I can take of it. For the last fifteen minutes, I've been feeling lightheaded, and I really don't want to pass out on my first day here. That would be embarrassing like no other. I wavered on my feet a few times, affecting me poorly at the worst times against my opponent.

"Come on, Seraphim, you can do better than that," the male in front of me taunts. By his wings alone I know he is a fallen angel. They are black with gold mixed into the tips. It is something I have never seen before. All wings I grew up seeing were white, but some had elements of yellow or gray, never gold. I also knew that fallen had either black or gray wings, but I didn’t know they could have other colors mixed in. I have wanted to ask him about it since we paired but I have been too terrified to speak. The handbook said there would be Fallen in our classes, and I saw them in our basic magic class, but this is the closest I have ever been to one. I’m not sure how to feel about it.

The Fallen flips me onto my back right over his shoulder when I try to attack him from behind, thinking he’s not paying attention. Blackness and stars fill my eyes as I lay there trying to catch my breath. Every part of my body hurts like I've been run over but I'm trying hard to push through it. I don’t want to appear weak in front of him, but I have no choice. He is a better fighter than me, as I am doing this on an empty stomach, basically running on fumes.

"Seriously? God, you're like a baby angel. Can you stay on your feet for at least a minute?" the fallen taunts again as he circles me. I watch him carefully to look for any sort of opening. The fallen is taller than me, he has to be at least six foot four maybe taller than that. His blonde hair is about medium length and hangs in his eyes every so often. His green eyes full of hatred watch me carefully. It’s almost like he knows my every move before I’m going to make it. He’s on the leaner side but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have muscles. The fallen is built like a rock with those muscles and every punch I’ve landed on him feels like I’m hitting a rock.

Anger flares within me as I push myself to stand once again, shoving the pain to the side and pretending like it doesn't exist. I will not let this Fallen kick my ass. I was trained by some of the best archangels, and there is no way I can keep losing like this.

"Again," I growl, getting into position. I use my wings to steady myself and get ready for his attack. I have always been better at defense, and it's about time I fell back on those teachings. The male circles me slowly, watching me. I try hard to keep my face blank, not giving my next move away. Most people would follow, turning to keep their opponent in front of them at all times, but I don't. It was never something I needed to do.

Calling my power forward, I reach for one I struggle with. I don’t like to use it much because I don’t know how it works exactly. When I first told Warrick about it, he said he had never heard of someone being able to use magic like I was. We worked on it privately, afraid that someone would use it against me if they found out what I was capable of. We still have no name for the power, but with it, I can sense emotions around me and focus on one person at a time if I want. It won’t necessarily mean I will know when he decides to attack, but it can help, and right now, I'll take any help I can get.

At the last second, I sense a change in the air around me and dodge to the left as my opponent executes a roundhouse kick that would have hit my chest if I hadn't moved. At the same time I dodge, I sense his annoyance turn to anger. Focusing on that anger I tug, hoping to piss him off more so he messes up with his next hit. My effort pays off when he sends a one-two punch in my direction with the first hit missing and the second I deflect.

"How the fuck did you do that?" he snarls, his attack now coming on stronger and faster. I try to fight him off but it's no use. Punch after punch, kick after kick, he wears my defense down until I'm once again knocked off my feet, laying on the ground, this time unable to get up, my body too worn out. "Get up now!" he growls, standing over me.

Looking up at him, I see his expression is of pure hatred. If the fallen didn't hate me already he for sure does now.

"What's going on over here?" Archangel Cael questions as he comes to stand beside my asshole of an opponent.

"She's weak and has no sense of fighting skills, and now she is refusing to get up," he answers, giving his version of the truth.

I'm not the best fighter but I'm also not the worst. I've just never had to face someone who fights the way he does before. When I realize neither of them is going to help me, I slowly drag myself up into a sitting position, wincing in pain with every move.

"Such a disappointment. We will need to work on that," Archangel Cael shakes his head at me. "Get out of my sight; hopefully, next class, you'll be better prepared."

Both males walk away from me, leaving me to find a way to get up by myself. Thankfully, by the time I'm almost to my feet, Isis makes it to my side and helps me remain standing.

"You okay?" she asks as she helps me walk to the nearby changing rooms. The building isn't large or fancy, holding someshowers and lockers for everyone to use before and after combat lessons.

"Define okay?" I mutter, grasping my ribs with the hand that isn't wrapped around her shoulders. "That Fallen was an asshole. If they are all like that, I don't think I'm going to survive here."

"I was asking around. Supposedly, your opponent, Rhys is the top fighter of all angels at the school. There's speculation that he could probably best several of the other species as well," Isis explains as we walk into the building.

"Of course, I got paired with the biggest asshole of all. Ugh," I groan, falling down onto the bench in the room. "I need food and maybe a nap before my afternoon class."

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