Page 3 of Wings of Death

I tug my hair loose and slip the blue hair tie over my wrist, allowing my blonde waves to fall to my lower back, and his gaze follows my movements.

“I appreciate your concern, but he had a point. When I’m a guardian, anything can happen. I need to be prepared.”

Taking a step closer, he opens his mouth to say something, but changes his mind. He runs a hand through his thick black hair and steps back, letting out a long breath.

Suspicion creeps into my mind. “Did my father send you?”

He drops his hand, and his brows knit together. “No, of course not. I wanted to see if your fighting had improved. This time next week, you’ll be a guardian bonded to a human on Earth. I wanted to make sure you’re ready for that.”

I press my lips together and comb my fingers through my hair. “And?”

His icy grey eyes grow dark. “You’re not.” And with that, he storms away.

I grit my teeth and find my way outside. What was his problem? I could have won that fight if she hadn’t used her powers. He said as much himself. Of course I’m ready, aren’t I?

The sun hits my skin, and I close my eyes, enjoying the sensation. Wind whips my hair around my face, and I breathe in the fresh scent of autumn leaves, calming my nerves.

“Zarla!”

I spot Demetros and Lacinda waiting for me at the tree line. I jog toward them, but stop as Finlay and his two asshole mates head my way. He sure rides his high horse, despite only being a second. A step down from a guardian, or a guardian’s backup, if you will. Arrogance will do that. He always acts as if he’s superior to everyone else. It’s his father’s position on The Throne that does that. His eyes settle on me, and he licks his bottom lip.

Although he’s good-looking, being an asshole kind of cancels that out. He stares at me through deep amethyst eyes, his blond hair styled well as usual.

“Not in the mood, Finlay,” I warn as I step to the side to avoid him.

He chuckles, enjoying the torment. “Now, now. Let’s play nice, shall we?”

Ugh. He has the most annoying way of getting under my skin. Ignoring him, I keep walking and finally reach Demetros and Lacinda.

“Do you always hang out with girls? Haven’t you got any male friends?” Finlay teases Demetros.

Demetros narrows his eyes and his body tenses.

His gaze flicks toward Finlay’s friends and then back to Finlay. “Doyoualways hang out with girls?”

Finlay isn’t offended, but his two sidekicks are. They ball their fists, their powers surging, ready to unleash. Demetros laughs, knowing they won’t do shit. The academy doesn’t take kindly to attacks outside of the arena.

“Go on, then. Do it.”

Finlay’s sidekicks—Gabe and Larson, I think their names are—yield their powers.

Finlay steps right up to Demetros, their chests inches apart. “Watch your back, guardian.” He then levels his gaze at me. “See you around soon, Zarla.” He winks before his silver wings spring free, and he takes off into the air, Gabe and Larson following close behind.

I let out a long breath. “Gods, I hate them.”

“You have to want it, Zarla. Likereallywant it,” Demetros instructs, perched from a large fallen tree on the side of the clearing in the forest.

The forest is dense, except for this one clearing we found a few years ago. This is our spot. We always come here to hang out. Fallen leaves blanket the forest floor in various shades of red and orange, and I watch as they dance around in the breeze. The scent of damp moss and autumn leaves fills the air, and I close my eyes, taking in a few deep breaths.

Our Kingdom has the same seasons as Earth. We were told the gods created our Kingdom that way. We know little about the other Kingdoms, especially our enemy Kingdom Zarquon, but it’s believed to be a much warmer climate year-round. I don’t know a single angel who has ever been there. We were only taught stories about the archangels growing up, how evil they are.

Demetros and Lacinda are watching me attempt to call forth my powers, but something tells me this won’t work. It can’t be this simple. There’s got to be a reason I haven’t been able to harness mine yet.

“I think we need some danger,” Lacinda says, strumming her fingers together.

Demetros arches a brow at her.

“What?” she asks innocently. “That’s how I got mine, remember?”

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