Page 75 of Angel Lost

I relax the muscles in my face, widening my eyes.

“It won’t happen again, Dean. As you said, Kai didn’t tell me.” I don’t have to pretend to be upset by that. “I guess I’m just used to seeing things in a certain way.”

She shakes her head. “I will allow you to remain here, for now. However, one more transgression and you will be expelled.”

“The king wants me trained, ascended,” I protest.

“Mybrotherwill support my decision. He wouldn’t want the work here disrupted. One more complaint and you’ll be out.” She taps her fingernail on the center of my forehead. “And if that happens, I will make a strong suggestion to the dean of Fates that he also expel you.”

Cross-legged on the cool ground, I mindlessly trace patterns in the sand as I stare out over the lake. The water glimmers, a shimmering silver that should be enchanting, but somehow it really isn’t. A soft breeze carries the faint scent of flowers that seem too perfect, too sweet. The dean has tried too hard with this place, too hard to plaster a beautiful, serene mask over the crap that happens here.

I’m on thin ice with the dean. With the professors. Hell, with my fellow students. Literally no one is on team Lorelei here. I wriggle my bare toes. And it’s my fault. I’ve even put my place at Fates on the line. I’m not learning fast enough for her to see my potential, to be more reticent to throw me out over minor misdemeanors. I can’t improve quickly enough. Coordinating my practice sessions with when the boys can pull power from me is almost impossible. And practicing while constantly looking over my shoulder clearly isn’t working.

It’s time to do something about it. I get up and start walking. It’s a long, slow trek along the sand, ducking under branches where the shrubbery is down as far as the water, paddling through rock pools. Finally, I find a small inlet. Giant eucalyptus trees shields it from view, unless you’re perched on the rock in the middle of the lake. Perfect.

The sun is setting on the horizon, sending a glow across the surface of the water, throwing shadows down the beach. I settle into the sand, my hands extended, fingers twitching as I call on my aether. It rushes into me, eager, ready, and I rock from the force of it. I messaged the boys earlier. Told them not to pull it back, just for the next hour. The air around me thickens with unseen energy vibrating just beyond my vision. I take a deep breath in, then out, grounding myself.

My aether swirls, a chaotic sphere pulsing between my hands. At its core a brilliant light crackles. Around the light, dark tendrils spiral in a restless whirlpool, inky and deep, dragging in every shadow around. Sucking in more and more darkness. The light and dark dance in perfect unison—opposing, inseparable. Once I’m quite sure it’s stable, I throw my arms out, sending my aether over the lake, straight at a rock poking out of the water.

It explodes in a shower of shadowy lightning bolts. My breath catches in my throat.What the hell?It’s a firework show, but with darkness instead of light. Stunning and very, very destructive. Birds burst from their roosts in the canopy behind me, swirling in circles. As the waves calm, I peer into the dusk. The rock is gone. Entirely destroyed.

The birds settle back into the trees, but the rustling high up in the branches doesn’t stop. I step light footed into the forest. There. A flash of gray. A robe. Without thinking, I grab the tree, throwing my weight into shaking it. Handfuls of autumn leaves float slowly to the ground, and there’s a startled shriek from above. I throw myself into shaking the tree until I hear it. Hysterical sobbing.

Stepping back, I fold my arms over my chest. “Get down this instant.”

“No way,” a trembling voice squeaks back.

“Aether Reye, get your ass down this tree.” I pause. “It is not ladylike to be climbing trees. Get down before I report you.”

That does it. Frenetic scrabbling ensues, and the ghostly gray robe that is Reye descends slowly toward me. I tap my foot on the ground. Satyr shit, she’s not even that far up. Has she never climbed a tree before?

Reye drops the last few feet to the ground, her back to me. The moment her feet touch the ground, wings pop out of her back and she emits an ethereal white glow. Slowly, like she’s having to force herself to move, she turns to face me, her wings fluttering anxiously at her back.

“You were spying,” I accuse her.

She shakes her head violently. “I-I-I only wanted to apologize. None of the students are being very fair. The…the death. It wasn’t your fault. And then I got you in trouble with the dean too.”

“No shit,” I say, stepping toward her. She shrinks back, wings wrapping in front of her defensively.

“By the goddesses, Reye, I’m not that terrifying.” She doesn’t move. “I…was practicing channeling the magic of my allegiance.”

The feathers in her wings rustle and she peeks out at me.

“Dean Davina wants me to focus on my aether, and I’m in enough trouble as it is. But I still have work to do for Fates, so I snuck off.” I hold my breath hoping she buys it.

“S-s-so that…” A shaky hand points across the water. “Destroying that rock. The one the size of an elephant. That was all your allegiance magic combined?”

I nod, cursing myself. Lying is shitty, especially when she’s trying to be nice. But she can't know my strength.

“Oh, I see,” she says. Her wings retract, folding away neatly, but she’s still trembling. Sweat blooms under her arms, and she tugs on her hair, gaze darting everywhere.

“Reye.” I wave my hand in front of her face, and she backs up until her butt hits the tree. “Reye, what’s going on?”

She takes a deep breath in through her nose, shutting her eyes, then releases it. “I didn’t meditate enough today.”

I stare at her.

“And, maybe I forgot my meds,” she says, her voice cracking.

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