Page 92 of Angel Lost

“Davina is blackmailing me,” he says, wiping a hand across his face. A drop of blood falls from his nose, and I stare at it on the pristine floor.

“How?”

“If I keep undergoing corrections, keep up my treatments until ascension, if I let her scientists study me and my brother then our sister stays safe.”

“So I was right. She is blackmailing all her students.”

“I don’t know about all, Lorelei.”

“And what about those units facing the lake. The glass-fronted ones?”

Kai’s eyes widen slightly. “They house the failed gifted. The rich ones.”

His nosebleed starts to gush. Tutting, I have him pinch his nose, tilt his head forward.

“This is standard, don’t worry.” His voice is nasal.

Standard my ass. No one should have to go through treatments that cause nosebleeds and—I peer closer—bloodshot eyes. Where else is he bleeding?

“I’m fine,” he grumbles, pulling away. “Ask your questions, Lorelei.”

I smooth his purple hair down, poking strands back into his bun. “What are failed gifted, Kai?”

“Supes whose DNA rejected the aether unexpectedly. Davina keeps them so she can work out what went wrong. The ones with rich families get nice views. For all the good it does them.”

Goose bumps break out on my skin, and Kai tentatively rubs my arm with his free hand.

“It goes properly wrong? Holy hags. When Davina said there was a ten percent success rate I didn’t think failure meant…” I puff out my cheeks, anger seeping into my veins. “So, as long as your precious little sister is safe, then fuck everyone else? Your sister is the dean’s kid, right? Your stepmom’s own child? She wouldn’t harm her. I saw those kids whose ‘gift’ failed. They’re shells. There’s nothing left.”

“They signed the agreement, or their parents did…”

“And even those ‘successful’ ones have to undergo torture to keep their gift.”

Kai scowls. “It’s bad, but not that bad. I do it regularly.”

I grip hold of the front of his shirt. “I hated seeing you go through that, but I saw my friend undergo it too, Kai. It was way worse for her. She was screaming in agony, begging for them to stop.” Kai pales. “That girl, my friend, she’s still a teenager and she’s meant to be the king’s bride. Your mom is blackmailing her too.”

“Stepmom,” he snaps.

“To the point she’s convinced she wants it. It’s not right. We have to do something, Kai.”

“But do we? Really? Davina might go back on her word about my sister.” He glances at me sidelong. “Do something now, get caught, and you won’t graduate this year, you won’t ascend. You’ll be trapped for another year.”

I nod.

“And the Angel King knows about you now. He might not let you return to Fates. Get expelled from here, he might just…keep you.”

I stare at his blood on the floor. “I know. He said he’ll marry me to one of his men. And…that I’m his backup bride.”

Kai grips the sides of my head, forcing me to look at him. “You never told us that!”

I scrunch my nose.

“That friend of yours told you shewantedto be here, right? She wanted to be his bride…so let her. Do not risk this, Lorelei. Do not force his hand. He is not a nice man.”

The Angel King. The boys on their knees. My choice.

“Okay.”

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