Page 2 of Wings of Torment
“Once it dissipated, all the demons were just … gone. Turned to ash,” Theo says, running a hand through his messy curls. “If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I might not have believed it.”
I sway a little on my feet, folding my arm across my stomach to stop the odd sensations roiling through me. Zeke’s next words halt the breath in my lungs.
“Your wings have been different ever since.”
My wings!
I remember now that Zeke said something earlier, but everything felt like a dream then. My now-golden wings glint beneath the fading light. With a flex of my muscles, I spread them wide and watch as the color shifts beneath the dying rays of the sun.
They’re beautiful.
Shit. Is this why everyone is staring? One more thing for the other students to ridicule me for. I’m sure Harold the Herald will take great pleasure in writing about this in his next column.
Panic settles heavy in my chest as I stand on display, desperately wishing to be anywhere else. Maybe if I hide inside my wings again, they’ll forget I’m even here.
Professor Castiel stands among the group of onlookers. We share one brief look before he jumps into action.
“Alright, students. Please head to the tower so we may assess each of you for injury.” A few students don’t move quickly enough, so he speaks a little louder. “This is not a request. Let’s move.”
“But what about them?” an unfamiliar student says, eyes trained on me.
“They are not your concern. Now go, or I’ll haul you there myself.”
After a few grumbled words, they take off toward the tower. Professor Castiel looks from me to my friends, and then back to me. For a moment, I think he wants to say something, but all he does is nod before turning on his heel and leaving us.
“Come on, Hayles,” Dina says, pressing a hand to my shoulder.
I nod, immediately grateful for her presence, and follow her down the hill.
The professor might have forced some angels to leave, but they aren’t the only ones on campus. There are more at the bottom of the hill, and as soon as they see me, their eyes grow wide. Shit. I regret not putting my wings away sooner. They’re the cause of the mess I’m currently in. Hell,everymess I’ve ever been in. Those suckers need to go away, stat.
With a quick flex, my wings disappear beneath my skin, and I let out a little breath. Instead of feeling uncomfortable like I expected, my new wings seem to hum beneath my flesh like a long-lost friend. There’s a sense of comfort within them that both startles and worries me.
Why can’t I just be normal?
I follow Dina toward the front doors of the main hall with Raphael, Theo, and Zeke following along. With everything else going on, I hadn’t realized how strange it was for Zeke to be here. Doesn’t he hate Raphael and Theo, or is it just my supposed relationship with them he doesn’t like?
Clearing my throat, I ask, “How’d you find me, anyway?”
“I followed him,” Dina says, pointing to Zeke.
“And I was following them,” he says, pointing to Raphael and Theo.
“I felt your distress, sunshine. Like a tug on our telepathic bond or something. I don’t really know how to explain it, but fuck, I can’t say I’m not grateful for whatever it was.”
“Huh. Is that a thing?”
Dina loops her arm through mine. “If the bond is strong enough, it is.”
I glance toward Zeke, but I don’t find the icy stare I expect. Instead, the strange look that’s been on his face from moments ago hasn’t gone away. Relief, maybe? Shock?
“Hayliel!” Gagiel races toward us with a beaming smile.
“Are you guys alright?”
“For the most part. Are you?”
“Yeah. I was studying in my room the entire time and only caught the end.” His cheeks redden a bit, but he presses on. “I saw them cornering you, and I was so fucking worried. But then you just erupted like a volcano and took them all out. What the hell was that?”
