Page 59 of Wings of Torment
Relief floods my system as I squeeze her tightly. “I know. Keeping it a secret was a shitty thing to do. I think I just needed time to come to terms with it on my own first.”
“And have you?” Dad asks, coming forward to hug me too.
“Not really.” I laugh. “But with us going to the mountains today, I ran out of time. Other than angels at school, I don’t think anyone else knows. I’ve been kind of afraid to be seen with themout in public, so my friends brought me a black wing jacket to wear whenever I fly. It’s what I’ll be wearing when we go today.”
“Those are some really fine friends,” Mom says, clutching me for another second before pulling away. “Are you sure you’re up for this? Your father can always take our offerings by himself if you aren’t. We wouldn’t think any less of you.”
“I’m sure. To be honest, I’m excited to stretch my wings and fly free with you guys.”
“Then let’s load up and get on our way!” Dad adds excitedly.
While Dad helps me into the wing jacket, Mom double-checks our bags. They’re packed full of every delicious piece of food she made, and if that’s not the best offering the Archangels receive, I’ll be surprised.
As soon as we’re ready, we take off. Sunlight beams down on us as we fly toward the rocky mountain face. We aren’t alone in the sky as other families follow the same path to deliver their offerings, too. When I was younger, we used to leave our offer until the last possible day, and it also meant waiting in line for hours with all the other families who had the same idea. Coming early like this guarantees we’ll be back home within the hour.
We land on the cliff side and follow the pebble-lined path until we reach an overhang of rock. This place never ceases to amaze me. Nestled within the rock are swirls of a glowing ore I’ve only ever found here. And in the center of the shaded area stand four statues, one for each of the Archangels: Remiel, Mikhael, Auriel, and Shubael. The sculptures all look the same — carved depictions of their double wings, just like what we saw inside the offering tent — but they each have a sigil etched into the center of their wings to note which Archangel is which.
Dad pricks his finger and leans to press it to Auriel’s mark on his statue, but I stop him.
“I know we always gift our offerings to Auriel, but could we gift them to Remiel this year?” Ever since entering that tent withRaphael and Theo, I’ve felt connected to him in a way I can’t really explain. Maybe it’s all in my head.
He smiles, then looks at Mom. She nods and says, “Auriel has always gifted us faith in return for our offerings, but maybe it’s time for Remiel to help us find our path.”
“Why don’t you do the honors this year,” Dad says, motioning for me to step forward. Excitement zips through me as I take the knife from him to cut the tip of my finger before smearing the blood on Remiel’s sigil. I give him a silent prayer, and then we place our offerings on the empty pedestal in the middle of the statues. When everything is on there, we offer a word of thanks and then head home.
Joy buzzes beneath my skin, making me lightheaded as we fly. Today was a good day. My parents know about my wings and I’mflyingwith them out in the open. We’ve delivered our offerings. And now we can spend the rest of the break doing whatever we want.
When we’re finally settled at home, I pull out my slate and bring up my notes on telepathy.
“Mom, Dad, grab whatever you need because your crash course in telepathy starts in five minutes.”
A few days later, I drop onto my balcony at Fallen house and press my uncovered wing to the sensor. I feel a mix of disappointment and elation that I’m back at school. The classes, libraries, and opportunities to learn are abundant. Raphael, Theo, Zeke, and the rest of my friends are here. But Mom and Dad aren’t. They’re stuck in a district I don’t trust, with no clue what’s going on beneath their noses.
I drop my bag in the corner and wander to my front door right as someone knocks. When I open it, four angels stare expectantly back at me.
Raphael rushes in first, pulling me into the bathroom before shutting the door and placing an intense kiss to my lips. Desire fills me as I kiss him back, and the rest of the world melts into nothing. He makes me feel out of control in the best possible way. I’m seconds from dropping my pants and having him fuck me right here against the door, but he draws back.
“Fuck, sunshine. I missed you.”
“I missed you too, Raph.”
I can’t tell what it is he sees on my face, but he chuckles darkly and leans in to run his nose up my neck, stopping when his lips meet the shell of my ear. “Keep looking at me like that and I won’t care who’s on the other side of this door when I take that sweet pussy of yours.”
I close my eyes, but not to stop from looking at him. Images rush through my mind of Raphael fucking me in here with Theo and Zeke listening through the door, only long enough for me to come once before they join in.By the Archangels, I want that.
Raphael chuckles, nipping at the shell of my ear. “You’re safe for now, little sunshine.”
When we exit the bathroom, Dina throws me a knowing smile that has my cheeks heating. Theo pulls me into his arms for a hug that steals my breath. He can always tell exactly what I need. When we separate, I find Zeke looking both annoyed and like he might want to pull me into the bathroom himself.
“How’s it feel being the Archangels’ favorite?” Dina asks as I sit beside her on the bed.
“Pretty damn good,” I say, feigning confidence and leaning back, but I miscalculate and almost tumble off the bed.
She catches me and snorts a laugh. “Let’s hurry and get the business crap out of the way so I can get to my good news.”
“I’ll go first,” Zeke says, leaning against the wall like he did the last time we were all in Dina’s room. “Azrael didn’t learn much about the body he found in the Fallen district. He was able to identify him, though he’s been tight-lipped with me about it and won’t even give me a name. All he’ll say is the man had a troubled past and turned his life around, but must have gotten in with the wrong crowd again. He also found out the man’s address because he collected a box of belongings to examine. I fucking hate that he’s keeping me in the dark, but I’m still pushing for information.”
“Can you break into that room again like last time?” Raphael asks, sounding hopeful.
