Page 7 of Wings of Torment
“Girl. He touched one of your feathers?” Dina asks, looking horrified.
Hayliel’s face scrunches up. “Yeah, but it didn’t feel creepy. More like he was curious. I’m not sure if he knows more than he’s letting on or he just really enjoys discovering new things, but nothing from him ever made me feel uncomfortable.”
“Well, I guess that counts for something,” I say, though I don’t like the idea of her flashing her wings and getting felt up by anyone, especially an angel in a position of power. “And Professor Uriel? It was obvious he wanted to get Hayliel alone by making us clean up. I’m glad Ezekiel stayed by your side.”
The angel in question holds my gaze, and for a moment I think he might be about to smile, but he only nods once before looking away.
“That piece of shit changed his tune real fast when he realized I wasn’t going anywhere. He even asked me to thank the Guild for all their hard work in removing the demons, which only leads me to believe that asshole did jack shit to protect the school or its students.”
“I picked up on that, too!” Hayliel adds. “And he seemed way too pristine to have seen any action. I mean, take us, for example. Dina and I changed clothes and look how bedraggled we still are?”
Dina hits her gently with a pillow.
I nod, remembering how odd I thought it was when he mentioned the aggressive behavior of the demons. To someone unfamiliar with them, I guess maybe it wouldn’t be clear just how unaggressive they were, at least compared to what they could have been, but I don’t bother saying so. Instead, I focus on the entire reason we went to see him in the first place. “I think we can all agree he’s a dick, but the principal sent you there for information. Did he give you anything helpful about what your wings mean?”
Ezekiel scoffs. “He gave us a whole lot of fuck all.”
His words elicit a snort from me. “I think I somehow knowlessafter talking to him. And did anyone else catch the weird vibes rolling off him? The way he skirted around my wings and then hightailed it out of there was suspicious as hell.”
We’re all silent as we consider the possibility that Professor Uriel knows more than he’s letting on, but why would he keep it a secret? What would he have to gain by staying quiet? And how is it that the professor whose entire fucking job it is to teach students about our wings knows nothing? It doesn’t make sense.
“Since no one else is going to say it, I will,” Ezekiel says, standing straighter. “Something weird is going on, and it’s not just with the professor.”
“What do you mean?” Hayliel asks, looking concerned.
“Well, for starters, when I arrived on campus, I tried calling several members of the Guild, and not a single line was answered. Even my father didn’t pick up. And did anyone else notice the demons seemed rather fixated on Hayliel? They practically flocked to her location, but why? Tie that in with the flash of light, scorched demons, and her new wings … none of it makes sense.”
“You’re right. This doesn’t feel like a random attack.” I hadn’t known about the Guild, but it wasn’t like them to not show up. Fuck, that’s literally what they’re there for. Our protection. So what the hell were they so busy doing? As for the demons focusing on Hayliel, I had my own thoughts on what that meant, but I need to dig more into it before I tell the others.
“It’s true. And, babe,” Dina says, her eyes trained on Hayliel. “I think you’re somehow part of it.”
We’re all quiet, lost in our own thoughts. There are too many unanswered questions, too many unknowns. I fucking hate it. I hate not knowing the answer and not being able to help my friends. Maybe if I had paid more attention, I could have knownthis would happen. Maybe I could have prevented it somehow, protected more students instead of letting them down.
No. Now isn’t the time to spiral down that particular rabbit hole. That’s better saved for later when I’m alone in my room.
“If we can’t rely on anyone else, why don’t we work together? I don’t know about any of you, but I can’t just sit by and let this go,” Dina says, her voice strong and sure.
At her words, Hayliel sits up straighter. “I sure as fuck can’t either, but it’s not as if we had any luck finding information on my wings before. What says this will be any different?”
“We know more now,” I say, wanting to reassure her. “It’s no longer just about your wings. There are far more things at play than we realized, and that could work out in our favor. I’ll monitor the news for anything that doesn’t add up with what we know.”
Raph nods. “Dina and I will put our ears to the ground and see if anyone knows something they shouldn’t.”
There’s a beat of silence before my gaze flicks to the brooding Fallen angel. His scowl deepens when he notices that we’re all staring at him, waiting for him to agree.
Raph must grow tired of his bullshit because he says, “Why are you even here if you’re not willing to help?”
Before Ezekiel can respond, Hayliel stands from the bed and walks toward him. “I think what Raphael means is, will you help us? The Guild might be able to offer more insight than we’d gather on our own.”
Unperturbed by our watching, he only trails his grumpy-ass gaze over Hayliel. I can only glimpse her side profile, but even from here I can tell how much hopefulness he must see on her face.
“I’ll consider it,” he finally replies before taking one last look around the room, sending a curt nod to Dina, then escaping through the balcony doors.
No one bothers watching him leave. Instead, we turn back to the now-dejected angel still standing by the wall and staring unashamedly at the spot that Ezekiel just walked through.
My heart breaks at the pain I see on her face. Or maybe it’s disappointment. Either way, it’s not something I ever want to see there, and it takes every fiber of my being not to jump off the balcony and go find the asshole who made her feel this way. I don’t do any of that, though. Not today. Instead, I get up and walk toward her with slow, even steps. “Are you alright?” I whisper, placing a hand on her arm.
“Hmm? Oh. Yeah. It’s just been a long day.”
