Page 19 of Wings of Torment
She’s ours,I think in his direction, wondering if I can mentally yell it loud enough for him to hear.
“Hi. I hope it’s okay that I’m sitting here. I saw you from across the room and knew I had to introduce myself to the gorgeous angel sitting alone in the corner.” He moves to brush the hair out of his eyes, even though there’s not a single lock out of place. You’re not fooling anyone, dickbag.
“Oh, um. Hi. Thank you. I’m not alone, though. My friends—”
“That’s right, Samkiel is here now. Maybe we can, you know, be alone together sometime. This Friday?”
The blood boils beneath my skin at his sheer audacity and the uncomfortable look it brings to Hayliel’s face. Who the fuck does this guy think he is? I’ve never even seen this piss-for-brains motherfucker on campus before.
Dina comes back just in time, saving me from making an ass out of myself and shooing him away. I want to. Archangels, I want to. But there’s a faint voice hovering on the edges of my subconscious that tells me it’s better if Dina does it. I doubt Hayliel wants to be in the middle of a pissing contest betweenthis rando and a guy she hasn’t even officially labeled things with.
“Who’s this guy?” she asks, looking unimpressed at the obvious tension.
“No idea. Said his name was Samkiel.” I try to relax my jaw, but the words come out forced, anyway.
“Right. Well, you’re in my seat, Samkiel.”
The newcomer hesitates for a moment before giving Dina her seat, but he doesn’t leave. Instead, he stands awkwardly on the fringes of our table, staring at Hayliel.
She looks beyond uncomfortable, but she finally says, “Sorry, I’m unavailable.”
“Don’t worry, I’m flexible. What about Saturday?”
“The day isn’t the issue. I’m unavailable to date. Sorry.”
Samkiel opens his mouth to speak again when Dina says, “Look, she’s already involved with someone else and uninterested. Accept the no and leave.”
His face shifts until it looks as if someone’s shoved a sour candy in his mouth and forced him to suck. But I barely notice as he continues to stand there. I barely notice the strange look on Hayliel’s face as she peers around the table or the way she picks at her food. My mind is stuck on her words.I’m unavailable to date.What does that mean? Even Dina said she’s already involved with someone, but who? Do I know them? And what about last night?
Samkiel clearly doesn’t know how to take a hint because he stands rooted to the spot, a dark cloud hovering over us. “I don’t believe you,” he says to Hayliel. “You’re not really attached. You’re just saying that.”
I’ve had enough. Before I can think twice, I stand, slamming my hand down on the table.
“Listen, fuckface. Even if she wasn’t already seeing someone, or even multiple someones if she’s so inclined, none of that isyour business. She said no. She doesn’t need any more excuse than that, so why don’t you leave before this becomes even more uncomfortable for you.”
The cafeteria grows quiet at my outburst, and as I watch him finally leave, I notice Seraphina storming out of the room. Not my damn problem.
I take my seat, muttering an apology for blowing up. I’m not sorry for what I said, though. That asshole needed to understand that whether or not something is true — and I’ll admit even I want to know if she’s actually dating someone — no is no.
“No apology necessary, Raph. I was about to blow up myself, which I’m sure would have caused even more of a stir. Thanks for always saving me.”
“If he didn’t do it, I would have. That piece of shit needed it, and maybe a swift kick in the head, too. What the hell even was that?” Dina asks.
“You don’t even—” Hayliel doesn’t get to finish because two girls show up at the table, holding out a piece of paper.
“By the grace of the Archangels!” one of them whisper shouts.
“Is it really you, Hayliel? We’ve been looking for you all over campus. Can you sign our newsletters, please?”
“Please, please, please!” the other one parrots.
What the hell?
Hayliel looks just as confused as I am. “Erm … sure, I guess?”
She scrawls her name across each page, and the two girls pick them up like they’re made of glass. “Pinch me,” the tallest one says to her friend, who does what she asked. “It’s real. The demon slayer herself signed these! Thank you!”
“I think I might faint,” the other one says, and then they’re running back to a crowded table on the other side of the cafeteria.
