Page 62 of Wings of Strife
Professor Sofiel talks about our final exam, and I try to listen, I really do, but with only fifteen minutes left of class, I can’t force myself to pay attention.
Someone knocks on the door, interrupting her. She opens it just enough to have a hushed conversation with whoever it is before turning back to the class. “Miss Hayliel. There’s someone here to see you. Please gather your things and head to the hallway. I’ll send the rest of the examination details to your slate.”
My heart skips a beat. If it were another student, I doubt she’d let me leave early. It could be Castiel, but that would mean something happened, and it’s big enough for him to pull me from class. Shit. I hope it’s not that. I can’t handle more bad news.
Under the watchful eye of my classmates, including a death-filled glare from Temperance, I walk toward the front of the class, and as I pass through the doorway, my stomach plummets from what I see there.
Professor Uriel waits for me in the hall, a manic glint in his eyes.
“What do you want?” I ask, folding my arms across my chest as the door closes behind me. I probably shouldn’t be so brazen with this lunatic, but I’m just so fucking angry. First, he instructs fellow students to bully me, and now he shows up to pull me out of class early for Archangels know what.
Whatever it is, it’s nothing good. I know that for a fact.
“You’ve got detention with me today. I didn’t want you bailing or using your friends to get out of it, so I made sure neither option would be a problem.”
His words cause panic, but I keep my expression neutral. He’s clearly been watching us if he knows someone always escorts me to and from class. In my mind, I press into my mental bonds and send out one message to everyone.Uriel pulled me from class early. He’s personally ensuring I don’t miss my detention.
He smiles, but it’s far from comforting. “Come with me. And don’t bother fighting, it’ll only make things worse.”
Raphael’s cheerful voice, now full of anger, pops into my head.That fucking piece of shit.He’s followed by Theo’s smooth, reassuring one,We’re coming for you, firefly.
My legs feel stiff, but I force them to move. It helps to know that my friends are aware, and I trust they’ll come quickly to my aid. Besides, his classroom is in the main hall, so we’ll have to leave the tower. Someone will see us.
The farther I follow him, though, the more I realize he’s not taking me out of the tower. I halt mid-step. “Where are you taking me?”
He turns, one side of his mouth tilted upward. “To detention, as I said. The room we’re going to is just around the corner. Will you continue willingly, or do I have to use force?”
A shudder runs through me, one I know he sees because it only adds to the glee on his stupid asshole face. Something terrible crosses my mind that has panic lodging itself in my throat. Could Uriel be the masked man who tried to take me from the library? Logically, I know it can’t be. His voice is no match for the deep, ominous timber of the cloaked being. But it doesn’t stop the trickle of unease coursing down my spine.
“No,” I say belatedly, not wanting to find out what his idea of force is. Moving my limbs is a struggle, but I manage. When we round the corner, Uriel opens a door and beckons me inside. Through the bond, I say,Get Castiel. Uriel isn’t taking me to his office. I’m in the—
But as I pass through the doorway, a heavy weight presses against my conscience, cutting off all access to my mental connections. I whirl around, hoping to flee, but the bastard stands in front of the closed doorway.
“Sit down. Detention starts now.”
The room is empty except for two desks. His and mine. It would appear no one else is joining us.
I can’t decide if that makes me calmer or more nervous. Uriel alone is something I’d rather not deal with, but the mental and physical gymnastics I would have to endure in order to survive Fallen students, along with Uriel’s bullshit, is too much to think about.
Maybe this is a good thing.
A self-deprecating laugh threatens to bubble up from my throat, but I swallow it down. Whatever the fuck this is, it’s definitely not agoodthing.
Grabbing the slate from my bag, I unlock the screen, hoping that whatever it is that’s blocking my telepathic ability isn’t also affecting electronics. If I can just get a message out to my friends, they’ll know where to find me.
I fucking hate needing them to rescue me, and it seems like it happens every other god’s damn day, but I’d rather deal with that than this man.
Before I can click any more buttons, though, Uriel stands over my desk with a scowl. “Put your things away. You can do your homework on your own time. We need to talk.”
I sigh, feigning a strength I don’t feel, and tuck my slate back into the top of my bag, hitting a button before I pull my hand back. “If you wanted to talk, Professor Uriel, all you had to do was say so.”
“Oh really? Is that all I had to do? You insolent child. Don’t speak to me as if you understand the world.” He moves back to the large desk at the front of the class, but doesn’t go behind it.Instead, he rests his ass against the front and stares at me. “Since you’ve been avoiding your mandatory counseling sessions, why don’t we use this time to catch up, hmm? Unless you have something better to do for the next three hours?”
He laughs at his own joke, but I don’t make a sound. Three hours? How the hell am I to survive so long with this crazy man?
My silence only seems to piss him off, but as scared as I might be, I remind myself of what Castiel said. Normal angelic or demonic weapons can’t kill me. And while we may not know exactly whatcanyet, other than the fabled God who’s no longer around, I’m confident that anything this asshole has won’t do permanent damage.
Hopefully, it won’t come to that.
