Page 13 of Wings of Strife
And sure, maybe I still feel this carnal fucking pull toward him, but that doesn’t matter.Yeah right, Hayles. Keep telling yourself that.
A few angels walk by in their Fallen trim-lined uniforms, gawking at Zeke. I recognize the guy in front by his mohawk, and he doesn’t even try to keep his words low as he talks to his friends. “Why the fuck is our house leader consorting with the riffraff?”
The hawk-nosed girl from class is with him too. “Maybe she can control angels once she’s fucked them. Might explain the entire table.”
Mohawk guy barks a laugh. “Like, she’s cute and all, I guess, but I don’t stick my dick into beasts.”
Zeke’s fists clench, but so do Raphael and Theo’s. They’re seconds away from getting up and telling this asshole what they really think, but I stop them.
“Drop it, please,” I whisper before taking a bite of my sandwich. “They gave me shit in Wingology class too. Just ignore them.”
“What do you mean?” Dina is the first to ask.
“It’s just been a long fucking morning. First, someone ran into me before class, then I had to listen to Cadriel in Wingology, and to make matters worse, the Fallen now seem to hate me.” I pull a bit of crust off the bread, popping it in my mouth, and do my best to focus on steadying my breathing. My emotions are too fucking strong today.
“The Fallen don’t fucking hate you. I’m here, aren’t I?” Zeke says, trying to reassure me.
“You are, but you heard their reaction for yourself. And honestly, that was tame compared to some of the shit they said earlier.” I pull at the collar of my uniform. Archangels, it’s hot in here. What the fuck is happening to me?
Raphael’s usually bright smile is gone. “Let me guess. Useless Uriel did nothing to stop them.”
The hint of a grin tugs at my lips.Useless Uriel. Now that has a ring to it. “He didn’t, but I’m not sure he even heard what was said. His focus was pretty singular on that damn obstacle course. Although, he did make some offhand remark about how my ability to continue at this school relied upon my attending the counseling sessions and doing better on that course, so it’s not like he wasn’t an asshole all on his own.”
“I fucking hate that guy,” Theo says, shocking me. He’s usually so calm, so neutral. To hear him actively hate someone is a pretty big deal.
I reach out to squeeze his hand. “Look, it’s fine. It’s not like the comments are new. And sure, I’m upset that the Fallen seemto have turned their backs on me, but I have you guys and that’s enough for me. Now, can we change the subject?”
Theo squeezes my hand back and nods. “We can. Are you still worried about Castiel?”
I sigh in relief and relax only slightly. “A little. The last thing I want is someone else trying to help me and getting hurt or in trouble.”
“He’ll be fine. I’m due back at the guild in a few days, so if he’s still gone, I can double check the logs and make sure we haven’t had any reports involving him.” Zeke pushes the food around his plate, but doesn’t eat any, and I wonder if maybe he’s uncomfortable sitting with us.
One thing at a time, Hayles. One thing at a damn time.
“Do you still think you’ll be able to collect some of those things we talked about?” Theo asks him.
Clueless, I ask, “What things?”
“Things that shouldn’t be said out loud with so many angels around,” Zeke answers. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was completely unruffled, but I know his tells now. The twitch in his jaw and the disinterested gaze see far more than he lets on. “But yes. I’ll do my best to gather what I can and also push Azrael more for answers. I’m sick of him keeping me in the dark.”
So they aren’t going to tell me shit, it would seem. Though I suppose they have good reason not to, given the number of angels around us. Most of whom don’t particularly like me. “Whatever it is you’re looking for, please be careful. If there’s even a possibility that you’ll be caught, it’s not worth the risk.”
Zeke flashes a small smile at my obvious worry. “I’ll be fine, humm—Hayliel. Theo, have you figured out anything more about that other thing we talked about?”
I don’t miss the way he almost called me hummingbird, but I can’t give him shit on that because I’m once again lost. What other things have they been talking about, andwhen? Beforenow, Zeke actively avoided us. Hell, he disliked Raph and Theo with all the passions of an endless flame. But now they’re talking? Strategizing?
I must have entered an alternate reality.
Theo shakes his head. “I’m still trying to find the book. No luck at Knowledge house yet, but I’m almost certain we have a copy at home. Are you still willing to train us?”
The book? Willing to train? Did Zeke offer to teach all of us how to fight like the guild? Fucking hell, just how much have I missed?
“Don’t think I’ll forget this entire confusing conversation later. I expect someone to loop me in eventually. And soon.” I purposefully meet each of my friends’ eyes, imploring them to take my words at face value because I mean it. As worthless as I might feel, it’s only made worse when they keep me in the dark.
“We will. I promise, sunshine.”
A few students walk by and we shovel food into our mouths to appear at least semi-normal. One of them, a Fallen guy with big ears, does a double take of our group. When he notices Zeke among us, his face falls, and he whispers, “So disappointing.”
