Page 44 of Wings of Strife
I didn’t think Uriel’s face could get any uglier, but it does, morphing into something darker. He’s pissed. Mira doesn’t seem to care that she’s just enraged him, though, and to my surprise, he actually backs off.
“I won’t tolerate another moment of this. Disperse!” he shouts over his shoulder to the group of Fallen before turning back to me. “My warning still stands. If I catch you causing trouble again, it’ll be the last thing you do at this school.” Then he turns and walks away.
My heart races, the heavy dose of adrenaline making me shake. Dina’s eyes meet mine where she steps forward. She looks sad and apologetic, but I reach out to squeeze her hand reassuringly.
“I see that guy is still a dick,” Mira says with a huff. I’m both embarrassed and utterly impressed with the way Mira handled this situation. She reminds me so much of Dina. Confident, headstrong. I know my best friend would have backed me up just as hard if we were anywhere else. But with the amount of pressure that her dad’s been putting on her, I don’t blame her for keeping silent. I’ll have to make sure she knows that.
Before my pulse can settle down, another angel drops from the sky and I almost shriek at the white wings, thinking Uriel is back. But it’s Castiel’s worried gaze that meets mine. “What in the Archangels mess was that all about?”
“Just another day in the life of a mutant.” A heavy weight settles over me. Pushing against it feels insurmountable. I don’t bother saying anything about Uriel, unsure if I can bash a professor to another professor, but really, I just don’t have anything left in me.
Mira has no such worries, immediately giving him the condensed version of what we just experienced, and with every word she says, I sense Castiel growing more and more pissed off.
“That’s unacceptable. I know you’d probably just like to get back to your dorm, but please come with me for a moment. I think it’s time we have a little chat with Uriel about the types of punishments he’s doling out.”
There’s very little part of me that wants to be around Uriel again, but I wouldn’t mind witnessing the verbal sparring between Castiel and that asshole. “You can head out if you want,” I say to Dina and Mira, because they sure as shit haven’t signed up for any of this, but they don’t budge.
I hope someday I can repay their kindness.
We head toward the main hall, hoping to find Uriel in his classroom. Even though it’s a weekend, Castiel doesn’t think he’d have just gone home after all that. He’s most likely having a tantrum in his office, and for some reason, that makes me a little giddy. Serves the asshole right.
With every step we take, I find myself falling deeper into the woman I once was. The girl from before SCU. The one who never fit in. I hate it.
When we’re only a few rooms away from Uriel’s class, something shakes me from my inner turmoil. Angry, hushed tones come from a classroom up ahead. Uriel’s classroom. From this distance, I can’t hear what’s being said, but they sure as fuck don’t sound happy.
With the door shut and the small window covered, we can’t see who’s inside. It’s only when we press our ears to the door that we can hear clearly.
“That wasn’t what we agreed to! Do you understand the risks you put all of us in by going off script?” Uriel sounds pissed, and I wonder who he’s talking to. Clearly, he doesn’t think anyone would dare listen in. Cocky shit.
“You should have all stuck to the plan. Target her when she’s alone, make her feel isolated, and keep her preoccupied.” Time freezes as I catch on to what he’s saying. The Fallen picking on me, his lack of disregard. Is it all part of some elaborate plan they’ve concocted? I share a look with my friends, but none of us say a word.
I miss what he said next but can easily figure it out when Uriel replies, “I don’t care. Find a way to get her alone, but no more causing a scene or you’ll ruin everything.”
“Why do we need to do this again?” someone else asks, seeming almost bored.
Now that’s a question I’d like the answer to.
There’s silence for a moment, and I’m worried Uriel won’t answer the question. It’s only one I’ve been trying to figure out myself since the Fallen began openly hating me.
“You’re not here to know the reasons, you fool. You’re here to do as I say. All you need to know is that it’s imperative that she’s distracted for the next phase of the plan. We need to keep her busy so she can’t keep looking into things. And need I remind you she survived a fucking angel blade? No angel can survive that, which only proves she’s not one of us.”
My eyes widen. How the fuck does Uriel know about that?
“Isn’t it true that only demons can survive a hit from one of those blades?” someone else asks, fear present in their voice.
“An angel blade won’t kill a demon, no. All the more reason for you to do better or I’ll find others who can. And trust me, none of you will like the consequences of failing this task.”
It takes everything in me not to barge in and confront Uriel for his shit. Fuck. It kills me that I can’t rub it in his smarmy fucking face that I know he hates me, and that now I’ll make him pay.
Castiel made a pretty convincing argument though, and that’s why, thirty minutes later, our entire group is in the cave.
I’m still fuming, pacing, wanting to go back there and give him a piece of my mind.
“I’m going to ask this, but I don’t want anyone to take it the wrong way,” Zeke says, and I shoot him an angry glare. I hatethose words. It’s almost always backed up by some bullshit that you canonlytake the wrong way.
“Is there any chance you misinterpreted the situation?” I open my mouth to chew him out, but he cuts me off. “And before you bite my head off, it’s not you I’m doubting. I just can’t see Uriel coming up with this shit or executing these types of plans. The guy can’t even lie well. We saw that firsthand after the attack on the school.”
Theo extends a hand behind me, trailing over my shoulder and up my neck, gently pressing his fingers into flesh until I relax marginally.
