Page 43 of Wings of Strife
A guy with a massive forehead leers at me. “And we just want you gone from our school. I wonder which one of us will get what they want first?”
“Seriously? What the fuck is your deal?” Mira asks the group, unimpressed with their bullshit. I want to caution her to be quiet, to not let them bother her, but I can’t bury the tinge of joy that she’s standing up for me.
“Our deal,” a girl with thin lips and even thinner eyebrows sneers, “is that they let this vermin enter our school and expect us to be okay with it.”
Fucking hell. This again? I’ve heard this spiel from Seraphina already. “What the hell did I ever do to you?”
“You live inourdorms and takeourclasses as if you’re one of us, but you’re not,” the same girl says.
“You. Don’t. Belong. Here,” big forehead adds, stepping right up into my personal space.
Six months ago, his words would have caused me pain. Hell, even a month ago they might have, but not now. Now I see this for what it truly is. Weakness.
But it’s not mine. It’s theirs.
Where I’d normally cower from his nearness, all I feel is strength.
I don’t have time to do anything about it though because suddenly Mira is standing between me and this asshole, andshe’s holding a small, sharp blade to his throat. “It’s time you back the fuck up, buddy, and get out of my friend’s face.”
“Or what? You’ll prick me with your tiny little blade?” The smirk on his face might make me believe he’s not scared of her, but the glint of fear in his eyes gives the truth away.
The guy I’d seen with Uriel a few weeks ago stands on my periphery. His wounds have healed, but if this breaks out into a fight, he’ll have fresh ones to take their place. He stands mostly on his own, a little further back than the other five in the group who have drawn close since our little altercation, but it looks like he’d rather be miles away than confronting us.
Mira smiles, but it’s anything but sweet. “I’ll use this tiny blade to keep you still while I use this one to cut off your tiny dick.” As if she conjured the damn thing, a slightly larger blade rests in her other hand where she holds it to his crotch.
“You’re crazy,” he says, voice wavering slightly, and hot damn, I’m with Dina. Mira might just be the angel I want to be when I grow up.
“Don’t fucking tempt me, you slimy piece of shit.” Nothing about Mira’s expression can make someone believe that she isn’t serious. I wouldn’t want to fuck with her, that’s for damn sure.
Thin brows steps forward as if to intervene, but that only makes Mira press the blades more firmly into big forehead’s body. He whines, voice shooting up a couple of octaves as he screeches, “Stay the fuck back, you idiot!”
Without warning, a Pure angel drops from the sky and I inwardly groan.
“What is the meaning of this?” Professor Uriel looks at the group of Fallen, then at Mira, and finally his gaze shifts to mine.
Not intimidated in the slightest, Mira says, “We were trying to leave when these cockfuckers blocked our path and started threatening us. But don’t worry, Prof., we’ve got it handled, don’t we, champ?”
Big forehead nods, raising his hands and backing up slowly. There’s a thin cut on his neck, and I don’t even want to think about what injuries might be present in his nether regions. Yuck.
“We are a prestigious school and violence among students willnotbe tolerated. I expect to see you all in detention. It would appear, Miss Hayliel, that you are at the very core of all our problems. If it happens again, I will personally see to it that you’re expelled.”
I suck in a breath, unable to believe the bullshit coming from his mouth.
“You smarmy piece of shit,” Mira says, wiping her blades off on her shorts before putting them away.
“What did you just say to me?” Professor Uriel asks, his eyes narrowing to slits.
“You heard me. Hayliel hasn’t done jack shit, but you know that already. Don’t you?”
If I didn’t love Mira before, I certainly do now.
Uriel’s jaw drops open. “How dare you!”
“How dare I? You’re the professor, asshole. You’re the one who’s supposed to be taking care of students, but all I see is an arrogant, self-centered jackass with a superiority complex.”
Uriel sputters, his face an unattractive shade of red. “That’s enough from you. Hand over your weapons and name this instant. We’ll see what the principal has to say about your defiance.”
Mira only laughs. “Like hell. I’m not giving you shit. And, speaking of Principal Cael, I bet he’d be very interested to know that one of his professors is less than unbiased. Isn’t that little tidbit in the school’s code of conduct?”
