Page 70 of Wings of Valor
Zeke wasn’t awake for the rescue, but that doesn’t stop his anger from rising. He hates a snake as much as we all do. “I’m in. Just give me thewhenandwhere.”
“I’ll come by to get you in the morning.” Kirach takes a step back, then stops. “It’s good to have you back, son.” He leaves before Zeke can answer.
It’s silent as we walk. My thoughts are spiraling out of control. I’m not sure if I should push him about his father or share my reservations about him assisting with interrogations this soon after recovery. In the end, I say nothing. Zeke is a doer. He’s notsomeone who wants pity, which is exactly what he’ll think my worry is.
Raphael, Theo, and Dina are lounging when we walk into the place we’ve been calling home these past few weeks. Dina is on her slate while the guys are reading.
“Well, well, look who’s back on his feet,” Dina says, sending Zeke a look I know he’ll take as a challenge.
“My feet were never the issue.”
“Food is on the way. We weren’t sure what the healers were feeding you, so we ordered lots of extras,” Raphael says, putting his book down and striding toward us to plant a kiss on my cheek.
Theo folds his notebook, then follows a similar path to my side. Instead of kissing me, though, he runs his knuckles along my jaw.
“Ugh. I forgot what it was like to be around you guys,” Dina says, rolling her eyes, but her smile gives away her true feelings. I blow her a kiss, laughing.
“How’d your last session go?” Theo asks Zeke as we get comfortable on the couch.
“Fine. Wings can hold my weight, but the muscles need some work. Nothing I can’t handle.”
“Good, that’s good.” Raphael sighs, dropping his head in his hands. “My mother called earlier. I guess the school finally notified her of my absence.”
Shit. I can’t imagine that was a very productive conversation. “We’ve been gone for weeks. Isn’t it a little odd that they’re only calling now?”
“She’s very important, you know. She doesn’t have time for frivolous things like school calls,” Raph says, his voice mimicking the butler I met when I had dinner with his family.
Dina grimaces. “The only reason my dad let me back on campus was because Principal Cael told him you were no longer a student.”
“What the fuck?” Zeke seethes. Raphael and Theo do too, but they’ve had longer to deal with this bullshit. It’s part of why Dina didn’t come here right away. Her dad wouldn’t let her on campus until I was taken care of.
It might have bothered me once too, but not now. How can I even care about school when the fate of the city is so up in the air?
“If only they knew what we were all up to, what we were trying to do for the entire goddamn city, they’d eat their fucking words.” Raphael looks pissed, and I wonder if maybe I’ve been too dismissive of their feelings. They’re not like Zeke. He’d never hide his emotions from me, but Raph would if he thought it would make me uncomfortable.
“Was Uriel still on campus when you left?” Theo asks Dina, making me grimace. Somehow, in the chaos of everything, I’d blissfully forgotten about that asshole.
“Yup.” Her eyes dart my way, and for a second, I think she’s going to hold back. Whatever she sees on my face must tell her to go on because she says, “That prick immediately went back to spewing more lies and rumors to the other students. For whatever reason, you’re under his skin, Hayles.”
“I’d rather he has no fucking skin at all,” Zeke mutters, making me laugh. “I bet Malik would do something if he knew what was coming.”
“That sexy motherfucker would look mighty fine on a battlefield,” Dina says, sighing. “Actually, he asked about the two of you when I ran into him on campus.” Her cheeks grow a darker shade of red, and I just know there’s more to this story. As much as I want to pry, I don’t. There are certain things that should only be discussed amongst the girls.
“Professor Isadora would help, too, not that I think getting their help would be easy,” Raphael says.
Theo snaps his fingers. “Castiel could definitely help us convince them, or at the very least he’d tell us whether we’re totally off base with our idea. I’ll message him.”
“Learn anything about the demon blood tree?” I ask, glancing at the discarded book on the table.
“Some.” Theo sinks further into the couch, draping an arm across the back. “On its own, the tree isn’t harmful to anyone. In fact, if we assume the handwritten notes in the margins are true, the sap of the tree has certain health benefits for humans.”
“Huh. How would anyone know that?”
Raphael shrugs. “Most angels who leave don’t come back, but some do. It’s rare, but not unheard of. Even so, it means the ash is only one compound of the mixture in those little pouches.” He gestures toward where the sack Zeke stole from the guild rests next to their research.
“So, what you’re saying is, we’re shit out of luck.” Zeke glances between Raphael and Theo, one eyebrow raised.
“Not exactly. I mean, sure, we’d need the leader of the guild to share the recipe with us, as he’s the only one who knows it. The Archangels could request it on our behalf.”
