Fallen Kings

25

We wait until midnight when most angels are sleeping, and then we land on Jeremy’s balcony, my Ishim powers keeping us invisible. It’s locked, but Bastien was able to get the key, and he eases the door open as quietly as possible.

Jeremy’s room is a total mess. Dirty clothes everywhere. Empty food containers. Full glasses of soda. It even smells like a boy’s locker room. Tanwen pinches her nose and makes a face as we enter, while Araceli covers a yawn. Jonah frowns at me—he thinks this is a bad idea—but then he takes Araceli’s hand, keeping her invisible, and leads her out of the room. They return a minute later and Araceli nods, signaling she was successful in putting the roommate in a Malakim sleep trance. He shouldn’t wake up, even if Jeremy screams.

Then I remove the invisibility and flip on the light. Jeremy opens his eyes and then lets out a little pathetic scream when he sees the five of us hovering over his bed. I sit down on the edge of it, with Bastien and Tanwen to my left, and Araceli and Jonah to my right.

“Wh-what the f**k are you doing here?” Jeremy asks, trying to sound tough as he scrambles to sit up.

“Tell us where Kassiel is being held,” I demand.

Jeremy laughs. “Yeah, right. Like I would help you demon lovers.”

Jonah grabs one of Jeremy’s arms and Tanwen grabs the other, holding him in place. He struggles, but he’s no match for them and his eyes bulge out as I draw closer. I grip his chin, digging my red nails into his skin.

“Tell me,” I demand, sending desire into him. “Where is Kassiel?”

Jeremy’s eyes change from panicked to adoring as he gazes at me and the magic takes hold. “I want you,” he sputters. “I want you so bad.”

“You can have me as soon as you answer the question.”

“It’s why I hate you so much.” He struggles against Jonah and Tanwen, but now it’s because he feels a desperate need to touch me. There’s a tent in his trousers for sure. “You’re so f*****g sexy I can’t stand it. I stare at you in all our classes.”

Ugh. His lust tastes oily and disgusting, but I grip his chin tighter and smile sweetly at him anyway. “I know. Now answer the question. Where is Kassiel?”

“I don’t know.” Jeremy’s face is consumed by primal lust and his hips thrust to get close to me.

I stroke the side of his face and try not to gag, while I send even more seduction power into him. “Tell me where the Staff of Eternity is.”

“I don’t know anything!” he cries out, practically sobbing in his desperation to please me.

“Truth,” Bastien says, crossing his arms.

Dammit. I figured Jeremy was just another of the Order’s grunts, tasked with carrying out their missions while not being told anything important, but I had to try.

“What do you know about the Order?” Araceli asks him.

Jeremy looks at me, as if asking my permission, and I nod. “The Order controls Aerie industries. If I graduate as a member, I’ll get a job with them and make my parents proud.” Jeremy’s hips thrust at me again. “That’s all I know.”

If the Order controls Aerie, they’re far bigger than we ever knew. And it’s a good thing we kept the Princes’ families out of this—Callan’s mother Jophiel is the CEO of Aerie Industries. Further proof we can’t trust anyone else.

“Who is the new leader of the Order?” I bend over and press my arms against my breasts, so my cleavage spills out of my half-unbuttoned shirt.

“I have no idea,” Jeremy says.

“He doesn’t know anything,” Tanwen says with disgust. “Let’s get out of here. The smell is killing me.”

“Agreed,” Jonah says.

Jeremy suddenly lunges forward, and I jump back as Jonah and Tanwen get a better grip on him. He goes slack and throw his head back, then lets out a truly mad laugh that sends chills down my spine. “The Order controls everything. The whole f*****g world. You’ll never win.”

“I think you pushed him too hard,” Bastien says.

He’s right, and what did we learn? Nothing. I press a hand to Jeremy’s chest and tell him, “In the morning, you’ll think this was a dream.”

Araceli touches his forehead, and Jeremy slumps down into a deep sleep. I stand up and pull out some hand sanitizer from my pocket, then thoroughly coat myself in the stuff. Everyone else wants to use it too, and then we fly away.

We head back to the bell tower, but there’s nothing really to say. We don’t know anything new. We’re no closer to finding Kassiel or the Staff. And we’re in way over our heads.

Chapter Seventeen

Olivia

T

he next night I get a text from Marcus telling us to meet in the bell tower, and I rush over as quickly as I can with Araceli in tow. Within minutes, the entire group converges in the Princess Lounge, and I hurry inside to find Marcus, Callan, and Eveanna there. I immediately throw my arms around Marcus, and he squeezes me tightly and buries his face in my neck.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” I say. “I was worried.”

“It’s good to be back,” he whispers, before placing a soft kiss on my lips.

I pull back and glance at Callan, and for a second I have the urge to go to him too, to throw myself against his hard chest and feel his muscular arms surround me, but then I quickly look away.

Araceli is hugging Eveanna, and then Tanwen does the same. Our fae friend looks distinctly uncomfortable with all the attention, and Jonah laughs and pats her on the back. I give her a warm smile, while Bastien gives Callan and Marcus a nod. But as happy as I am to see them, I can’t help but notice they didn’t bring Kassiel or the Staff.