Wicked Wings

33

I stumble over my words. I have an account that I didn’t open or ask for, with a bunch of money inside. Aerie Industries is paying me a thousand dollars just to attend school. For a second I almost feel bad for deceiving everyone, but then I get over it. I’m here on a mission. The angels can’t find my brother, so they can damn well pay me for doing their job for them.

“Is that for the school year?” I ask. I do some quick math in my head. I have a couple hundred dollars saved up from my job at the bar. I should be able to make it work for the next year even without a job, considering I can get a lot of things free, and since I’m not paying for an apartment anymore. I’ll need gas in the car, which is paid off at least, plus money for insurance and my phone, even though it doesn’t get service up here.

“No, just the month,” Araceli says as she looks at some paper in her purse. “It’s pro-rated since we’re only here some of March. You’ll get two thousand next month.”

My jaw drops. What in the world am I expected to spend two grand a month on?

Nothing, that’s what. That s**t is going in my dorm in case I need to make a quick escape. I might hide some off campus too. If anyone finds out I’m part demon, I’ll need to be ready for anything.

“I’ll take it all, please.” I try to sound confident, like a cool thousand for half a month doesn’t make me want to crap my pants.

The clerk, who I’m suddenly very fond of, hands me ten one-hundred-dollar bills, counting them out into my hand. I fold nine of them three times and tuck them into a tiny pocket in my black jeans. The other one I put in my wallet to spend today. I’ve never carried this much money in my life before, and it makes my head spin.

Araceli withdraws some money too, and then we head out again. “I’ve had this account since I was little. There’s a branch of this bank in Arizona as well.” As we walk out into the cold, her face brightens. “There’s Grace and Cyrus. They flew.”

They land on the sidewalk and Grace gives us one of her warm smiles. “Going shopping? Can we join you?”

“Of course,” I say, as I eye them in their short-sleeve shirts. Araceli and I are bundled up like we’re going out into the snow. “How do you stand the cold?”

“It’s something we learned this week in Light Control, which you’ll take next year,” Cyrus says with a grin.

“Just gather a bit of sunlight around you, like this,” Grace says. She focuses, and a glow wraps around her and then vanishes again. “It keeps you toasty warm.”

Grace and Cyrus head into the bank, and while we wait Araceli works on pulling light around herself like a warm winter coat. I want to try it also, but doing so would reveal that I can use my angelic magic, and I can’t have that. So instead, I just shiver, while she makes herself toasty warm.

“You’ll figure it out,” Araceli says while rubbing my shoulder, and I feel another pang of guilt for deceiving her. “Soon all this angel stuff will make sense, I promise.”

“Thanks,” I say.

“Araceli!” Zane practically skips along the street toward us. “What are you doing here on this lovely morning?”

“We’re going shopping,” she says with a laugh. “Care to join us?”

“I’d love to escort such beautiful ladies.” He gives her a wink and then takes her arm like a gentleman. The two of them stroll off down the road, forgetting about me completely. It’s tough to ignore a succubus, but love will do that, even the first stirrings of it. I’m not mad, though. I hope it works out for them. Plus, I enjoy the taste of their lust growing too.

Grace and Cyrus walk out, and they chuckle when they see Araceli has ditched us. “I guess that’s going to be a thing,” Cyrus says, delighted by this new gossip.

“Seems that way,” I say.

“They’re cute together,” Grace says.

“We can hear you,” Araceli calls back.

We all burst into giggles, and for a second I feel something rare: happiness. It’s easy to pretend with these people. They’re friendly and open with me, accepting me into their fold even though they’ve only known me for a week. I wish it all wasn’t a lie.

As we walk down the street and admire the cute little shops, I chat and laugh with the others, but I also remind myself I’m here for a reason. When Cyrus and Darel slip inside a clothing shop for men, I use the opportunity to grill Grace and Araceli some more. I need to get all the information I can.

After we get a coffee at a little stand on the corner, I ask them, “Hey, have you heard any rumors about a secret society on campus?”

“A secret society?” Araceli asks with a little laugh. It sounds forced, and her eyes dart side to side. “At Seraphim? No way.”

Grace waves her hand dismissively. “Those are just rumors. They go around every year, and everyone speculates on who got invited to join and who didn’t, but then they die down again because there’s nothing to them.” She shrugs. “Sorry. It’d be pretty cool if the school did have one though.”

I take a little sip of my coffee. “I figured it was just a crazy conspiracy theory.”